Rate my upgrade please.

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grayp95

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Joined
Dec 14, 2006
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Hey guys, im doing a small revamp of my system so i can run some of the newer games better. Could you all give me an idea if it seems like a solid choice.

My current setup.

Abit 3rd-Eye Mobo (AGP)
Amd Athlon 3200+ Venice Core
1g Corsair dual Channel
Vanilla 6800 AGP
Crappy psu

Here is the upgrade

Asus A8N-E Mobo (Pci-E)
2g Corsair Dual Channel
X1950 Pro
Enermax Noisetaker II 485W (2x 12v @22A each)

So basically im tossing in a decent psu, upgrading my video card significantly and dropping in another gig of ram. Im looking for this to last me another year or so, and i belive it gives me room to drop in a dual core pcu later on. Any negatives?
 
nah looks good but I'd be getting a 4200+ X2 just for a bit of future proofing since your current processor is really holding you back :)
 
Thats what i was thinking, I should be able to just drop in a 4200 when i get the cash for it. Is that 3200 holding me back tremendously? Even with that i feel like this is going to be a significant upgrade imo.
 
grayp95 said:
Thats what i was thinking, I should be able to just drop in a 4200 when i get the cash for it. Is that 3200 holding me back tremendously? Even with that i feel like this is going to be a significant upgrade imo.
Click to expand...

just make sure you don't wait too long to get that 4200+ X2 because they are gonna get harder and harder to find :)
 
Ok will do, is that 3200 a huge going to be a huge bottleneck once i upgrade?
 
grayp95 said:
Ok will do, is that 3200 a huge going to be a huge bottleneck once i upgrade?
Click to expand...

No! Have you overclocked it? People are getting 2.6+ GHz from those Venice chips.

Anyway, thumbs up on your upgrade, very similar to what I did. NF4 Ultras are great boards, I got the Epox version.

If you toss your CPU for an X2, there's really no point to this upgrade, imo.
 
Varmint said:
No! Have you overclocked it? People are getting 2.6+ GHz from those Venice chips.

Anyway, thumbs up on your upgrade, very similar to what I did. NF4 Ultras are great boards, I got the Epox version.

If you toss your CPU for an X2, there's really no point to this upgrade, imo.
Click to expand...

Ok cool, i have been having problems trying to oc with my current setup, i assume due to my psu. I can get about another 200mhz out of it and it runs fine until i start up a graphic app and it freezes my system, although i admit im not the most proficient at oc'ing. Hopefully after the upgrade i can get it done.
 
Looks good. I just made a similar 939 upgrade myself and Im glad I did. I will hold me over for another year or better if I need it to.
 
grayp95 said:
Enermax Noisetaker II 485W (2x 12v @22A each)
Click to expand...

Not a bad PSU if you're not going to be running SLI, but remember it's rated for 32A total on the two 12V rails, or 22A max on either one. So if one rail is pulling 22A, the other can only supply 10A - AND throw in the fact that the 12V, 5V, and 3.3V can supply 463W total - so if you're pulling all 32A on the 12V rail (384W) then the 5V and 3.3V together can only supply 79W.

You're not likely to even approach using 32A with an X1950Pro, but if you ever think of getting something more power hungry like an 8800 series, or have a lot of HDs, or overclock your RAM, you might want to go with the 600W Noisetaker II.
 
theelectic said:
Not a bad PSU if you're not going to be running SLI, but remember it's rated for 32A total on the two 12V rails, or 22A max on either one. So if one rail is pulling 22A, the other can only supply 10A - AND throw in the fact that the 12V, 5V, and 3.3V can supply 463W total - so if you're pulling all 32A on the 12V rail (384W) then the 5V and 3.3V together can only supply 79W.

You're not likely to even approach using 32A with an X1950Pro, but if you ever think of getting something more power hungry like an 8800 series, or have a lot of HDs, or overclock your RAM, you might want to go with the 600W Noisetaker II.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the info, ill be sticking to a single X1950 for now. I got a really good deal on that psu for $45.00 shipped as it was recommended from one of the x1950 manufacturers im hoping it will be enough for one card.
 
I would save a little more money and use this opportunity to switch to a Core2Duo. You're buying new RAM and mobo, may as well make it DDR2 and an intel board.
 
feek said:
I would save a little more money and use this opportunity to switch to a Core2Duo. You're buying new RAM and mobo, may as well make it DDR2 and an intel board.
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That's the exact reason I sold my 3700+ SLI system with 2GB ram. I'm going to wait and see what this year develops, and make a purchase in the late 2nd quarter and go all out.
I would hang on to your cash and save a little. At least get a dual core system. In the following months/years you will see more and more benefits of a dual/quad core system.
 
grayp95 said:
Thanks for the info, ill be sticking to a single X1950 for now. I got a really good deal on that psu for $45.00 shipped as it was recommended from one of the x1950 manufacturers im hoping it will be enough for one card.
Click to expand...

