My computer has always felt...sluggish, especially when I try to multitask (Premiere, Photoshop, encoding MP3s). I think it's time for me to upgrade some things; would love any and all opinions on the following upgrade-ideas. Yes, I realize that 939 is going to be a dead end in the near future (and nobody knows when newer MacBook Pro laptops will be announced, so I'm stuck with this for now)...
Current blah-blah:
DFI LanParty UT SLI-DR
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (Venice)
OCZ EL Platinum Revision 2 (2 x 512MB)
(Piece of junk) PNY Geforce 6600GT (PCI Express)
El Cheapo Junko It's-Very-Loudo Antec TruePower 2.0 (500W, 24-pin)
Blah-blah I'm thinking about:
AMD Opteron 165 (Denmark) - apparently, these work fairly well in the LanParty-thing.
eVGA Geforce 7600GT (PCI Express) - I dislike the PNY 6600GT that I have, and eVGA actually has *gasp* customer support for when your product breaks!
OCZ 2GB (2 x 1GB) "performance series" memory - OCZ again, since their products are known to play nice with the LanParty.
SeaSonic S12-500 (500W, 24-pin) - very quiet, apparently.
I don't plan on buying everything at once; more likely I'll end up buying the first item on the list and wait a little bit before I buy the next since I'm just a lousy student...comments? Criticisms? ;_;
I feel the need to upgrade x_x
koneko
EternalTempest
Looks good to me, The Opteron CPU caught me off guard, it's AMD's high end server chips (they cost a lot more then the Athlon 64 that's all), looks very nice and will play games very well. I wish I had your budget.
My Personal Preference : Amd & Nvidia
Some will post: Intel & Ati (mix of that combo
) <- Nothing against them.
Get CPU last, that is the item to most likely drop in price if you buy over time.
My Personal Preference : Amd & Nvidia
Some will post: Intel & Ati (mix of that combo
) <- Nothing against them.Get CPU last, that is the item to most likely drop in price if you buy over time.
twangansta
Yes, although the Opteron 165 is a tad more expensive than the X2 3800+ (it shouldn't be according to AMD's set prices, but retail stores may sell it more due to a lack of stock), if you know how to overclock it is the best dual core CPU to get.
Overclocking it right, you can get it to 2.6 ghz and have a FX-60 for 300 or so dollars.
Overclocking it right, you can get it to 2.6 ghz and have a FX-60 for 300 or so dollars.
Blade Rez
Optys are meant for OCing, and OCING HARD. If you buy an opty NOT for HARD ocing, don't bother. Also All you need to UPG is
OCZ EL Platinum Revision 2 (2 x 512MB)
(Piece of junk) PNY Geforce 6600GT (PCI Express)
El Cheapo Junko It's-Very-Loudo Antec TruePower 2.0 (500W, 24-pin)
Buy 2gb. Run 3gb Ram 150$
Graphics. 2 ways to go. SLi (Not Reccomended) Buy a x1800xt Sapphire 260$? OEM
Powersupply=OCZ Powerstream 520W FTW. Kick @$$ powersupply with power volt mod so u can effectively if needed go 4v on ur mobo.
I run amd x2 3800
with 2gb G.SKILL.
I can run 3-3-2-5 250mhz. and 2.5ghz
OCZ EL Platinum Revision 2 (2 x 512MB)
(Piece of junk) PNY Geforce 6600GT (PCI Express)
El Cheapo Junko It's-Very-Loudo Antec TruePower 2.0 (500W, 24-pin)
Buy 2gb. Run 3gb Ram 150$
Graphics. 2 ways to go. SLi (Not Reccomended) Buy a x1800xt Sapphire 260$? OEM
Powersupply=OCZ Powerstream 520W FTW. Kick @$$ powersupply with power volt mod so u can effectively if needed go 4v on ur mobo.
I run amd x2 3800
with 2gb G.SKILL.
I can run 3-3-2-5 250mhz. and 2.5ghz
koneko
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by EternalTempest
I wish I had your budget.
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Blade Rez
Optys are meant for OCing, and OCING HARD. If you buy an opty NOT for HARD ocing, don't bother.
