Upgrading consideration

M

matt1147

Weaksauce
Joined
Apr 4, 2006
Messages
104
Hey


So i been thinking about upgrading my pc and my specs are in my sig. And I am thinking about getting:

ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe nForce570 SLi Socket AM2 Mainboard,
4xDDR2-800/667/533, 2xPCI-Ex16, 2xPCI-Ex1, 3xPCI, 2xEIDE,
6xSATA300, 8Ch Audio, 2xGigabit LAN, 10xUSB2.0,
2x1394 Firewire, 2000 HT FSB, ATX

AMD Athlon64 X2 6000+ Windsor Dual Core Socket AM2 64bit CPU,
3.0Ghz, 2x1MB L2 90nm 89w - retail box

Kingston HyperX 2GB (2x1GB) PC2-6400 800Mhz DDR2 Memory Kit
Dual Channel optimized w/Aluminum Heatspreaders - CL5-5-5-15

I been wondering, would I be able to just replace the motherboard and ram and then wait till i got more money to get the CPU? And if I do that, should I just end up waiting Till 4X4 comes out, casue i have some temptations of getting that CPU

What are your thoughts of this?
 
No. You have an AGP card and your new mobo only has PCI-E. So you're also going to have to buy a new video card as well. Or is that a PCI video card?

In addition, you have a socket 939 CPU and that motherboard is Socket AM2, totally incompatible. So at this rate, you might as well buy a new CPU, motherboard, RAM and video card in order to have an actual upgrade.

So what exactly are you doing now that you feel warrants an upgrade? Also what's your budget?
 
Your current CPU is Socket 939. The new board you want is socket AM2.
 
Danny Bui said:
No. You have an AGP card and your new mobo only has PCI-E. So you're also going to have to buy a new video card as well. Or is that a PCI video card?

In addition, you have a socket 939 CPU and that motherboard is Socket AM2, totally incompatible. So at this rate, you might as well buy a new CPU, motherboard, RAM and video card in order to have an actual upgrade.

So what exactly are you doing now that you feel warrants an upgrade? Also what's your budget?
Click to expand...

With the motherboard Im looking at, It would be better to go with Nivida? [I think i spelt that wrong]
 
matt1147 said:
With the motherboard Im looking at, It would be better to go with Nivida? [I think i spelt that wrong]
Click to expand...

Nvidia what? video card? motherboard chipset? Also, what's your budget and what are you planning to do with this new PC?
 
In addition to Danny's questions...

Do you have a loyalty to AMD? cuz Intel is kickin their ass right now, hehe.
Where will you be ordering from? Newegg? If so, do you get charged tax?
Why such expensive Hyper X ram? 2GB DDR2-800 should only cost around $85.
Do you play any games?
You might need a new PSU.

... and to re-iterate...
What's your budget?
What will you be doing with this computer?
 
Im planning on using it for gaming, watching movies and doing some picture/video editing/making on it. And i was just thinking about the PSU. If i just get those three upgrades would my current power supply be good enough? And just worry about getting a new one IF i want to got with ATI Crossfire or Nividia SLi?
 
Well know the intel dual core cpu is good and with AMd soon to release their quad core. Would it be worth it just to save up and wait for the AMD Quad core?
 
What do you need a quadcore for? If you want quadcore, Intel's is already out. If you need it, get it now. If you don't need it, then wait as long as you can.

What size monitor do you have?
 
I personally own an Asus m2n sli deluxe motherboard and am also looking to upgrade to the X2 5200. For me, intel is the cheapest right now, and I will be getting the expected performance from AMD, which by any standards are great, even though intel may be a bit more than great. Anyway, you may have to upgrade that graphics card, in which case I would shop for a 7 series card or possibly the 8600 GT to stay within a lower budget. I say upgrade the motherboard, cpu, and gpu, your current PSU should suffice as long as it has decent 12V rails.
 
