URGENT...PC Upgrade help!!

[debraj]

My current stock is:
1+.5 GB RAM DDR2 667MHz
Intel Pentium D Processor 3.0GHz
A Segate Barracuda 300GB HDD
A Samsung SynchMaster 17" CRT
A 450 W PSU


Now I have a budget around 10k to spend as my previous motherboard died

I want to use my PC for Gaming mostly

I am having problem in choosing the perfect combo's
Should I go for.....

1. Asus P5N7A-VM
2. A low level Intel Motherboard + one decent Graphics Card
3. Intel DG45ID motherboard + LCD (since it does not hav a VGA out)
4. Buy some new processor

I am really confused...
My concerns are:

1. If I go for Asus P5N7A-VM motherboard, it willl cost more and wont give better results than using a dedicated graphics card. And may be a 8500GT if I have a few bucks left after that. Since the Motherboard offers Hybrid SLI support with that card. And performances are boosted by few Knots..

2. Entry Level motherboard means less chance for upgradation, I need good number of RAM slots. And I dont know which Graphics card will give me better performance for the Pentium D processor I have.

3. Reviews says that DG45ID is not par with Asus P5N7A-VM when it comes to gaming. Plus LCD coast will be huge....

4. Buying a new processor will cost heavens....and then no bucks left for Graphics card....

5.I DONT KNOW WHICH GRAPHICS CARD WILL BE BEST FOR ME!!

Please Help me out....as soon as possible.

[Cool Buddy]

can you tell us your current motherboard model? Why do yo want to buy a motherboard? And if the mobo doesn't have VGA out you can get a DVI to VGA adapter, that's not a problem.
First calm down & tell us what you have and what you want. I am not able to understand why you want a new motherboard. And I don't think Intel DG45ID supports your processor. So if you buy that motherboard, you'll have to change the processor.

[Jaskanwar Singh]

@ cool buddy
why wont it support the processor??? pentium dual cores are on the list..

@ op
my suggestion - spend around 2.5 - 3k and get a mobo..then save up more and blow it on a complete new pc...
spending on ancient parts wont give performance boost..if you get a graphics card..the processor will be a bottleneck.

[debraj]

My motherboard crashed. as i said, i can buy a low budget motherboard but what about graphics...and plz mention the motherboard u r reffering. I need one motherboard which can support my processor and which will allow me for future upgradation...like say it should have 4 memory slots. My budget can be streched to 11k if needed. should i go for a core 2 duo processor-a motherboard-a 650 w psu-and a 9600 card..and will that fit my budget...

[Cool Buddy]

@jas, maybe I missed it.

@debraj
No that won't fit in your budget.
Also. current mobos can't support future Intel processors. sandy bridges will fit in a new socket. in fact, the socket has already changed for the core i[X] processors. So spend on a cheap motherboard and a decent graphics card which you can use with your next system too. And don't buy Cooler Master Xtreme PSU, please......

And don't buy a new processor now, especially Intel

[debraj]

Then which motherboard shud i buy...plz specify. and which graphics card are u suggesting with my current processor..shud i opt for asus P5N7A-VM which has 9300 as its Gpu..will satisfy my needs...as for now. can u plz tell me its price. and i live in kolkata..so do anyone of u know a dealer of the above board.

---------- Post added at 12:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:56 AM ----------

And what abt gigabyte GA-G41M-ES2L

[pegasus]

debraj sir- Ideally, it's highly recommended you upgrade the full computer, especially since you look forward to gaming on the computer.
True gains with any graphics card will be possible only with something newer than what you have.
A PentiumD, i.e. if you have a PentiumD 8xy/9xy (not the Pentium Dual Core processors like E21xy, E5x00, etc) is just too outdated honestly.
But all that depends on how much you have and are willing to spend on your upgrade, especially to make it a worthwhile one.

[debraj]

OK....
At last I have finally purchased something and i believe it was the right choice.
Motherboard: Intel DG41RQ(OEM):::2900/-
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo@2.93GHz 3MB L2Cache::E7500::5700/-

My first choice ASUS P5N7A-VH was not available anywhere in the Chadni.

I was given some lucrative choices of cards with onboard Nvidia Graphics with some Zotac and XFX cards..but frankly the cards were too old...one based on 6050 and other on 7050 graphics core.
One Zotac motherboard with onboard Graphics was available for as low as 2000 bucks, but i didn't.

I went for the Intel DG41RQ which cost me nearabout 2900 bucks.

