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What cpu is best?

A

apex32

2[H]4U
Joined
Jul 19, 2005
Messages
2,618
Ok right now im running a pathetic p4 1.8 and a 6600gt. I think its time to upgrade. Waht im wondering is should i get a amd 64 3500+ venice and abit mobo and keep my AGP 6600gt or do a total remodel and get a pci-e 7800gt or a used 6800gt and spend all my cash (not looking forward to being broke). I play lots of games and multi task but cant afford an x2. also what do i gain wit h a 3500 vs a 3200 since the difference is only .2ghz clock speed. The mobo i was looking at getting if i do go pci-e is a Abit and it seems perfect for me.
 
I would go with an Athlon 64 3000 venice (1.8ghz) and OC it to 2.2. Right now they sell at newegg for under $130. You can achieve this with stock cooling quite effortlessly as long you don't have the worst value ram out there.

Depending on what is it that you look for in gaming performance(eye candy = upgrade video card , FPS increase = upgrade CPU). The processor upgrade will give you the best bang for you money IMHO.
 
I would upgrade your cpu first, 3000+ is a very good suggestion too. The 6600GT can still hold its own for alittle while longer, but that cpu youve got now really cant.
 
normal or a little advanced settings is fine with me i just want above60 fps all the time. but is a 3000+ good enough? and if i get a 3500+ can i keep my 6600gt and still get more than 60fps all the time. and what about pci-e or agp should i switch now when its the best timing or should i stay agp ?

EDIT: Also what about dropping a p4 3.2 HT into my current system? wouldthat hold mw for a few years? even though its about $225 (overpriced?)
 
Honestly, I'd go PCI-E with a 3000 venice OC or go 3200.. No reason to stay with agp when you can get 7800Gt's for 270AR :). What does everyone else think?
 
apex32 said:
normal or a little advanced settings is fine with me i just want above60 fps all the time. but is a 3000+ good enough? and if i get a 3500+ can i keep my 6600gt and still get more than 60fps all the time. and what about pci-e or agp should i switch now when its the best timing or should i stay agp ?
Click to expand...

The 3000+ is enough yes, but if you can afford the 3500+ by all means get that. I think thats the most important thing for your situation first, is the cpu, then the vid card.
 
Ok but if i get a cpy i need a new mobo and if im going to go pci-esometime should i do it now? the problem is my card is agp. im in quite a fix
 
So should i spend the money and go to pci-e or stay agp is what my problem is now as it seems.
 
Most benchmarks show very little difference between a 3000+ and even an FX-57.
It's maybe a 3-5 fps advantage with a super processor at most.
Spend the money you saved on the best videocard you can afford,
The 7800 is worth it over a 6600. Get a 3000+ and overclock. Very little difference compared to a 3500+.
 
Stereophile said:
Most benchmarks show very little difference between a 3000+ and even an FX-57.
Click to expand...

LOL...that was kind of funny :).

But anyway, it depends on if the game is GPU or CPU limited. A game that is CPU limited will take more advantage of a faster CPU ;). Other tasks other than gaming (encoding, etc.) will take more advantage of a faster CPU.

I do agree that a cheaper processor and more money spent on a video card is the way to go for games ;).
 
so if i get a 3000+ or a 3200+ ... my same question remains should i go Pci-e or save money and stay agp?
 
apex32 said:
so if i get a 3000+ or a 3200+ ... my same question remains should i go Pci-e or save money and stay agp?
Click to expand...

PCIe ftw :).
 
now should i get a used 6800gt or a 7800gt? im not hardcore i just want something to last me that will perform average
 
Depends on how much you want to spend. 7800GT for $300 is a good deal, but if you can get a 6800GT for maybe $200 you might want to think about it.
 
kirbyrj said:
LOL...that was kind of funny :).

But anyway, it depends on if the game is GPU or CPU limited. A game that is CPU limited will take more advantage of a faster CPU ;). Other tasks other than gaming (encoding, etc.) will take more advantage of a faster CPU.

I do agree that a cheaper processor and more money spent on a video card is the way to go for games ;).
Click to expand...


Yeah I phrased that badly. Of course I meant game benchmarks. Most of the comparisons I've seen show maybe 5-10 % difference at most between a 3000+ and an FX-57. Whereas, like you and I mentioned, a videocard upgrade is more bang for the buck. Not to mention even a lowly 3000+ will oc to 2.4 easily. :)
 
looks like newegg sold their last 3000+'s

ah well u still got the 3200+ :)
 
Keyser0804 said:
wow, no one said opty
Click to expand...

I know, weird. I was planning on purchasing a opty 148 from newegg tomorrow, then decided on a mb... wtf.

I mean wouldn't a 148 @ 2.8ghz dominate almost anything?
 
I know this is not the place but I am looking to sell my bfg 6800gtOC (PCI express)
 
Right now the best bang for the buck in the video card area seems to be the 6800GS. I would personnally get at least a 1mb cache CPU like the 3700+ SanDiego if you stick in the single core. If you can't afford it, get a 3000+ and overclock the hell out of it.

