Cheap PC build - Advice

[rushy_23]

Morning!

Basically guys and girls I just got a new PC sorted for me mum. And Ive pinched
her old one. Its a fairly old spec PC but runs like a dream speed wise. All I need
a PC for is just web surfing and MS Office. Thats it!

So basically, i was wondering if you could spec the following upgrades for it
below. First off heres the main spec:

Motherboard: NVIDIA NForce 2 MCP
Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) XP 2700+, MMX, 3DNow, 2.2GHz
Memory: 512MB RAM
Card name: NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT 128MB


What the things I want to change are:
1 - new case (small and black preferably)
2 - newer graphics card that supports DVI
3 - new network card (can you get cards that pick up wireless connections?)
4 - not needed but would be RAM upgrade be a good thing?


Main thing is I want to do this all on a budget.
Cheers, Rush.

[MitchFulla]

Have a look on ebuyer.com or scan.co.uk :y:

They always have good prices on PC Components.

[gdwelsh]

NVIDIA NForce 2 MCP is just the chipset mate, not the actual motherboard model number, would be good to know the model number so we can determine what upgrades are available and what form factor cases.

Gary

[gdwelsh]

RAM is the single most important upgrade to any computer - The industry standard today in generally 2 - 3 gb.

[rushy_23]

Just to get the ball rolling I was looking at the following but have no idea if the parts are
compatible with my current board/setup:


CASE:
Compucase 6T10 Piano Black MATX E-SATA Case With Arctic Power 400W PSU 20+4pin 1x SATA

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/144483


GFX:
MSI 7300GS 256MB GDDR2 VGA DVI TV Out PCI-E Graphics Card

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/148380


Network Card:
Linksys WMP54G 54mbps Wireless PCI Adapter Card

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/45602

[rushy_23]

Ahh right cheers dude. I did note down a code from the board:
FB6313.1


Hope this helps. Otherwise not to sure where to get that info from.

[gdwelsh]

Ahh right cheers dude. I did note down a code from the board:
FB6313.1


Hope this helps. Otherwise not to sure where to get that info from.

afraid it dont.

Does the motherboard not have a manufacturer name on it.

Its more then likely going to be aTX.

[rushy_23]

Ahh bladdy hell. I see what you mean. I thought it was just a NVIDIA MB. Not too sure
mate. Will have to check it when Im back from work and update the thread.

Thanks for the info anyhow. Hopefully once I have that info I can get the ball rolling.

[gdwelsh]

I'll help spec you up but its critical because that case you have your eyes on will only accept a maTX motherboard (small)

You can also get wifi dongles from the likes of ebay for £10 which work fine, if you want pci then by all means go ahead just thinking of cost like you mentioned.

[rushy_23]

Cool dude you sound like my idea man (for the job lol).

Ahh right I see what you mean with regards to my board. I will have to spec the case
around that.

Would perfer the PCI card over the dongle.


Cheers again. Will update the thread when I can :D

[gdwelsh]

Roger!!! :)

[Stickyjam]

depends on your budget if you wanted to go small form factor/matx... could easy pick up an amd mobo for sub 50... if you plan on playing any form of gaming the 7300 wont cut it so consider that when upgrading i did note you only put web browsing, thought id mention it though... upgrade ram wise its an original amd chip which means hes after DDR not DDR2...
depends what your after really... providing your current board has a pci slot and pci express slot could easily put that wireless card in, another 512 stick and graphics card just depends if you wanted much more out of it...

[flynnsvtr]

Really could do with the model and MAKE of your mobo to see whats compatible with it, RAM upgrade is crucial, although dont worry about whether its 2,3, or 4GB, I would go for 2 but get a faster speed, like 6400

[Stickyjam]

Really could do with the model and MAKE of your mobo to see whats compatible with it, RAM upgrade is crucial, although dont worry about whether its 2,3, or 4GB, I would go for 2 but get a faster speed, like 6400

for internet browsing? you do not need 2 gig to browse the internet....

