Upgrading Dell

[KoolDrew]

[Yawgm0th]

Like I said, wait for socket-939 motherboard to actually come out. We can't help you find a motherboard that hasn't come out yet, and getting a socket-940 motherboard wouldn't be very wise at this point in time.

Are you going to be replacing your current system entirely, or just pulling out the motherboard and throwing in a different one (with different hardware)?

[KoolDrew]

Im gonna basically replace the entire system. So can you give em soem links to stuff that I could buy, except for the motherboard whihc ill wait a week for. I also want the best parts of everything. THe best processor, best video card, ram etc. I will probaly get 1gb of ram for now but buy another one later. Same wiht the hard drive.

So can someone give me a list

EDIT: Also I found 15,000 RPM hdds, but they are pretty expensive so i am just wondering how faster will it actually be then a 10,000 RPM ebcause i dont want to waste 500 bucks o9n a 15,000 rpm when i can buy a 200 dollar one that woulb be just about the same speed.

EDIT2: I also want good parts that i could overclock. I am new to overclcoking but would like to overclock anyway

[bigjackusa]

First of all, don't replace a Dell mb without replacing the psu. Dell uses proprietary wiring on the connecters. Mix and match with industry standard stuff, and poof!. Secondly, you already have a pretty powerful machine. With the addition of the graphics card you mentioned, I don't see how spending a lot more money will result in any usable performance increase in games. Sure, you could get better benchmarks, but you're talking a lot of money for bragging rights.

[dawizza]

First of all, don't replace a Dell mb without replacing the psu. Dell uses proprietary wiring on the connecters. Mix and match with industry standard stuff, and poof!. Secondly, you already have a pretty powerful machine. With the addition of the graphics card you mentioned, I don't see how spending a lot more money will result in any usable performance increase in games. Sure, you could get better benchmarks, but you're talking a lot of money for bragging rights.

what he said, only get a new videocard
maybe some extra memory, but that should be it :)

[KoolDrew]

Does anyone know a good CPU Cooler for a AMD Athlon 64 FX-53.

Also will I see any difference between a 15,000 RPM har drive and a 10,000. I do run an FTP server so will the 15,000 RPM help?

[Yawgm0th]

Like they said, you wouldn't see too much performance increase from an Athlon 64 FX system. However, it would be there (and be noticable). Plus, it never hurts to have an extra computer. In fact, the P4 would probably be better in a few encoding application while the Athlon 64 would be much better in games. So you use the P4 for video encoding, watching movies, your server, word processing, web browsing, etc., while the A64 is for games.

Anyway, forget about three things until socket-939 stuff comes out:
Processor
Motherboard
HSF (CPU cooler)

You can probably get a compatible HSF, but I'm not sure that the socket 939 processors aren't different enough to warrant a different socket HSF from the 940.
(all prices are U.S.)
For everything else, it depends on how much you are willing to spend.
For video card, you could go ahead and get an X800 XT or something like that for around $500. Here's a link for a GeForce FX5950, which is of similar quality:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-121-165&depa=0

For HDD, you would probably get a motherboard with built-in SATA/RAID and get dual WD 10000RPM 74GB Raptors. Here's a link for that HDD:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-144-160&depa=0

For RAM, you will want two identical sticks of PC3500 CAS2 512MB registered memory. Here's some Corsair XMS 1GB (2 x 512MB packed together) Cas 2 ECC registered memory:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-145-510&depa=0

There's other stuff to worry about, but we can get to that later. you need to understand, this will be quite expensive. You're looking at between $1500 and $2500 if you want this to be a "top-of-the-line" gaming desktop. For similar performance (but somewhat worse), you would still need between $1200 and $1500.

In any case, the only thing that would really be totally safe to purchase now would be the HDD. With those mail-rebates you actually save quite a bit if you get sooner rather than later. The RAM and video should be waited on as prices could go down, and you might change your mind on what you're getting.

[Morgan_Lander]

No offense, but you're retarded to scrap the entire thing.

The FX5200 sucks, so you'd be best off getting something like an ATi X800 and you'd be set for awhile. That's a big bottleneck.

For sound, you can upgrade that and get something nice. If you can find them, Philips have some awesome cards.

RAM...maybe, but 512MB ain't gonna hurt you right now.

The best thing you can do is upgrade the video card.

There is a difference between 15k and 10k RPM drives, but you'll need to buy a SCSI card for the 15k since they only come in SCSI. So tack on another $100-300 (or more) for a good SCSI card in addition to the drive.

[joshuajames]

kool drew, if you are going to replace all the stuff in it why did you buy that dell in the first place? especially one like that, i would think it was quite pricey.

[Rabidturtle]

Hmm. Kool i got a similar Dell computer kinda like yours. Would it be possible for me to switch mobos on the dell and keep the dell case? I heard something saying you couldnt switch mobos if you use a Dell Case cause itll cause all your chips to fry or something.

[amd_man2005]

Dell uses a proprietary power supply that is wired differently than a standard one, so it requires the purchase of a new power supply to use a different mobo in a Dell case

[Rabidturtle]

gotcha, any suggestion on which MOBO and Powersupply i should get for a P4 3.2 gigahertz? Also would i have to replace a lot of wiring as well? Fill me in with as much info on this dell stuff. :)

[wayout44]

Only the mainboard plug is the only difference so any quality 400W+ PSU will do the job but why not just replace the case as well for something with better airflow?

[Rabidturtle]

Any suggestions on exactly which mobo/PSU and stuff?