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Blade Rez
Graphics. 2 ways to go. SLi (Not Reccomended) Buy a x1800xt Sapphire 260$? OEM
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Blade Rez
Powersupply=OCZ Powerstream 520W FTW. Kick @$$ powersupply with power volt mod so u can effectively if needed go 4v on ur mobo.
|
Well, now I have more to think about in my spare time, I guess...
Serafita Kayin
I wouldn't buy a DFI. Waaay to expensive fo something that eats hardware. Surf on over to XtremeSystems and take a look at the deaths of things at stock speed from DFI boards.
Get an ASUS or MSI if you're looking for non-overclocked all around goodness, and a Sapphire or an ASUS if you're looking to to overclock. There are boards that eclipse the DFI out there if you do your searching, and while DFIs kill, my Sapphire brought back a CPU with a blown memory controller.
That's my two cents, but I won't let my hardware near a DFI. If I have to have something tested, they had better have another board handy. I fear them that much.
Get an ASUS or MSI if you're looking for non-overclocked all around goodness, and a Sapphire or an ASUS if you're looking to to overclock. There are boards that eclipse the DFI out there if you do your searching, and while DFIs kill, my Sapphire brought back a CPU with a blown memory controller.
That's my two cents, but I won't let my hardware near a DFI. If I have to have something tested, they had better have another board handy. I fear them that much.
koneko
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Serafita Kayin
I wouldn't buy a DFI. Waaay to expensive fo something that eats hardware. Surf on over to XtremeSystems and take a look at the deaths of things at stock speed from DFI boards.
|
Maybe I'm just one of the lucky users because I've never run into any problems, ever?Erm. Does everything else sound okay to you though, especially the PSU? (Okay, maybe not the Opteron, maybe I'll just pick up a normal dual-core. Decisions, decisions.)
Serafita Kayin
For PSU, Seasonic, Tagan, or Hiper ATM, Enermax is also rock solid, and the best is of course PCP&C...
Seef II
Heh that power supply's pretty good, I don't know why you're calling it crap. Go dual-core for more snappiness, which is something you seem to want.
I'd stay away from Intel unless you want to get some insane MHz on the Cedar Mills and Preslers... Conroe's just around the corner. On the AMD side, you'll be served well by an X2 3800 or 4200.
I'd stay away from Intel unless you want to get some insane MHz on the Cedar Mills and Preslers... Conroe's just around the corner. On the AMD side, you'll be served well by an X2 3800 or 4200.
Blade Rez
Well if gfx and such are like that. I can understand your concern with OCZ powerstreams. Hey, my first one blew up :P. Plugged it in, then BOOM. Brought it to my local store (Yes, I bought it at a local store, because everything was 20% off, So newegg's 120$ AFTER MIR, compared to local stores 108$.) they were like what is that smell. I was like it blew up. They were just oO.
If you do not want to go OCZ. Pick up a Hiper PSU or Seasonic. I personally don't like Tagan, however PCPC Is the best PSU company. Along with that I advise against FSP also
"Crossfire won't work here, SLI will if I choose to throw away more money after buying one card. So the 7600GT wins. (And it's cheaper than the one you mentioned. I don't care much for video cards, I just want something that works.)"
Um.... Where do i mention Crossfire lol.... Upgradeability will come as a problem, since u will not be able to buy the same. However. My 7800gt scores 7.8k on 3dmark05, while the x1800xt scores 8.3kish on 3dmark 05, so your 7600gt would do around 7.3kish
If you do not want to go OCZ. Pick up a Hiper PSU or Seasonic. I personally don't like Tagan, however PCPC Is the best PSU company. Along with that I advise against FSP also
"Crossfire won't work here, SLI will if I choose to throw away more money after buying one card. So the 7600GT wins. (And it's cheaper than the one you mentioned. I don't care much for video cards, I just want something that works.)"
Um.... Where do i mention Crossfire lol.... Upgradeability will come as a problem, since u will not be able to buy the same. However. My 7800gt scores 7.8k on 3dmark05, while the x1800xt scores 8.3kish on 3dmark 05, so your 7600gt would do around 7.3kish
koneko
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Seef II
Heh that power supply's pretty good, I don't know why you're calling it crap.
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Blade Rez
If you do not want to go OCZ. Pick up a Hiper PSU or Seasonic. I personally don't like Tagan, however PCPC Is the best PSU company.