[flynnsvtr]

for internet browsing? you do not need 2 gig to browse the internet....

Oh didnt read the thread properly. You wouldnt need 2 gig to browse the internet but considering RAM is dirt cheap it doesnt hurt to future proof yourself a bit

[Liam_]

nForce 2 Chipset means the board won't have a PCI-E slot. I'd get yourself a new board and a CPU to go with the above. :)

Makes sense to change your current kit as the price for DDR these days is mental - DDR2 is so much cheaper... might as well grab a 2GB kit anyway.

[Stickyjam]

so really you need a budget buddy :P

[Mystic]

The motherboard Make & model will be printed on the board somewhere Rush, just gotta have a nosey for it.

Few things i've noted:

1. Case
Personal preference really, pick one that desnt hurt your eyes ;), depending on your motherboard 'form factor' you will be able to get a smaller case. Without knowing the motherboard model though atx cases are a safe bet.

2. Graphics:
As someone has mentioned above, the motherboard too old to be PCI Express compatable so you'll be looking at an AGP based graphics card. A personal favourite of mine from that era is the Radeon 9800 XT. I have that card in my media pc now & its still capable of running newish games quite well!

3. Network Card
PCI wifi cards are widely available. Also USB dongles etc are common too so you can definitely put one of those on your list.

4. Ram:
Ideally i'd run windows XP with 1Gb minimum Ram. An extra 512 chip will probably cost <£20. You might consider just buyin a gig chip for the extra overhead, im sure the costs will still be minimal. Off the top of my head, an athlon XP2700+ is clocked for pc2700 ram. You can double check that by seeing if there is a sticker on the chip thats in there with the same code on it (pc2700 333Mhz).

The real killers for speed on older PCs is the hard drive believe it or not, run Crystal Disc Mark (http://release.crystaldew.info/CrystalDiskMark) on the machine and let me know he figures that the drive produces. If they are low then you'd be aswell sticking a new drive in & using the current one just for extra storage. Hard drives are cheaper than a fish supper these days!.

:snowman:

[Liam_]

2. Graphics:
As someone has mentioned above, the motherboard too old to be PCI Express compatable so you'll be looking at an AGP based graphics card. A personal favourite of mine from that era is the Radeon 9800 XT. I have that card in my media pc now & its still capable of running newish games quite well!

His 6600GT is about on par/ better than a 9800 XT mate. Might as well keep it unless you're doing some heavy gaming.

[Mystic]

His 6600GT is about on par/ better than a 9800 XT mate. Might as well keep it unless you're doing some heavy gaming.

Ah, always been an ATI man, not too amiliar with the nvideo cards. If the 6600gt is on par with the 9800 xt it must have at least one dvi port then? Even the bog standard 9800 had a dvi port.

[samvts]

He said 'web surfing and MS Office' is the only need so its not like we have to get carried away here, all he needs is a GTX 280 xxx edition, water cooling and 8GB of Ram.

Ok on a serious note you said 'Its a fairly old spec PC but runs like a dream speed wise. All I need a PC for is just web surfing and MS Office. Thats it!'

1. you can never have too much ram 'IMO' but for broadband minimum you need is 512MB so you dont need alot if any at all if it is 'Running like a dream'

2. new case, why do you need one? just hoover it out and dust it down put some razer stickers on it if you wanna make it look 'cool' the case you looked at on ebuyer looks nasty and you dont need the PSU with it. these are funky and small http://www.ebuyer.com/product/148401

3.Graphics card is important, however its sounds like you will be limited to what you can upgrade to, 6600gt was a good card when it came out and still a good card for just surfing and MS word ect. why do you need DVI???

4.Wireless sucks, either buy a 20m ethernet cable for a fiver from ebay, grab your dads drill and make holes everywhere worth it in the end or get the pci card and have the frustrating wireless connection.

Defrag it, check for adware viruses ect, delete stuff you dont use or even reinstall windows and start again. clean it. sorted and the wallet is still full :)

[gdwelsh]

He said 'web surfing and MS Office' is the only need so its not like we have to get carried away here, all he needs is a GTX 280 xxx edition, water cooling and 8GB of Ram.



