Advice on what to upgrade

[leow]

I going to upgrade soon as everthing is getting slow, on the new game, and there not look as good as they could be so its time to spend some hard earned cash. My budget is £500. At the moment i have

AMD Athlon XP2500 1833.0 333FSB 512 L2 Cache Barton

Asus A7V8X KT400 8x AGP DDR Sound lAN USB 2.0 Retail Box

1 X Ebuyer 512MB DDR PC2700 333MHz 184pin Extra Value RAM

MSI Nvidia Geforce FX 5600 256 ddr dvi 4pin tv out

1 x Western Digital Cavier SE 80Gb 7200rpm 8mb Cache Hard Drive - OEM

I am a AMD man so im going to go for AMD64
There is to type of AMD64 AMD Athlon 64 / Sempron (Socket 939) and AMD Athlon 64 / Sempron (Socket 754) Is it worth going for the socket 939 ?

I think i wont to go for a asus motherboard as iv had no problems with my current one, but if u can suggest a better 1 then please do. Ive been looking on Ebuyer and there is these new board which support the pci graphics cards is it worth going for 1 of them, or stick with a normal

Ram i think im ok i wont a least 1Gb of ram so im ok there

Graphics card thats the next question. im a bit confused as i seem to have a enough ram on mine but its not up to the job now so what should i go for, ive had Nvidia for my last few cards and they have been good but i hear alot of talk about ATI Radeons been better but i think that could be just to do with who u like best ie intel and AMD, also whats this pci express now should i go for that ? and if i do do i need a pci express motherbaord

Will i need a new psu cus of all the new graphics cards ?

and hard drive is fine nothin on it now so it will last me for some time yet

Any advice would be great

Leow

 

[Me__2001]

its definately worth getting a 939 board, the new dual core chips are 939 so upgrading to one of those in the future is possible.

i would recommend the following

Asus A8N-SLI
Athlon 64 3200 (venice)
1GB of corsair or Geil value
Leadtek winfast 6600GT TDH
Tagan 480W PSU

that lot should come in at about £500

 

[BaseLine9]

CPU suggestions - go for 939 skt, AMD will be supporting this for some time. There's mainly Winchester and Venice core's also AMD have dual core CPU's but there £300 upwards!

http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductsList.asp?Category=9&SubCat=cpu-sa8

MoBo

http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductsList.asp?Category=282&SubCat=MBD-939&Name=&Page=1&SortBy=

If you don’t like Asus then the Abit Fatal is very good or Gigabyte and DFI. Get one with an n-force 4 chipset too.
SLI is up to you, i see it more as a upgrade option (6 - 10 months down the line) rather than a graphics booster, many single cards you can get now that will compete with SLI set ups. I have SLI and it’s very nice to have that option

RAM - Your RAM will fit but i would suggest DDR PC3200 (Corsair or Geil)

H/D - Allot of the new 939 mobo's have both SATA and IDE fittings (Just check this in the spec's first), so i think your current H/D will be fine

GRAPHICS - ATI or NVIDIA? again its personal preference, however to run with SLI and better compatibility with the n-force 4 chipset a NVIDIA Graphics card 6600gt or above would be best, the best manufactures of this GPU are Gainward (in my opinion)

http://www.aria.co.uk/productsList.asp?Category=289&Submit=submit

PCI-EXPRESS - All this is on PCI-E, my advice is get a PCI-E MoBo

ATI - Be aware ATI are replying with there solution soon (Called, Cross Fire) and i hear it will have some slight advantages over SLI, but to go down that road one would have to re-think the whole system from Mobo upwards (Including a new chipset), this simply means waiting till there products are out (couple of weeks i think)

PSU – 400W or above, again check the MoBo compatibility but most new 939 MoBo’s have a 24pin or v2.0 power supply fitting, if this is the case then get a version 2 PSU

http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductsList.asp?Name=v2.0


Hope that helps, the products on that web site is just a guide; shop around you may fond some stuff cheaper to get, but I find aria quite good
Finally, mainly your MoBo will dictate what fittings the rest of your components will be

 

[Kenny]

Hey Leow. It depends how long you want your computer to last. Obviously everyone wants their computer to last as long as possible, but I personally would suggest staying away from expensive CPUs and Mobos as AMD are planning a move to a new socket next year. 6months only seems like a long time at the start of it...

Both socket 754 and 939 are good, but 754 only offers single-channel memory, tho in most applications you wont notice it. IF you`re willing to overclock a little then a 3100+ Sempron (754) or a 3000+ or 3200+ (939) Venice with a good mobo will give you very good value for money- you dont even need to worry about buying faster memory- because the memory controller is on the CPU on these Processors, running the memory on a divider doesnt make MUCH difference.

