Mission: Upgrade

Okay guys, time to upgrade my pc. That was the least shocking part, now the other.

Standard specs of my good old Compaq Presario:
300 Watt Bestec PSU
AMD Athlon64 3400+ (2.2 Mhz)
1 GB Samsung PC3200 DDR-SDRAM
GeForce 6200 SE Turbocache of max. 256 MB (64 MB own memory, the rest from the RAM if available)
Onboard sound

My things-to-upgrade list:

PSU - 600W, OCZ GameXstream
CPU - Athlon64 X2 4800+
RAM - to 3 GB - Completed
Graphics card - EVGA GeForce 8800GT (512 MB)
Sound card - Creative X-Fi Xtreme Gamer 7.1

Because this desktop is also my working pc, I do not want too much noise. So maybe I will choose a passively cooled card. Because those are getting quite hot, I decided to post some pics of my rig (inner parts and case). Will the airflow be decent enough to keep the temperatures acceptible?

A good PSU is the Zalman 600W PSU. I have it myself and it's great, really quiet thanks to the passive cooling! And it's modular too, though they have a lot on those cables and my case is basically filled thanks to the pci-e connectors, sata power, ide power, all my fans..

Also you shouldn't worry too much about the heat, i don't think you'd be overclocking this as it is your working computer. Airflow is good, i hardly see any cable hanging in there ;)

Hehe my first desktop sys was a compaq presario

It looks ok in terms of airflow, though of course you could mod in an intake fan on the side.

Originally Posted by Magus

A good PSU is the Zalman 600W PSU. I have it myself and it's great, really quiet thanks to the passive cooling! And it's modular too, though they have a lot on those cables and my case is basically filled thanks to the pci-e connectors, sata power, ide power, all my fans..

Also you shouldn't worry too much about the heat, i don't think you'd be overclocking this as it is your working computer. Airflow is good, i hardly see any cable hanging in there ;)

Originally Posted by interman

Hehe my first desktop sys was a compaq presario

It looks ok in terms of airflow, though of course you could mod in an intake fan on the side.

Since I wish to add a sound card as well (best position seems to be the lowest PCI slot to me), and a Radeon HD 3850 is slightly bigger than this GeForce 6; my concern is that the airflow will be slightly less "ok" when I finished upgrading.

@Magus: Zalman was already in my thoughts, since it is a AMD/ATI certified and good brand. But we shouldn't forget the size of the PSU, it still has to fit ;).

Is 600W the amount I should have, or will 550W be enough?

550W is fine

SPSS, aren't those licenses yearly? That would mean it would expire round years end in late june doesn't it?

A passive 3850 isn't an option. The 3850 is a solid card for it's field and budget, but it will have to work for it's money in modern games and heating up in the process. I assume you have a agp slot for your card.

Airflow looks great, although this design isn't meant for getting your pc any more silent. Alll vent holes are placed directly at positions with the biggest heatsources and biggest fans. The fact that it's placed on your desk won't help much either.

Since you are a student and not swimming in money I suggest this case as an alternative. Fairly cheap and well build: ALTERNATE. Hardware - Software - Entertainment

The 600W is normal sized, atleast i don't think it's big, comparing to the 350W of my old pc

Also another tip, The best thing against computer noise is music.

But anyways i vote that you should take the 600W even though you only need like 500W, it's stable and can always be reused if you want to upgrade again ( Not to mention it looks great)

Originally Posted by Gazz

SPSS, aren't those licenses yearly? That would mean it would expire round years end in late june doesn't it?

A passive 3850 isn't an option. The 3850 is a solid card for it's field and budget, but it will have to work for it's money in modern games and heating up in the process. I assume you have a agp slot for your card.

Airflow looks great, although this design isn't meant for getting your pc any more silent. Alll vent holes are placed directly at positions with the biggest heatsources and biggest fans. The fact that it's placed on your desk won't help much either.

Since you are a student and not swimming in money I suggest this case as an alternative. Fairly cheap and well build: ALTERNATE. Hardware - Software - Entertainment

No, it's a PCI-e slot Gazz. Else I wouldn't be able to put a modern card in it. ;) And I can only renew my license for version 15, making me very OS dependent (needing XP). Surfspot.nl currently does''t sell student licenses for version 16 to students of my university.
Anyway, in case I change my mobo, I would do the upgrade at the end of this summer. I would be a lucky guy if I could get SPSS 16 then, because when changing the mobo (and get a Core 2 Quad or Phenom ) I of course have to reinstall Windows. So that means that I either need the luck that I can get version 16, or that it is still possible by then to get XP. Last mentioned is something I doubt, since it will be july/august then (and XP out of stock, since the stores don't get it anymore from MS afaik).

Okay, time to make a list of the options we got:

1. An actively cooled card + getting a different CPU; taking the disadvantages of the current mobo (s939) and RAM-type for granted. The pc will get a bit louder then it is now, but not really noisy (it is really silent now).
2. Only ad a sound card and an actively cooled card.
3. Put anything that can still be used (like the HDD) into a new case, and upgrade the rest (mobo,cpu,gpu,RAM, PCI(-e)sound card). And hope for the abillity to get a license + disc of SPSS 16, or instead get XP and get a license for SPSS 15.
4. Leave it like it is now, i.e. the standard configuration with the RAM upgraded (like I did already). And use my laptop for gaming (though that will be hard, since Medieval 2: Total War on medium seems to be its maximum capabillity).

In your situation I would get the new cpu and a normal fan cooled vid card and the 600watt PS. You'll be good for a little while :-)