Who's getting carried away ? no one has mentioned specs like that.

You know what you need to provide us with so we can get you best options of performance over pound so just hunt for that model number.

[samvts]

well thinking of higher spec graphics cards when he doesnt have a need for one

[gdwelsh]

Could just want a cheap DX10 generation graphics card.

[samvts]

its more than likely an old agp board, how is he going to put a DX10 card on it?

[gdwelsh]

which is why I model number would be good, it could come with nForce 520 MCP north bridge which should have pcie.

?

[Liam_]

Ah, always been an ATI man, not too amiliar with the nvideo cards. If the 6600gt is on par with the 9800 xt it must have at least one dvi port then? Even the bog standard 9800 had a dvi port.

True that... I've got a 6600GT AGP in my linux box and that has two DVI ports. :wacko:

If you guys really want to know what the motherboard is, CPU-Z (http://cpuid.com/cpuz.php) would tell you - run it and click the mainboard tab. :y:

[Stickyjam]

o and i like peoples touch of putting runs like a dream in quote marks :P

[MarkyG]

Rushy matey, you got a PM

[MarkyG]

Samvts, good luck pointing rushy to the GTX280xxx, nowhere in the UK can get them at the moment as the distributors dont have any left, ive been onto several sources and they are still awaiting them to arrive!!! so i wont be getting mine for a while, got mine for a steal at just £320 i paid for it, it has now shot up to £400+ most places, but no one can get them yet!! :(:( mine is on back order since 12th Nov!!

[SAJosh]

GFX:
MSI 7300GS 256MB GDDR2 VGA DVI TV Out PCI-E Graphics Card

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/148380


Network Card:
Linksys WMP54G 54mbps Wireless PCI Adapter Card

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/45602

Does your PC have a PCI-E slot for the card?

Wireless I'm in same position as you @ minute mate really wanting to avoid wireless.. you know you can actually use your house mains as a pre-built network check this listing:
http://www.maplin.co.uk/search.aspx?MenuNo=12210&MenuName=Homeplug%20Adaptors&worldid=4&FromMenu=y&doy=4m12
Heard some very good things too works better if you have newer wiring in your house could be a (more expensive.. but reliable option)

I'd download this to find your motherboard and more info on the PC v.good free tool:
http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html
and then google for a manual for the motherboard

[MarkyG]

Ive never had problems with the wireless in my house, cant fault it, always have a connection between very good and excellent, varies obviously on areas and the long list of other stuff, but no problems with mine!

[SAJosh]

Some work good some dont.. security & speed are major drawbacks for me and reliability has always been poor when I've messed with wireless but yeh if it works for him go for it. :y:

[flynnsvtr]

I cant stand wireless myself, 2 foot from the routers and I get 85%, hence why mine is now plugged into back of router

[rushy_23]

Bit of a late bump but the Motherboard is a Microstar MS 6777 (i think!).

Just noticed that the current GFX card does have a DVI port which is cool. Reason Im
wanted one is just basically to get a better picture (even though Ive heard its not
much different from VGA..).

Just after a case/power supply/wireless network card.

[Stickyjam]

Bit of a late bump but the Motherboard is a Microstar MS 6777 (i think!).

Just noticed that the current GFX card does have a DVI port which is cool. Reason Im
wanted one is just basically to get a better picture (even though Ive heard its not
much different from VGA..).

Just after a case/power supply/wireless network card.

which IMO you should spend as much as you feel comfortable spending on... psu 500w odd incase you decide to upgrade more later, a case with an intake and exhaust fan... and wireless card well crap card dont expect to pick up a weak signal if your router is bad...

[Stickyjam]

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/151368
+ a front fan...
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/138586
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/135159
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/50127

would be my recommendations presuming you havent bought an aftermarket router? could spend more on a "range max" wireless card if your router has rangemax technology... dont no if its all crap tho... but what i recommended youll be happy with...