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Blade Rez
Um.... Where do i mention Crossfire lol.... Upgradeability will come as a problem, since u will not be able to buy the same.
|
koneko
Last bump, any last-minute recommendations/changes (if any) would be helpful.
Putting off my (latest) plan to grab a MacBook; thought about it rationally for a bit, decided that I wanted to have one with Merom instead of Conroe (XP x64 + Boot Camp?) Meh.
Also wondering if I should just rip off the stock eVGA cooler on the 7800GT and pick up something from AC or Zalman since a few reviews and posts on eVGA's support boards have said that they get (somewhat) warm. (eVGA, fortunately, allows this under their very liberal terms of the warranty. I don't subscribe to the "if it's not broken, don't fix it" line of thinking, obviously...)
Putting off my (latest) plan to grab a MacBook; thought about it rationally for a bit, decided that I wanted to have one with Merom instead of Conroe (XP x64 + Boot Camp?) Meh.
Also wondering if I should just rip off the stock eVGA cooler on the 7800GT and pick up something from AC or Zalman since a few reviews and posts on eVGA's support boards have said that they get (somewhat) warm. (eVGA, fortunately, allows this under their very liberal terms of the warranty. I don't subscribe to the "if it's not broken, don't fix it" line of thinking, obviously...)
Alias_X
Everything seems ok, except I think you would be better off getting an AMD Athlon X2 3800, or its Opteron equivalent, and putting the money you save towards a 7900GT, not a 7800GT, because those are the same price as 7900GT's.
You could overclock the 3800 a lot, but even if you don't want to, it really doesn't matter. Depending on your RAM timings, you might want to keep you 1gb, and add 2 more 512 sticks.
You could overclock the 3800 a lot, but even if you don't want to, it really doesn't matter. Depending on your RAM timings, you might want to keep you 1gb, and add 2 more 512 sticks.
Blade Rez
PC&P&C Is dead epensive. I personally do no like Seasonic for no Sleeving on Cables.
"For PSU, Seasonic, Tagan, or Hiper ATM, Enermax is also rock solid, and the best is of course PCP&C..."
I agree with all of that except for Enermax, as their noisetaker 620w I used in 4 computers I was custom building on eBay. Those 4 computers cost me as I was at 100% feedback, and ALL 4 died.. Luckily they were all nice enough to give me neutral. But hey that's just me.
Koneko, the one thing with OCZ is that their powerstreams incorporate Powerflex, and have Active PFC.
Along with that becuase of the RAM you are planning to get, you won't be overclocking far, unless you are on a divider. For better Latencies just go to their Platinum edition 2-3-2-5 for 141.99$ currently @ newegg
"For PSU, Seasonic, Tagan, or Hiper ATM, Enermax is also rock solid, and the best is of course PCP&C..."
I agree with all of that except for Enermax, as their noisetaker 620w I used in 4 computers I was custom building on eBay. Those 4 computers cost me as I was at 100% feedback, and ALL 4 died.. Luckily they were all nice enough to give me neutral. But hey that's just me.
Koneko, the one thing with OCZ is that their powerstreams incorporate Powerflex, and have Active PFC.
Along with that becuase of the RAM you are planning to get, you won't be overclocking far, unless you are on a divider. For better Latencies just go to their Platinum edition 2-3-2-5 for 141.99$ currently @ newegg
trevyn
Rumor has 17" MacBooks in May, who knows what might be inside them.
http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2006/...07144028.shtml
http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2006/...07144028.shtml
koneko
I'm starting to have second thoughts on the Opty165. So far, everyone here has said "no, you idiot, go buy a X2 instead, the Opty is not for you!" =\ So that upgrade is on hold until I can clear my thoughts.
The 7900GT looks expensive at $319...and there's no way I'd ever be able to convince myself to spend that much on a graphics card. I can justify the cost for an Opteron/X2 (running multiple CPU-intensive things at once without driving me off the wall), video card I can't (I don't play many games now except for GW). :|
Still not sold on getting a PowerStream, as great as their other products and customer service are. I'll look into the Platinum sticks, though, thanks - don't know how I missed those the first time.
Newegg tomorrow. Whee. Er...today.
