Motherboard and Ram upgrade also building new system for parrents

[14 of a hotdog]

I have been waiting for the AMD 8xx chipsets for a while and they look good from what I can tell though I don't want to find that their was a better option out their after I purchase one. I am also curios about weather or not I will have to get a new OS for the new motherboard as my copy of vista is OEM and I have heard that its serial will become invalid if you reinstall it. All of my specs should be up to date in the area at the top right of this post.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128435&cm_re=890gx-_-13-128-435-_-Product

And I thought this ram looked good for the price though the last time I bought ram was when it was at its lowest pricing ever so it all looks a little odd.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231193

After I have completed the upgrades on my PC I should have A spare m57sli, 4gb ddr2 800 ram, amd 5600+, a cheap HEC PSU, an 8600gt and a case for a better computer for my parents. What would be the best choice for other components? They don't do much other than browsing and flash based games so I figure it aught to be more then enough but I'm a little wary of that PSU and I'm not sure what hard drive would be a good choice for them. They have not filled their 40gb hard drive but I figure I could install some of my games on it if they wanted them. I also need a new cooler for the 8600gt as I have lost the stock one but it does not need to be overclocked so something cheap should do the trick.
I noticed this has good capacity for the price but I'm sure they would never fill it all.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136359

This cooler looks small but the stock one was a tiny single slot one that did not even cover the VRAM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835110106

I suppose they will need a new OS as well, the components did fine in vista so I would assume that 7 would work great.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754

The total of all that would come to 435 but if you have any suggestions about getting the price down please tell me. I think my 4850 will do until a price war gets pretty good as only all the crysis', gta iv and shattered horizon cant be maxed out by it at 1680x1050.

 

[captaincranky]

Your original post is sort of difficult to quote, so this answer is line by line. (I hope).

Gigabyte boards have always worked perfectly for me. This choice seems like overkill to me. But, since I can get away with integrated graphics, it's probably perfect for you.

Ditto on the GSkill RAM, I've bought two sets, two sets have been recognized and run at the correct speed without any tinkering. (In 2 Gigabyte boards)

I would buy a WD "Caviar Black" instead of the green. These (500GB, 640GB, and 750GB) are frequently on sale at Newegg for less than the price of the green you posted. In a single HDD system, the energy savings simply wouldn't be worth mentioning.

No comment on the cooler.

I think it's well worth it to buy Windows 7 Professional : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116758 With this you can run "XP Mode" which is a free copy of XP Pro 32bit. So, there should be no possible circumstance where all your old software wouldn't be usable on the new computer.

 

[14 of a hotdog]

Ah thank you for replying. To clarify the first 2 parts are for my upgrade and the last 3 items are going to be used in conjunction with my old parts to replace my parents 6 year old low end dell. Furthermore if you have any concerns about that tiny heatsink do not worry it is only to replace the stock cooler on my previous card, an 8600gt, which I have lost the stock cooler for. If you already understood my first unorganized post sorry for wasting your time with this clarification.

As for the motherbaord, do you think I could get away with something lesser without any issues over the years? I had been waiting for these because I assumed I could keep using a motherboard for many years as my current M57sli is a revision of a very old model of motherboard.

The reason I had chosen the green was because it was slightly cheaper then the other hard drives and my parents most likely wont need much speed. I do have a black in my PC and I do see the large performance difference so if you think its a better choice in their rig I will go with a black.

I guess I should have looked at the prices of windows 7 more I had assumed that the prices of the better versions would be much higher.

Would I need to get a new OS for my upgrade? I have heard that replacing a motherboard will disable an OEM version of vista but I have also seen evidence to the contrary but have not found a straight forward answer.

I am sorry if my posts are to long.

 

[captaincranky]

You're welcome. That said, I know nothing about the cooler, hence I'm not going to speak to it

As for the motherbaord, do you think I could get away with something lesser without any issues over the years? I had been waiting for these because I assumed I could keep using a motherboard for many years as my current M57sli is a revision of a very old model of motherboard.

