So I'm Finally Upgrading...

[HaMMerHeD]

After two very long years (and a couple months), my computer is receiving a long overdue upgrade.

Going From:
AMD Athlon64 3000+ Socket 754
ASUS K8V-Deluxe Motherboard
MSI GeForce FX 5900 Ultra Video Card
2 x 74gb WDC Raptor Hard Drives
1GB Corsair TwinX XMS DDR400
400w SilenX Power Supply

Going To:
AMD Athlon64 3700+ Socket 939
ASUS A8N-SLI Motherboard
BFG 7900GT-OC Video Card
Seagate 300gb SATA Hard Drive + 2 x 74gb WDC Raptor Hard Drives
2GB Corsair TwinX XMS DDR400 + 1GB Corsair TwinX XMS DDR400
550W Thermaltake Purepower EPS12v Power Supply
Pioneer 111D DVR+-RW

Ordered last night, shipped today.

I know most of you are going to say "dumbass! u should have waited 4 AM2!!!1" And you may be right, but I don't care. I need an upgrade, and i'm plenty keen on waiting for AM2 for another year or two. I'm not an early adopter, nor am I an avid overclocker.

I considered getting an ATI card, but then the fever broke, and I'm better now.

I was thinking about mirroring the 2 raptors and using them as an OS drive. The 300gb Seagate, obviously, will be a data drive.

Any suggestions on how to tweak this kit? (Aside from trading it in for intel, ati, or am2)

Other hardware is:
Creative X-Fi Platinum
Antec P-160 Case
Microsoft ComfortCurve 2000 Keyboard
Logitech G5 Mouse
Sony 16x DVD-ROM

-hmh

 

[[LYL]Homer]

After years of RAID 0 I gave it up last year and I don't miss it. I have a couple of 3700+ systems here at the office and I wasn't able to overclock them beyond 2.4-2.5ghz area, just fyi.

Now I'll give you the "you should have gotten a dual-core chip" talk. Was your 3000+ part a 2.0ghz part? Now you're "upgrading" to 2.2ghz. Most of the 'feel' of your upgrade will be from the newer video card, not cpu.

I'd consider cancelling the chip or a return before you open the box on the CPU. Pretty good deals in the Hot Deals forum on Opterons from Monarch. They overclock easily and you can get $1000 worth of cpu for $275 with an Opty 165. These are 1.8ghz (and 2x1mb cache) stock but go easily to 2.7ghz or higher on air cooling.

 

[HaMMerHeD]

I'm aware of the slight cpu performance increase. I do have realistic expectations about it, believe me. I am not unsatisfied with my current CPU's performance. I think the core upgrade, dual channel memory controller, extra cache, 400mhz Hypertransport boost, 200mhz core speed boost will pay off for me. I know it will not be huge, but it will help.

I was most concerned about getting into PCIe with a decently fast video card, getting more RAM, and getting more hard drive space.

Like I said, I am not an avid overclocker, though I am not against a few small tweaks.

The reason for the RAID-1 (Mirror) is that both of my Raptor Drives have failed (at different times) and been RMA'd. I don't trust them enough for data, but enough for the OS. The mirroring will help ease my mind on the matter even further.

Also, I have consistently found that a better GPU and more Memory gives a better performance boost than a CPU upgrade will.

 

[LoneWolf]

Actually, RAID-1 is mirroring; RAID-0 is striping, and provides no redundancy. Just clarifying there. Carry on.

Hmm, how to tweak things? I'd buy a different power supply than Thermaltake, I think they charge as much as manufacturers that are higher quality than they are. The Fortron Blue Storm AX500 would be my choice if you want a good PSU without breaking the bank.

 

[HaMMerHeD]

Thanks.