Part by part upgrade...where to start?

Hey again guys,
I'm still on a very steep learning curve with all this stuff so thought I'd make another post.
My current setup is in my signature.

I have around $200aud I was thinking of throwing into my system now eventually upgrading part by part to a Phenom II gaming rig....

I was thinking of going psu - graphics - mb - CPU but recently read a thread about average CPU's bottle necking with newer cards in different resolutions and now I'm reconsidering.

Where would you start???

I'm kind of swaying towards the Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4 motherboard to start with, then will do the cpu and psu, and high end graphics last.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128381

Any advice or opinions appreciated, just keep in mind I would like to stay with AMD so I don't need to purchase a MB CPU and another copy of vista all at once.

Cheers!

Everything in your system is quite capable. For a sub-$200 budget there is much I would do. I have no clue how well your board OC's but I'll assume decent. 8800GT is older but can still holds it own. The mobo doesn't allow SLI but the resolution of the monitor doesn't really warrant it. About the only things I would look into replaceing are the PSU and HD's. The PSU is fine for your current set-up but could quickly become the weaklink. Your HD's are fine but the raptor array is getting to be a bit much these days. Simplify with a couple RaptorX's or VR's eventually. Or if you feeling frisky take SSD for a spin.

Best thing to do is save up and buy everything new. If you do the part by part thing by the next time you get another 200 bucks the part you last bought is out of date.

Thanks for the quick answers guys.
I was considering a SSD but decided on waiting for the OCZ vertex.
So I guess my original plan of psu 1st is the way to go.

Although I have noticed my motherboard is only PCI Express 1.0 but the 8800gt states its designed for PCI Express 2.0 but backward compatible....
http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?func=proddesc&prod_no=1343
Am I limiting my card here?? By much? If so does that make a new motherboard a more viable option??
Sorry if that's a stupid question, but like I said, steep learning curve....

djlst said:

Thanks for the quick answers guys.
I was considering a SSD but decided on waiting for the OCZ vertex.
So I guess my original plan of psu 1st is the way to go.

Although I have noticed my motherboard is only PCI Express 1.0 but the 8800gt states its designed for PCI Express 2.0 but backward compatible....
http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?func=proddesc&prod_no=1343
Am I limiting my card here?? By much? If so does that make a new motherboard a more viable option??
Sorry if that's a stupid question, but like I said, steep learning curve....

Click to expand...

No your card isn't limited by the PCI express 1.0 slot. If any cards currently are limited by it it's only the high end dual cards (4870 x2, nv 295).

With that money ($200), I would just get a vidoecard (HD4870 1gb) right now and call it a day until you can afford a complete system.

OH and overclock your current system to buy yourself more time. You didnt get an aftermarket cooler and a decent o/c mobo to have it sit at stock speeds did you?

Buy parts that will be universal to a new build. I'd keep the 8800GT for now since any upgrade will be minimal and at least $200.

Thanks for the clear up guys, really appreciate the ideas and advice....

Cheapest I can get a HD4870 1gb here in Aust is around $400 so will probably wait on that and go the save for a new system idea. In the meantime I will probably need a decent psu for my next card so that might be the first stop.

Caligula420 - I do plan to overclock and am still in the learning phase so decided not include results in my sig just yet. I have got the CPU close to 3ghz before while following a guide and will get there again when I have the time to do a refresher. lol

Thanks again guys!

There ya go Caligula420 did some more reading and worked out I hadn't disabled the spread specturms and its now oc'd up to 3.2ghz. Stoked!!

I managed to get it to 3.4 but cant quite keep it stable. Thinking of changing my 4 sticks of 1gb for 2 sticks of 2 gb so I can push a little further. Won't cost much after I ebay my 2 kits.

I was thinking something like this.... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227289 ($145 in Australia... Grrrr)

Good choice? Anything better at a similar price?

Others I can find close from my local are....

http://umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=111&bid=2&sid=33511

http://umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=111&bid=2&sid=31035

http://umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=111&bid=2&sid=30042

http://umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=111&bid=2&sid=36158

http://umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=111&bid=2&sid=29101

CPU-z reports DRAM at 456MHz (912MHz) so I don't know if I can even reach 1066MHz but I would like whatever I get to keep up with what I currently have (5-5-5-15) or faster...

SeasonalEclipse said:

Best thing to do is save up and buy everything new. If you do the part by part thing by the next time you get another 200 bucks the part you last bought is out of date.

Click to expand...

I was going to say don't upgrade in general, but I think this is even better advice. If you do upgrade, do it all at once so you can get stuff that is more up to date. Keep a Wishlist on Newegg or something maybe?