upgrading my pc and after a few suggestions please

[jaymar14]

Currently I have a tower pc running win7 ultimate 64bit with an nvidia 680i sli motherboard, 4gb memory (pc2-6400@400mhz x2) and an intel q6600 processor with 775 lga socket.

my pc is getting a bit tired and world weary compared to current specs out there and im after experienced persons pov on what effective upgrades i could do.

most importantly i had-had a water cooler but that went wrong and my techy friend put another cooler on the cpu. problem is... its really loud and i use my pc as a media centre mostly... lately its froze a few times and had a few blue screens. the pc is also notably slower as my techy friend said he had to underclock the processor because of the new/cheapy cooler. none of this is surprising and he said if this was the case it'd need a better cooler and was maybe worth doing a few other little upgrades at the same time.
so given the spec ive listed, what cpu coolers would DW users recommend for me? also im open to other upgrade suggestions, yet the cooler remains a priority. admittedly I haven't much a clue of what im doing.

ps my techy friend will fit it for me eventually but its almost impossible to get advice out of him with him being busy working in the computer trade, once i have my pc and cooler and any other upgrades in front of him, he'll gladly get to work on installing these parts for me.

thanks

 

[little_pob]

To be honest, even though it's nearly 6 years old, the Q6600 is overkill for a media centre, unless you actually transcode video files too.

Out of interest, do you know the BSOD stop codes? They may indicate what the problem is. If they flash up too quickly go into Start > Control Panel > System and Security > System > Advanced > Startup and Recovery > Settings > uncheck Automatically restart > OK > OK. Next time you get a BSOD, write the code down and on reboot try searching for it on Google to see if it gives you any pointers.

The main questions to ask on a new build are; what's your budget? what will you use it for? (beyond as a media centre that is.)

 

[jaymar14]

To be honest, even though it's nearly 6 years old, the Q6600 is overkill for a media centre, unless you actually transcode video files too.

Out of interest, do you know the BSOD stop codes? They may indicate what the problem is. If they flash up too quickly go into Start > Control Panel > System and Security > System > Advanced > Startup and Recovery > Settings > uncheck Automatically restart > OK > OK. Next time you get a BSOD, write the code down and on reboot try searching for it on Google to see if it gives you any pointers.

The main questions to ask on a new build are; what's your budget? what will you use it for? (beyond as a media centre that is.)

Thanks for the reply. Ill check the BSOD stop codes 2moro (ta for the instructions). I did however try to jot down a few things after a crash/bluescreen. this included (on a quick look) description of cpu, followed by something about memory test and a list of sata channels and descriptions.
beneath this was a message that read 'warning! now system is in safe mode. please reset cpu or memory frequency in cmos set up'.

Although mainly for media playback, id do a lot of video encoding and converting (inc hd). I also play the odd game or two but they are not vital to me. then its usual browsing, email, office work. Also my PC can often be on for 24hours or longer sometimes, even though I sually turn it off every night. I use it for all these things but mainly storing media, playing media and converting/editing media files. Its with this view i need to get it healthy and quieter for my main uses. I have a budget of up to £70/£80, ideally I was hoping something might be appropriate to my needs for under £50.

Thanks

 

[little_pob]

Best upgrade for you would be a new, aftermarket cooler so that you can get the CPU back up to stock speeds. Without knowing how much space you've got in your case, I'm going to suggest you have a look at the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro. At under £20 it performs within a few degrees of coolers twice the price. Plus, as it's a 92mm fan rather than a 120mm fan, it has good MOSFET heat spreader clearance without being overly tall.

Then I'd suggest an SSD, if you can stretch to it. Your motherboard is probably only going to have SATA II connections, so don't worry too much about the read and write speeds, concentrate on the IOPS scores. If you do go down this route, make sure to read Exos's SSD guide here: https://www.digitalworldz.co.uk/index.php?threads/297424/

Whilst some extra RAM may help with the video transcoding, you'd need to match the speed, latencies and voltage of your existing RAM to reduced the risk of conflicts. You should be able to find out the current RAM you've got installed using CPU-Z. The problem is DDR2 has been superseded by DDR3, as such 8GB (4x2GB or 2x4GB) of 6400MHz CL5 DDR2 would cost around £80 new! However, before splashing out on new/extra RAM, you need to find out what the BSODs are pointing to...