One thing is nice to know when recommending some hardware upgrade is how much you are willing to throw. Without knowing this, everyone will recommend a FX-57 and dual 7800GTX 512mb :p I usually ask people to let us know how much they want to spend and with this it is easier the get the best hardware to fit that budget.

Para
 
well i can get a 3500+ and a nice mobo. im just not sure if its worth the hassle to go to pci-e and get a new card because my 6600gt isnt all that bad with a good cpu it can run things decent enough for a weekend warrior, you know?
 
I dont really agree with the whole agp = 8 track mentality. Sure pci-e is good, and forced on us as the newer better mobos generaly only have pci-e. Beyond that, I went from a 6600gt agp and an amd 2500+ barton mobile with a light overclock to my setup now (sig), and the performance increase wasnt what I expected for an upgrade from a $130 video card to a $250 video card. Maybe its me, but my $.02
 
If you do get the Asrock 939Dual make sure you don't have one of those power supplies with the 24 pin setup. I just bought this mobo and the way they designed the power supply plug drives me crazy. :mad: There is one large capacitor that sits LITERALLY right next to the power supply plug on the mobo. My Antec 430Watt True Power Supply has the ability to switch between 20pin and 24 pin. That is not the issue. The issue is that there is an extra bit of plastic on the end which forces me to push the capacitor out of the way when installing the power supply. I've pushed the capacitor to the point where it feels like if I push it anymore it might break. I will probably buy a 24pin to 20 pin adaptor/converter from Fry's very soon or just buy a new power supply altogether.

Btw - I'm not an overclocker but this system runs fast and quiet with 3000+ Venice. Installation and setup was a breeze! :) And...I'm set for the future with the ability to run PCI-e while I use my old AGP vid card.
 
awesome. and i have the same thing but ill just buy an adaptor or push it out carefully and only once and leave it alone. Thanks though. how is it performance wise ive heard it isnt as fast as a normal 8x agp slot? is that true?
 
apex32:

What is your budget cap for a cpu/mobo/gpu upgrade?
 
300 ish. but im keeping my 6600gt if possible i mean i could sell my card and put money from my bank account and get a nice videocard but i was hoping not to thats why i like this mobo
 
ASRock is a great mobo for the price... I've heard it does full agp 8x, can anyone else confirm?
 
see, thats waht i am worried about. i dont ant to lose performance...
 
Yes its 8x, and you wont lose any performance. Mine arrives tommarrow.
 
I recommend the following:

CPU: Athlon64 3200+ $166
Motherboard: DFI NF4 Ultra Infinity $96 + $2 s/h
GPU: eVGA 6800GS $205 + $4 s/h *OR* eVGA 7800GT CO $299 + $5 s/h

You're looking at a total of $473 to $568.

Sell your old parts on eBay...I just sold my 2 eVGA 6600GTs and they went for over $100 each! Depending on your feedback score, figure about $100 for your 6600GT, and maybe $50 to $100 for the cpu/motherboard.

Let us know if this is still over your budget plan.

[EDIT]:
Here's a nice review of the 6800GS and how it compares to other cards, including the 6600GT and 7800GTX 512MB.
 
apex32 said:
what are u gonna run on it?
Click to expand...

A64 3200+, x800pro AGP. Same as sig minus the crappy piece of shit K8N (both boards have failed me, its been RMA'd the last time).
 
Stereophile said:
Most benchmarks show very little difference between a 3000+ and even an FX-57.
It's maybe a 3-5 fps advantage with a super processor at most.
Spend the money you saved on the best videocard you can afford,
The 7800 is worth it over a 6600. Get a 3000+ and overclock. Very little difference compared to a 3500+.
Click to expand...

You are definately over exaggerating your point. The benches typically show an increase right up until around teh 3500+. After that, the differences aren't very pronounced.

Now if you are saying that you won't notice a huge difference between a 3000+ and a FX-57, you would be a little closer to the truth. The reality of it is, I was able to tell a difference in most (but not all games) between my 2.0GHz Opteron 246's and my 2.8GHz Opteron 254's. It was a difference I could not only feel, but test in benchmarks.
 
For a casual gamer a 3000+ or a 3200+ will serve just fine i have no complaints about mine except it takes for ever to rip dvds but then thats what my intel is for
 
Sir-Fragalot said:
You are definately over exaggerating your point. The benches typically show an increase right up until around teh 3500+. After that, the differences aren't very pronounced.

Now if you are saying that you won't notice a huge difference between a 3000+ and a FX-57, you would be a little closer to the truth. The reality of it is, I was able to tell a difference in most (but not all games) between my 2.0GHz Opteron 246's and my 2.8GHz Opteron 254's. It was a difference I could not only feel, but test in benchmarks.
Click to expand...
QFT. I noticed and could "feel" the difference between my Venice 3000+ stock speed of 1800MHz and oc'd to 2400MHz. 800MHz on a AMD64 makes a hell of a difference in Windows/apps!
 
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