The 7900GT looks expensive at $319...and there's no way I'd ever be able to convince myself to spend that much on a graphics card. I can justify the cost for an Opteron/X2 (running multiple CPU-intensive things at once without driving me off the wall), video card I can't (I don't play many games now except for GW). :|
Still not sold on getting a PowerStream, as great as their other products and customer service are. I'll look into the Platinum sticks, though, thanks - don't know how I missed those the first time.
Newegg tomorrow. Whee. Er...today.
ange1
ha your current computer blows mine out of the water
Serafita Kayin
I did the x1900XTX thing for a bit, returned it, got an A8N32-SLi and a pair of 7600 GS PCI-E.
SLI goodness.
The 3800 X2 is clocking better than the opty 165 right now, especially if you can find a BH stepping. It's all your call, bro...
SLI goodness.
The 3800 X2 is clocking better than the opty 165 right now, especially if you can find a BH stepping. It's all your call, bro...
M3lk0r
I'm doing a similar upgrade as well. From what I have gathered lurking in a couple of tech forums is that optys are meant for servers systems with real good quality parts. This also makes it highly overclockable with very stable results. I have read people with Opty 165 (which default 1.8ghz) ocing to 3 ghz. The DFI Lanparty is also very oc-frienldy so it wouldnt be too tough as long as you have good cooling.
But I myself am going with a x2 4800+ and hoping to reach atleast fx60 speeds (Mind you that the 4400+ is only 200mgh behind and has the same L2 cache and also costs much less). Dont have too much cooling here, just going to add a Gigabyte G-Power Pro cooler and hope for the best
The rest should look like this -
But I myself am going with a x2 4800+ and hoping to reach atleast fx60 speeds (Mind you that the 4400+ is only 200mgh behind and has the same L2 cache and also costs much less). Dont have too much cooling here, just going to add a Gigabyte G-Power Pro cooler and hope for the best
The rest should look like this -
- Asus X1900XT-X
- DFI LanParty UT NF4 Ultra-D
- Tagan 580
- OCZ 2GB (2 x 1GB) PC3200 Dual Channel Platinum Series EL-DDR CAS2
- NEC MultiSync® LCD20WGX2 20.1" Widescreen LCD Monitor
- Western Digital Caviar Special Edition 200GB and a 74GB Raptor
Blade Rez
You might want to consider this card.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102698
Benchmarks higher than my 7800gt, and gives around 3-5 more fps than a 7800gt. Not sure, how it compares to a 7900gt, but if you are getting a 7900gt
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130281
Which is 319$ as you've said.
Amazingly, they are all sold out...... lol...
Also, if you don't want to do OCZ for your PSU, then I'd just reccomend taking a tagan, a silverstone, or anything that serafita mentioned with the exception of enermax.
Also, yeah go get an x2 lol. However, if your not planning to do multitasking, get a venice 3200+, swap out the RAM for either higher clocked OCZ, or g.skill ram, and oc to a poor mans fx-55, of course you will be missing 512kb of l2 cache, but that's why it's poor mans.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102698
Benchmarks higher than my 7800gt, and gives around 3-5 more fps than a 7800gt. Not sure, how it compares to a 7900gt, but if you are getting a 7900gt
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130281
Which is 319$ as you've said.
Amazingly, they are all sold out...... lol...
Also, if you don't want to do OCZ for your PSU, then I'd just reccomend taking a tagan, a silverstone, or anything that serafita mentioned with the exception of enermax.
Also, yeah go get an x2 lol. However, if your not planning to do multitasking, get a venice 3200+, swap out the RAM for either higher clocked OCZ, or g.skill ram, and oc to a poor mans fx-55, of course you will be missing 512kb of l2 cache, but that's why it's poor mans.
koneko
Memory (OCZ Platinum sticks) and PSU ordered, at the very least. Gave up, decided to get a PowerStream. I'm blaming you, Rez, if I end up having to RMA this =\
That's exactly what I'm using, and I think it's a piece of crap. I mentioned I was going to be doing heavy multitasking.