 

[Manse]

I just got me a Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro, nearly halved my q6600 temp, now around low 40's under load.
comes with pre applied paste and is a doddle to fit

 

[jaymar14]

Best upgrade for you would be a new, aftermarket cooler so that you can get the CPU back up to stock speeds. Without knowing how much space you've got in your case, I'm going to suggest you have a look at the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro. At under £20 it performs within a few degrees of coolers twice the price. Plus, as it's a 92mm fan rather than a 120mm fan, it has good MOSFET heat spreader clearance without being overly tall.

Then I'd suggest an SSD, if you can stretch to it. Your motherboard is probably only going to have SATA II connections, so don't worry too much about the read and write speeds, concentrate on the IOPS scores. If you do go down this route, make sure to read Exos's SSD guide here: https://www.digitalworldz.co.uk/index.php?threads/297424/

Whilst some extra RAM may help with the video transcoding, you'd need to match the speed, latencies and voltage of your existing RAM to reduced the risk of conflicts. You should be able to find out the current RAM you've got installed using CPU-Z. The problem is DDR2 has been superseded by DDR3, as such 8GB (4x2GB or 2x4GB) of 6400MHz CL5 DDR2 would cost around £80 new! However, before splashing out on new/extra RAM, you need to find out what the BSODs are pointing to...

excellent advice! really chuffed with you help little pob! that seems a steal at that price. im likely to go for that as it fits the bill nicely. however, my case is either the antec 900 or an older model, which is pretty big (i think i could easily fit another cooler the same size as on it now directly on top there is that much room! knowing this, is it worth mentioning another option? quietness is still priority of course, but may want to overclock it back up if inviting.

ps ive turned off auto restart, so its a matter of time before bsod so i can get the bsod stop codes, until then im going to go ahead with buying a cooler.
thanks again and also to 'Manse' for adding to the freezer 7 pro reputation.

 

[little_pob]

I've got the original ThermalTake Frio on an LGA1366, but it does also come with an LGA775 bracket. There are now a couple of different versions available, at different prices: OCK, Advanced and Extreme. Just take the time to read the reviews and make sure the specific model fits LGA775 motherboards.

Another suggestion are the Dark Rock and Shadow Rock lines from Be Quiet!

 

[jaymar14]

I've got the original ThermalTake Frio on an LGA1366, but it does also come with an LGA775 bracket. There are now a couple of different versions available, at different prices: OCK, Advanced and Extreme. Just take the time to read the reviews and make sure the specific model fits LGA775 motherboards.

Another suggestion are the Dark Rock and Shadow Rock lines from Be Quiet!

thanks very much. Some reviews said one of those versions of the thermaltake frio could be a bit noisy but i imagine to some degree thats going to be different on each pc depending on how its setup to perform. The two from BeQuiet seem to fit my needs a bit better, got my eye on the shadow rock now...

had bsod last night after trying to shutdown the pc, only one stop code corresponded to anything on a google search, ive put a * next to it. hopefully this means something to you
0x00000050*
0xfffffa8009c1d588
0x0000000000000000
0xfffff88005519c60
0x0000000000000000
below this it said nusb3hub.sys -address fffff88005519c60
base at fffff88005509000

 

[little_pob]

I forgot that I'd replaced the fans on my Frio with 120mm SilverStone Air Penetrators.

The MSDN article on the 0x50 STOP code says that it could be hardware or software. My first suggestion would be to run Window's built in memory checker from the Advanced Boot Options [F8] screen.

 

[moggy]

try some of the solutions here:

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for that BSOD code
i wouldn't spend anything until its your last resort, out of interest have u got an Nvidia graphics card and have u tried the latest drivers for it?

 

[jaymar14]

thanks guys, i'll try the memory checker in bios and if okay and no further problems Ill take a gander at the link provided.
Ta very much!