[katana]

My Father is wanting to upgrade his PC.
He wants to upgrade CPU, RAM, MoBo and Video Card. he currently has:
P4 3.2 ghz
1.5gb DDR-400
Nvidia Ti 4200
MSI PM8M2-V

I suggested upgrading to:
Intel E5200---------------------$93
XFX 256mb 8600GTS-----$79
MSI P4N-SLI------------------$49
2gb Kingston DDR2-800---$36
------------------------------------$258
the budget for this is extremely strict due to money problems, this is the best i could get for the price.
This is by no stretch designed to play the latest games, mainly internet access, office applications and the occasional bout of Left 4 Dead.
The motherboard and video card are so cheap because they're special prices and last of stock.
the keyboard, mouse, psu, case, speakers, hdd and moniters will remain.

i read the recommended parts guide, but these parts are too expensive at the moment, remember this is a build on a tiny budget.

how does this sound for the price?

[Carbon]

The 8600GTS isn't worth the money regardless of budget. The rest is probably OK.

[katana]

would an ATi 4650 be a better buy for $11 more?

[Bubba]

Here's what he says in his guide:

8400GS/8500/9400/9500: These are not for gaming, they're for doing things that require a discrete card but not a powerful one. Under no circumstances for a gaming build. The 9500GT is a little better but not worth the money. (all 0/10)

X1950/8600GT/4550/4570: Perform similarly, though the 8600GT's drop to around $50 has challenged the ATI extremely-low-end market. The 8600GT ranks about equal with the X1950 Pro. Still, they can't match the mid-range cards in price or performance and aren't worth buying except for HTPC work. (X1950 and 8600GT 2/10, 4550 and 4570 3/10, 10/10 for HTPC)

9600GT/4650/4670/9600GTO/8800GS/HD 3850: These are better budget cards than the cards above, but they're still not that great as far as price/performance. If you're stuck here, you're paying too much for your processor. The 4670 is the best here, but move up a notch and you'll get a lot more bang for your buck. (all except 4650 and 4670 4/10, those two 5/10)

[katana]

well, i guess that answers the question then :P

thanks for the input :)

[Bubba]

Unless Carbon says different Katana, I would think you were OK with that card. If I read that guide correctly, he said it was the best of the low end bunch. You said you weren't going to be playing any intensive games on it anyways and budget IS the major concern. Heck, I got a either a 9400 or 9600 for my daughters computer because she is 7 (was 6 at the time lol) and didn't need anything high speed, and the card was 40 bucks........... couldn't beat it at that price lol. Look to see if you can find one with a rebate offer........

[Carbon]

To clarify, the 4650 is indeed the better one, though good luck playing the "latest games" on it. Occasional Source games, sure.

[katana]

Okay, we got the parts, except father dearest decided he would prefer a ATi 4670 and an Asus P5KPL/1600 mobo.

the build went fine, everything worked until the XP loading screen came up, and....
the BSOD came up.

so we tried checking everything was connected properly, it was.

tried normal boot again, BSOD...tried safe mode, same thing.

anyone have any suggestions as to why this is happening?

[philthomas]

What is the exact error message ?

[katana]

the error code is:
***STOP: 0x0000007B (0xBA4C3524, 0xC0000034, 0x00000000, 0x00000000)