Okay, so I'm not going to buy a whole new comp. I think I can get away with just upgrading...but I'd like to get feedback from the ubertechs around here about my approach.
Basically, I'm upgrading my mobo and graphics card, but throwing in a switch to a simple watercooler.
Mobo:
ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce SPP 100 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813131568
Vidcard:
eVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814130071
Cooler:
Swiftech MCP655 12 VDC Pump Liquid Cooling System - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16835108082
I've got a AMD 2.5 GHZ 939 socket cpu and 2 GB of 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 333 (PC 2700) System Memory, a 425 Watt PSU, and nondescript other parts. These upgrade components were selected for future longevity considering the re-use of the existing parts plus cost. Thoughts?
Lastly, on the cooler, does anyone have any experience with this unit? Is it as "easy" as it seems...slap it on the cpu? It seems that the coolant (distlled water) goes right into the unit and you're done. I need to do this because my case is old, dusty, and a bit of a joke. I won't do the upgrade using the big ass zalman fan because I can't keep it very cool. I do use an aircan to clean out the dust every 3 months or so, but i'm not ripping apart and wiping the whole thing down so to speak.
thanks