upgradeing my main PC!

Kaun_IA

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ok, i need to upgrade my pc abit couse its been running 2+ years one the same motherboard and processor and ram.

atm i have :

P4 2,4ghz
SiS P4S8X series motherboard
Sapphire Radeon X800pro gfx (256mb ddr3 in it etc)
1x 256 PC2700 DDR SDRAM
1x 512 PC2700 DDR SDRAM
Integrated sound,lan card etc.

i can run daoc whit dr and cata client maxxed. whit cata models, full screen, 1280x1024 rezo whit fps about 25(when i record whit fraps fps stays the same) :) couse i play rvr solo, i dont have a problems really.

but i really need to get a better mobo and processor, and later on better ram allso.
thing is couse im uni student.. i dont have much to spend (about 250 euro :( )

is it possible to get a mobo and processor whit that kind of a budget?

id really like to get a AMD 64 system.

so, can enyone suggest a mob and processor whats better than i have atm (and use amd64) whitin the range. if possible. TY
 

eggy

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Kaun_IA said:
i can run daoc whit dr and cata client maxxed. whit cata models, full screen, 1280x1024 rezo whit fps about 25(when i record whit fraps fps stays the same) :) couse i play rvr solo, i dont have a problems really.

So why upgrade?
 

Kaun_IA

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couse system is old. need new parts. + i cant play other new games enymore whit good gfx. and i cant play fg vs fg very well and when a zerg is close i get huge fps lagg.

EDIT: and the new gfx of main citys is HUGE lagg
 

tris-

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upgrade GFX to something better.

get 2GB of the fastest RAM and lowest CL you can afford.
 

Kaun_IA

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tris- said:
upgrade GFX to something better.

get 2GB of the fastest RAM and lowest CL you can afford.

if i want new RAM i need to upgrade mobo, couse mine is old crap. :)

atm im trying to find good mobo and proze for a good price to boom value :p

and when i have again free money all ugrade ram.
 

Yeke

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http://www.asrock.com/product/939Dual-SATA2.htm

supports your agp card and future upgrade to pci-e (afaik the only board that does, so unless you want to buy a new pci-e gfx card as well this is pretty much the only way to go)
very nice price got mine for just over £40 and cpu for about £100 no idea on what that translates to euro's tho.
 

Kaun_IA

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that one seems very nice... might even concider it... and 939 socet is cool :) ty

been looking through some amd cpus.

AMD Athlon 64 3000+ (1800MHz) 512KB L2 cache Socket 939 inbox, Venice core

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (2000MHz) 512KB L2 cache socket 939

first one is bit more expensive. how do u calculate AMD speeds to intel speeds... so i know how fast i is compared.

like my p4 is 2,4ghz
 

confused

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I'm afraid with that budget and with those parts, best thing you can do is go for a new pci-e board with support for a 939 chip and get a pci-e 6600gt gfx card and 2 gigs of cheepish ram..Thing is that it'll have room for upgrading in the future, whereas agp doesn't look like it has any future atall..

processor: AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice 90nm (Socket 939) - Retail (ADA3200BPBOX) (CP-118-AM)
Mobo: Abit AV8 3RD Eye VIA K8T800 Pro (Socket 939) Motherboard (MB-053-AB)

Total £191.71
 

confused

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Forgot to say thats staying agp

Going PCI-E

Chip: AMD 3200+
Mobo: Asus A8V-E SE VIA K8T890 (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard
and gfx card XFX 6600gt 256mb

Total £312.67

and then add on ram

It's not really worth comparing the clock speeds between amds' and intels' its much easier to compare their performance / price
 

Yeke

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Did a quick google and read a few articles related to amd vs intel and in the most basic way if you go for either of the cpu's you mentioned your new cpu will outperform your old one even though obviosly rated at a lower speed.

confused - both your suggestions go over his budget the first gets him stuck with agp gfx the second is double his budget 0o the board I posted supports both agp AND pci-e.
 

confused

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Yeke said:
Did a quick google and read a few articles related to amd vs intel and in the most basic way if you go for either of the cpu's you mentioned your new cpu will outperform your old one even though obviosly rated at a lower speed.

confused - both your suggestions go over his budget the first gets him stuck with agp gfx the second is double his budget 0o the board I posted supports both agp AND pci-e.
just reaslised he said euros :p
 

Kaun_IA

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so far im allmost sure im gonna go whit the board that Yeke suggested :)

but still deciding on the cpus
 

Konah

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tris- said:
upgrade GFX to something better.

get 2GB of the fastest RAM and lowest CL you can afford.

agree, processor is fine i think, you just need 1gb of good ram minimum. as for gfx, save the cost and get atitool which should safely boost your current card by 10-25%. also make sure bios and ram timings are set right, a good guide here: tom's
 

Kaun_IA

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thing is i dont just play behind that comp, i allso do some work.... atm my laptop has way better cpu and ram :p

i think my gfx is good for now... just want the cpu and mobo better... couse eventually i need to upgrade enyway.

ok, now what i wanted to ask.... on this http://www.asrock.com/product/939Dual-SATA2.htm what was suggested by Yeke, i found this....

