Budget upgrade query

[Bokranator]

Hi, again im stil waiting on my x48-DS5 (or the money for such) to come so i thought id finally upgrade my older pc in the mean while since its become the family pc and i had a few questions.

1) Can i just lift the hardrive from the old pc into my newer build?

2) Would i be better off buying a new E2200 or using the old p4 3.2Ghz and which would give better perfomance in every tasks and light gaming?

3) Can anyone recomend any of ati's offerings in the graphics sector? as this is really a budget build but my brothers do game lightly.

Heres the old pc and possible specs:

Processor: P4 3.2 Ghz HT > Intel E2200

Hard drive: 160 Gb IDE WD Hardrive = Keeping (OS: Windows XP SP3)

GPU: Nvidia 6200 256mb > Either Gigabyte 8500 silent or ATI eqv. as long as no fan used.

Motherboard: MSI 7707 (i think) > Gigabyte GA-G31MF-S2

PSU: noisy > Corsair 450W VX

Ram: corsair value select ddr 400 > Corsair ddr2 667 XMS2

Case: undecided.
As for dvd burner, floppy drive and memory card reader, all shall be kept.

Aim is to make this as cheap as possible yet still get good quality parts :)

[simple_inhibition]

could you post a CPU-Z Screen shot from the old system? please get the main cpu info and the memory info

[Dread]

Originally Posted by Bokranator

Hi, again im stil waiting on my x48-DS5 (or the money for such) to come so i thought id finally upgrade my older pc in the mean while since its become the family pc and i had a few questions.

1) Can i just lift the hardrive from the old pc into my newer build?

Yes, and no. Depending on what motherboard and model you are coming from and going to, it may or may not work, leaning towards the 'won't work' side of things. It usually best to do a clean install when changing out motherboards etc.

2) Would i be better off buying a new E2200 or using the old p4 3.2Ghz and which would give better perfomance in every tasks and light gaming?

Me personally, I'd go for the C2D offerings since the architecture is so much better in so many ways. They run cooler, are more easily over clocked and perform calculations better.

3) Can anyone recomend any of ati's offerings in the graphics sector? as this is really a budget build but my brothers do game lightly.

What is your budget? That will have great influence on what people recommend. Also, what games are we looking at?

Heres the old pc and possible specs:

Processor: P4 3.2 Ghz HT > Intel E2200

Hard drive: 160 Gb IDE WD Hardrive = Keeping (OS: Windows XP SP3)

GPU: Nvidia 6200 256mb > Either Gigabyte 8500 silent or ATI eqv. as long as no fan used.

Motherboard: MSI 7707 (i think) > Gigabyte GA-G31MF-S2

PSU: noisy > Corsair 450W VX

Ram: corsair value select ddr 400 > Corsair ddr2 667 XMS2

Case: undecided.
As for dvd burner, floppy drive and memory card reader, all shall be kept.

Aim is to make this as cheap as possible yet still get good quality parts :)

[Bokranator]

Heres the stats of the pc:

Budget was £250 and so far (via the use of Scan) ive filled the cart with all the items in the previous posts list except the graphics card and well id like a card around £40 which is passive cooled and can handle light gaming and maybe hd output.

The nvidia 8400 sounds perfect but i need a lil more umph lol something that is 128 bit.

N.B. the second ram stick is 512mb with the same timings and values.

[simple_inhibition]

well if your on a tight budget, theres nothing wrong in re-using the P4 IMO. its less efficient, but its available and saves you $70 which could be put towards either more hard drive space or to the videocard budget. (would double your video card budget if you re-used the P4)

[Bokranator]

Im thinking that i should sell the older parts of the pc and build from fresh as the p4 has seen some ruff times and im unsure of its condition. For example its been running at 70 degrees all this time.

[Bokranator]

Few questions...

Can i do a clean install of xp without the original disk?
(the pc was shop bought and didnt come with the xp disk)

Can i use an oem version of vista home premium twice?
(used on first build for friend, this would be its second install)

How do i delete everything from a hardrive ready for a new install?

And thx for your help so far guys n gals.

[gvblake22]

Originally Posted by Bokranator

Can i do a clean install of xp without the original disk?
(the pc was shop bought and didnt come with the xp disk)

No, you need the disk. If you purchased a computer that came with an operating system, then you bought the operating system too and are entitled to the media. You can probably contact Microsoft and get a replacement disk for the operating system for a nominal shipping cost (as opposed to buying a whole new copy/license). Do you at least still have the activation key somewhere?

Originally Posted by Bokranator

Can i use an oem version of vista home premium twice?
(used on first build for friend, this would be its second install)

You can use it to reinstall the operating system, but it has to be on the same computer. If you bought a whole new system and want to switch using the same OEM copy of Vista from the old machine, I'm pretty sure it won't work. If you had the retail version, it should be ok though.

Originally Posted by Bokranator

How do i delete everything from a hardrive ready for a new install?

You shouldn't have to worry about that. When you go to install the operating system, you generally delete any partitions on the hard drive, then create a new partition that you will completely format. This process wipes your hard drive clean and starts over from scratch.

[Bokranator]

Yes i do have the activation key it was on a sticker on the case, how do i go about getting the replacement disk (considering im in the U.K)?

I would however like to move to vista but its to much of a price increase but would ease the head ache of sata drivers.

BTW how is your intel setup running gvblake22? i might switch the core on the target pc from the p4 to your one.

[gvblake22]

Originally Posted by Bokranator

Yes i do have the activation key it was on a sticker on the case, how do i go about getting the replacement disk (considering im in the U.K)?

I found this information, but it looks like it is for US people. I would try contacting US or UK support and see how to do it. You might have to go through a Microsoft Authorized Retailer in your area to get a replacement disk.

Originally Posted by Bokranator

I would however like to move to vista but its to much of a price increase but would ease the head ache of sata drivers.

With new motherboards, you shouldn't have to install SATA drivers...

Originally Posted by Bokranator

BTW how is your intel setup running gvblake22? i might switch the core on the target pc from the p4 to your one.

Which specific component(s) are you referring to? My current setup is running very well thank you. If you need advice or opinion on a particular product or configuration, just let us know what you're thinking and it will be easier to give you feeback based on your particular situation.