[Hightower5]

Hi there just need a bit of advice on my plans to upgrade my system.

I bought a Mesh matrix d900 about 3/4 years ago so its pretty outdated.

I have to decided to buy an athlon 64 2800+ possibly a 3000+ if funds stretch, just wondering it my seem stupid but can you add thermal composite to the cpu as well as having the strip on the heatsink?

My plan is to install a new mobo, not too sure which one yet just one that is compatible and budgetable, and cpu. Also put in a new 160gb hard drive as the master then install winxp as a fresh install. Then i will install my old hard drive as the slave transfer any data i need then wipe and format it and use it as back up.

My other question is that i have 512mb of ram it is 168pin dim pc133 sdram will i be able to just put this onto my new higher spec mobo without any bother? And lastly what size of ram would be adequate to run this system i have to major plans other than to surf, burn cd/dvd's and play the odd game but im not a serious gamer or overclocker

Any help would be appreciated
Cheers

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can you add thermal composite to the cpu as well as having the strip on the heatsink?

No. One or the other. Any quality thermal paste will outperform the thermal pad that comes preinstalled on the heatsink, but first you must carefully remove the thermal pad with a razor blade and some rubbing alcohol. If it real stubborn WD-40 works pretty well, followed by rubbing alcohol. Use care not to scratch the surface of the heatsink with the razor blade.

My other question is that i have 512mb of ram it is 168pin dim pc133 sdram will i be able to just put this onto my new higher spec mobo without any bother?

No, you'll need to upgrade that RAM won't work with an AMD64. I'd recommend 1GB of RAM.

[admin]

can you add thermal composite to the cpu as well as having the strip on the heatsink?

No. One or the other. Any quality thermal paste will outperform the thermal pad that comes preinstalled on the heatsink, but first you must carefully remove the thermal pad with a razor blade and some rubbing alcohol. If it real stubborn WD-40 works pretty well, followed by rubbing alcohol. Use care not to scratch the surface of the heatsink with the razor blade.

My other question is that i have 512mb of ram it is 168pin dim pc133 sdram will i be able to just put this onto my new higher spec mobo without any bother?

No, you'll need to upgrade that RAM won't work with an AMD64. I'd recommend 1GB of RAM.

[Hightower5]

Cheers for the advice, im pretty sorted in what im going to do, just one thing after reading up on upgrading etc. How will I know if I need a new power supply, does moving from a amd duron 900mhz to a amd 64 2800+ automatically mean I have to get a new power supply?

[admin]

More than likely you'll have to upgrade your power supply. What do you currently have?

[Hightower5]

Just found out my power supply is 300w, so Im wondering does that mean I have to upgrade this as I am switching from a amd duron 900mhz to a athlon 64 2800+ with asus k8v deluxe mobo.

[admin]

If it's a quality 300W power supply, you'll probably be okay. How many drives and fans are you running? Which video card are you using?

[Hightower5]

If it's a quality 300W power supply, you'll probably be okay. How many drives and fans are you running? Which video card are you using?

Ok i will have a athlon 64 2800+ with an asus k8v deluxe mobo, also a 160gb hard drive with a 30gb back up. I will have a dvd drive and dvd rw combo drive. The only fan i am aware of is the fan on the heatsink and obviously the fan built in to the power supply. I've tried researching on this but to no avail I know I prob need a bigger power supply but does it matter whether I get a 400w/450w or can I even bump it up to a 550w so that I wont need to upgrade it in the future.

Almost forgot my video card is a 32mb nvidia, i think almost certain.

Cheers for the help and advice so far its much appreciated

[admin]

Here's a rough guess of your power requirements:

CPU 80W
Motherboard 25W
System/CPU fans 5W
Memory 20W (10/stick)
AGP Video card 20W
Hard Drive 30Wx2=60W
ATAPI drives 15Wx2=30W
Floppy drive 5W
Accs (keybd/mouse/USB) 5W
--
Total 295 Watts

As you can see, you're very close to the 300W your power supply is rated at. If it's a quality power supply, this shouldn't be a problem. To allow for some headroom and room for expansion a 400W power supply should be just fine. If buying a new power supply, pay close attention to the amps on the 12V line, not just the Watts. Look for at least 30amps, and you'll have a great power supply.