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Upgrade Kit

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(→‎$400 AM2)
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February 2007 NOTE: I have removed all Socket 939 systems from the list, since 939 is being phased out, and motherboards are increasingly hard to find.
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Essentially all of these upgrade kits are going to be fairly basic, in the budget of $200-250.
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The first two machines are for people who want a basic cheap upgrade, the third is intended for someone who has DDR1 and an AGP video card lying around they'd wish to retain, although with DDR2 at current prices, it could be argued it's not worthwhile.
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==== $250 AM2 ====
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==== Basic AMD ====
 
{| class="wikitable" border="0" style="text-align:left; border: 1px solid #999; background-color:#FFFFFF"
 
{| class="wikitable" border="0" style="text-align:left; border: 1px solid #999; background-color:#FFFFFF"
 
|- bgcolor="#cccccc"
 
|- bgcolor="#cccccc"
 
!Part
 
!Part
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!Model  
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!Model
 
!Price
 
!Price
 
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
 
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
 
! CPU
 
! CPU
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| [http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/ProductInformation/0,,30_118_11599,00.html AMD Sempron 3000+ AM2] || [http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=Sempron+AM2+3000%2B 40]
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| [http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/ProductInformation/0,,30_118_11599,00.html AMD Sempron LE-1100] || [http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=Sempron+LE-1100 34]
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| rowspan="12"|
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|- bgcolor="#efefef"
 
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
 
! Motherboard
 
! Motherboard
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| [http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=2381 Gigabyte M61VME-S2] || [http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?sourceid=Mozilla-search&q=M61VME 65]
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| [http://www2.abit.com.tw/page/en/motherboard/motherboard_detail.php?fMTYPE=Socket%20AM2&pMODEL_NAME=NF-M2SV Abit NF-M2SV] || [http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?sourceid=Mozilla-search&q=NF-M2SV 51]
 
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
 
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
 
! RAM
 
! RAM
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| 1GB A-DATA DDR2-667 || [http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=1GB+A-DATA+667 73]
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| 1GB Brand-name DDR2-667 || [http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=1GB+DDR2 20]
 
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
 
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
 
! Hard Drive
 
! Hard Drive
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|- bgcolor="#efefef"
 
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
 
! Power Supply
 
! Power Supply
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| [http://www.coolermaster.com/index.php?LT=english&Language_s=2&url_place=product&p_serial=RS-430-PCAR/P&other_title=+RS-430-PCAR%2FP+eXtreme%20Power%20430W 430W Coolermaster Extreme Power] || [http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=extreme+430 49]
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| [http://www.coolermaster.com/index.php?LT=english&Language_s=2&url_place=product&p_serial=RS-430-PCAR/P&other_title=+RS-430-PCAR%2FP+eXtreme%20Power%20430W 430W Coolermaster Extreme Power] || [http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=extreme+430 50]
 
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
 
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
 
! Cooling
 
! Cooling
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|- bgcolor="#cccccc"
 
|- bgcolor="#cccccc"
 
! Total Cost
 
! Total Cost
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| - || 227 + Postage
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| - || 155 + Postage
 
|}
 
|}
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I'm assuming that the buyer will carry over their hard drive and optical drive. If you wish to purchase new drives as well, you may be better off with the complete systems on the [[Workstation]] page.
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Some people are really short on cash and need to get a boost in performance (it really sucks to be on something like a Celeron 600 nowadays). These are probably the cheapest bits you can get from MSY, I'm assuming that the buyer will carry over their hard drive and optical drive. If not, an 80GB one can be had for around 60 bucks. If the buyer wishes to purchase a new optical drive, a DVD-RW drive is under $50 now.
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Remember that freight charges from different stores will add up - this defeats the purpose of finding the cheapest price from several stores, rather than just one.
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The board features onboard video and onboard everything else which removes the need for a graphics card (which is expensive and unnecessary). If you require AGP graphics support, you could purchase the [http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?func=proddesc&prod_no=1104&maincat_no=1&cat2_no=171 MSI K9MM-V] for [http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=K9MM-V similar].
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Remember that freight charges from different stores will add up - this defeats the purpose of finding the cheapest price from several stores, rather than just one.  
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The board features onboard video and onboard everything else which removes the need for a graphics card (which is expensive and unnecessary). Such an upgrade of course is targeted only at e.g. students doing work or mums and dads who just want a no frills machine. The board also allows upgrading to faster AM2 CPUs, and it is rumoured that AM3 CPUs will also run in AM2 boards, giving some future proofing. If you require AGP graphics support, you could purchase the MSI M9MM-V for about the same price.
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It may be tempting to go for a Socket 754 setup if you've got some spare DDR1 RAM lying around, but it is considered obsolete nowadays. Some may wish to get either a DVD-RW, or a faster CPU (like an Athlon 64 3000+). Now if you plan to run Windows Vista, 1GB of RAM is strongly recommended, although if you're not using Vista and don't plan to, 512MB may be enough.
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The new power supply is recommended because of the fact that most current day motherboards are 24pin, whilst most older power supplies are 20pin. Whilst adapters are available, it's wise to play it safe and get a brand new quality power supply anyway.
 
