Christmas Pressies: what hardware should I upgrade?

[ubername]

Hi all,

I have a mind to upgrade some kit for Xmas, and am wondering what I should buy. I would like to know how to best post my current hardware spec on the forum to see what people suggest. Any clues?

[Kain000]

Hi all,

I have a mind to upgrade some kit for Xmas, and am wondering what I should buy. I would like to know how to best post my current hardware spec on the forum to see what people suggest. Any clues?

why not just go threw your hardware

CPU/speed:

RAM size and speed:

HDD size and speed:

Motherboard FSB speed:

Video card specs:

i donno perhaps a screen shot of your system monitor screens?


DO you do alot of gaming or office stuff? Media editing? I dont know about anyone else but i've had some problems overclocking in linux. The enviroment seems to become extreemly unstable at higher speeds.

[mapes12]

To list out your hardware:

sudo lshw

and I would try these guys for Ubuntu compatible kit: http://www.linuxemporium.co.uk/

[SunnyRabbiera]

Well do you have some basic information on your computer?
Brand?
Make?
Model?
You can find out processor information too by looking at the sticker on the front of your computer.
Start at the basics first and work your way up.

[ubername]

Hi

Thanks for the tip, I hope I have uploaded some hardware specs.

I (and my family) mostly use the PC for playing games on the web, watching videos, listening to music etc. Not much challenging stuff really, but I like the idea of having a 'good' machine (wasteful, I know, after all they are just tools, but .. well... it's my hobby )

[Kain000]

Hi

Thanks for the tip, I hope I have uploaded some hardware specs.

I (and my family) mostly use the PC for playing games on the web, watching videos, listening to music etc. Not much challenging stuff really, but I like the idea of having a 'good' machine (wasteful, I know, after all they are just tools, but .. well... it's my hobby )

haha thats fine! I admit i went and splurged on a EVGA nvidia 9600GTS card when they first came out and I dont play any games on my desktop. It makes movies and my desktop look sharp tho.


alright well if you are looking into overclocking then you are out of luck as your motherboard is a DELL and as such will not allow you to change cpu/RAM timings and voltages.




If your into serious modding such as this check out neweggs selection of motherboards, they have some pretty great prices, but keep in mind if you change your motherboard that:

1) you need to either keep your current CPU (intel pentium d @ 2.0GHZ not bad might I say) and if you do want to keep your current cpu buy a board with the same socket,

2) make sure if you buy anothoer board that you stick to the same RAM articture, ie. DDR/DDR2/DDR3 that is if you want to use your old ram.


Basicly your first choice needs to be wether or not to change your motherboard because everything else is dependent on that starting point (CPU socket, RAM artecture, video card slot type, hard drive/cd drive connections, USB/and or 1394/firewire headers....)

so make that choice and get back to me! then we can talk FSB speeds, RAM:FSB ratios ,core clocks ,volt mods the worke!! lol

[LowSky]

well if you want Intel get the Q6600, If AMD Phenom 9950, get 4 GB of RAM, a 1TB drive, Decent case with Power Supply, I reccomend Antec they make great stuff, even if I dont use them. As for a Graphics card go Nvidia, they seem to work best with Linux, but if your using Windows get ATI, they are better for gamming at the moment!!!

Price it out it should come to about $600 or cheaper.

[tuxsheadache]

If you live in the UK I personally recommend http://microdirect.co.uk, they do some amazing deals and generally have good prices. Always shop around though, I got my graphics card on special offer off http://play.com.
I once upgraded my Dell PC, but came across quite a few problems e.g. the heatsink fixes on a Dell motherboard are special, so I could only use their provided heatsink.
A new motherboard is one of most important parts, as is power supply.
Choosing the motherboard helps decide on the whole build of your computer.
The power supply is also important since most computer failures are linked to it. I found a 500W one for £15, which said it supported SATA. It only had one, so I had to choose between HDD or Optical Drive, and it was very loud.
Moral to story: if it seems too cheap, there will be a good reason for it.

[ubername]

Thanks all.

Would I be right in surmising that the consensus is to go with a new motherboard, or have I over-simplified this?

[igknighted]

New mobo = new processor = new ram (almost certainly). That is what I would do, because that Pentium D (while decently fast) is an energy hog and likely runs super hot (which will reduce the life of your whole system). By getting a modern, more power efficient processor, your system will be faster and cooler, and should last much longer.

I would recommend an Intel Core2Duo. They are the best architecture out there. Sure you can brute force some of the quad core AMD chips to compare to the dual core intels, but why? And this is coming from a LONG time AMD fanboy. Even I bit the bullet and got a C2D. The C2D's should be going on sale as the new i7 chips are coming out too.