Yet another system build. Advice only needed!

T

Trick414

n00b
Joined
Jun 9, 2004
Messages
17
Heya all!

I need some help on upgrading my current system. I've been an AMD guy for the past several years (about 1998). However, at least from what I can tell, right now at this very minute, Intel might be the way to go. In any case... can anyone see any problems with the upgrade I've spec'ed below from Newegg? Primarily, I want to jump into "Vista Ready" as well as playing BF2142 a bit better:


ASUS P5B-E Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard -$150.99

BFG Tech BFGR76256GTOCE GeForce 7600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card $143.99

Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz LGA 775 Processor Model $218.00

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL4D-2GBPK - $249.99

(This was about a week ago, so the prices may have changed some)

For a bit of extra money, can anyone think of any changes? I mean real price/performance changes. I've been out of the loop for the last year or so, but I tried to catch up. So, if anything really stands out, please let me know.

Thanks!


Current specs:
AMD Athlon 64 3000
MSI K8T
1GB RAM
GeForce 6600GT
250GB Hard Drive
nothing else really important

---Trick414
 
The 7600GT is about $115 after MIR. Still think think the 7900GS is a better deal? (Serious question... I don't know and haven't researched it yet... not trying to be flippant.)

The memory you show is DDR vs. DDR2. Am I missing something? (Again, serious question, I very probably am making a mistake.)

The HD is a non-event at this point. Thank you for the suggestion though.

Thanks!

---Trick414
 
I'd go for the cheaper g.skill ram. If you plan on upgrading to a dx10 card in about 6months or so, the 7600gt is fine. If you'd like the card to last a bit longer, go for the 7900gs. Also, these core2duo's overclock very easily, so you could save $40 by goin with the E6300 instead, which can OC to E6400 speeds easily. If you plan on running the fsb at 400Mhz, then you'll need an aftermarket cooler. I'd suggest the Sunbeam Tuniq Tower, Scythe Ninja Plus, or Zalman CNPS9500. Oh, and dont forget some AS5. If you'd like to OC without an aftermarket hsf, the E6300 can reach 2.6Ghz and the E6400 can reach 2.8Ghz -- on stock intel cooling. Just some things to think about ;)
 
Thanks for the replies! I knew I'd get into something that would be better than the bit of catching up I tried to do...

So, I don't need to get the DDR2 vs. the DDR memory? The 30 bucks isn't the issue. I'm talking about REAL price/performance issues.

I'm sure I'll upgrade to a DX10 within the next year. So, the 140 bucks now doesn't seem to be a big deal.

Overall, it's not that I'm worried about the price. Primarily, I just don't want to dump money on stupid stuff.

Thanks!

---Trick414
 
you're in almost the same bag as me. I have pretty much the same system as you now and want almost the same system, but i'm going with an 8800GTS.

First off, you have to use DDR2 with c2d processors (unless you have one of those hybrids). I've heard that the mobo you chose is one of the best for c2d, so you'll need ddr2 to go with it.

Save a little money and get the E6300. The 6400 just has a higher multiplier, but with DDR800 ram, you're pretty much set for 3ghz if you know what you're doing. I think it's safe to say that 2.5ghz is easy as pie on a E6300.
 
Heh, the difference between the g.skills you originally posted and the ones tisb0b are talkin about is basically the timing (both are DDR2-800). The more expensive (PK) sticks have 4-4-4-12 timings and need 2.0-2.1v while the NQ sticks have 5-5-5-15 timings and need 1.8-2.0v. The lower timings won't be noticeable in real world usage. The voltage requirements are notable because some boards have issues if the ddr2 ram isn't 1.8v. Both kits can OC nicely. Lower timings, in general, aren't really worth it with DDR2. Also, DDR2 seems to OC much easier than DDR, just feed it some voltage and relax the timings. The higher timing is more than compensated by the higher speed.
 
I should have mentioned that OC'ing isn't an issue here. Though I have lurked here for 8 years or so, I don't venture into the OC arena much. I like quiet and stock... I did mess about with a watercooled Coolance system for a bit, but simply for quiet.

Anyway, I had read about the voltage requirements on the RAM at some point. I thought the ones I originally spec'ed would fit the bill, but if the cheaper ones will work with that MB then even better. Again, it's not about the price so much as what will work.

I'll switch to the E6300 if that is a better deal. When I compared them a week or two ago it seemed that the E6400 was the sweet spot. But, I do remember that it was a toss-up for price/performance. It seemed like a few extra bucks (20 or 30) for one bump up, but the next bump was significantly higher. I'll take a look again.

So, if I am going to upgrade around the video card around, say, June 07 with Vista, should I go with a better video card than the 7600GT?

Thanks again!

---Trick414
 
If you're not OC'ing, you might want to go for the E6600 instead. However, the E6300 should meet your needs just fine. If you feel like you need a performance boost, then these chips are easy to OC, and do so well that you'll wonder why you didnt OC it earlier.

If you plan on upgrading the vidcard in June, I'd stick with the 7600GT. The cheaper DX10 nvidia cards are due out in march/april, or so I've heard. This is really a personal preference thing. If you want better performance between now and june, the 7900GS is a great choice. Though, seeing as how you're coming from a 6600GT, the 7600GT should suffice until June.
 
I'm not on the buying cycle but the only thing that popped into my head when reading the OP was from this line

"nothing else really important"

Just wanted to make sure you have a good PSU... I know you wont be OCing but its still really really good to have a solid PSU

Cheers
 
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