The new power supply is recommended because of the fact that most current day motherboards are 24pin, whilst most older power supplies are 20pin. Whilst adapters are available, it's wise to play it safe and get a brand new quality power supply anyway.
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If the machine you're upgrading still uses a BabyAT power supply, chances are it's past being upgradable (the rest of the system would be ancient), and you'll be looking at a completely new machine.
 
If the machine you're upgrading still uses a BabyAT power supply, chances are it's past being upgradable (the rest of the system would be ancient), and you'll be looking at a completely new machine.
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==== Basic Intel ====
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==== $400 AM2 ====
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{| class="wikitable" border="0" style="text-align:left; border: 1px solid #999; background-color:#FFFFFF"
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
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|- bgcolor="#cccccc"
 
|- bgcolor="#cccccc"
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! Part !! Model !! Price
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!Part
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|-
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!Model
 +
!Price
 +
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
 
! CPU
 
! CPU
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| AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+ || [http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=X2+3600 89]
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| [http://www.intel.com/products/processor/celeron/index.htm Intel Celeron 420] || [http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=Celeron+420 39]
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|
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|- bgcolor="#efefef"
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|-
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! Motherboard
 
! Motherboard
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| [http://au.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&l2=101&l3=296&l4=0&model=1169&modelmenu=1 Asus M2NPV-MX] || [http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=M2NPV-MX 88]
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| [http://au.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&l2=11&l3=502&l4=0&model=1682&modelmenu=1 Asus P5S-MX-SE] || [http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=P5S-MX 55]
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|
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|- bgcolor="#efefef"
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|-
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! RAM
 
! RAM
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| 1GB A-DATA DDR2-667 || [http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=1GB+A-DATA+667 73]
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| 1GB Brand-name DDR2-667 || [http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=1GB+DDR2 21]
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|
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|- bgcolor="#efefef"
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|-
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! Hard Drive
 
! Hard Drive
 
| Carry over from previous machine || -
 
| Carry over from previous machine || -
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|
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|- bgcolor="#efefef"
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|-
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! Optical Drive
 
! Optical Drive
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| [http://www.pioneer.com.au/products/computer_peripherals/index.html 16x Pioneer DVR-111D] || [http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=111D 39]
 
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|
 
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|-
 
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! Graphics Card
 
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| Carry over from previous machine/Onboard || -
 
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|
 
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|-
 
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! Case
 
 
| Carry over from previous machine || -
 
| Carry over from previous machine || -
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|
 
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|-
 
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! Power Supply
 
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| [http://www.coolermaster.com/index.php?LT=english&Language_s=2&url_place=product&p_serial=RS-430-PCAR/P&other_title=+RS-430-PCAR%2FP+eXtreme%20Power%20430W 430W Coolermaster Extreme Power] || [http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=Coolermaster+430W 49]
 
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|-
 
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! Cooling
 
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| - || -
 
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|-
 
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! Additional
 
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| - || -
 
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|
 
 
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
 
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
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! Total Cost
 
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| - || 338 + Postage
 
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|-
 
−
|}
 
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Many people will prefer a quicker system, so here's a faster one. However, unlike the Core 2 Duo listed below, there's no boards which support both AGP and PCIe video cards, or DDR1/DDR2 RAM, so you're stuck with PCIe or onboard video (which the Intel setup lacks).
 