- 1 x AGP8X/4X slot , 1.5V only

cant find eny speccs on my gfx that says what voltage its running on... i very sure its 1,5 but not 100%. if thats true.. ill buy that mobo.
 

confused

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Afaik most cards run on approx 1.5v, so I can't see why yours shouldn't.
 

Bonelamencer

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Yeke said:
http://www.asrock.com/product/939Dual-SATA2.htm

supports your agp card and future upgrade to pci-e
x800pro IS pci-e card fyi
9800pro - is with agp

1) Get a NF4 mobo,supporting dual channel and having 4 RAM slots,and buy 2nd 512mb and 2nd 256 pc2700 RAM chips for it(so you will get 1.5gb running in dual channel,it's more then enough for DR client tho).
2) Change ur processor(get with venice core if you are going to overclock it).
 

Kaun_IA

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isnt agp 4x 1,5volt and agp 8x 0.8volt ???

ah well, it says it has agp 8... so it must runn it :)


ok, now to the cpu. im gonna list a few that i might conncider and are available in my country.. so i dont have to order :). couse im still bit confused about the nrs and etc... (found a way how to calculate the acctaul speed, but that confused me even more), prices are calculate to the lates currency excahnge rates... :p

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (2000MHz) 512KB L2 cache socket 939 (144€, 99£)
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ (1800MHz) 512KB L2 cache inbox Socket 939 (150€, 103£)
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ (1800MHz) 512KB L2 cache Socket 939, Venice core (150€, 103£)
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ (1800MHz) 512KB L2 cache Socket 939 inbox, Venice core (161€ , 110£)
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (2200MHz) 512KB L2 cache Socket 939 inbox, Venice core (172€, 118£)

atm all i could tell, the more it costs = better it is!! or is it?

sry to annoy u guys whit my computer noobness :p thx for the help sofar... have learnt meny things what comes to computer parts :)
 

Kaun_IA

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Bonelamencer said:
x800pro IS pci-e card fyi
9800pro - is with agp

1) Get a NF4 mobo,supporting dual channel and having 4 RAM slots,and buy 2nd 512mb and 2nd 256 pc2700 RAM chips for it(so you will get 1.5gb running in dual channel,it's more then enough for DR client tho).
2) Change ur processor(get with venice core if you are going to overclock it).

my x800pro is AGP :) rare breed
 

Bonelamencer

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Kaun_IA said:
isnt agp 4x 1,5volt and agp 8x 0.8volt ???

ah well, it says it has agp 8... so it must runn it :)


ok, now to the cpu. im gonna list a few that i might conncider and are available in my country.. so i dont have to order :). couse im still bit confused about the nrs and etc... (found a way how to calculate the acctaul speed, but that confused me even more), prices are calculate to the lates currency excahnge rates... :p

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (2000MHz) 512KB L2 cache socket 939 (144€, 99£)
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ (1800MHz) 512KB L2 cache inbox Socket 939 (150€, 103£)
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ (1800MHz) 512KB L2 cache Socket 939, Venice core (150€, 103£)
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ (1800MHz) 512KB L2 cache Socket 939 inbox, Venice core (161€ , 110£)
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (2200MHz) 512KB L2 cache Socket 939 inbox, Venice core (172€, 118£)

atm all i could tell, the more it costs = better it is!! or is it?

sry to annoy u guys whit my computer noobness :p thx for the help sofar... have learnt meny things what comes to computer parts :)
Signal is 1.5v for all x8 and the latest x4 versions afaik. 0.8v is key(connector) voltage,you don't have to look at it.

InBox means the cpu is with cooler so you don't have to buy a new one.AMD inbox coolers are pretty good so buy an inbox version.

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (2200MHz) 512KB L2 cache Socket 939 inbox, Venice core (172€, 118£)
there is something wrong cos it should be rated as 3500+ or having 775 socket.
 

Yeke

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The 1.5v should be plenty in regard to cpu's just take the best one you can afford thats inbox/retail.

x800's come in agp and pci-e varitys I bothered to google his motherboard before replying.

and yeah the last 3200+ is labeled incorectly as bonelamencer says.
 

