1999 gaming computer upgrade-Part 1
Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 10:39 pm
Finished upgrading my old 1999 desktop pc tower to a gaming rig the other day, I stripped everything out of the case and started from scratch. Refusing to get a new case, I decided to work around the beige nightmare (stupid mistake) ](./images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall")
. First off the rear I/O panel was soldered on, so i had to "unsolder" it in a manner of speaking. Next, i got a micro-ATX mobo and so I had to make new holes for it. Since the PSU fan had a 120mm fan on the back, and there was only a grill there for a 80mm fan, more cutting was needed. Also the holes for the fan on the side panel weren't big enough, so I had to make them big enough. Plus the rear expansion slots didnt match up. The cons were seriously outweighing the pros now. I finally got everything in, but there was a huge gaping hole over two external drive bays. So i cut cardboard out about the same size and stuck it in there. So now it looks like a ghetto pc 
Old Hardware Specs
Motherboard: No idea, really old though
CPU: Pentium III at 700Mhz
Memory: 384MB(3x128GB SDRAM pc100)
Graphics: Integrated TNT 2 Pro, one of the first nvidia cards ever made
Power: 200watts
New Hardware Specs
Motherboard: XFX 630i
CPU: Intel E4500 OC @ 3.13Ghz
Memory: Patriot 2GB DDR2 800 @ 4-4-4-12
Graphics: XFX 9600 GT OC 790Mhz/1950Mhz/2100Mhz
Power: 550watts
3DMark01 was the highest benchmark I could use for the old system unfortunately, so here is the comparison.
3DMark01 score for old system: 671
3DMark01 score for new system: 35,266
That's over 52x faster! Considering I only spent $400 on this rig, I'd say i hit the jackpot as far as price-per-performance. I wasn't sure if I should build this or get a PS3, but I'm glad I went with this. The PS3 has a lot of locked options and can't be upgraded over time. Anyway, now I am going to enter part 2 of the upgrading and I need some help. I am thinking of a 22" gaming monitor and the G5 gaming mouse(already have the G15 keyboard), but I don't know what to get for the case and speakers. What are the best value for about $80 each or less?
. First off the rear I/O panel was soldered on, so i had to "unsolder" it in a manner of speaking. Next, i got a micro-ATX mobo and so I had to make new holes for it. Since the PSU fan had a 120mm fan on the back, and there was only a grill there for a 80mm fan, more cutting was needed. Also the holes for the fan on the side panel weren't big enough, so I had to make them big enough. Plus the rear expansion slots didnt match up. The cons were seriously outweighing the pros now. I finally got everything in, but there was a huge gaping hole over two external drive bays. So i cut cardboard out about the same size and stuck it in there. So now it looks like a ghetto pc Old Hardware Specs
Motherboard: No idea, really old though
CPU: Pentium III at 700Mhz
Memory: 384MB(3x128GB SDRAM pc100)
Graphics: Integrated TNT 2 Pro, one of the first nvidia cards ever made
Power: 200watts
New Hardware Specs
Motherboard: XFX 630i
CPU: Intel E4500 OC @ 3.13Ghz
Memory: Patriot 2GB DDR2 800 @ 4-4-4-12
Graphics: XFX 9600 GT OC 790Mhz/1950Mhz/2100Mhz
Power: 550watts
3DMark01 was the highest benchmark I could use for the old system unfortunately, so here is the comparison.
3DMark01 score for old system: 671
3DMark01 score for new system: 35,266
That's over 52x faster! Considering I only spent $400 on this rig, I'd say i hit the jackpot as far as price-per-performance. I wasn't sure if I should build this or get a PS3, but I'm glad I went with this. The PS3 has a lot of locked options and can't be upgraded over time. Anyway, now I am going to enter part 2 of the upgrading and I need some help. I am thinking of a 22" gaming monitor and the G5 gaming mouse(already have the G15 keyboard), but I don't know what to get for the case and speakers. What are the best value for about $80 each or less?