How does the video card you mention compare to BFG Tech GeForce 8600GTS OC2 256MB DDR3 PCI-Ex16?? Would there be a way to test my power supply to see if i would need to get a new one right off the bat or no?

on a ide note i seen on this one site for sale, BFG Tech GeForce 7950 GT OC SLi 512MB PCI-Ex16 Graphics Card - Dual DVI, HDTV, Video-Out, 565Mhz GPU. Would this card be too far off if i will like to go sli some day?
 
matt1147 said:
How does the video card you mention compare to BFG Tech GeForce 8600GTS OC2 256MB DDR3 PCI-Ex16?? Would there be a way to test my power supply to see if i would need to get a new one right off the bat or no?

on a ide note i seen on this one site for sale, BFG Tech GeForce 7950 GT OC SLi 512MB PCI-Ex16 Graphics Card - Dual DVI, HDTV, Video-Out, 565Mhz GPU. Would this card be too far off if i will like to go sli some day?
Click to expand...

The 8600GTS is overpriced, IMO. What DX10 games do you plan on playing? Also, what size is your monitor?

The 7950GT is nice, but its pricey. SLI is only needed for high resolution 3D gaming. So, if you plan on getting a 1920x1080 LCD or higher, and want to game on it, then keep SLI as an option. Otherwise, theres no need for it. A single 88GTX is still fine for a 1920x1080 (or 1920x1200) LCD screen, and more cost effective than an 8800GTS SLI setup. SLI as an upgrade path isn't worth it unless, again, a large LCD is in the future plans. There should always be a better single card solution, and you could sell your old card to help offset the cost.

Now, again, what size monitor do you have? Also, answer everyone elses other questions, or you'll get less and less help. Help us help you.
 
The 8600GTS is pretty good for DX9 games BUT until some real DX10 games come out, don't bother with it. So if you stick with DX9 games, ATI's x1950Pro or even Nvidia's 7900GS can beat the 8600GTS in current DX9 games and they're a lot cheaper to boot.

If you can get the 7950GT for around $140, then get it. That's a good deal on the 7950GT IMO. But if not, the X1950Pro is a pretty good card fro around $137 or so.

As for your power supply, tell us what kind of power supply do you have? like who's manufacturer, etc.

If you want even more advice, take a picture of the power supply itself. All we need is a pic of the side of the power supply where all those numbers, like +12V show up and we can tell you if your power supply can handle it.

Again, what's your budget?
 
ok, i think i got an idea of what i want. How does this sound[keeping in mind my current pc setup is in my sig minus the sound card i just got];

AMD Athlon64 X2 6000+ Windsor Dual Core Socket AM2 64bit CPU, 3.0Ghz, 2x1MB L2 90nm 89w

Kingston HyperX 2GB (2x1GB) PC2-6400 800Mhz DDR2 Memory Kit - Dual Channel optimized w/Aluminum Heatspreaders - CL5-5-5-15

ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe nForce570 SLi Socket AM2 Mainboard, 4xDDR2-800/667/533, 2xPCI-Ex16, 2xPCI-Ex1, 3xPCI, 2xEIDE, 6xSATA300, 8Ch Audio, 2xGigabit LAN, 10xUSB2.0, 2x1394 Firewire, 2000 HT FSB, ATX

eVGA GeForce 8800GTS 640MB DDR3 PCI-Ex16 Graphics Card - Dual DVI, HDTV, Video-Out, 500Mhz GPU

Antec NeoPower 650w ATX Power Supply w/Blue Fan- SLi ready?
 
Ok you didn't answer our questions. Specifically the budget and monitor questions. You probably may have answered them before the forum outage but you should have answered them again since I don't think anyone will remember your specific situation.


So I'm gonna take a wild guess and say your budget is around $1000? If so, don't get an AMD build unless you're an AMD loyalist. An AMD build isn't really cost effective at that price point.

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 CPU - $200
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R Intel P35 Motherboard - $130
A-Data ADQVE1A16K 2 x 1GB DDR2 800 RAM - $80
EVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB PCI-E Video Card - $370
Corsair HX620 620W PSU - $147
------
Total: $927 plus tax and shipping.

