Need Help deciding Pro's/Con's

Hello
I am trying to decide on upgrading my system.
I am not a gamer.
I use it daily for video conversion, CorelDraw, Excell, databases. I do alot of multitasking.

I might try overclocking.


I am thinking of buying a used
HP xw6000 dual P4 Xeon 2.4 system with 1gb ram.
Then upgrading to 4gb ram and a better video card.

System cost would be $ 550.00

Or I have priced out this as NEW

GIGABYTE 965P-DS3 Intel Socket 775 ATX Motherboard / Audio / PCI Express / Gigabit LAN / S/PDIF / USB 2.0 / Serial ATA / RAID

Intel Pentium D 925 3.0GHz / 4MB Cache / 800MHz FSB / Dual-Core / Presler / OEM / Socket 775 / Processor

OCZ Platinum Revision-2 2048MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 x 1024MB)

Ultra / Fire / Socket 775 / P4 3.8Ghz / Copper Core / CPU Fan

XFX GeForce 7600 GS / 512MB GDDR2 / SLI / PCI Express / Dual DVI / HDTV / Video Card

System Cost $ 650.00

Any suggestions would be apreciated.

Of course Cost is always an issue!

What they said. Stay away from the HP system, and the pentium D is not worth it at all. Also, I think you should skip 512mb 7600GS and go for a 7600gt 256mb. It's a bit cheaper and will perform significantly better. IMO the 7600gs would have a stroke before it managed to actually put all that memory to use.

With the HP you will not be able to overclock. That system IMO is not worth it. If you could get it for less...then maybe, but not for $550.

I like Featherstone's setup, although you could save money by using this RAM instead:
G.Skill 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231055

Also, the Gigabyte 965P doesn't have integrated graphics, so you'd either need the 965G:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128018

or a PCI-E graphics card. But not 512mb on a 7600gs, honestly. 7600gt would give you more performance for less money. Anything less than that and you may as well just use the integrated graphics on the 965G DS3.

Ok, Thanks for the help so far.

Here is where I am at right now:

GIGABYTE GA-965P-S3 LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

In Stock
$114.99 $114.99

XFX PVT73PUDJ3 GeForce 7600GS 256MB GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail

In Stock
Mail-in Rebate
$109.99 $109.99

Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6300 - Retail

In Stock
$185.00 $185.00

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 675 (PC2 5400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-5400c4 - Retail

In Stock
$164.00 $164.00

SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

In Stock
$149.99 -$10.00 Instant $139.99

Thermaltake CL-P0370 92mm Enter CPU Cooler - Retail

In Stock
$33.99 $33.99


Subtotal: $747.96

This is the case I have now and plan on reusing

VisionMan 580Watt X-Blade Tower
Sturdy design, superb construction, and loaded with a total of 10 drive bays! Impress your friends with this Visionman exclusive!
- Brushed Aluminum Finish
- 10 Drive Bays
- 2 Internal cooling Fans
- Clear Side Panel
- Front USB & Audio
- 580W Power Supply
- 17"H x 7.9"W x17.3D

Let me know what you think.

Looks good, although it appears you intend to re-use your noname PSU from the case. Personally, I have a deep-seated fear and loathing of noname PSUs and if it were me I'd include the $40 PSU Featherstone suggested, possibly offsetting its cost with the cheaper and similarly performing G.Skill ram.

What you've got is good though. Chances are the noname PSU will do you fine for a at least a while.

the arctic cooling freezer 7 pro, but don't get it from newegg its like 70 bucks there... you can find it for 25 other places

http://www.chiefvalue.com/product/ [...] 1c3grabb3r

or the Master Hyper TX

Its what Toms used to OC in one of their articles, and i have read articles that say it is almost the exact same thing as the Arctic cooling freezer 7 pro, same performance, built the same etc.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applica [...] CatId=1588

Those are good coolers for ~$30


But if you're looking for some serious cooling I would go with one of these.

Scythe infinity - $57
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835185027

Zalman 9700- $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835118019

Tuniq Tower- $65
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835154001

These will perform the best but are expensive, hard to install, and weigh a lot.

Hope this helps