The board you've selected has 2 PCI-E X 16 lanes. If you plan on trying a "Crossfire" video solution, then this is probably the entry level price. The board also has fairly decent integrated graphics for HTPC, this pushes the price up maybe 20 bucks or so. I suppose it's fair to say you won't grow out of it too soon. Hence it's likely worth it.

The reason I had chosen the green was because it was slightly cheaper then the other hard drives and my parents most likely wont need much speed. I do have a black in my PC and I do see the large performance difference so if you think its a better choice in their rig I will go with a black.

Newegg runs the "Blacks @ 640GB $65.00, 750GB $70.00, 500GB $60.00 so price isn't an issue. You just have to watch your Email and their Shell Shocker" deals, since they like to runs these drives in their specials frequently.

I guess I should have looked at the prices of windows 7 more I had assumed that the prices of the better versions would be much higher.

No, Win 7 Pro is only 30 to 40 bucks more, depending on whether Home Premium is on sale. I cheaped out and bought a copy of Home, when I only had 2GBs of RAM on hand for the build, then I brought the Pro, and 4GB of 1333Mhz GSkill RAM for a later build. You need the extra RAM to run XP Mode. (2GB is minimum).

Would I need to get a new OS for my upgrade? I have heard that replacing a motherboard will disable an OEM version of vista but I have also seen evidence to the contrary but have not found a straight forward answer.

There probably isn't one definitive answer, it's likely brand and even model dependent. My Emachines T-5026 won't even boot with a normal Windows disc. You must use the supplied restore discs. It just starts spouting a bunch of BS about needing a BIOS password, when you put a regular disc in the machine.

I am sorry if my posts are to long.

Not to worry, it's not a problem

 

[14 of a hotdog]

There probably isn't one definitive answer, it's likely brand and even model dependent. My Emachines T-5026 won't even boot with a normal Windows disc. You must use the supplied restore discs. It just starts spouting a bunch of BS about needing a BIOS password, when you put a regular disc in the machine.

Well I did not use any used parts wen I built it and I still have my installation disk and product key so would I be able to get away with the old copy then?

The board you've selected has 2 PCI-E X 16 lanes. If you plan on trying a "Crossfire" video solution, then this is probably the entry level price. The board also has fairly decent integrated graphics for HTPC, this pushes the price up maybe 20 bucks or so. I suppose it's fair to say you won't grow out of it too soon. Hence it's likely worth it.

Ah, I might consider crossfire later on if it is more cost effective, though I usually try to go with a single each upgrade.

Newegg runs the "Blacks @ 640GB $65.00, 750GB $70.00, 500GB $60.00 so price isn't an issue. You just have to watch your Email and their Shell Shocker" deals, since they like to runs these drives in their specials frequently.

WD caviar black it is then!

No, Win 7 Pro is only 30 to 40 bucks more, depending on whether Home Premium is on sale. I cheaped out and bought a copy of Home, when I only had 2GBs of RAM on hand for the build, then I brought the Pro, and 4GB of 1333Mhz GSkill RAM for a later build. You need the extra RAM to run XP Mode. (2GB is minimum).

Sounds great as I will be putting all 4gb of my old ram into it, though it is just ddr2 800.


Thank you again captaincranky you always seem to be full of great advice, and possibly cheese.

 

[captaincranky]

I think I may have a more complete answer for you about an OEM Windows copy. If this is an OEM copy that you've purchased, it might be transferable if you only change the motherboard but leave the rest of the components asis. This worked for me when I damaged a board during a BIOS update. I did however, not change any other parts except the board, and I was ablto secure reactivation. Windows keeps track of what parts are changed, and assigned point values to them. It also resets after a given period of time, so that you can basically change every part of the PC, but it must be spread over a span of many months.

That said, it's still a crapshoot when you do a major upgrade.

 

[14 of a hotdog]

Hm interesting, that's a far more clear answer then any other I have read, thank you. If I remember correctly doesn't windows still work for 60 days after its been deactivated? If that is the case I would certainly think I could get a copy of 7 in that time frame. My current OS is only vista home basic so it wouldn't be much of a loss. So would it be possible to upgrade the RAM at the same time and hope for good results, or would I have to space the upgrade out as you said? I have upgraded my CPU and video card at the same time with no issue. I did have to put the Key back in once when I was overclocking my previous CPU but it accepted it as valid.