Key differences between my build and yours:
- Better quality power supply
- Cheaper DDR2 800 RAM. Kingston high performance RAM is overpriced. Als you don't need high performance RAM with C2D CPUs.
- Faster Intel CPU
 
Danny Bui said:
Ok you didn't answer our questions. Specifically the budget and monitor questions. You probably may have answered them before the forum outage but you should have answered them again since I don't think anyone will remember your specific situation.


So I'm gonna take a wild guess and say your budget is around $1000? If so, don't get an AMD build unless you're an AMD loyalist. An AMD build isn't really cost effective at that price point.

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 CPU - $200
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R Intel P35 Motherboard - $130
A-Data ADQVE1A16K 2 x 1GB DDR2 800 RAM - $80
EVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB PCI-E Video Card - $370
Corsair HX620 620W PSU - $147
------
Total: $927 plus tax and shipping.

Key differences between my build and yours:
- Better quality power supply
- Cheaper DDR2 800 RAM. Kingston high performance RAM is overpriced. Als you don't need high performance RAM with C2D CPUs.
- Faster Intel CPU
Click to expand...


ill prefer to go with AMD i like the cpu and overall AMD isnt that bad, and i know that intel has a cpu thast better. but i also would like to get the AMD quad core for when ti is at a good price. But as for the budget I think i said before about $200 per part. I think the main thing now is the video card in which one is goign to be a good one that will last me a long time and be able to benefit from higer end, but wont cost a lot. If that makes any sence at all.
 
Ok then. But FYI, no one knows how well AMD quad cores will perform. Also, $200 per part is a bad plan because spending over $200 on RAM, when a $80 pair of RAM is all you need, is dumb. A $200 per part plan will lead to a very unbalanced system. It's better to just say $1000 total.

Since you're dead set on AMD, then I recommend going with this board instead:
Biostar TF560+ Nvidia nForce 560 Motherboard - $80

Since the above board is a socket AM2+ board, it will have a greater chance of supporting AMD's new quad core CPUs. At least in my reasoning anyway. Don't worry, you can use any socket AM2 CPU with any socket AM2+ motherboard. So that X2 6000+ should be good.

Other than that, same recommendations for RAM, PSU, and the Video card. We can help you better if you can better explain what you said earlier and tell us WHAT SIZE MONITOR DO YOU HAVE?
 
Go with the parts Danny listed.

What size monitor do you have? These are my minimum recommendations for gaming, taking price to performance into account:

15" - 17" (1024x768): 7600GT
17" - 19" (1280x1024 or 1440x900 ): 8800GTS 320MB or X1950GT
20" - 22" (1600x1200 or 1680x1050): 8800GTS 640MB or X1950XT
24" - 27" (1920x1200 or 1920x1080): 8800GTX or Ultra
30" (2550x1600): 8800Ultra, 8800GTX SLI, or 8800Ultra SLI
 
As for the monitor, I currently have a 17" but i am thinking about upgrading it, and gettign something bigger.

And for the Mobo, i dont think i really talked about it. I think i mentioned one but how does the one you mentioned compare to the Asus M2N deluxe mobo?
 
Well the deluxe does have the following that the TF560+ does not have:
- 3 extra SATA ports
- 1 eSATA ports
- Firewire port
- Extra LAN port
- SLI support

If all that is worth the extra $55, then go for it. Both overclock very nicely. However you only need SLI if you have or planning to get within the next year on 30" monitor, like enginurd has pointed out. And SLI is only worth it if you get 2 of the top video cards at the same time.
 
Danny Bui said:
Well the deluxe does have the following that the TF560+ does not have:
- 3 extra SATA ports
- 1 eSATA ports
- Firewire port
- Extra LAN port
- SLI support

If all that is worth the extra $55, then go for it. Both overclock very nicely. However you only need SLI if you have or planning to get within the next year on 30" monitor, like enginurd has pointed out. And SLI is only worth it if you get 2 of the top video cards at the same time.
Click to expand...

