I'm putting this in a new thread as people don't seem to notice when there are new posts in a stickied thread. This site really needs decent indication of new posts since last login. Anyway... any help appreciated!

ferret1603 said:
Sorry if these are really dumb questions but I don't know a lot about the tech side of computers.

I'd like to upgrade my PC and am planning on getting the Intel Core 2 Duo E8500. My first question is pretty straight forward; will it work with my ASUSTeK A7V8X-X REV 1.xx motherboard?

Secondly, is it worth getting? Does it have any serious flaws that make another model preferable? Basically I'm sick of my PC being so slow and I want to seriously improve its speed. I often run a lot of programs at the same time and my current set up just can't cope. I'm hoping that adding more RAM and upgrading the processor will solve the problem.

I currently have a 2.13 gigahertz AMD Athlon XP processor and 512MB RAM. Will replacing it with the Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 and 3GB of RAM solve my problems and allow me to, for example, run the internet, a couple of Adobe Creative Suite programs, iTunes and a virus scanner at the same time? If I do that at the moment my computer falls over and dies.

Sqrl said:

First off, your motherboard is a Socket "A" motherboard and your processor is Socket "LGA 775". In short no they aren't compatible.

As far as the processor is concerned it is a very solid processor and shouldn't have any issues for you. With that said I think your problem has far more to do with memory than sheer processing speed. Just about anything from adobe is going to be a memory hog and their creative suite is a pretty big culprit even for them.

Normally I would recommend you upgrade your RAM first and see if it fixes the problem..BUT...looking at your motherboard it takes DDR SDRAM and any LGA 775 motherboard you buy is going to take DDR2 RAM. Really though you want to upgrade to DDR2 anyways so thats not much of an issue.

What might be an issue (depending on budget) is if you need to upgrade your CPU, Mobo, and RAM all at once. There are a lot of options you can go with for your motherboard but just a quick look around at newegg.com shows that you can get the CPU for about $250, 4GB of DDR2 800 for around $80-$90 and the mobo will be between $60 and $240 depending on the features you want.

If you go middle of the road for the mobo you will be looking at around $435. Sounds a bit steep since you're only replacing a few parts but truthfully the mobo and CPU are 2 of the 3 most expensive parts.

In all honesty that processor might actually be a bit beefier than you need now. So if money is an issue I think you can get by with on something a lot more affordable.

PS - Do you plan on gaming on this PC or just what you've meantioned thus far?

ferret1603 said:

Thanks for the reply. No I'm not planning on gaming on it, just running a lot of fairly demanding software.

Please could you recommend specific parts to get? As I said in the first post, I really don't know what I'm doing Money is an issue but not a huge issue as a friend will bring the parts back from the US for me and your parts seem sooo cheap! Are there any other specs or anything you need to know from me before you can recommend stuff?

give me a sec to check newegg

Try this motherboard. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128085

sqrl - whats your opinion on the linked board?

Thanks, is newegg the cheapest place to buy stuff? That motherboard's compatible with the the Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 yeah?

 im about 99.9% sure its compatible, and newegg is quite cheap. 

Cheers Which RAM and fan should I buy? Do I need anything else? Sorry for all the questions!

Sorry I just noticed this will update this post in a sec...

@SSJ,

Its a solid board for his purposes, my only concern is the single PATA and that will only be an issue if he has more than 2 PATA device as of current.  Obviously future purchases he makes should be SATA devices but it might not be what he has to work with etc...

Either way I'm sure we can find a board almost identical to that with 2x PATA if that is a problem but the board itself seems to be a good fit. 

@ferret1603,

Part of the reason I suggest using newegg is that they have a good return policy that applies to all of their merchandise but also because they are consistently among the cheapest options and frequently have free shipping on items. When there isn't free shipping their rates are quite reasonable compared to other sites that sucker you in with the price and slap you with big fees for shipping etc..

On the topic of RAM I think you should be fine with anything DDR2 800 CAS 5, so long as you get something with a lifetime warranty. The best manufacturers IMO are Corsair, Kingston, Buffalo, and A-Data. I've heard good things about G-Skill also but have no personal experience with them.

edit: as of right now I would suggest this:

**A-DATA 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 - $46 + free shipping (-$10 if you use the mail-in rebate)

**NOTE: This memory will not work with your current system. It will work with the motherboard SSJ linked to though.

ferret1603 said: Cheers Which RAM and fan should I buy? Do I need anything else? Sorry for all the questions!

Sorry for being rude but: Apparently you have no clue about PC technology and you want to upgrade/assemble your own PC? Pretty imaginative in my view...

Here are a few clues: Your old PC has absolutely nothing you can use in your new PC, since

a) it's an AMD processor

b) it has the wrong ram type

c) it has the wrong graphics card (AGP is pretty dead now..)

d) it has the wrong power supply

e) it probably runs on more than 2 IDE devices (new boards only have 2 "emergency IDE slots")

So my advice to you is to buy a complete system that fits your needs and forget the "I save $50 by buying the cheapest stuff all by myself"

I built the last one on the same basis so I don't see why this time should be any different. The actual putting a PC together is very easy, just like building a Lego kit. I just need people to tell me which bits of Lego I should be putting together I have plenty of parts I can use from the last one (the case, the USB ports, the DVD burner, etc) and I don't have the option of buying a full system because my friend is bringing the parts back from the US and I can't afford a full system in the UK because they're an absolute rip off. Forget $50, we're talking at least $400 saved.