 

[captaincranky]

My current OS is only vista home basic so it wouldn't be much of a loss..

This would be more of a "merciful death" scenario.

I can't get my head around the fact VHB won't play a DVD without purchasing a codec The upgrade to Vista Home Premium was 20 bucks, the codec is around 20, you see the irony at work here yes?

Again, sorry I can only speak to my limited experience with OEM reactivation.

 

[14 of a hotdog]

This would be more of a "merciful death" scenario.

I can't get my head around the fact VHB won't play a DVD without purchasing a codec The upgrade to Vista Home Premium was 20 bucks, the codec is around 20, you see the irony at work here yes?

Wait Vista home basic won't play a DVD? You sure? Because I can play them, then again I never use WMP I just use creative media source 5, VLC, and CCCP.

Again, sorry I can only speak to my limited experience with OEM reactivation.

Well that's perfectly alright with me, so don't concern yourself with it! I may be able to get more information by posting that question in the Windows OS section where it would make more sense.

Thanks again Cap'n!

 

[captaincranky]

Wait Vista home basic won't play a DVD? You sure? Because I can play them, then again I never use WMP I just use creative media source 5, VLC, and CCCP.

Of the Vista versions offered, VHB made almost no sense. It was conceived as an OS that would be suitable for low power computers. That said, it doesn't have Aero (to my knowledge), and it doesn't have Windows Media Center, only WMP. I have it on a bargain laptop, ($300.00 Celeron), it's not a bad OS, but they took all the good s*** out of it, and what you got was basically XP Home, with a penchant for requiring gobs of hardware to run it.

In Windows 7, Windows Media Center is now mature, and you to don't have to bother with add-in players, DVD-Video runs right out of the box, as it were. Just add a TV tuner and a WMC certified remote control, fiddle around for a few minutes and viola, instant HTPC, complete with PVR. You may find this to be great with the mobo you plan to purchase, as it has HDMI with HDCP right in the integrated graphics. I also believe that Vista Home Premium will play DVD-Video also.

As always, you're quite welcome.

 

[matrix86]

Of the Vista versions offered, VHB made almost no sense. It was conceived as an OS that would be suitable for low power computers. That said, it doesn't have Aero (to my knowledge), and it doesn't have Windows Media Center, only WMP. I have it on a bargain laptop, ($300.00 Celeron), it's not a bad OS, but they took all the good s*** out of it, and what you got was basically XP Home, with a penchant for requiring gobs of hardware to run it.

Much like Windows 7 Starter Edition. I would say "what a joke", but I actually know people who are quite comfortable with it. The only reason they upgraded from XP to W7 Starter was because of the super task bar (and even that is not exactly like the other editions of W7).

 

[captaincranky]

Much like Windows 7 Starter Edition. I would say "what a joke", but I actually know people who are quite comfortable with it. The only reason they upgraded from XP to W7 Starter was because of the super task bar (and even that is not exactly like the other editions of W7).

I'm just a little fuzzy on what you mean by "upgrading" to Win 7 Starter, I thought it was only available preinstalled on a new computer. Here's Newegg's OS listing page(s). It's thought provoking to say the least. Especially the conspicuous absence of any Vista product.

Both Win 7 and Vista Basic still present me with a paradox. You're trying to sell me an OS based on it's "wow" features, then you take them all or most of them out. This goes back to my laptop, and my almost total ambivalence to the Vista Basic it shipped with. It's there, it works, yipee, zzzzz........

 

[matrix86]

Oh, sorry, i should have been a bit more clear. They upgraded their computer to one with Windows 7 Starter (and for specifically that reason). I thought it was kind of a stupid decision but hey...some people are just that stubborn, lol.

 

[captaincranky]

Great Sale on Your Hard Drive.....

Be aware that Newegg has the WD "Caviar Black" 750GB on sale in their "Weekly Eggsclusive" email, for $64.95, (down from $79.95). PM me if you need the promo codes.

 

[matrix86]

I was so glad when I signed up for their email program. I get the weekly AND daily exclusives and sometimes the deals you get make your jaw drop to the floor, lol.