I would have to get them at the same time, compared to get one 8800 GTX and then a second one later:confused: I think it will be worth it, It leaves me room to upgrade if i want to a year or two from now. For a PSU what kind of watt psu should i get that will able to power the ill say the 8800 GTX, that Asus moobo, two hard drives and two cd optical drives{internal and i think in my sig] plus some lighting/fan cooling?
 
matt1147 said:
I would have to get them at the same time, compared to get one 8800 GTX and then a second one later:confused: I think it will be worth it, It leaves me room to upgrade if i want to a year or two from now. For a PSU what kind of watt psu should i get that will able to power the ill say the 8800 GTX, that Asus moobo, two hard drives and two cd optical drives{internal and i think in my sig] plus some lighting/fan cooling?
Click to expand...

Ok I'll clear things up for you. SLI is not cost effective. You see, usually there'll be a single video card that can perform roughly the same or better than two cards in SLI and will be significantly cheaper. For example two 8800GTX for about $1000 in SLI is equal in performance to an 8800 Ultra for $600.

Now you're probably thinking "I'll just buy one GTX now and another later. That'll give me a serious performance boost." That's a waste of money. At most you'll see a 30% increase when you buy that second GTX. Most likely by the time you buy that second GTX, it'll either be A) no longer be available for sale by most retail outlets, B) be outperformed by a newer card for the same or cheaper price, or C) all of the above.

Also, SLI is a good option if there is no single card available that offers the performance a person wants. Right now there is no single card that can beat two 8800 Ultra in SLI. However that may change when Nvidia's new G92 cards come out.

And if you haven't figured it out by now, you can only SLI two cards that are part of the same model line. So you can't SLI an 8800GTS with a GTX. In addition, you can't use a second monitor when SLI is enabled.

Oh and for power supplies, that Corsair PSU that I linked to should be more than enough for your needs.
 
Danny Bui said:
Ok I'll clear things up for you. SLI is not cost effective. You see, usually there'll be a single video card that can perform roughly the same or better than two cards in SLI and will be significantly cheaper. For example two 8800GTX for about $1000 in SLI is equal in performance to an 8800 Ultra for $600.

Now you're probably thinking "I'll just buy one GTX now and another later. That'll give me a serious performance boost." That's a waste of money. At most you'll see a 30% increase when you buy that second GTX. Most likely by the time you buy that second GTX, it'll either be A) no longer be available for sale by most retail outlets, B) be outperformed by a newer card for the same or cheaper price, or C) all of the above.

Also, SLI is a good option if there is no single card available that offers the performance a person wants. Right now there is no single card that can beat two 8800 Ultra in SLI. However that may change when Nvidia's new G92 cards come out.

And if you haven't figured it out by now, you can only SLI two cards that are part of the same model line. So you can't SLI an 8800GTS with a GTX. In addition, you can't use a second monitor when SLI is enabled.

Oh and for power supplies, that Corsair PSU that I linked to should be more than enough for your needs.
Click to expand...

yeah i know that i need two GTX's for sli along with the two monitors. So would it be wise just to spend the money on the 800 Ultra and then be good for a long time? This way i can always upgrade to a really good monitor later on.



The cosair PSU looks pretty good, this may sound dumb but I been wondering ill use teh one you are offering for the example. Would that psu you are offer at teh 620 Watt cost me more in eletricity every month then my current 460 Watt PSU?
 
matt1147 said:
yeah i know that i need two GTX's for sli along with the two monitors.
Click to expand...
What? If you have two monitors, only ONE will be on while SLI is enabled. SLI disables the 2nd monitor connected to the SLI setup.

matt1147 said:
Would that [CORSAIR] psu you are offer at teh 620 Watt cost me more in eletricity every month then my current 460 Watt PSU?
Click to expand...

No, because I'm pretty sure the Corsair is much more efficient than your Vantec 460W. So, it would actually use less power from the wall.
 
enginurd said:
What? If you have two monitors, only ONE will be on while SLI is enabled. SLI disables the 2nd monitor connected to the SLI setup.



No, because I'm pretty sure the Corsair is much more efficient than your Vantec 460W. So, it would actually use less power from the wall.
Click to expand...

sorry, yeah i understand teh sli/cant have two monitors deal.
 
matt1147 said:
yeah i know that i need two GTX's for sli along with the two monitors. So would it be wise just to spend the money on the 800 Ultra and then be good for a long time? This way i can always upgrade to a really good monitor later on.
Click to expand...