I try not to do the ATI thing. Don't ask why, I don't know either. Besides, $290 for a card is still too much. I don't know what to get anymore since I'm so confused now (7600GT? No idea if the VF-700Cu fits. 7800/7900? Too expensive. ATI? Eh...) so I'm just going to reread all the previous suggestions. Who knows, I may end up picking up the cheapest (7600GT) or make an impulse buy (x1800XT).
So basically, by not splurging on stuff, I'm turning my lousy-box into...a mildly better piece-of-junk-compared-to-others. Joy.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Blade Rez
However, if your not planning to do multitasking, get a venice 3200+
|
I try not to do the ATI thing. Don't ask why, I don't know either. Besides, $290 for a card is still too much. I don't know what to get anymore since I'm so confused now (7600GT? No idea if the VF-700Cu fits. 7800/7900? Too expensive. ATI? Eh...) so I'm just going to reread all the previous suggestions. Who knows, I may end up picking up the cheapest (7600GT) or make an impulse buy (x1800XT).
So basically, by not splurging on stuff, I'm turning my lousy-box into...a mildly better piece-of-junk-compared-to-others. Joy.
Blade Rez
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by koneko
Memory (OCZ Platinum sticks) and PSU ordered, at the very least. Gave up, decided to get a PowerStream. I'm blaming you, Rez, if I end up having to RMA this =\
That's exactly what I'm using, and I think it's a piece of crap. I mentioned I was going to be doing heavy multitasking. I try not to do the ATI thing. Don't ask why, I don't know either. Besides, $290 for a card is still too much. I don't know what to get anymore since I'm so confused now (7600GT? No idea if the VF-700Cu fits. 7800/7900? Too expensive. ATI? Eh...) so I'm just going to reread all the previous suggestions. Who knows, I may end up picking up the cheapest (7600GT) or make an impulse buy (x1800XT). So basically, by not splurging on stuff, I'm turning my lousy-box into...a mildly better piece-of-junk-compared-to-others. Joy. |
Might want to take a look at that thread, if your willing to try it.
Also, I think I failed to mention that the first powerstream I bought, when i plugged it in, had smoke fuming out of it. Heheheh
Don't Worry, it'll be fine....... I think.... + hope
Edit-Oh I did mention it went BOOM. Well hopefully you read that before you ordered
Str0b0
I don't necessarily recommend doing upgrades piecemeal like that. What you end up with is bottlenecks. I personally would say go for your planned upgrades but wait until you can get everything at once.
OneArmedScissor
I've got an Opteron 165 and it's a beast.
Right now... I'm running it at 2.7GHz on air @ 1.45V.
Opteron 165 is the best bang for the buck CPU.
I would suggest getting a eVGa 6800GS till the 8xxx series comes out.
Right now... I'm running it at 2.7GHz on air @ 1.45V.
Opteron 165 is the best bang for the buck CPU.
I would suggest getting a eVGa 6800GS till the 8xxx series comes out.
OneArmedScissor
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Serafita Kayin
I wouldn't buy a DFI. Waaay to expensive fo something that eats hardware. Surf on over to XtremeSystems and take a look at the deaths of things at stock speed from DFI boards.
Get an ASUS or MSI if you're looking for non-overclocked all around goodness, and a Sapphire or an ASUS if you're looking to to overclock. There are boards that eclipse the DFI out there if you do your searching, and while DFIs kill, my Sapphire brought back a CPU with a blown memory controller. That's my two cents, but I won't let my hardware near a DFI. If I have to have something tested, they had better have another board handy. I fear them that much. |
DFI boards are the best overclocking motherboard on the market. Period.
MSI? are you kidding. I had an MSI with my Opteron 165 and the MSI board was completely limiting my overclock. I could only get the HTT to get up to 245 before it would crash.
Asus boards are reliable, but DFI is the way to go. I've got a DFI Lanparty UT SLI-DR Expert and it's amazing. The BIOS features are endless.
OneArmedScissor
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Serafita Kayin
I did the x1900XTX thing for a bit, returned it, got an A8N32-SLi and a pair of 7600 GS PCI-E.
SLI goodness. The 3800 X2 is clocking better than the opty 165 right now, especially if you can find a BH stepping. It's all your call, bro... |
1MB L2 Cache Opteron 165 > 512 L2 Cache X2 3800/4200
Opterons have greater potetional for 2.7+ overclocks because they come stock with a pretty nice HSF and they're tested for stability, etc., before they leave the factory, unlike the X2 models.
