New AMD system suggestions...

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Gawd
Joined
Mar 15, 2002
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Alright, looks like I'm finally forced to upgrade my rig! My old Shuttle died after two years due to a power surge, so I'm looking to build a new one. My main computer usage is gaming / development. I definitely want to up my RAM to 2 GB.

With that in mind, I have two options.

SN27P - $350
AMD AM2 3800+ - $151
Corsair XMS DDR2 2 (2 x 1024) GB PC6400 - $220

SN25P - $330
AMD 939 3800+ - $149
Corsair XMS DDR 1 (2 x 512) GB - $113

I currently have 1 gig of PC3500 Mushkin Black ram.

The SN25P doesn't have a PCI slot, so I'll be forced to use onboard sound I believe. If I go with the SN27P I'll be able to use my Audigy 2 ZS.

As for the video card, I have not decided what I am going to do yet. I think I may just go with a 7300GT for now and wait for an expensive DirectX 10 card next summer. I am going back to college in a month, where I game less often, and second semester I am going to London so I will be gaming even less until next summer. I plan on taking this Shuttle with me to London, and buying a cheap mouse / keyboard / monitor for the six months I am over there.

Anyhow, should I go with the new newer platform and drop the extra money on the RAM? I would consider Conroe, however Shuttle does not make any SFF with the newer Intel chipsets yet. I expect to use this rig for the next two years. I've been using my current rig for three years now, and the only thing that is really forcing me to upgrade is PCI-Express.

Anyhow, suggestions / opinions please.
 
I have a suggestion. Don't build an AMD rig, at least not right now. Core 2 Duo's performance/price ratio is just too much to overcome. Get a 6300/6400 and OC it to like 3.4 GHz. Will blow the doors off of even the FX-62. Not worth buying an AMD rig if you are doing a new build. Sorry guys, had to say it.
 
Please read my post more carefully. I mentioned that Shuttle doesn't make any barebone systems that support Intel's newer chipset for Conroe processors, therefore it isn't an option.
 
So why are you stuck with the Shuttle? By a cheap ATX case or a mATX that actually fits ATX or something.
 
You're gonna end up dropping money on DDR2 whether you go Core 2 or AM2, buying DDR now isn't an option in my opinion. If you can find one at a decent price, the energy efficient 35W 3800+ X2 processors would be a perfect fit for that AM2 shuttle.

You can find cheaper DDR2-800 for around $150 that will serve you just as well, or 667 if you want to devote more cash to the CPU. Memory bandwidth isn't a big issue on any modern AMD cpu.

Good call on the graphics card, spending more than $200 is pointless with DX10 and new DX9 cards around in the next 6-8 months.
 
-=Antimatter=- said:
Good call on the graphics card, spending more than $200 is pointless with DX10 and new DX9 cards around in the next 6-8 months.
Click to expand...

But it's always pointless to spend on any graphics card when a new one is comming. 6-8 months is a long time! I'm kickingmyself for not jumping for a 7950GX2 when I could have last month.

2 gigs of memory was a fun upgrade. I went from 2 512mb sticks of Lvl1 Mushkin PC3500 to 2 1gb sticks of OCZ DDR400. My overall system felt smoother and a few games seemed to improve an itty bit.

I'll never build any system with less than 2 gigs.
 
belmicah said:
So why are you stuck with the Shuttle? By a cheap ATX case or a mATX that actually fits ATX or something.
Click to expand...

I would agree, the only real reasons to go SFF are for LanParty situations (not likely for a work machine) or if you need to move it around a lot due to a school situation (similarly not likely). Don't limit yourself here, the extra performance is more than worth it even if you do have to break a little sweat moving it from time to time.
 
I carry my computer with me on the plane to avoid shipping it back and forth, and save about $50 each way, hence the need for the Shuttle. It's a 17 hour drive from Chicago to Boston, so that is not an option. :eek:
 
Anyone else have any comments / suggestions / opinions? I will be ordering my new system tonight, and as of right now I'm leaning towards the SN27P system.
 
Yeah if I was building new and buying everything new AM2 is the only opion if you want anykind of upgrade ability.
 
However, they do let you take a lot of cargo on the train, and there's plenty of leg room....

Easier than driving too. :D And pretty scenery...really, they don't care how heavy or big your PC is. Take a trip back in time and see America's railways. Or...well, just go with the Shuttle.
 
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