Yes and no. The Ultra would last you quite a while BUT Nvidia is supposedly releasing its new G92 video cards in november. They're supposedly faster, more refined versions of the 8800 series. So it wouldn't be a good time to buy such an expensive card now since the release of new cards is only two months away. Also, your budget doesn't allow for the Ultra and you only need the Ultra right now if you have a 30" monitor.

So with that said, if you're planning to build within this month, don't bother with the 8800 series and just get a cheap video card for now and then upgrade later this year to the new G92 video cards.. You only have a 17" monitor now so you don't even need any of the 8800 series right now. In fact the following video card is all you need at the moment for a 17" monitor:
Sapphire 100199L Radeon X1950GT 256MB PCI-E Video Card - $115

Save the money you would've spent on the GTS/GTX/Ultra and use it towards the new G92 video cards.
 
Danny Bui said:
Yes and no. The Ultra would last you quite a while BUT Nvidia is supposedly releasing its new G92 video cards in november. They're supposedly faster, more refined versions of the 8800 series. So it wouldn't be a good time to buy such an expensive card now since the release of new cards is only two months away. Also, your budget doesn't allow for the Ultra and you only need the Ultra right now if you have a 30" monitor.

So with that said, if you're planning to build within this month, don't bother with the 8800 series and just get a cheap video card for now and then upgrade later this year to the new G92 video cards.. You only have a 17" monitor now so you don't even need any of the 8800 series right now. In fact the following video card is all you need at the moment for a 17" monitor:
Sapphire 100199L Radeon X1950GT 256MB PCI-E Video Card - $115

Save the money you would've spent on the GTS/GTX/Ultra and use it towards the new G92 video cards.
Click to expand...


And after saying that lol. Would it better just to keep the video card now and just wait till later to get the video card? this way would i be able to still do all teh stuff i already do?
 
matt1147 said:
And after saying that lol. Would it better just to keep the video card now and just wait till later to get the video card? this way would i be able to still do all teh stuff i already do?
Click to expand...

Danny Bui said:
No. You have an AGP card and your new mobo only has PCI-E. So you're also going to have to buy a new video card as well. Or is that a PCI video card?
Click to expand...

If you still have an AGP card, you'll most likely still need a new one. I say go for the X1950GT for now and upgrade later.
 
enginurd said:
If you still have an AGP card, you'll most likely still need a new one. I say go for the X1950GT for now and upgrade later.
Click to expand...


Just to compare, How does the X1950GT compare to the 8800 GTX? And this new series of cards that will be better then the 8800 series, how would they cost compared to the 8800's?
 
No comparison. The GTX far outclasses the x1950GT. By a seriously large margin.

No idea on the pricing of the new G92 cards.
 
Danny Bui said:
No comparison. The GTX far outclasses the x1950GT. By a seriously large margin.

No idea on the pricing of the new G92 cards.
Click to expand...


kinda figured, that for performance. If i go with that card, or another ati card that is cheap and i can game a bit with it, would that have any effect on that cosair power supply that was mentioned earlier?
 
matt1147 said:
kinda figured, that for performance. If i go with that card, or another ati card that is cheap and i can game a bit with it, would that have any effect on that cosair power supply that was mentioned earlier?
Click to expand...

No. Might as well get a quality power supply for future upgrades.
 
I like the Corsair 520w/620w because they're modular, really quiet, and great quality.

If you need more power and don't need modular, I like the Sliverstone Zeus and Olympia lines, and the PC P&C 750 QUAD. If you want high power and modular, I think the Toughpower is your only option.
 
enginurd said:
I like the Corsair 520w/620w because they're modular, really quiet, and great quality.

If you need more power and don't need modular, I like the Sliverstone Zeus and Olympia lines, and the PC P&C 750 QUAD. If you want high power and modular, I think the Toughpower is your only option.
Click to expand...


Alrite, Modular is that were you get to plug the cables into the power supply, or am i mixing it up with something else?
 
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