So i'm building a new computer

[octafish]

Something to consider, you might be able to pick up a GTX460 or a HD5850 GPU on eBay or at a swap meet. They are older but still very good cards if you can get a new one (apparently the 460 will out perform 8800gt in SLI and the HD5850 benches higher than the 460). They will need a decent power supply though. I suggest you plug your proposed parts into a PSU calculator to get a ballpark figure. You might be surprised, I think you may need a higher rated PSU if you keep your 8800gt than if you upgrade.

 

[lacktheknack]

PLEASE try to up that power supply. Stressed power supplies do horrific things.

Other than that, I guess it's pretty passable. Not good for more recent gaming or high-quality gaming, but it'll tide you over.

 

[lacktheknack]

I admit that this CPU might seem shitty to others, however it's a build that I can be happy with for a few years. It's also at a point where I need to upgrade as my current computer is dying. It chugs on games that it shouldn't and is failing to restart and even turn on properly. So it may seem like money wasted to people with more disposable income for these kind of things, but I don't foresee needing much more. I can upgrade more later and can add and subtract as needed. I do definitely appreciate the feedback, both positive and negative

No specs advice because I basically know nothing about that, but if you want to keep your old computer running in a usable state, just download an ISO of Puppy Linux, it runs completely on ram (As little as 512mb). It's very easy on the pc, it isn't difficult to set up and that way you can keep your old pc around cos you never know what can go wrong!

I've never used Linux or Ubuntu or anything like that. How user friendly/ software friendly are they? Can I run all my games on Linux?

Don't do that. People who say "You can get all your games working on Linux!" forget that you can double the system requirements in the process.

Stick with Windows 7, really.

 

[Kyr Knightbane]

PLEASE try to up that power supply. Stressed power supplies do horrific things.

Other than that, I guess it's pretty passable. Not good for more recent gaming or high-quality gaming, but it'll tide you over.

I just calculated it over on Newegg and it says 366 W is recommended. The PSU that i have picked out is a 585 with mostly favorable reviews on setups exactly like mine. I fail to see the issue. It has a 4.1/5 on Newegg.

 

[lacktheknack]

PLEASE try to up that power supply. Stressed power supplies do horrific things.

Other than that, I guess it's pretty passable. Not good for more recent gaming or high-quality gaming, but it'll tide you over.

I just calculated it over on Newegg and it says 366 W is recommended. The PSU that i have picked out is a 585 with mostly favorable reviews on setups exactly like mine. I fail to see the issue. It has a 4.1/5 on Newegg.

I rarely get parts that are under 4.5.

If nothing else, that power supply will utterly cripple any attempts to expand and upgrade. I have a kilowatt supply and am approaching its limit.

 

[TorqueConverter]

Sure, you can build that rig and I'm sure you'll enjoy it for a period of time. I'd recommend treating a new gaming rig as an investment and that you get some better hardware than what your currently looking at.

I say build a strong foundation first with a good board, processor, power supply and case. I wouldn't spend big bucks on a GPU just yet as most of the games we have on PC are console ports unless you have your eye on some PC titles that can make use of a high end GPU. I say build a rig now that will last you well into the next gen console ports with the GPU being the only component you will have to upgrade to stay competitive.

In short, get a really good mother board, CPU, power supply with power to spare and a good case. If you purchase these items new now, and then toss in a used high end dx10 or 11 card then you should be set for modern games and any next gen PC ports in the future.

Your alternative would be to not build a new rig at all and play around with your current rig. Is your current rig worth anything? No harm no foul? Overclock the hell out of that 8800GTS, CPU and stuff some extra gigs of memory into the board. Rivera Tuner is great at OCing nVIDIA cards and SETFSB should allow you to clock your CPU. Beef up the cooling on the components and have some fun with your current rig. I was able to overclock my 8700m nVIDIA mobile card to lay FO3 at maxed settings. I'm sure your 8800GTS should do much better.

 

[Kyr Knightbane]

Sure, you can build that rig and I'm sure you'll enjoy it for a period of time. I'd recommend treating a new gaming rig as an investment and that you get some better hardware than what your currently looking at.

I say build a strong foundation first with a good board, processor, power supply and case. I wouldn't spend big bucks on a GPU just yet as most of the games we have on PC are console ports unless you have your eye on some PC titles that can make use of a high end GPU. I say build a rig now that will last you well into the next gen console ports with the GPU being the only component you will have to upgrade to stay competitive.