Before you post any nonsense like this again...
I'd suggest you go here:
http://www.ocforums.com
http://www.tech-forums.net
OneArmedScissor
Opteron > X2
Before you waste your money on an X2... I'd suggest you read these results, etc.
http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=427461
Before you waste your money on an X2... I'd suggest you read these results, etc.
http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=427461
Alias_X
Fortron 450watt PSU will power that, if you plan on ever doing SLI, pick up a 500watt Fortron.
Blade Rez
Onearmed Scissor. First of all. Why did you TRIPLE post.... jesus christ, there is something called the edit button.
Quote of Serafita- "I am a full-time system builder and computer technician. More passes through my hands in a week than some people could use in a lifetime. There's a dual core in the house, all my PCs are PCI-E, I have watercooling, I'm building a phase-change rig in the back yard and I design custom cases.
Even further down that road, I test and develop some of the very parts that you guys use, so I know the technical specifications inside and out. I have my own ATI, AMD and MicroSoft representative."
Onearmed also. Your comparison is wrong. x2 run 512kb cache from EACH processor that makes 1mb L2. Thats why x2 4400+ and x2 4800+ have 2mb cache in all. Also, you do not see a profound difference even between those 2 in gaming, or then Intel with their 2mb Cache on 775 would dominate AMD's regular 512kb cache venice/winchester cores. That's why the 165 denmark does 2mb cache.
Also, the 6800gs was a great card around christmas, but now easily you can get the x800gto2 unlock, or even x1800 unlock to x1800xl. And simply with more and more games that will come out such at UT2k7 and Crysis coming out, your going to need more than 12 pixelpipes
Lastly, another DFI board for his purposes will SUCK. Have you even looked at what he's buying? Jesus christ man, OCZ platinum 2gb sticks will not go up 10mhz without crashing, they are built for stability and low latencies at 2-3-2-5. Even if he doesn't buy that he woulda choosen the performance, which doesn't go up 20mhz, at timing of 3-3-3-8. Unless he wants to run on a divider (Which seriously does not help, it just gives u a higher core clock, but lower ram speed which still balances around to stock performance.
Also, please don't offer crap in upgradeability, as with AMD coming closer and closer to their new AMD m2 socket, they are considering using ddr2 which will render RAM on ddr useless on newer boards. Koneko needs a simple dual core solution, and from the looks of it a non overclocking machine.
The Amdx2 3800+ is also 30$ cheaper.
So please, One armed before you go triple post again, how about you do some research.
Lastly, Alias_X I do not reccomend Forton Powersupplies, because their psus have a PEAK wattage at 500Watts, that's why this powersupply also failed at Tom's review
BTW your results only cover overclocking results
If you look at ANY forum, you will see that EVERYONE posted says amd x2 3800 is better if you are not overclocking. Personally I don't count 5 mhz an overclock
Quote of Serafita- "I am a full-time system builder and computer technician. More passes through my hands in a week than some people could use in a lifetime. There's a dual core in the house, all my PCs are PCI-E, I have watercooling, I'm building a phase-change rig in the back yard and I design custom cases.
Even further down that road, I test and develop some of the very parts that you guys use, so I know the technical specifications inside and out. I have my own ATI, AMD and MicroSoft representative."
Onearmed also. Your comparison is wrong. x2 run 512kb cache from EACH processor that makes 1mb L2. Thats why x2 4400+ and x2 4800+ have 2mb cache in all. Also, you do not see a profound difference even between those 2 in gaming, or then Intel with their 2mb Cache on 775 would dominate AMD's regular 512kb cache venice/winchester cores. That's why the 165 denmark does 2mb cache.
Also, the 6800gs was a great card around christmas, but now easily you can get the x800gto2 unlock, or even x1800 unlock to x1800xl. And simply with more and more games that will come out such at UT2k7 and Crysis coming out, your going to need more than 12 pixelpipes
Lastly, another DFI board for his purposes will SUCK. Have you even looked at what he's buying? Jesus christ man, OCZ platinum 2gb sticks will not go up 10mhz without crashing, they are built for stability and low latencies at 2-3-2-5. Even if he doesn't buy that he woulda choosen the performance, which doesn't go up 20mhz, at timing of 3-3-3-8. Unless he wants to run on a divider (Which seriously does not help, it just gives u a higher core clock, but lower ram speed which still balances around to stock performance.
