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Upgrade Suggestions

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Benmandude

n00b
Joined
Dec 27, 2005
Messages
46
I'm looking to upgrade my computer and I want some advice on what parts to get.

I currently have
CPU: Opteron DC 170 2GHz
Vid: Nvidia 7800gt
RAM: OCZ Platinum 2x1GB
Mobo: DFI Lanparty Expert

I'm trying to keep it under $350. I'm kind of an amd and nvidia guy, but I'm willing to make a switch if the price is right. Let's see what you guys can come up with.

What I have put together so far is
CPU: Phenom 9600 2.3GHz
Vid: Nvidia 9800gt
RAM: OCZ 2x2GB
Mobo: Evga
 
Which particular EVGA motherboard? Which brand 9800GT?

And what are you going to use this system for?
 
Is your opteron OC'd? If not, OC it to 3Ghz and pickup a new vidcard. If it is OC'd, what speed? 2Ghz is stock for that chip.
 
I can't get this opteron overclocked for some reason.

I had it at 2.5GHz a few years ago, and now it cant push past 2.1GHz. I set my ram with loose timing and low clock and my comp still manages to crash. I can't figure out why it wont overclock now.
 
Hm... thats too bad. Sell the mobo/cpu/ram to help offset the cost of this upgrade, and raise your budget. ;)

If sticking with AMD, go with lt shiro's recommendations. An AMD 790 or 770 board would be good, too.

For better gaming performance, you'll want something newer than the 9800GT, which is simply a rebadged 8800GT. ATI recently dropped prices, so I'd suggest an HD4870; or, if NVIDIA also lowers their prices, the GTX260.

I'd also suggest G.Skill RAM for better compatibility, since OCZ sticks are typically rated for higher voltage.
 
Benmandude said:
I can't get this opteron overclocked for some reason.

I had it at 2.5GHz a few years ago, and now it cant push past 2.1GHz. I set my ram with loose timing and low clock and my comp still manages to crash. I can't figure out why it wont overclock now.
Click to expand...

What's your setting for HTT, ram divider, FSB clock?

Do you use Ebay? Opteron 170 and OCZ ram will go for like $80 and $50 on Ebay, easily.
 
So the dual core is faster than the quad core. It's got a higher clock so I'm assuming that the clock still makes the biggest difference in performance.

Ok Here is a revised list.
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 7750 Kuma
Vid: Sapphire HD 4870
RAM: G. Skill 2x2GB DDR2 1066
Mobo: Asus M3A78

all for $335
 
Benmandude said:
So the dual core is faster than the quad core. It's got a higher clock so I'm assuming that the clock still makes the biggest difference in performance.
Click to expand...

Actually no. The reason why the Phenom 9600 is not recommended by lt_shiro, enginurd and myself is due to that TLB bug it had. Some mobos had fixes for the TLB bug but it lowered performance. Granted that not many people were affected by the TLB bug (instability), why buy a CPU that's kind of unstable compared to other CPUs?

Which BFG PSU do you have?
 
Benmandude said:
So the dual core is faster than the quad core. It's got a higher clock so I'm assuming that the clock still makes the biggest difference in performance.
...
Click to expand...

For gaming at resolutions above 1280x1024, any dual or quad core CPU at or above 3Ghz will give you similar performance unless the game actually takes advantage of quadcores (which most do not).
 
M3A78 is horse crap... High North bridge cooler and placement of the SATA and PCI-E is shameful.
 
Benmandude said:
My PSU is BFG GS 550W
Click to expand...

Hmm, you're looking at a PSU replacement as well. The GS line is of pretty low quality. It's rated at peak and at 25C. So it might not be able to handle your system well. The BFG LS-550 is a good replacement since it's rated at continuous, at 40C, and has been shown to actually be capable of providing its rated power.
BFG Tech LS-550 550W PSU - $80

It can be had for $12 cheaper here:
BFG Tech LS-550 550W PSU - $68

lt_shiro said:
M3A78 is horse crap... High North bridge cooler and placement of the SATA and PCI-E is shameful.
Click to expand...

Huh? How is the placement of SATA and PCI-E shameful? The SATA ports are out of the way of any PCI-E card. Yes while the 3rd PCI-E port is pretty damn close, I doubt the OP is going to use that 3rd PCI-E port for anything.
 
did not know, there was two 780G, 790GX and 780V board also with model number M3A78... That be would the 770 version, I was talking about. I would suggest either of 780G boards.
 
This is starting to get expensive. I'm only a poor college student with a bit of extra cash. I'm thinking of ditching the cpu/mobo/ram and just getting a 4870. Would my current PSU be able to handle just that upgrade and would my current cpu be a hindrance or could it keep up ok. I'm going to mess around with my cpu and see if I can overclock it again.
 
Benmandude said:
This is starting to get expensive. I'm only a poor college student with a bit of extra cash. I'm thinking of ditching the cpu/mobo/ram and just getting a 4870. Would my current PSU be able to handle just that upgrade and would my current cpu be a hindrance or could it keep up ok. I'm going to mess around with my cpu and see if I can overclock it again.
Click to expand...

Your CPU would be a bottleneck for the HD4870. Your current PSU would not be able to handle just that GPU upgrade.
 
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