It's a better PSU than my Thermaltake 420W, which is 18A on one rail, but mine runs a 7800GTX and overclocked CPU just fine.
 
feek said:
I would save a little more money and use this opportunity to switch to a Core2Duo. You're buying new RAM and mobo, may as well make it DDR2 and an intel board.
Click to expand...

That would cost him an extra $300. That's like buying an 8800GTX instead of the x1950pro.
 
Biostar Tforce4 SLI is like $30 at newegg open box. I hear many people say they get the retail box and everything so give it a shot? Not going to lose much IMO

FX-55 = $129 + 30 (biostar) + 50 for ram? ~ 200?

I have my biostar at 2.6 wstock voltage stable. Got it to 2.9 stable on 1.45 but my divider was @ 100 :(

edit: sell 3200 + board and get back $50-60 so final cost would be under 150 :)
 
Thanks for all the replies guys. Im actually adding another gb of ram, i already have 1gb so im not buying completely new ram just adding to what i have. I dont really have the cash to spend more than 350 bucks on all this so thats why im sticking to what ive got. If i had 600 id definatly go with a dual core and everything all at once. I also need to hang on to my old hardware so when i do drop a dual core chip in i can set up my old machine for my wife, if it wasnt for that id just sell all of it and build something better.

I think this setup allows me some breathing room to toss in an X2 in the next few months and be set for another year or so until i can really build a DX10 system. My gaming consists of MMo's basically so i dont really need to push the limits of space and time with my rig. Just make some of the newer stuff more playable and im happy.

A ton of great advice in here though, thanks alot.
 
Just an update, i went ahead and picked up an X2 4400+ :) Just couldnt help it. So final specs are.


Enermax Noisetaker 2 485 W 2x12v @ 22A
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Toledo 2.2GHz Socket 939 Processor
ASUS A8N-E Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra Motherboard
2g Corsair Dual Channel 512x4
Diamond Viper X1950 Pro 512 MB

Total Cost $532.00

Thanks for all the help, and the pushes to go ahead with the Dual Core, im hoping this thing will fly now :)
 
grayp95 said:
Just an update, i went ahead and picked up an X2 4400+ :) Just couldnt help it. So final specs are.


Enermax Noisetaker 2 485 W 2x12v @ 22A
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Toledo 2.2GHz Socket 939 Processor
ASUS A8N-E Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra Motherboard
2g Corsair Dual Channel 512x4
Diamond Viper X1950 Pro 512 MB

Total Cost $532.00

Thanks for all the help, and the pushes to go ahead with the Dual Core, im hoping this thing will fly now :)
Click to expand...

I think you've really got a good setup there that should last you a while!
 
grayp95 said:
Just an update, i went ahead and picked up an X2 4400+ :) Just couldnt help it. So final specs are.


Enermax Noisetaker 2 485 W 2x12v @ 22A
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Toledo 2.2GHz Socket 939 Processor
ASUS A8N-E Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra Motherboard
2g Corsair Dual Channel 512x4
Diamond Viper X1950 Pro 512 MB

Total Cost $532.00

Thanks for all the help, and the pushes to go ahead with the Dual Core, im hoping this thing will fly now :)
Click to expand...

That's killer, good move getting the 512 x1950pro too. Why'd you get 4 DDR sticks instead of two, just curious?
 
Varmint said:
That's killer, good move getting the 512 x1950pro too. Why'd you get 4 DDR sticks instead of two, just curious?
Click to expand...


Thanks, acutally thats the only thing i haven't actually bought yet. I already have 1 dual channel kit 2x512, that will work with this new board from my old agp board. I assumed i would have to stick with the dual channel if i wanted all 4 dimms to run at optimal speeds. Could i just buy a single 1g stick and pop it in slot 3 or 4 and still have 2g running at good speeds?
 
Quick question, do you all think im still good on that psu since i went ahead and upgraded to that X2?
 
grayp95 said:
Thanks, acutally thats the only thing i haven't actually bought yet. I already have 1 dual channel kit 2x512, that will work with this new board from my old agp board. I assumed i would have to stick with the dual channel if i wanted all 4 dimms to run at optimal speeds. Could i just buy a single 1g stick and pop it in slot 3 or 4 and still have 2g running at good speeds?
Click to expand...

Ah, that would be no, you need 4 sticks.
 
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