Also, please don't offer crap in upgradeability, as with AMD coming closer and closer to their new AMD m2 socket, they are considering using ddr2 which will render RAM on ddr useless on newer boards. Koneko needs a simple dual core solution, and from the looks of it a non overclocking machine.
The Amdx2 3800+ is also 30$ cheaper.
So please, One armed before you go triple post again, how about you do some research.
Lastly, Alias_X I do not reccomend Forton Powersupplies, because their psus have a PEAK wattage at 500Watts, that's why this powersupply also failed at Tom's review
BTW your results only cover overclocking results
If you look at ANY forum, you will see that EVERYONE posted says amd x2 3800 is better if you are not overclocking. Personally I don't count 5 mhz an overclock
koneko
Recieved memory, one stick failed in Memtest86+ after a few passes (yes, I set the correct timings, I'm not a total idiot). Shipped back to Newegg. Haven't touched the PSU yet.
I'm going to wait for the eVGA 7900GT to get back in stock...eventually. I decided against picking up anything from ATI (from what I remember, ATI Linux drivers still semi-suck, but that was a long time ago, and I really want to get back to using it). The idea was that I might do some very mild overclocking in the future, but, whatever.
Sense this thread is just gonna go downhill from here, so, I'm just going to lock it =\ Thanks everyone. I'll figure the rest out by myself...
I'm going to wait for the eVGA 7900GT to get back in stock...eventually. I decided against picking up anything from ATI (from what I remember, ATI Linux drivers still semi-suck, but that was a long time ago, and I really want to get back to using it). The idea was that I might do some very mild overclocking in the future, but, whatever.
Sense this thread is just gonna go downhill from here, so, I'm just going to lock it =\ Thanks everyone. I'll figure the rest out by myself...
koneko
(last upgrade-related questions for a while, I swear. I'm fairly sure I know the answers to these, I'd just like to make sure...)
I decided to pick up an eVGA 7900GT CO as soon as it popped back onto Newegg as being "in stock." $320 wasted, yay, a lot more than I wanted to spend on a card. I've read in many places (Anandtech forums, eVGA support boards, even the Newegg reviews) that the fan is "noisy." That's a no-no. So, I've decided to replace the stock HSF - naturally, I decided to go check what Arctic Cooling had to offer since I liked the NV Silencer I used on my 6600GT.
The problem: Arctic Cooling doesn't make a HSF for the 7900GT. Yet. So I'm wondering about what I should do:
Last item: apparently, a bunch of the factory-overclocked 7900GTs (CO, CO Superclocked) from eVGA have had some issues (random lockups). As long as the card shows up as 500/1500 in Coolbits, that means that I picked up one that was fixed and should be okay...right?
I decided to pick up an eVGA 7900GT CO as soon as it popped back onto Newegg as being "in stock." $320 wasted, yay, a lot more than I wanted to spend on a card. I've read in many places (Anandtech forums, eVGA support boards, even the Newegg reviews) that the fan is "noisy." That's a no-no. So, I've decided to replace the stock HSF - naturally, I decided to go check what Arctic Cooling had to offer since I liked the NV Silencer I used on my 6600GT.
The problem: Arctic Cooling doesn't make a HSF for the 7900GT. Yet. So I'm wondering about what I should do:
- Buy a "NV Silencer 5 rev. 3" and hope it fits (did this with the 6600GT, annoying)
- Wait for the "Accelero S" product from Arctic Cooling (months away)
- Buy a Zalman VF700-CU and copper ramsinks (ease of installation? large, requires external power? airflow?)
- Zalman VF900-CU (this thing scares me, it's expensive also, airflow?)
Last item: apparently, a bunch of the factory-overclocked 7900GTs (CO, CO Superclocked) from eVGA have had some issues (random lockups). As long as the card shows up as 500/1500 in Coolbits, that means that I picked up one that was fixed and should be okay...right?
Blade Rez
Zalman vf700 gets my vote, hell go get the LED version lol..... Accelero looks good, however, don't bother for the wait for months. vf900 scares me too oO.
