System upgrades.

[Bbq]

Right now I have this

intel E4300 @ 3ghz
Abit IP35-E
2x1gb Crucial Ballistix PC6400
2x1gb OCZ Gold PC6400 (total 4gb pc6400 ram)
BFG 7900GTX 512mb
Silverstone ST50EF+ Element psu
160gb Seagate 7200.8
320gb Seagate 7200.10
300gb Maxtor Diamondmax 10 (I think)
Vista ultimate x64
Scythe Infinity on the cpu
Thermalright HR-03 on the 7900gtx
Acer AL2223w 22" 1680x1050 monitor
Viewsonic VA702b 17" 1280x1024 monitor

Pretty good for what I do (Team Fortress 2, instant messaging, [H], etc), but getting a bit old; Can't really play games at the resolutions that I'd like, slow framerates. I need a quick upgrade.

I was thinking of the XFX 9800GTX. It's only $205 at NCIX, and should be a lot faster than my 7900gtx. But I'm primarily concerned about how loud is it; Is it very loud? I want something nice and quiet. Can I put my hr-03 on it? Is there a second chip on the pcb to cool, like the original 8800gts?

The other thing I was looking at was upgrading from 4gb (4x1gb) ram to 8gb (4x2gb). Good idea or no?

thanks.

 

[tiraides]

Get the EVGA version of the 9800GTX; its warranty allows you to use aftermarket coolers without penalty to you. (I can quantify the noise level of that particular card, but the 9800GTX is similiar -- if not identical -- to the G92 8800GTS.) IIRC, only the 9800GX2 has a second GPU on the PCB to cool (I've never heard of any 8800GTS, G80 or G92, that had two GPUs on one PCB.)

Unless you use a lot of memory-intensive programs, I doubt that getting 8GB would benefit you as much as getting a new video card would.

 

[Bbq]

I meant the original 8800gts 640/320mb with the 'bridge' chip;

The one on the left side.

 

[tiraides]

I forgot about that... my mistake.

 

[dhc014]

Replace those old HDD's with a 640GB WD.

 

[Dangman]

The 9800GTX doesn't have a "bridge chip" as far as I can tell from this pic:
http://www.bbpix.com/ufiles/1/9800gtx/accelero9800gtx (4).JPG

Also, which HR-03 do you have? The Rev A, Plus or GT?

 

[Bbq]

The original hr-03 with 4 heatpipes.

 

[engiNURD]

Hey look... its bbq! mmmmm... so tasty.

The other thing I was looking at was upgrading from 4gb (4x1gb) ram to 8gb (4x2gb). Good idea or no?

Only a good idea if you have a need for such a huge amount of RAM.... like... you wanna run a 4GB RAMdisk or you use Photoshop, VMWare, etc. You definitely don't need 8GB of RAM for Team Fortress 2, instant messaging, and [H]. Well, maybe for [H], lol.

 

[Bbq]

Alright. Thinking of the 9800gtx+ now. Same price, faster, less heat.

yea?

 

[engiNURD]

yeah.

 

[Bbq]

But will my cooler fit on it?

is the stock cooler loud?

 

[Dangman]

But will my cooler fit on it?

is the stock cooler loud?

According to Thermalright, yes the HR-03 will fit conditionally:
http://www.thermalright.com/new_a_page/product_page/vga/vga_page/main_product_hr03_rev_a2_MCL.htm

I think the condition part means that you will need to get these PWN heatsinks:
http://www.thermalright.com/new_a_page/product_page/product_accessories.html#9800pwn-sink

The stock cooler isn't too loud from what I've read so far.

 

[Bbq]

Ok guys

visiontek 4850 ($199 no mir)
Asus 4850 ($219 - $20 mir)

They SHOULD be reference, so no problems fitting my hr03 on it

hmm

 

[engiNURD]

awe... you missed some good deals on those cards this past week and a half.

 

[Bbq]

I did

So it seems like i'm going for the visiontek.. unless someone wants to disuade me

 

[Dangman]

I did

So it seems like i'm going for the visiontek.. unless someone wants to disuade me

Nah, fuck that. Go for it!

I missed out on those deals too. Damn $150 HD4850 Best Buy deal....