POLL: Is this upgrade worth the $$$??

Is the Upgrade worth the $$$$

  • Yes, Huge Difference will be noticed

    Votes: 8 42.1%

  • No, the Difference will be slight noticed but not worth the $$$

    Votes: 11 57.9%
  • Total voters
    19
B

bob4432

Limp Gawd
Joined
Aug 16, 2005
Messages
191
going from my current rig(2.8@3.0GHz P4 C) to a opteron 144/146 on a nf3 m/b o/c to ~ 2.5GHz (assuming it is possible, and from what i have read it is pretty easy)? still using my same ram, gpu, hdds and psu.

main computer uses are gaming, encoding for the internet using wme9 and also video/photo editing using premiere pro 1.x and photoshop:cs and illustrator:cs and also dvd creation using adobe encore. i have looked at benchmarks but don't know what my p4 compares to now, the 530? 630?

the reason i ask is because i am wondering if i will be able to tell much of a difference for the ~$200-220 it will cost me to upgrade...

as far as gaming i play bf2/sf and currently don't have problems.

i just have the bug bad to build a new/different rig, but don't know if it will benefit me much.
 
Too bad there isn't a "yes there will be a difference, not a HUGE one" choice. Because that's what you'll end up with. An Opteron 146 should be able to get you to around 2.6GHz on air, which will effectively yield you [duck for flaming] an FX-55-level processor. It will be a huge difference compared to your P4, but the money will offset that difference, making it a reasonable difference. :)
 
thanks again for the replies. if i do do this, i will probably do the 144 to keep the costs down, is there any problem with that chip compared to the 146? also, the m/b i am looking at has a max htt of ~320, and from what i have read that should be able to max out a 144. are there any issues with runn my ram at only 215MHz?
 
bob4432 said:
thanks again for the replies. if i do do this, i will probably do the 144 to keep the costs down, is there any problem with that chip compared to the 146? also, the m/b i am looking at has a max htt of ~320, and from what i have read that should be able to max out a 144. are there any issues with runn my ram at only 215MHz?
Click to expand...

Running dividers doesn't hurt the A64 like it did the AthlonXP's. Most people with really high clocks usually end up running a divider depending on the RAM they have.

Also, if any of the software is multithreaded, you might want to look into getting a dual core instead. That would make a lot more difference although the cost is a bit more.

 
i appreciate the responses, and yes most of the sottware i use is smp/smt aware (adobe), but i am trying to keep the cost down. i have figured that with some items i need to sell laying around in my computer room along with some christmas cash, it will actually come out that the price is a wash, so the upgrade will cost me ~$0, not $200 like i had originally thought.
 
again, i appreciate the responses, so i decided to go ahead and do it since the $$$ wasn't an issue anymore - i pulled the trigger on a 146 and a gigabyte m/b (one of the few nf3 boards left that has acceptedable o/c ability for the price and was not refurbed - http://us.giga-byte.com/MotherBoard/Products/Products_GA-K8NSC-939.htm). didn't want to get a refurbed board since i am jumping into unchartered territory for me and i need a agp slot. i have used gigabyte boards in the past as duallie p3s setups and they were always flawless, hope the quality is still the same. i guess i will see :D
 
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