CPU Bottlenecking New GPU

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GJSNeptune

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I just upgraded my GeForce4 MX 440 (a super GeForce2) to a Sapphire Radeon x800 GTO.

Athlon XP 3000+ 400FSB
1GB Corsair RAM
Abit NF7-S v2.0

Since I'm broke, I can't build a new, more future-proof 64-bit PCI-E system. I had to settle for basically buying one of the best video cards for the worst interface. I'm 99% sure my outdated and discontinued Athlon XP is bottlenecking my GPU. I'm wondering how best to approach the problem:

Same mobo, Faster CPU
It's Socket A, so it seems stupid. And do you have to reformat Windows upon a CPU change? Can you just put in a new CPU like you can another stick of RAM? I'm not very familiar with reformatting procedures.

Different mobo, Different CPU
I was thinking a Socket 754 with AGP. If I remedy the problem, the solution must revolve around my x800. I can't afford to build a new system, and I'd rather not set aside my PC-65b. It's big, but the x800 is long anyway. Nor can I afford to set aside my Athlon XP and NF7-S.

Any other solutions? This is merely hypothetical until I find a job and stablize (just received my degree on Sunday). What's the fastest socket mobo that still has an AGP slot?
 
I think you'd wanna get the cheapest possible socket 939 Athlon64 setup.

Any A64 chip just knocks the socks off an AthlonXP simply due to the on-die memory controller. It makes all the difference in games. In terms of raw cpu power you won't see much difference if buying a low end A64. However, the A64 chips do have proper sse2 and sse3 instruction set support which also makes it far greater to the athlon xp in apps that support those.

A cheap nf3 based mobo + A64 cpu should maybe cost £100 - £150 ? I'm not sure, look around, you might be surprised.
 
OP have you checked out some of the Outpost deals recently posted in the hot deals forum?

The most recent was a Venice 754 + ecs Nforce3 combo for $99. People were reporting decently high overclocks with clockgen or after flashing with a biostar bios (default bios topped @ 250HTT, not too bad). There was another deal on some dual core intel + mobo for $99 that overclocked pretty well also. Some come with heatsinks, some don't, and others come with a heatsink but don't advertise it clearly. Also keep in mind what a cpu's default multiplier is, a 2800+ has a default multi of 8, while the 3000+ or 3100+ has a default multi of 9....can make a big difference when overclocking.

Keep an eye on the hot deal forums or explore these links on a semi-regular basis for combo specials:

- http://shop2.outpost.com/catreq/-1540
- http://shop2.outpost.com/catreq/-1536

If you are unsure about any particular outpost combo, just google it, there a lot of threads about most of them
 
If you're comfortable with it, try to OC your FSB as much as you can to try to unchoke that bottleneck as much as you can.

Nforce2 + athlon XPusually has some good headroom. I was able to play game like need for speed most wanted just fine at 1280X1024 with moderate detail levels on an Athlon XP 2900+ and radeon 9700 pro.
 
I OC'd my AthlonXP a short while after I built the system. It didn't OC very well, and I reverted it.

I'm gonna look into a 939 set up.
 
Why are Socket 939 boards generally pretty cheap? Two years ago my NF7-S v2 cost me $100.

Anyway, if I grab myself a 939 mobo and CPU, I'll have to buy RAM. This'll almost be building a new computer.
 
hegulator said:
Why would you need new ram?
Click to expand...
Well I won't unless I get a 3200. I'm not even gonna look to upgrade/resolve the bottlenecking until I get a job.

And I'mma keep my NF7-S and AthlonXP for another computer sometime. My old computer is a 1.667GHz, and I've been wanting to buy it a new case and mobo. Maybe I'll get both running again someday.


Anyway, any recommendations for a 939 mobo and CPU? Since my RAM is 3000+, I'd like to get an AMD 64 3000+ so I can keep using it.

These are the components I'll keep with it:

120GB Western Digital SATA
40GB Western Digital IDE
1GB Corsair Value 3000+ DDR400 RAM
Sapphire Radeon x800 GTO AGP
Audigy 2 ZS
 
I'm looking at upgrading to this:

--ASUS A8V Socket 939 VIA K8T800 Pro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
--AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice 2000MHz HT 512KB L2 Cache Socket 939 Processor - Retail (possibly the 3200+ Venice)
--ZALMAN CNPS7000B-CU 92mm 2 Ball Cooling Fan/Heatsink - Retail
--And some Arctic Silver Thermal material Remover & Surface Purifier.


Things to keep in mind:

The x800 GTO is almost as long as my NF7-S (about the width of two RAM slots from the edge). The ASUS mobo appears to have enough room above and to the right of the AGP slot.


I've checked the Zalman website and it lists the AV8 as being compatible (the AV8 Deluxe is less compatible) with the heatsink. I'm worried about its weight though. Lian-Li's mobo-mounting clamps are awful. They resulted in my mobo being slanted and not aligned properly with the I/O shield. Recently I've replaced the clamps with plastic mobo rivet-type things. Although my mobo is now aligned properly, the plastic rivets aren't as wide as the square holes in the mobo tray, and so they can slide out if they somehow move. I'm not that worried, but I want to make sure my mobo is secure enough for the huge Zalman heatsink.


I'm still waiting for a job, and I'm watching for deals and combo deals. What do you guys think? And is there anything else I should worry about or consider?
 
Duall SATA2
At least you would be able to go dual core and PCIE down the road. Although im not sure how much longer the 939's are going to be produced. Your ram should be fine for any A64 since you can use a divider and not have a performance hit. You can run it at PC 3000 speeds and still push your CPU with overclocking if you want. The diffrence between PC 3000 and 3200 is next to nothing anyway.
 
My RAM is really 3200. I just had '3000' in my head at the time.

I looked at the ASRock and some of the reviews were bad, especially about drivers and support. I'm thinkin' that once I have the income to buy the next best technology, I'll just build a completely new system. For now I think the ASUS is the way to go. It'll be future-proof enough to get me by for another couple years.
 
Have you compared your frames with the ones reported in X800GTO reviews? Those tend to use fast(er) CPUs, so if the speeds are similar, I would be inclined to say that the CPU is not the bottleneck.
 
OK dude, something you have got way off. RAM speed does not correspond to the CPU's "PR Rating." You don't need PC3200 RAM to run an A64 3200+. Athlon64's are hardly affected by RAM speed at all, so you can use your current 1GB of Corsair.

You can go A64 for around $175:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813157081
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103537

Or you can go Sempron (still really good) for around $150
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819104220
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131512

I suggest doing some off jobs this summer and going for the A64 setup.
 
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