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==== $400 Core 2 Duo ====
 
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
 
−
|- bgcolor="#cccccc"
 
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! Part !! Model !! Price
 
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|-
 
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! CPU
 
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| [http://www.intel.com/products/processor/core2duo/index.htm Core 2 Duo E4300] || [http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=E4300 155]
 
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|
 
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|-
 
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! Motherboard
 
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| [http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=4CoreDual-VSTA&s=775 ASRock 4CoreDual-VSTA] || [http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=4CoreDual-VSTA 85]
 
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|
 
−
|-
 
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! RAM
 
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| Carry over from previous machine || -
 
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|
 
−
|-
 
−
! Hard Drive
 
−
| Carry over from previous machine || -
 
−
|
 
−
|-
 
−
! Optical Drive
 
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| [http://www.pioneer.com.au/products/computer_peripherals/index.html 16x Pioneer DVR-111D] || [http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=111D 39]
 
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|
 
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|-
 
 
! Graphics Card
 
! Graphics Card
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| Carry over from previous machine || -
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| Onboard from motherboard || -
−
|  
+
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
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|-
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! Sound Card
 +
| Onboard from motherboard || -
 +
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
 
! Case
 
! Case
 
| Carry over from previous machine || -
 
| Carry over from previous machine || -
−
|
+
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
−
|-
+
 
! Power Supply
 
! Power Supply
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| [http://www.coolermaster.com/index.php?LT=english&Language_s=2&url_place=product&p_serial=RS-430-PCAR/P&other_title=+RS-430-PCAR%2FP+eXtreme%20Power%20430W 430W Coolermaster Extreme Power] || [http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=Coolermaster+430W 49]
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| [http://www.coolermaster.com/index.php?LT=english&Language_s=2&url_place=product&p_serial=RS-430-PCAR/P&other_title=+RS-430-PCAR%2FP+eXtreme%20Power%20430W 430W Coolermaster Extreme Power] || [http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=extreme+430 50]
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|
+
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
−
|-
+
 
! Cooling
 
! Cooling
 
| - || -
 
| - || -
−
|
+
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
−
|-
+
 
! Additional
 
! Additional
 
| - || -
 
| - || -
−
|
+
|- bgcolor="#cccccc"
−
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
+
 
! Total Cost
 
! Total Cost
−
| - || 328 + Postage
+
| - || 165 + Postage
−
|-
+
 
|}
 
|}
−
 
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Here is an Intel version of the upgrade rig, for those who prefer Intel's products. If you want to use some spare DDR1 RAM you have lying around, the Abit IP-95 is about $10 more expensive.
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The big advantage of this board is that it can run AGP and PCIe video cards, and DDR1/DDR2 RAM, it's the ultimate upgrader board, can even support the latest quad-core CPUs. :)
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The $750 Core 2 Duo system has been removed, since it was simply the Core 2 Duo system with an added video card (for those who care, it was a 7900GS).
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Latest revision as of 13:11, 12 February 2009

Essentially all of these upgrade kits are going to be fairly basic, in the budget of $200-250. The first two machines are for people who want a basic cheap upgrade, the third is intended for someone who has DDR1 and an AGP video card lying around they'd wish to retain, although with DDR2 at current prices, it could be argued it's not worthwhile.

[edit] Basic AMD

Part Model Price
CPU AMD Sempron LE-1100 34
Motherboard Abit NF-M2SV 51
RAM 1GB Brand-name DDR2-667 20
Hard Drive Carry over from previous machine -
Optical Drive Carry over from previous machine -
Graphics Card Onboard from motherboard -
Sound Card Onboard from motherboard -
Case Carry over from previous machine -
Power Supply 430W Coolermaster Extreme Power 50
Cooling - -
Additional - -
Total Cost - 155 + Postage

I'm assuming that the buyer will carry over their hard drive and optical drive. If you wish to purchase new drives as well, you may be better off with the complete systems on the Workstation page. Remember that freight charges from different stores will add up - this defeats the purpose of finding the cheapest price from several stores, rather than just one. The board features onboard video and onboard everything else which removes the need for a graphics card (which is expensive and unnecessary). If you require AGP graphics support, you could purchase the MSI K9MM-V for similar. The new power supply is recommended because of the fact that most current day motherboards are 24pin, whilst most older power supplies are 20pin. Whilst adapters are available, it's wise to play it safe and get a brand new quality power supply anyway. If the machine you're upgrading still uses a BabyAT power supply, chances are it's past being upgradable (the rest of the system would be ancient), and you'll be looking at a completely new machine.

[edit] Basic Intel

Part Model Price
CPU Intel Celeron 420 39
Motherboard Asus P5S-MX-SE 55
RAM 1GB Brand-name DDR2-667 21
Hard Drive Carry over from previous machine -
Optical Drive Carry over from previous machine -
Graphics Card Onboard from motherboard -
Sound Card Onboard from motherboard -
Case Carry over from previous machine -
Power Supply 430W Coolermaster Extreme Power 50
Cooling - -
Additional - -
Total Cost - 165 + Postage

Here is an Intel version of the upgrade rig, for those who prefer Intel's products. If you want to use some spare DDR1 RAM you have lying around, the Abit IP-95 is about $10 more expensive.

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