Member Avatar for chopficaro

i am on an extremely tight budget and need a new 32bit xp gaming machine bad, so i figured id use the hard disks, dvd drive, psu, case and peripherals from my old computer, and get a new motherboard, cpu, ram, and grafix card.

heres what i have:

hard disks:
hds728080plat20
wdc wd1200jb-00dua3

120gb+80gb

psu:
350W antec

dvd drive:
atapi dvd dd 2x16x4x16


heres what im thinking about getting:

8800gt 512mb for $230
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0279319
1 1gb ddr2 card $25
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0266815
and a 2gb card $50
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0279998
e3110 processor + dp35dpm mother board bundle for $320
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0281869


questions:

did i pick the right 8800? nvidia has like 57349 different video cards named 8800 and some have vastly different specs than the others.

if i have the wrong psu, could i damage my hardware? not worried about loss of data. will probably test the computer to see if my current psu will suffice.

will all my parts work well with one another?

am i making any big mistakes?

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by jermaghs07

Dani AI

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Good points already from (OS/drivers) and from / (PSU). Two priorities before buying: power/connectors and the OS/drives — get those right and the rest will fit together.

The 8800 GT family typically needs one 6‑pin PCIe power plug and pulls on the order of ~125 W, so check that your Antec actually has a native 6‑pin PCIe lead and enough +12 V headroom. Vendors and reviewers recommend building in headroom (400–500 W from a good brand, with a healthy +12 V amp rating) rather than relying on a tired 350 W unit or adapters. (techpowerup.com)

If you plan to reuse the old XP disk: back up everything and plan a fresh Windows install. Moving an XP installation to a different motherboard often triggers an inaccessible‑boot (STOP 0x7B) due to mass‑storage/driver mismatches; the safe choices are (a) sysprep the existing install before moving it, or (b) do a repair or clean install after the swap. Make a verified backup first (image + copies of documents). (support.microsoft.com)

Quick compatibility checklist and tips: confirm the DP35DPM supports the chosen CPU (check the board’s CPU list / BIOS version), use matched DDR2 modules for dual‑channel (don’t mix speeds/capacities if you want max bandwidth), verify case clearance and that the GPU’s single‑slot length fits, and avoid Molex/SATA→PCIe adapters as a long‑term solution. Do an initial bench boot with minimal parts (CPU, cooler, 1 DIMM, PSU, GPU if needed) to confirm POST before installing drives. (manua.ls)

Summary: your parts can work, but replace the PSU with a quality unit that has a proper 6‑pin PCIe cable and enough wattage/12 V amperage, plan a clean/repair install of XP (or sysprep beforehand), and buy RAM as a matched pair. This will avoid most headaches and protect your components.

Recommended Answers

All 10 Replies

Member Avatar for 4th&3wood

Look at the power requirements for you graphics card. If the PSU has the 20/4 pin connector and the CPU connector you can always try it. It won't hurt anything to try it.

About taking the hdd from your old computer and using it in your new build, if you don't reinstall the OS in the new build you are looking for trouble. If you wish to read an article about this go here.I would back up all of the files, pictures, etc. that you wish to keep to a removable media like CDs or DVDs and then reformat the hdd and do a fresh installation of the OS.

Member Avatar for chopficaro

link bookmarked
good advice

Member Avatar for chopficaro

i just read the link, makes sense. but will i have to format the drives or can i just install another oparating systme?

Member Avatar for jermaghs07

The only problem i see is your power supply. I know for a fact that on the 8800 the suggested wattage is 500w.

If you want my opinion. Don't waste your money on an 8800. I have a 8600 that was half the price of the 8800 and it will run Crysis on full resolution. Just a suggestion but if your on a budget i would really recomend it.

Member Avatar for coolraj003

I would also recommend go for a 500w psu, 350w sounds a bit unsufficient for this spec that u want to have. ALso later on if you want to upgrade your system you will have to dish out on a bigger psu anyways so might as well do it right now. then again just a suggestion. Backing data up is definitely a suggestion worth acting upon as you will need to reinstall the os on HDD and you really wouldnt want to loose the data on it, i presume.

Raj

Member Avatar for jermaghs07

i just read the link, makes sense. but will i have to format the drives or can i just install another oparating systme?

You should just have to reload the OS. but it is still a real good idea to do a full back up before hand.

Member Avatar for chopficaro

i know the 8800 just fell from $400 to $200 recently. what can i find a 8600 for? $200 or $100?

Member Avatar for chopficaro

i just heard elsewhare that the 8800 gets most of its power "from the wall" and u actually dont need a powerful psu. what do u guys think of that?

Member Avatar for jermaghs07

i dont know who told you that but they should be slapped! all computer components use DC power. the power coming from the wall is AC. so it cant draw power from the wall. it would have to run through a power converter like your power supply. even if it did draw power straight from the wall you would have two power cables running to your computer.

I think what they meant was it doesn't draw power from the mother board. it connects to the power supply. so either way your gonna have to get a bigger psu.

and don't worry. every graphics card bigger than (i think) a 6800 draws power from the PSU.

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