Yet another "double check this upgrade" post

T

Tim James

Limp Gawd
Joined
Feb 27, 2007
Messages
313
I have:

AMD 4000+
2 GB RAM
Random MSI motherboard with sound
ATI X1950PRO
160GB HDD
Corsair 520HX

In order to "max out" Clear Sky, Fallout 3, etc. I want to get:

E8400
2 GB RAM? (Corsair rebates make this so cheap I could go for 4 GB)
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L
MSI 4850 (just for the free copy of The Witcher)

HDD will be upgraded later, PSU should work. Old components going in a HTPC. Case cooling is adequate. Hoping to avoid aftermarket coolers this time around on the CPU and video card -- I just didn't get into overclocking as much as I thought. Two important things to keep in mind: I'm sticking with XP for now, though I may dual-boot Vista for Clear Sky DX10 effects. And I am keeping my CRT so my maximum resolution is only 1600x1200.

Does any of this seem unbalanced, given my constraints? I figured a nice CPU will help at those low resolutions.
 
So, do you plan on OC'ing at all or no? Do you want a quiet CPU HSF or no? If you want to OC and/or you want a quiet CPU HSF, you'll be better served by an aftermarket CPU HSF, such as the following:

$37 - XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler (highly recommended: $7 Xigmatek Bolt-Thru-Kit)

Just so you know, these Intel Core2 chips are so much easier to OC than those AthlonX2's were. You can EASILY reach 3.6Ghz on an E8400 with DDR2-800 RAM. With a bit more work and some DDR2-1000 or just OC that DDR2-800, you can reach 4Ghz+ with good air cooling, such as the Xigmatek.

Ditch the P35 DS3L for the P43 DS3L instead.

I'd suggest going with a 2x2GB kit instead of 4x1GB. Using all 4 DIMM slots on the board will put added stress on the MCH, which will require more voltage/power consumption which leads to more heat. The side effect of this is a slightly limited OC threshold, for the entire system.

$85 - G.Skill 4GB(2x2GB) DDR2-1000 F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ
 
I don't plan on overclocking, but may dabble with it. Last time I started to get into it, but then got busy playing games and enjoying the computer. The AMD 4000+ (single core) has a mild overclock on it right now. Didn't bother with the video card.

I could see myself getting a HSF later when I upgrade the HDD. (A little white noise doesn't bother me on stock fans.) At that point I will play with overclocking. I just hestitate to spend the money again right away because I haven't used the ones I bought for my current PC.

Though those will come in plenty handy when I move the old components to a HTPC out in the living room, where the cooling situation will be more difficult.

Why do you recommend that upgraded Gigabyte board? Is the new southbridge that important? The rest of the specs don't interest me.

I'd like to stick with Corsair because they have a pretty good rebate plan going on. No brand loyalty or anything, I'm just nickle-and-diming it.
 
I'd go for the Asus P5Q Pro + Asus HD4850 combo (2nd on this page). You're getting a great deal on a much nicer mobo. And 4GB RAM if you can afford it, even if you're sticking with XP for now.
 
Toaster Oven said:
I'd go for the Asus P5Q Pro + Asus HD4850 combo (2nd on this page). You're getting a great deal on a much nicer mobo. And 4GB RAM if you can afford it, even if you're sticking with XP for now.
Click to expand...
I wanted the MSI video card for The Witcher, which I planned to buy. That's basically another $30 on top of that combo price, at least in parts buying logic. :)

I think I'll grab the 4 GB of RAM. I doubt it will get that much cheaper than now.
 
Just curious where are you getting the MSI 4850 from? I don't see it bundled with Witcher on Newegg anymore, though maybe I just missed it.
 
Tim James said:
Why do you recommend that upgraded Gigabyte board? Is the new southbridge that important? The rest of the specs don't interest me.
Click to expand...

Buying a PCIe 1.0 board when you can get a PCIe 2.0 board for very little more (and a newer chipset, which will generally net some small benefit on its own) doesn't make sense. Simple as that.
 
Tim James said:
... I'd like to stick with Corsair because they have a pretty good rebate plan going on. ...
Click to expand...

Keep this in mind: Mail-In-Rebates are NEVER guaranteed. There's always a risk, so if you can avoid them, do so. There's a reason manufacturers still use them instead of instant rebates... its because they can deny some, save some cash, and get away with it as long as they pay out most of the submissions.
 
True, but it's all psychological for me. If I can get the price under a magic number including rebates, I worry a lot less about spending the money! :)
 
silent-circuit said:
Buying a PCIe 1.0 board when you can get a PCIe 2.0 board for very little more (and a newer chipset, which will generally net some small benefit on its own) doesn't make sense. Simple as that.
Click to expand...

QFT. PCI-E 2.0 might be needed/useful for future upgrades so best err on the side of caution and go with the P43/P45 motherboard.
 
Tim James said:
True, but it's all psychological for me. If I can get the price under a magic number including rebates, I worry a lot less about spending the money! :)
Click to expand...

Just wait until some rebates get denied, lol, or you realize you don't send in every single one... or that you never get your check. You have control of your mind, so you could actually skip all that, lol. :p
 
I think I'm set. Gigabyte P45, 4 gigs of RAM, E8400, MSI 4850. $555 shipped before rebates. For the benefit of a total lack of research and agonizing over hot deals, I'll take it!!!
 
Damn, Newegg changed their free video game deal with the 4850 cards. Now it's only GRID, which I'm sure is a fine game I never would have purchased, but it's not what I wanted. :( I even asked the Newegg rep to replace it, but no luck.
 
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