8800GTS on a 3800+ X2

[Eyeball Kid]

I usually upgrade my entire machine about once a year and the time is coming soon to upgrade again. My current system is based around a 3800+ X2, 2gb, 7800GT with a 19in panel. This time my budget is a bit limited, so I was thinking of just upgrading the video to an 8800GTS. My gaming res is 1280x1024, so I'm looking for something that will push this with everything set to highest on newer games. I'm finding even with certain older games such as Far Cry I have to drop the AA to 2x or it's a little bit clunky with my 7800GT. Am I going to be seriously CPU bound if I keep my 3800+ X2 or can anybody with a similar setup let me know how theirs run? Please, no "Dude, you only need an 8800GTS with 1600x1200 or bigger" I just want everything as high as it will go and stay smooth at my current res.

 

[Greta]

That CPU, although dual-core, is bottlenecking even that 7800 GT.

I had an X2 3800+ (2.0 GHZ) with a 7900 GT and found that just by going to a single core 4000+ (2.4 GHZ) , there was a significant improvement in my gaming performance.


My suggestion would be to upgrade your CPU platform first before going to 8800 GTS.

Although it will be better, You won't be getting the full power of that GTS unless you go to a Core 2 system.


That is what I have right now... a Core 2/ GTS system.

 

[NoxTek]

The GTS is actually a great card for that setup. It will be a little CPU bound at 2.0ghz but if you crank up the AA and AF things will look and work very nicely.

And you should consider overclocking your 3800+ a little. Most of them are awesome ocers - mine is happily running at 2.75ghz. You could safely bump it up to something like 2.4ghz and get a little more oomph.

 

[Greta]

Yeah I guess if you can get that X2 up to 2.5-2.8 GHZ, then a GTS would be good. I couldn't do that with the mobo I had. It was cheaper to swap out the CPU.

 

[paraga1234]

The GTS is actually a great card for that setup. It will be a little CPU bound at 2.0ghz but if you crank up the AA and AF things will look and work very nicely.

And you should consider overclocking your 3800+ a little. Most of them are awesome ocers - mine is happily running at 2.75ghz. You could safely bump it up to something like 2.4ghz and get a little more oomph.

x2

it would be great, some little overclock would make it even better

 

[Greta]

I should have known all the X2 users would come to its defense....

Without a decent overclock on it, it's no good for gaming. Not with anything above a 7600 GT anyway.

 

[Eyeball Kid]

The GTS is actually a great card for that setup. It will be a little CPU bound at 2.0ghz but if you crank up the AA and AF things will look and work very nicely.

And you should consider overclocking your 3800+ a little. Most of them are awesome ocers - mine is happily running at 2.75ghz. You could safely bump it up to something like 2.4ghz and get a little more oomph.

Last chip I oc'd was my 2.4B How'd you get that high? Been out of the oc'ing realm for so long I can barely remember...

 

[Eyeball Kid]

Just been doing some research, I'd be happy at 2.4ghz, same as a 4800+ (I live in a hot country and I'm using stock cooling) I have an Asus A8N-E, and getting a bit confused by the settings. I actually tried to oc it a bit when I first got it, but could never get the settings to save. Can anybody help?

 

[jmphx]

Just been doing some research, I'd be happy at 2.4ghz, same as a 4800+ (I live in a hot country and I'm using stock cooling) I have an Asus A8N-E, and getting a bit confused by the settings. I actually tried to oc it a bit when I first got it, but could never get the settings to save. Can anybody help?

Sure, I can help. I have a lot of the same hardware as you:

3800 x2
A8N-E
OCZ 2GB (1gb*2) ddr400 platinum, 2.5-3-2-5

These are the settings i'm running right now:
2.6ghz, ddr433, 1040mhz HT (yes yes, I know)

"CPU Frequency" is at 260mhz
"CPU Multiplier" is 10x
"DRAM Speed" is 333mhz
"HTT multiplier" is at 4x
"CPU Voltage" is 1.4125v (you may need more voltage to the CPU to get the same overclock. but be careful, more volts = more heat)

If you copy my settings (and tweak or play a little to suit your needs) but set cpu freq to 240mhz instead of 260mhz, you will get a 2.4ghz overclock on your 3800

 

[silverphoenix]

an 8800GTS even might be overkill for that resolution. I have an x1900XT 256 that I run at that res with HL2 EP1 maxed everything, 6x AA, 16X HQAF max details etc.

 

[Advil]

Only a little overkill. If the object is to be absolutely sure the frame rate never goes bad at any time, the GTS should do it. The GTX however really would be gross overkill at that resolution. Save that money for the next gen card.

 

[Eyeball Kid]

Thanks. I was having a few probs with the settings having any effect, but I researched a little and found that on this board you MUST have the floppy controller enabled to oc. Weird I know, but it worked.

Sure, I can help. I have a lot of the same hardware as you:

3800 x2
A8N-E
OCZ 2GB (1gb*2) ddr400 platinum, 2.5-3-2-5

These are the settings i'm running right now:
2.6ghz, ddr433, 1040mhz HT (yes yes, I know)

"CPU Frequency" is at 260mhz
"CPU Multiplier" is 10x
"DRAM Speed" is 333mhz
"HTT multiplier" is at 4x
"CPU Voltage" is 1.4125v (you may need more voltage to the CPU to get the same overclock. but be careful, more volts = more heat)

If you copy my settings (and tweak or play a little to suit your needs) but set cpu freq to 240mhz instead of 260mhz, you will get a 2.4ghz overclock on your 3800

 

[jmphx]

Thanks. I was having a few probs with the settings having any effect, but I researched a little and found that on this board you MUST have the floppy controller enabled to oc. Weird I know, but it worked.

i did not know that. but i also have a floppy connected to this board. thanks for the heads up

what kind of OC have you achieved, btw? I have had some strange issues on this board that have prevented me from getting a higher HTT for some odd reason.. there's another thread on these boards about it, but i didn't get too far. I kind of like my current 2.6ghz oc w/ the 10x multi, so i probably won't mess too much more w/ it

 

[Eyeball Kid]

i did not know that. but i also have a floppy connected to this board. thanks for the heads up

what kind of OC have you achieved, btw? I have had some strange issues on this board that have prevented me from getting a higher HTT for some odd reason.. there's another thread on these boards about it, but i didn't get too far. I kind of like my current 2.6ghz oc w/ the 10x multi, so i probably won't mess too much more w/ it

I actually don't have a floppy connected, just the controller enabled in the BIOS, but then disabled in the XP device manager. I haven't pushed the machine too far, I've got to 2.4 which was my target with everything stock, haven't had to raise voltages, so I'm pleased enough with that. I relaxed my timings back to 3-3-3-8 because I ran a few benches and the performance gain with the tighter timings was negligible, and I don't have the time or patience to isolate problems with ram being another factor. I used your advice and dropped the multiplier to 4x, ram to 333, cpu freq up to 240, so I've now got a HT Link of 960, but I believe this slightly lower speed has little impact on speed. I may try going back to 5x and see if I can get away with it.
One issue I have though is my core temps. I dl'd Core Temp and it shows on average about 5-7 degrees difference between the two cores, with core one running hotter. I have the load-balancing hotfix installed, and it seems other people have a similar issue, but the machine runs smooth, so I won't sweat it this time. My temps under load are around 50-52 degrees, but I live in the Caribbean with no A/C so I'm hoping this is acceptable?