In short, get a really good mother board, CPU, power supply with power to spare and a good case. If you purchase these items new now, and then toss in a used high end dx10 or 11 card then you should be set for modern games and any next gen PC ports in the future.

Your alternative would be to not build a new rig at all and play around with your current rig. Is your current rig worth anything? No harm no foul? Overclock the hell out of that 8800GTS, CPU and stuff some extra gigs of memory into the board. Rivera Tuner is great at OCing nVIDIA cards and SETFSB should allow you to clock your CPU. Beef up the cooling on the components and have some fun with your current rig. I was able to overclock my 8700m nVIDIA mobile card to lay FO3 at maxed settings. I'm sure your 8800GTS should do much better.

All of these suggestions are great, however my motherboard is just... bad. Its a stock Board that came with a Media Center PC, and the only reason i can even remotely game on it is due to the Graphics Card upgrade. I realize that to most people, purchasing a PC is an investment, something you can keep adding into. However i only have 1 shot at this. I only have this amount of money once, i have a little girl, so doing this pc would enable me to do more. Does that make sense? Its honestly my only shot. So i'm trying to pump some more nads into a new build, as this card is amazing, and i really am only considering the upgrade due to the fact that my current PC is loud, and slow, and is degrading fast. It won't even restart or shut down properly. I just need a new System. I've had this setup for over 5 years. Hell before my buddy gave me my 8800 GTS, i never even knew what games like Risen, and the Witcher looked like.

 

[TorqueConverter]

Sure, you can build that rig and I'm sure you'll enjoy it for a period of time. I'd recommend treating a new gaming rig as an investment and that you get some better hardware than what your currently looking at.

I say build a strong foundation first with a good board, processor, power supply and case. I wouldn't spend big bucks on a GPU just yet as most of the games we have on PC are console ports unless you have your eye on some PC titles that can make use of a high end GPU. I say build a rig now that will last you well into the next gen console ports with the GPU being the only component you will have to upgrade to stay competitive.

In short, get a really good mother board, CPU, power supply with power to spare and a good case. If you purchase these items new now, and then toss in a used high end dx10 or 11 card then you should be set for modern games and any next gen PC ports in the future.

Your alternative would be to not build a new rig at all and play around with your current rig. Is your current rig worth anything? No harm no foul? Overclock the hell out of that 8800GTS, CPU and stuff some extra gigs of memory into the board. Rivera Tuner is great at OCing nVIDIA cards and SETFSB should allow you to clock your CPU. Beef up the cooling on the components and have some fun with your current rig. I was able to overclock my 8700m nVIDIA mobile card to lay FO3 at maxed settings. I'm sure your 8800GTS should do much better.

All of these suggestions are great, however my motherboard is just... bad. Its a stock Board that came with a Media Center PC, and the only reason i can even remotely game on it is due to the Graphics Card upgrade. I realize that to most people, purchasing a PC is an investment, something you can keep adding into. However i only have 1 shot at this. I only have this amount of money once, i have a little girl, so doing this pc would enable me to do more. Does that make sense? Its honestly my only shot. So i'm trying to pump some more nads into a new build, as this card is amazing, and i really am only considering the upgrade due to the fact that my current PC is loud, and slow, and is degrading fast. It won't even restart or shut down properly. I just need a new System. I've had this setup for over 5 years. Hell before my buddy gave me my 8800 GTS, i never even knew what games like Risen, and the Witcher looked like.

Go for it then but keep other options in mind.

I'd recommend sticking with the 8800GTS over that other card as don't think it is a good as the 8800gts when applied as a gaming card. I don't know a whole lot about GPUs but the 8800gts while it does have a slower core clock, outdoes the 520 in memory bandwidth and texture streaming. If it was me, I'd stick with the 8800GTS, OC or not, but especially if I was going to OC. Remember your memory and CPU is as important to gaming performance as your GPU. If anything, the 8800GTS is the best piece of gaming performance you have on your current rig. I'd definitely carry that over to the new rig when building a budget gaming PC.

520 vs 8800GTS: http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=650&card2=475

If you're looking for something more powerful than the 8800GTS then look at used cards. Hell, look at used gaming PCs altogether. I'm sure you can find an awesome rig for the right price on buy/sell/trade forum somewhere. For what it's worth, If I had $400 to spend I'd look long and hard at an old high-end build for sale.