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main boxen upgrade possibilities

Go core 2?

  • No, sell the old opty and mobo, keep RAM, much cheaper

    Votes: 4 17.4%

  • HELL YES, go core 2 you n00b!

    Votes: 19 82.6%
  • Total voters
    23
I

Imitation

2[H]4U
Joined
Jun 18, 2004
Messages
2,536
Ok guys, I sold my old lappy that was a 2.4ghz P4 cause I wasn't using anymore. So I got 275 bucks out of it. And I just got a meager xmas bonus from work thats just dieing to used for upgrade fodder for my main box here. So obviously I'd like to go core 2 if I can, but I need to be realistic and I probly should be using some of the cash for other things. I'm far from poor, but you know how real life is :)

Now I've been looking around some and RAM is just sickly expensive for stuff that overclocks halfway well. I have no issues using a divider but still. So I've formulated the following 2 options which just so happen to be the choices in the poll.

1. Save the already good DDR RAM and buy a DFI expert and opty 170 combo from newegg. Sell old opty and DFI SLI-D here or ebay.

2. Sell off mobo, opty, and ram and jump on a core 2 setup.

Now the only other issue I've got right now is that I would like to keep my SLI setup if I go core 2 but the 650/680i boards are kinda hit and miss right now if you read [H]'s articles lately. 650 boards will be much more affordable but only asus has one right now that I've found and its kinda lacking on the feature list. Esp fsb limit which I think is only 412. That would only give me 8x412 3.3 on a E6400 but I'd hate to leave the 6400 and myself wanting more. So I guess this is a near future poll if i go core 2 cause i'd probly go 650 and not 680.

Obviously I'd like to continue increasing the points output and the core 2 is just so enticing!

Thoughts or suggestions?

edit: Also if anyone is interested in making an offer for mobo/opty or mobo/opty/RAM drop me a PM :)

 
Perhaps another alternative to #1?

I assume with option 1 you're going on the idea that you may get a better overclocking stepping opty 170 from newegg, then sell your current one?

I think the particular stepping of opty 165 that is listed in my sig can be found fairly easily now, and for attractive prices. And I reached this on just a dfi ultra-d, not much different than your SLI-D in terms of fsb abilities.

Just a thought. Yeah the 165 is a "lower model" and all than your 170, but mine's running at 2.8 @ only 1.36v (set to 1.375 in bios). Got a little headroom still if you wanted to clock higher :)
 
Other possibilities:

What video cards do you have? Have you considered running the GPU client if you have an ATI card?

A decent overclocking C2D setup won't be cheap, that's for sure. I'd wait 2 months til after the X-mas stupid prices go down. Prices on CPUs, etc, traditionally seem to go down in Feb when new models are released in my experience.

However, a C2D setup will cost ya:
E6400 $217, add $50ish for a good heatsink/fan for overclocking
non-SLI overclocking mobo: $150 - 185
1GB PC 6400 RAM $125ish
Total $542 on up.

If you skipped the SLI, sold the extra video card, I bet you could raise nearly enough money for the C2D setup, and the increase in gaming performance due to C2D probably would offset the loss of the SLI, probably. Check some benchmarks to be sure of course.

Or keep the current setup, sell the extra video card (if it's a non-ATI 1900 series), and put together a cheap rig that'll run an X1900 series card and the GPU client. Depends on whether you want more points overall, or a better gaming system that happens to produce more points as well. :) X1900XTX can be had for $250ish used. And once ATI releases the new generation this spring, more cards will be up for sale to be sure.
 
waltherone said:
Perhaps another alternative to #1?

I assume with option 1 you're going on the idea that you may get a better overclocking stepping opty 170 from newegg, then sell your current one?

I think the particular stepping of opty 165 that is listed in my sig can be found fairly easily now, and for attractive prices. And I reached this on just a dfi ultra-d, not much different than your SLI-D in terms of fsb abilities.

Just a thought. Yeah the 165 is a "lower model" and all than your 170, but mine's running at 2.8 @ only 1.36v (set to 1.375 in bios). Got a little headroom still if you wanted to clock higher :)
Click to expand...

Yes, option 1 is based on the idea of a better overclocking 170. I'd also get the expert cause My SLI cards barely fit with the big coolers.

Yeah I've thought about that. But I don't know if I can bring myself to buy a slower clocked chip than what I have right now. Plus I haven't pushed my board past 300 cause I knew the 170 wouldn't make it to 3ghz. I know I could try, but I wouldn't be happy at all if it didn't make it past 2.7 due to the board or cpu.
 
Bill Clo said:
Other possibilities:

What video cards do you have? Have you considered running the GPU client if you have an ATI card?

A decent overclocking C2D setup won't be cheap, that's for sure. I'd wait 2 months til after the X-mas stupid prices go down. Prices on CPUs, etc, traditionally seem to go down in Feb when new models are released in my experience.

However, a C2D setup will cost ya:
E6400 $217, add $50ish for a good heatsink/fan for overclocking
non-SLI overclocking mobo: $150 - 185
1GB PC 6400 RAM $125ish
Total $542 on up.

If you skipped the SLI, sold the extra video card, I bet you could raise nearly enough money for the C2D setup, and the increase in gaming performance due to C2D probably would offset the loss of the SLI, probably. Check some benchmarks to be sure of course.

Or keep the current setup, sell the extra video card (if it's a non-ATI 1900 series), and put together a cheap rig that'll run an X1900 series card and the GPU client. Depends on whether you want more points overall, or a better gaming system that happens to produce more points as well. :) X1900XTX can be had for $250ish used. And once ATI releases the new generation this spring, more cards will be up for sale to be sure.
Click to expand...

Yeah the boxen in the sig is what I'm thinking of upgrading. I've got watercooling so I can push a core 2 as high as it will go. I'm currently running SLI and would rather not get rid of it. I agree if I wanted to build a new box just for folding I would right now that a cheap box with a 1900 would be best, but that box would most likely be a HTPC and I don't have the other equipment like a nice TV to hook it up to yet. All that comes down the line probly next fall.
 
I do not understand why you'd want to "sidegrade" from opteron to opteron. What performance benefit are you expecting from going Opty to Opty?
 
drizzt81 said:
I do not understand why you'd want to "sidegrade" from opteron to opteron. What performance benefit are you expecting from going Opty to Opty?
Click to expand...

A couple hundred megahertz of overclocking headroom. In my opinion, if i can get 150-200 more out of a new opty it might be worth it. And its another reason why its a poll, to convince me otherwise :)
 
so you'd be paying how much? $200-300 for possibly 10%-20% more performance with zero upgrade path for the future? Don't get me wrong socket 939 was great, but right now I would not sink any money into it.
 
drizzt81 said:
so you'd be paying how much? $200-300 for possibly 10%-20% more performance with zero upgrade path for the future? Don't get me wrong socket 939 was great, but right now I would not sink any money into it.
Click to expand...

agreed :)
 
If you can afford the RAM you might as well get the Core2 dude.
I just recently ordered an Opty 165, but that's to breath life into my current platform. I'm not buying a new motherboard or RAM.
It would be silly for me to buy another motherboard and more RAM for that Opty 165 when I could just buy a C2D for roughly the same price.
Good luck with whatever you choose, I voted for Core2.
 
Yeah I'm leaning that way too. Core 2 might just come into my life here after the new year. I'd really like to wait for more 650i motherboards to arrive. Hopefully one from DFI, I really like my SLI-D. Thanks guys, I guess upgrading the ram just scared me considering I'd end up spending more on it than the CPU! RAM is SO rediculous right now! But it doesn't really make sense like you said, to update a pretty much dead platform with almost identical hardware.

 
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