Think you can improve this upgrade?

D

dissonance

Limp Gawd
Joined
May 16, 2005
Messages
281
I've got a pretty old system but a newer 6800nu agp card that's unlocked. I got the 6800nu because I got a Dell widescreen and wanted the extra push to go from 1024x768 to 1680x1050. It definitely helped but I feel like the rest of my system is bottlenecking me to a large degree. The rest of my system is:
1.4ghz Athlon XP
Epox 8KHA+
1 gig PC2100 RAM
Enlight case with included 340 watt psu

I game but I wouldn't consider myself hardcore but I do want the best performance I can get. I do multitask quite a bit. I play WoW, UT2004 (this game seems to be extremely bottlenecked by my cpu), and with the new system I'd like to get into Battlefield 2, Farcry, and Halflife 2.

Here is what I have in mind. For the money can you improve this? Things not listed I already have (dvdr/cdr, monitor, video card, floppy).

Antec Solution SLK2650-BQE Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 350W Power Supply - Retail $76.00

EPoX EP-9NDA3J Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce3 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $86.50

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice Integrated into Chip FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3200BPBOX - Retail $192.99

CORSAIR XMS 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model TWINX1024-3200C2PT - Retail $119

Western Digital Caviar SE WD800JD 80GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM $57.00

Total: $531.49
 
I guess my research paid off. It seems nobody can improve this build for around the same amount of money. Anyone?
 
i dunno about that mobo...

if your ocing.. get a dfi mobo

if your not ocing it wouldnt hurt to lose the venice... and the ram
get a winne/value ram , even a 3000 winne will safice..
 
That looks pretty good. I might echo what GooG said about the memory. However, dropping the Venice for a Winchester would not be a good move. Unless I'm reading NewEgg's site incorrectly, you would save a whopping $4.99 right now by making that switch.

Take a look at this memory. The savings are decent, it would get you below the $500 mark. I'm using the 512MB version in one of my computers and it's been flawless with slightly tighter timings and a mild overclock.
 
yea, that ram is what id get...

about the cpu, i thought there was a bigger price difference
 
That cheap-o Enlight PSU might be good enough to handle an old Athlon XP, but it sure won't handle an Athlon 64. I mention this because the power supply included in that Antec case isn't much better.

Don't risk it to save a few bucks. If you can, get something with solid dual 12 volt rails and preferably something with a 24 pin ATX connector so you don't have to ditch it the next time you upgrade.

The SmartPower PSUs are Antecs low-end units, which is what comes with that case you listed.

That's a decent motherboard. It's stable. I have the + version of it. Overclocks fine.

The RAM is fine if you're not overclocking. I like the lifetime warranty. If you are planning to overclock you might want to look into something rated up to 250MHz.

That's the CPU I'd get... the one you listed. Best price/performance ratio. Overclocks well, usually.
 
GooG said:
i dunno about that mobo...

if your ocing.. get a dfi mobo
Click to expand...

Do they make an agp version? I mentioned in my post that I bought a 6800nu agp hoping it'd be enough for the Dell widescreen resolution. It's enough for WoW at unmaxed settings but still low for some other games. I don't really see any advantage to pciex16 right now so I wasn't too concerned. By the time I upgrade again, pciex16 will be old tech anyway.

XSNiper said:
That corsair RAM in the first post is crap btw. Just get some TwinMOS SP. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820218405
Click to expand...

Wow I never expected to get talked down to a cheaper part on these forums. That's a nice surprise hehe. :D I heard the AMD 64's like good timings so I was hoping that spending a little bit more would ensure that. I think it was the 1T timing that I read about as being the most important.

Astral Abyss said:
That cheap-o Enlight PSU might be good enough to handle an old Athlon XP, but it sure won't handle an Athlon 64. I mention this because the power supply included in that Antec case isn't much better.
Click to expand...

Well there's a pretty big difference imo. The Enlight puts 15a on the 12v while the Antec puts 21a on it. Is 21a still not enough? The Enermax mentioned in Goog's post would give an extra 6a over 2 rails.

11-129-148-14.JPG
 
==============================================================
Antec Solution SLK2650-BQE Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 350W Power Supply - Retail $76.00

EPoX EP-9NDA3J Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce3 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $86.50

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice Integrated into Chip FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3200BPBOX - Retail $192.99

CORSAIR XMS 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model TWINX1024-3200C2PT - Retail $119
=========================================================
ZZF

80098-0 Crucial Technology CT6464Z40B 512MB DDR400 PC3200 Memory *** Free 2nd Day *** 2 $48.00

80717-5 AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Processor (Venice) Socket 939 Retail ***Free 2nd Day*** 1 $278.00

273502 Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-450 450W Power Supply Retail ***Free 2nd Day*** 1 $71.99
============================================================
The SmartPower PSUs are Antecs low-end units, which is what comes with that case you listed.
==============================================================
Even the lowend Antec PSU will be more stable and than most mid level PSU and even some high PSU out there. Antec makes some of the best PSU out there.
 
its also almost 50.00 more too. I have seen a lot of people have been having problems with that board with the new amd chips though.
 