I would stay away from SLI, to get a benfit, you would need to buy a monitor that supports high resolutions, thus adding to the cost for not much benefit.

A 350W PSU with 16A on the 12V rail powered an overcloked socket 939 with a 6600GT with 2 opticals and HD. Was beginning to feel the strain, but I`ll let you draw your power conclusions from that.

Any more help you need, let u sknow

Kenny

 

[floppybootstomp]

its definately worth getting a 939 board, the new dual core chips are 939 so upgrading to one of those in the future is possible.

i would recommend the following

Asus A8N-SLI
Athlon 64 3200 (venice)
1GB of corsair or Geil value
Leadtek winfast 6600GT TDH
Tagan 480W PSU

that lot should come in at about £500

I'd go with that, good specs, but I'd go for a DFI board, absolutely the best for gaming, and lots of goodies come with them. Though they do cost a little more.

 

[leow]

Right

Thats helped a little but im totaly lost with the graphics cards formats or just generaly the whole thing

Right from what im uderstanding pci express is the new format of graphics cards slots ( ie pci to AGP x4 to AGP x8) now to pci express, so really is it best to go onto PCI express graphics cards ? i think i read someone where u have to have 2 is that right ? So if im having a pci express card i have to have the right motherboard

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/prod...2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=82818
This is the 1 ive been looking at

Im a bit confused with the make and what graphics card to have
Do i go for a Nvidia or Radeon ? most people r saying nvidia and i have a nvidia card now, but ive read about radeon been better than nvidia, but that was about the AGP cards so does that mean **** now ?

Have a look on here and pick a card out for me. remeber my budget is £500 max so im think no more than £200 on a card

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/prod...3N1YmNhdGVnb3J5X3NlYXJjaA==&cat_uid=48&stid=2

im going to have this processor
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/prod...2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=88109

having 2 of these
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/prod...2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=46420

seem to of made some progress on what to have
Thanks for the advice

Leow

 

[floppybootstomp]

Looking good so far, though I would seriously suggest you check out the DFI Lan Party 939 Board, won't cost a lot more than the Asus.

As for the difference between Nvidia and ATI, none, really, is better than the other, they're both good. Depends on what spec you get for the money, that should be the only criteria.

I'd avoid XFX grafix cards, their fans have a tendency to crap out, any other make OK. The Powercolour X800 looks good to me.

I'd also seriously think twice about ordering such an expensive order from E-Buyer, they are not exactly reliable and lots of peeps here have had problems with them.

To be fair, others say they're OK, but I wouldn't touch 'em with a barge pole.

Check out other suppliers in our retailer's section, and consider.

But, other than that, looking good.

You may want to check the prices from Crucial's own site, shipping included in their prices and they're MUCH more reliable than E-Buyer, they probably cheaper as well, or at least same price.

 

[Me__2001]

Right from what im uderstanding pci express is the new format of graphics cards slots ( ie pci to AGP x4 to AGP x8) now to pci express, so really is it best to go onto PCI express graphics cards ? i think i read someone where u have to have 2 is that right ? So if im having a pci express card i have to have the right motherboard

yes PCI-E is the new format for graphics cards, if your trying to future proof a bit then it is best to get a PCI-E motherboard, you can have 2 graphics cards running at once but you dont need to, the system will quite happily work with one card.

CPU, RAM and motherboard look good, as flopps said look at some of the DFI Lanparty boards they are great boards, nvidia or ATI the best way to choose is with your wallet, the best card thats about £150 is probably the 6600GT

 

[BaseLine9]

Thats helped a little but im totaly lost with the graphics cards formats or just generaly the whole thing

Right from what im uderstanding pci express is the new format of graphics cards slots ( ie pci to AGP x4 to AGP x8) now to pci express, so really is it best to go onto PCI express graphics cards ? i think i read someone where u have to have 2 is that right ? So if im having a pci express card i have to have the right motherboard

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/prod...2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=82818
This is the 1 ive been looking at

Leow

I have that MoBo - not had a single problem with it

Pros - Fast, Stable, great games performance, easy to set up

Cons - The Chipset fan goes at 9000rpm!

I would have gone for a DFI, there faster but more expensive; my budget would not allow it.

With that MoBo id get a Ledtek or Asus Ge-force 6600gt, around £140 mark


Cheers

 

[Me__2001]

Cons - The Chipset fan goes at 9000rpm!

how loud is it ? im thinking of getting one

 

[BaseLine9]

I have a sound meter on me phone, when i get home I’ll give ya a reading! he he first time i have found a use for it in the ten months i had it! lol

 

[Kenny]

Just to add to your problems with choosing a mobo... The DFI NF4 boards have been confirmed as having problems in regard to some of the overclocking options..DFI got a little bit over-enthusiastic, and the board cant support 24/7 use at some settings.