I first thought of purchasing Core i3 Processor which was of the same price as of the Core 2 Duo, but i chose the later after suggesting a few individuals who had fair knowledge in this field. They told me if u want to go for gaming, then have i7 but with my budget they asked me to go for Core 2 Duo.

Now i have a choice to purchase a good graphics card....so i need ur help..

I saw some ATI cards which were priced around 4.5K like the ATI Radon 5450HD...it also consumes less power than the 9600GT. So no need of some external PSU. But 9600GT seems to me that it outperforms its ATI counterpart in every department else.

Plz give me some proper suggestion on choosing a good one.

[Sam]

^^ sad to see you went the wrong road. should have opted for Athlon II X4 + a 785G (AM2+) board. that will cost same but with 2X performance boost. also can you please tell which "few individuals" told i7 best for gaming, not i3? in gaming a descent processor all it needs paired with a fast card. not fastest processor paired with total crappy & slow cards.

for card, don't look past HD5670. get HD5670/HD5750 or GTS250. if your budget below 8k. anyway what budget for card?

[debraj]

I dont regret my decision....I dont think the current combo I have will not provide me with a better gaming experience. It ain't that Bad.Is it???


I didnt choose the i3 due to one more reason except for the money (an additional 2k )...I told earlier that I already had a 1.5 GB of RAM(DDR2,667GHz). That would have gone in vain if I would have gone for i3 procy as the motherboard does not support DDR2 RAM.


I will be able to spend a max. of 8k for the card.
I would have loved to go for 9600GT but it will require a additional PSU which will cost me near about 3k extra.

So, what are my options.
Should i go for an Nvidia or an ATI,
And plz do mention the Prices if possible.
Thank you.

[Sam]

if you got a vanlla PSU, get this combo: Sapphire/Powercolor/XFX HD5670 512Mb ---> 5.2-5.5k.
FSP Saga II 400W ---> 2-2.5k

TOTAL: 7.2-8k. don't waste money on old cards now. HD5670 beats 9600GT. consumes less power & DX11.

[debraj]

i enquired abt the card in kolkata...only one shop found till now..supreme computers which has got 1gb version of it with price 6.5k and tax..and do i need an extra psu...if its 400 watts then wats the use of it..

[Cool Buddy]

try saboo computers (near Bengal Chamicals) or Starcomp Mall (llok up justdial). You should get in those shops.

[Sam]

@debraj, a better PSU will provide more current to the system & so to the card. also the current should be clean one rather than fluctuating (read desi PSU). this way your PC will be on safe ground. so try & get the 400W unit. else try your hands on the 350W version.

[Cool Buddy]

Desi PSU: Rating 500W --> Capable of supplying 250W (read false rating)
Good Branded PSU: Rating 400W --> Capable of supplying at least 350-360W in the long run

Also, some safety features like auto cut off in case of power surge or excessive power draw make it safer. As sam said, fluctuation is low, fluctuation is very bad for power hungry components. And the last but not the least, A desi PSU generally does not survive more than 2 years whereas the branded will survive for a long time. Thus the cost will be evened out anyways. In short, the wattage of the PSU says nothing.

---------- Post added at 05:58 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:52 AM ----------

oh yes! and there's the efficiency thing. If your PC needs say 200W, a good PSU will actually draw <250W whereas a desi PSU may draw upto 280W or even more

Note: Cooler Master eXtreme is a branded PSU, not a good PSU

[Sam]

actually desi PSU can give rated power but just with 24hrs, ***BANG*** its gone. oops.

in that 2yrs it'll do more harm than terrorists do to our country in sametime. chances are 100% of PC parts will burn. go bad. & these things aren't covered under warranty. also if covered, the service center guys will say its not covered. else why will most "techie" or ppls who knows in details about the safety & power consumption of PC sell out 3-8k for a PSU only.

[Cool Buddy]

nope, actually I saw a review of a desi PSU by a good website. The PSU was rated as 500W. They were increasing the load by 25W at a time. The PSU supplied power at 250W load but as soon as they increased the load to 275W, the PSU went bust. They had written that there was no explosion, just the PSU burnt and switched off. When my PSU burnt, I was lucky. There was smoke coming out of the back of the PSU but the PC was still running. As soon as I smelt the smoke, I immediately turned off the PC and changed the PSU. Every component was fine.

Now I'm planning to buy an FSP Saga II 500W, but I'm not getting any reviews online.

[debraj]

I want to buy an external TV Tuner card at kolkata....within 1K. Help needed quick..