Also, if I were to upgrade this build would I get better performance in games (especially MMO's like WoW) with going to a 74gb Raptor 10k hd or spending an extra $100 on a better cpu and getting a <$100 hd?
 
I would say I wasn't impressed with the choice of components.

1) You don't need 3200+. Go for 3000+ and save yourself money. Overclock it a little bit if you wish. There is more emphasis on the GPU than the CPU in gaming today.
2) You don't need Corsair XMS. Go for TwinMOS SP or any baseline RAM, unless you will be overclocking. Still, stay with the TwinMOS SP.
3) Your PSU will suffice but isn't regarded as ideal. You will be gaming, which will put more stress on your components. The SL PSU line has 5% voltage regulation. Antec's TP PSU line has 3%. It is more ideal to go with that or any other brand names such as previously suggested Enermax. Even Fortron/Sparkle's PSU's work well because they are all under the 3% voltage regulation.
4) Your motherboard is an nF3. Go for nF4. It will be better in the long run. There are possibilities of problems with nF3-based motherboards. Get Asus or MSI's nF4 motherboards. They are the pinnacles of stability.

Laterdoo!
-J.
 
dissonance said:
Also, if I were to upgrade this build would I get better performance in games (especially MMO's like WoW) with going to a 74gb Raptor 10k hd or spending an extra $100 on a better cpu and getting a <$100 hd?
Click to expand...

No.

Edit: I only said no because it wasn't worth the jump in costs. The only benefits you'll get from a Raptor for MMORPG's is that your game will start up quicker and levels will be loaded quicker/seamlessly. You don't need to buy any better CPU than a 3000+.

-J.
 
GeForceX said:
4) Your motherboard is an nF3. Go for nF4. It will be better in the long run. There are possibilities of problems with nF3-based motherboards. Get Asus or MSI's nF4 motherboards. They are the pinnacles of stability.

Laterdoo!
-J.
Click to expand...

The reason I went with a nf3 is because I have an AGP card. I bought a Dell widescreen. My computer struggled a bit running at the new resolutions (1680x1050 vs 1024x768) and I wanted a DVI output. I bought a video card to help but it wasn't quite enough. It's an AGP 6800nu unlocked. This system will be 4 years old in October. I haven't seen any benefits to pcie right now other than being able to upgrade later. If I'd have planned on upgrading the whole system then I might have opted for a pcie card. As things are now, I'm not sure if I should bother selling the AGP card to get a pcie mb/video card. Then again my current motherboard is 4xAGP and I thought I'd be missing out when 8x came out. Is this really a substantial area I should be concerned about?
 
As an update here's what I currently have changed to based on input.

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice Integrated into Chip FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3200BPBOX - Retail $192. (Perhaps I could go with the 3000+ but I would really prefer not to upgrade for a while. My current system is 4 years in October.)

EPoX EP-9NDA3J Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce3 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $86.50. (I've heard this is one of the better nf3 mbs)

2x TwinMOS 512MB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model TMSP400/512 - Retail $48.25x2=$95.50

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum/Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $49.99 (Coming from an Enlight case/psu it kills me to spend the extra on a better case/psu when it doesn't directly translate to better fps in games)

Antec TRUEPOWERII TPII-430 ATX12V 430W Power Supply - Retail $75. I've heard good things about their Trupower line and this should hopefully last me through future builds. If not then I have a hard time justifying it.

+ some sort of hard drive to run my OS and games on. I have an older WD 7200rpm 2mb cache 60gb drive I'm using currently. It seems a Raptor isn't worth it for gaming (WoW particularly) so I was thinking a Maxtor Diamondmax 10 SATA with 16mb cache. Or perhaps just a WD 80gb SATA 8mb cache Caviar.
 
GeForceX said:
No.

Edit: I only said no because it wasn't worth the jump in costs. The only benefits you'll get from a Raptor for MMORPG's is that your game will start up quicker and levels will be loaded quicker/seamlessly.
-J.
Click to expand...

Isn't that all MMO's do though? Load constantly, whether it's new players or new scenery? Wouldn't the Raptor help while running around the world and constantly loading new things?
 
Well, look at the majority that plays MMORPG's. They have 7200 RPM hard drives. They're fine with it. I don't see any reason why it should be anything drastic to you (or even me). I just don't think it's the worth the price. You're better off getting Maxtor's Diamondmax 10 HDD (pretty fast) or WD's regular ol' HDD. Both are just fine, really. If you have the money, go for the raptor. But at least invest in a secondary hard drive.

-J.
 
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