I personally recommend Epox boards, I`ve got a 9NDA3+, and its the best board I ever had. The 9NPA3+ is the NF4 option, and its just as good, from what I hear

 

[psd99]

leow i cant be bothered to read your post

but i will tell u one bit of advice from me


GO FOR A TOP TOP MOTHERBOARD! SPEND MONEY ON THIS DEVICE! dont worry too much abt nething else just make sure u got a good FUTUREPROOF motherboard make sure its made by a top top company!

that was my biggest mistake, i got a crap motherboard, my pc loooks like a Ferrari from the outside but its got a ford fiesta engine on the inside!

whats the point of that? be warned my friend

good luck

 

[leow]

update

right ive been reading what u have all put and taken all ur advice in. So much advice now not sure what to think lol any way

for my motherboard its going to be either the Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe S939 NF4 SLI ATX - Sound 2xgln 1394 USB2 SATA
OR
LANPARTY nF4 SLI-DR

Pros (Ausus)
Ive heard and have a asus motherboard
my personaly option that there good and ive been pleased with them
cheaper

Pros (LANParty)
Been told there better than the Ausus board

Cons(Ausus)
Meant to have a dodgey fan or its really loud
power supply is a 24 pin not a 20 pin (is that right ? ie need a new psu or convetor)

Cons(Lanparty)
havent heard of them before and dont no there repertation
more expensive not much tho


SO i either play it safe and go for the ausus or go mad and go for the lan party some thinking to do
any wish words to share to help me choose between the 2

looking at this graphics card sounds good any coments on it ? does having 128mb on it make it slow than a 256 AGP card ?
PNY Verto GeForce 6 6600GT PCI-E 128MB GDDR3

Leow

 

[crazylegs]

The fans on Asus boards are no louder than any other manufacturer..If someone had a loud fan that was faulty, how long would it have taken to remove and replace and would of cost just a couple of quid..my fan on my Asus mobo i can't hear..


And your last question no it will not be slower...

 

[Me__2001]

DFI Lanparty boards are meant to be the best gaming boards,if you want the best performance and dont mind spending the little bit extra then go for the DFI board, the Asus board is an amazing board aswell it just comes down to reading lots of different reviews on the two of them

both boards have 24 pin power connectors so a new PSU will be needed, a new PSU is a must anyway when building a decent system

i dont think the more memory makes a graphics card slower but it doesn't make it any faster unless the game is one that is designed to use it all, may be worth getting one just to make the system more future proof on the game side of things

 

[G~MAN]

so leow ...

what are you doing with ur current rig? just flogging it and start from scratch building a new one ?

im getting the basically the same specs ...

the mobo isn't that bad im going for the Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe versions at £105...

done a fair bit of research and seems to be the board for me

i would suggest you buy a 6600gt and get another one in the future ... and go SLi

 

[Kenny]

Either board would be fine. The Asus board was the first NF4/SLI board out so Asus the software guys have had plenty time to get the best out of it. The DFI is most overclockers first choice, but avoid high memory voltages (ie. above 3.4V) and you should be ok

IF you need a new PSU, gimme a PM, I`m selling my Tagan.

Good luck with the build, let us know how you get on.

Kenny

 

[Raje]

Is SLI really worth it??

so leow ...


i would suggest you buy a 6600gt and get another one in the future ... and go SLi

Are two 6600gt's better than one 6800 Ultra ...??? Is it easier to overclock them. I've read reviews but don't think I've found a straight answer yet.

Heres what I see, please rank these in performance for me... both SLI and Stand alone
Geforce 6200TC 256MB* DDR PCI Express x16 Video Card $69.99

Geforce 6600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card $229.99

Geforce 6800Ultra 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card $485.99

SO basically 2 6600gt's and 1 6800 Ultra will be the same price after shipping. So will the two 6600gt's out preform the ULTRA.....and then again, the ULTRA is SLI compliant as well. CAN 2 of these out do the 7800GTX....???

 

[Kenny]

At the moment, 2 6800 Ultras will outperform a 7800GTX in 3DMark, but I dont know how that translates into normal gaming performance..>SLI only runs better at high resolution. 2x6800Ultras will be more expensive than a 7800GTX anyway.

I dont think the 6200 has SLI capabilities, and its a pretty poor card anyway. My choice would prob be a 6600GT, assuming you wanan go NVidia.

Kenny