Help! need advice!!

[mskalak]

So, as I look through the forums, I realize that I am pretty much completely lost with any hardware. So go easy on me, I know this is going to hurt.

A little background:

Built the computer in Summer '02 as a mid range gaming computer. I've been using this thing since then and it has been going strong. However, my video card just died on me, and I need advice on what to do next.

I no longer play (new) games on the computer, no video editing since 2003, no picture editing, and honestly, I haven't used a disk writer in years. The computer has been used for internet, MS office apps, and for music for the last 3 years.

Here are the specs (and yeah, I had to look everything up, seeing as I built this a loooong time ago)

ABIT AN7 Nvidia NForce 2 (was a replacement in '04)
Supports AMD K7 Socket A processors up to 400mhz FSB
Has 3 DIMM slots, supports 2 DIMM unbuffered DDR 400 (up to 2gb) or...
supports 3 DIMM unbuffered DDR 200/266/333 (up to 3gb)
PCI and AGP 8x/4x (i just learned there is PCI express? who knew!)
Athlon XP 1800+
400W power supply
2 x 256mb DDR 333mhz (for a total of 512!!!)
ABIT Siluro GeForce 4 Ti4200 64mb (BROKEN)
CD RW drive (do they even still make these?)
DVD reader
80gb HDD and a 60gb HDD (i think they were 7200RPM with 8mb cache or whatever)
Old case with fans that make too much noise
19" LCD monitor, not widescrean with DVI

So finally, the question... Do I buy a new cheap new AGP card and plop it in and hope that everything continues to work another year or so? Or is this thing completely and totally worthless and it is now time for me to purchase or build something new? I would prefer to just keep plugging along with my old beast of a rig, but I'm sure someone on here will talk me out of it... And is it still as easy and cost effective to build or should I just buy something?

Honestly, I don't want to spend too much money ($400 for a new comp, or around 50ish to make my current one whole again) parts would be from the US, not partial to any brands, will use old parts if possible (if any will even work), I just started to read new articles and found myself lost, no plans to overclock, timeframe... soon?

Thank you all!

 

[DSF]

If you're sure you're not concerned with gaming I'd just as soon get a cheap AGP card in your position. Don't spend more than $40 or 50. Consider buying used from a seller with a good reputation.

 

[Lalakai]

i just upgraded an older system also, but tossed in new ps also. This system will be for the kids and they do game, so it has to handle some graphics.

use your existing case and power supply.

BIOSTAR K8M800 Micro AM2 AM2 VIA K8M800 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $43
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Brisbane 2.3GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor Model - OEM $48
SILVERSTONE NT07-AM2 80mm CPU Cooler - Retail $20
mushkin Extreme Performance 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit Desktop $45
SAPPHIRE 100175L Radeon X1650PRO 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 AGP 4X/8X Video Card - Retail $62

Total: $218 (all prices are Newegg)

options:
PC Power & Cooling Silencer PPCS500 500W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail $70
COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $55

New Total: $343


this will a huge increase over what you are currently using. but as was mentioned by DSF, if you are just using the system for light weight apps and not throwing demanding graphics at it, just add a new v-card.


did math in head so if i'm wrong, no laughing.

good luck and let us know how you opted.

 

[mskalak]

Thanks for the advice. The math was perfect. I'm going to have to check out the finances, see if I can spring for this.

I found a Geforce 2 in an old computer that I threw in, so at least the computer is operational. Hence, I have a little more time before I take any action.


Questions:

Will my old heatsink and fan not work with the new processor?
Will the optical drives and HDD's still be ok?
Will I have to reformat both HDD's?

Thanks

 

[Lalakai]

Originally posted by: mskalak
Questions:

Will my old heatsink and fan not work with the new processor?
Will the optical drives and HDD's still be ok?
Will I have to reformat both HDD's?

Thanks

uncertain about the heatsink but considering the cost, i would opt for new one to be safe.

all drives should work just fine; if you don't do an os re-install, you might have to reload drivers.

reformatting isn't required, but considering the addition of new mb, cpu and possible vcard, a clean re-install of os is highly recommended. If you can make suitable back ups, i would go for complete reformat at same time; so much easier to start with clean slate, and it will also improve the speed of your system.

 

[DSF]

If you build a new computer a new optical drive isn't strictly necessary, but it will probably be faster and somewhat quieter than your old ones.

Are your hard drives as old as the rest of the system? 6 years is a long time to trust a hard drive, so I would strongly suggest getting a new one if you're building a new machine. Drives of 500GB or more are as little as $70 these days.

In your position my inclination would be to lean on the Geforce 2 for a little while until I could scrape together enough dough for a proper overhaul. Can you sock away $50 a month to build a nice budget system for $500-600 or so in a few months? Then you could afford to get nice, new hard drives and a processor and RAM that will have you set for years again.

 

[JackMDS]

Your HDs and Optical are IDE.

Most Current boards are down to one IDE channel (two devices). I.e one Old Optical and one old Drive would work.

If your optical can boot from CD or and DVD it OK to keep using them, if for some reason it does not then you need new optical.

As for reformatting, it varies. At times when One change chipset it can be very hard to impossible to load a new OS without starting fresh.

In general there is No reason to be apprehensive about the procces. The prices of systems is so low that solutions are easy and readily available.

 

[mskalak]

I think I'm going to suck it up with my temporary fix and save some cash to build something in the next month or so.

Thank you for all of your help!