Upgrading Rig

[Abester]

Hey guys its been a while! Special hi to Anime,viddy and aclays if u guys are there!
Im thinking of upgrading my system.. Would be great if I could get some advice from any of you guys. =)

Currently I have a socket 939 amd 3500+ CPU and DDR ram which needs updating. Im just looking at getting a new cpu,ram, and MB. My VC is a 8600Gt which is fine atm.
I need help in deciding a CPU and MB combination.

Im either thinking of getting an AMD 6000+ for $145 Aus
Or going the next step to a Quad Phenom 9550 for $185
Im even considering Intel but not too sure of their models.
Currently im playing heaps of CS:S, Half Life 2 and COD 4, normal surfing, downloading and streaming so whether its worth getting a quad im not sure?

In terms of MB's I have no idea of whats good and bad. Im looking at gigabyte boards at around $110-130 Australian as DFI and Evga seem to be preety dear. As long as it supports DDR2, PCI-E and quad core im happy.
2gb of ram will be enough at this stage, about $65 Australian.
later on I will get a better PSU and more ram.

My budget is about $350, Australian, struggling student lol.

Any help would be greatly appreciated =)

[aclays]

welcome back :headbang: I've been busy enough with work / school, that I haven't kept up on hardware well enough to give you an answer, we've got a few new faces around though, maybe one of them has a good suggestion.

[Abester]

Sweet as man thx! School... gahh... tell me about it.. =)

If anyone could me out it would be very much appreciated :headbang:

[anasasisxenophontis]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128078

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116072

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231098

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150316

That'll do you well. Gigabyte boards are real nice...I've used that one before.

[bcb325ci]

:thumbsup:

[Abester]

Thx man! Im liking that setup!

[anasasisxenophontis]

rgr rgr

[Abester]

Hey guys!

I managed to pick up a real cheap AMD 6000+ off my mate brand new
Also got 2x1gb OCZ ddr2 6400 Platinum Low latency ram, on special

Ive got two mobos now that im deciding against, both gigabyte.

They both give me what I want in terms of future proofing for quad core and PCIE 2
I just want to know if its worth getting the more expensive one in terms of my computer use. There both different chipsets as well. Id like to pay $99 for a mobo but if it means sacrificing performance im willing to pay the $138.


$138.. GA-MA790X-DS4:
http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=2695


$99..GA-MA78GM-S2H:
http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=2814

any help would be greatly appreciated, thx guys :)

[anasasisxenophontis]

The only reason behing spending more on a motherboard would be features and overclockability. Since they are both Gigabyte you don't need to worry about quality. If you want to overclock, go with the expensive version. If not, stick to the basics.

[Animegears]

A little late but...ello mate! How ya doing?

[Abester]

Hey Anime! Yea its all good bro, happy atm with my upgrade. Hows u? :)

I got the $138.. GA-MA790X-DS4 more expensive board. Its all running smoothly!

They didnt have stock of the OCZ ram when i went into the store so i got the Kingston HyperX pc 6400 (800mhz) 2x1gb kit low latency. Only problem is that Kingston actually set the ram at 667 Mhz out of the factory and just say that its 800MHZ cause it can be overclocked to that. Which is silly imo.. Ive been trying to get it up to 800Mhz but can only manage 750mhz or so with upped voltages :(