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Upgrade E-350?

post #1 of 8
3/15/13 at 4:48pm
Thread Starter 
I currently have an MSI E-350 that can get choppy at times under load. I have a 1 TB external hard drive connected via the mobo's USB 2.0 connector and I've heard that using USB is CPU intensive.

The case is an Antec ISK300-65. It came with an internal 135 watt PSU, but the power brick is only 65 watts. I've found inexpensive new bricks that will put out 120 or 135 watts and am considering upgrading there.

The next question is, if i get the 120 or 135 watt power brick, can it work with a triple core A6? Or should I go the Intel route? What CPU/mobo combo would work best? I have an HDHomeRun, along with lots of H.264 movies, and enjoy watching Netflix in HD.

Thanks,
James
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post #2 of 8
3/15/13 at 5:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jamesm113 View Post

The case is an Antec ISK300-65. It came with an internal 135 watt PSU, but the power brick is only 65 watts. I've found inexpensive new bricks that will put out 120 or 135 watts and am considering upgrading there.

If it came with an internal PSU, what is the power brick for???
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post #3 of 8
3/15/13 at 5:59pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pixelation View Post

If it came with an internal PSU, what is the power brick for???
Sorry, an internal DC to DC converter.
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post #4 of 8
3/15/13 at 7:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jamesm113 View Post

The next question is, if i get the 120 or 135 watt power brick, can it work with a triple core A6?

Perhaps you are talking about Llano. Yes, but Trinity A6-5400K is a better choice.
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post #5 of 8
3/16/13 at 5:42am
Or use ESATA instead of USB.
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post #6 of 8
3/16/13 at 5:33pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruiner View Post

Or use ESATA instead of USB.
I haven't really seen any externals HDs on the market that are eSATA
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post #7 of 8
3/17/13 at 7:43am
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007601&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=True&SrchInDesc=esata&Page=1&PageSize=20 for drives

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007705&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=True&SrchInDesc=esata&Page=1&PageSize=20 bare enclosures
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post #8 of 8
3/17/13 at 10:34am

The E-350 is weak at best and having the latest video drivers with NO POST PROCESSING selected in the CCC will serve you best for that processor.  Upgrading to an eSATA enclosure (assuming you have the connection on your mobo) would help.  Upgrading to an A6 means a new mobo and possibly RAM which is essentially a rebuild.  Funny you mention .264 movies 'cause I find the GPU knocks them out with ease - see how your APU is performing on them with MPC-HC - it's a free d/l and is DxvA accelerated.  Grab the AMD fusion apu monitor to see how much CPU/GPU is being used.

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