The adapter 2 molex--->1 PCI-E, is if your powersupply does not have a 6 pin connector. OCZ powerstream 520w has it, so no worries.
Yes, underclocking to stock settings or if it already is at regular stock settings, then it should be fine
The adapter 2 molex--->1 PCI-E, is if your powersupply does not have a 6 pin connector. OCZ powerstream 520w has it, so no worries.
Yes, underclocking to stock settings or if it already is at regular stock settings, then it should be fine
koneko
So I picked up a NV Silencer 5 rev. 3 since the Zalman products looked intimidating. Of course, the silly cooler didn't fit (designed for 6800/7800, not 7900), so I ended up spending a good part of the afternoon cutting away at the case to make it fit. Cleaned off the paste that was pre-applied and the goop on the 7900GT, slapped on some AS5 and it was good to go.
It's dead silent. My Panaflo that cools the 3200+ is louder than this thing. Barely hit 45C load, idles around 40C. Amazing.
Newegg gave me a full refund on the PowerStream and the 2GB kit, so I've still quite a bit to upgrade. Soon enough, soon enough.
It's dead silent. My Panaflo that cools the 3200+ is louder than this thing. Barely hit 45C load, idles around 40C. Amazing.
Newegg gave me a full refund on the PowerStream and the 2GB kit, so I've still quite a bit to upgrade. Soon enough, soon enough.
Serafita Kayin
I'd suggest a G.Skill kit and a Hiper Type-R PSU. You'd probably still have cash and headroom for OCs.
Also, if you look at Xtreme, 06 3800 X2s are clocking higher than opty 165 ATM. Nice news for the budget set.
Also, if you look at Xtreme, 06 3800 X2s are clocking higher than opty 165 ATM. Nice news for the budget set.
koneko
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Serafita Kayin
I'd suggest a G.Skill kit
|
This made me go "wtf lawl" earlier.
Almost at 7900GT CO SuperClocked levels ._. Too bad RivaTuner doesn't work on the 7900 cards, otherwise I would.
So either I broke something or it really is that cold. Sheesh...
Edit: Never mind, it jumped to 39C after I opened up GW D; Sensor isn't unresponsive, I think, since loading up rthdribl made temps jump.
Blade Rez
35 Degrees is the standard degree measurement in Celsius if the Probe is unresponsive.
My RAM from G.Skill, can run 2.7v 3-3-2-5 250mhz 2gb kit. Good buy
BTW G.Skill stands for God Skill :P
Yeah, I think that newegg still stocks a very miniscule number of Rev 4 Cores, just because they are left over. They will not give u a rev 6, if you ask for one.
Rev 6 also fixes all problems that the AMD Dual Core Cpu fix fixes
My RAM from G.Skill, can run 2.7v 3-3-2-5 250mhz 2gb kit. Good buy
BTW G.Skill stands for God Skill :P
Yeah, I think that newegg still stocks a very miniscule number of Rev 4 Cores, just because they are left over. They will not give u a rev 6, if you ask for one.
Rev 6 also fixes all problems that the AMD Dual Core Cpu fix fixes
Serafita Kayin
If you need aspecific stepping, order from TankGuys. Pay a few bucks more, ask for anything out there.
Alias_X
Really nice, the 7900GT runs cool and doesn't draw much power from the PSU.
Good choices all around, and I hope you enjoy that gaming machine of yours!
Good choices all around, and I hope you enjoy that gaming machine of yours!
Alias_X
Oh btw, Toms Hardware is a really bias website. They make a profit, and get payed off by companies. Many people have said that their benchmarks are incorrect, and they lean towards certain manufacturers.
For better reviews of stuff, go to
www.anandtech.com
Tom's Hardware is a bunch of crap.
For better reviews of stuff, go to
www.anandtech.com
Tom's Hardware is a bunch of crap.
Serafita Kayin
Alias is correct, I got into it with Tom when I wrote for PimpRig before they got bought out and became elitist.
Bit-Tech is good, the Inquirer is good, Anandtech is good, and [Hard]OCP is good. Kyle really turned that around.
Bit-Tech is good, the Inquirer is good, Anandtech is good, and [Hard]OCP is good. Kyle really turned that around.