Kaun_IA

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i just copy/pasted those :D

guess ppl dont know what they are selling

there are actually 4 shops selling it :/
and i googled it... coulnt find enything whit those nrs whit that socket.

i decided to choose this one: AMD Athlon 64 3000+ (1800MHz) 512KB L2 cache Socket 939 inbox, Venice core (161€ , 110£)

thx for the help :)
 

confused

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Even if that is correct, an agp 8x card will run fine on an agp 4x slot, just slighty slower
 

Tualatin

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Wait with your CPU Upgrade tbh, Intel is gonna launch their new horses very soon, and they will (or alraedy have) lowered their prices alot. AMD can't stay behind with prices, so they will have too. So in about 2 months the new-gen cpu's are out for same prices as current models, and those you wanna buy now are waaay cheaper.

And for your intell vs amd question, in general:
intel louder, due to more heat
amd more performance per watt, and mhz

intell better for dual logging, and multitasking. Unless you wanna get a dualcore CPU, then i'd go AMD.

However, The new / next intell cpu's are said to be atleast 20% better then amd's. So, always a hard choise to make. But if you wanna go AMD, be sure to get the latest core version (Venice i think), cuz i got screwed over on that.
 

Hawkwind

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Tualatin said:
However, The new / next intell cpu's are said to be atleast 20% better then amd's. So, always a hard choise to make. But if you wanna go AMD, be sure to get the latest core version (Venice i think), cuz i got screwed over on that.

/agree but when you consider the cost vs performance it just is not worth buying the latest and greatest. Only one good reason for waiting for the new cores - they drop prices of the slightly older ones.

RAM, Graphics Cards and HDD's have a far bigger impact on gaming performance than getting the latest processor.

One point worth remembering is to buy RAM in matched sets and don't buy the cheap stuff. Get good brands like Crucial/Kingston/Kingmax.....Also do some research once you have found some MOBO's/RAM/Graphx Cards in your price range. Tom's Hardware is a great resource and there are plenty more.

http://www.tomshardware.com/motherboard/index.html

http://www.overclockers.com/

http://www.beyond3d.com/forum/

Good hunting.
 

Kaun_IA

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computer parts wil get cheaper enyway :) its the thing whit computers is that when u want to buy something new for yourself, you know it will be cheaper in a few months....if u wait, ull find petter parts at the same price... and then think it will be cheaper in a few months :p if u keep going like that u will never buy enything at all!

duallogg inst a problem couse i dont :p i have a laptop for the second acc.

its really hard to play newer games whit the current cpu i have... i have run 3dmark on my gfx and it has very good scores, but when i test my cpu... pfff.
 

Kaun_IA

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ok, this is what im going to buy. found the cheapest shops in my country. mobo is in shop and the cpu will be here tomorrow.

ASRock 939Dual-SATA2 Socket 939, ULi M1695/2000FSB/8xAGP/PCI-E x16/PCI-E x1/3xPCI/4xDDR400, 2xATA/2xSATA/1xSATA II, 8-ch sound, SATA RAID 0.1, LAN, ATX

thats the one that Yeke proposed. im takeing this couse i couldnt find eny nforce 4 mobos that have agp and are in my price range.

AMD Athlon 64 3000+ (1800MHz) 512KB L2 cache Socket 939 inbox, Venice core

the best cpu i can buy for the money i have atm. + i got offer from a m8 to help me overclock it a bit.


2x Kingston DDRAM PC-3200 400MHz 512MB CL 2,0 HyperX

and this will be my next buy. about 70€ per one. i read somewhere that pc3200 is one of the best choises for amd64....

i found out i need to change my powersuply.... couse the vent if fucked somehow. atm i have aopen 400w .... but the vent is too loud and i have to oil it often. zZzZzZzzzz
 

Yeke

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Aye, thats the thing whith hardware always something cheaper or faster just around the corner, imo the key is balancing what you can afford with whats available while allowing yourself the best options for future upgrades.

If you wait for the next "big thing" you could just as well end up waiting for the next "big thing" once the original "big thing" arives :p
 

Hawkwind

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Agreed on the pricing but do you go for the $500 latest or the $300 6 month old. You have to weigh up the benefits against costs. All depends on your budget.

If for instance I had only 1000 GBP to spend I would probably be thinking 300 for processor, 100 for MOBO, 100 for 1Gb Ram (2 x 512 matched). Leaving 500 for two graphics cards to SLi. No way could I sneak in the latest AMD or Intel cores without letting something else go.

You stated your budget is less than 300 euros. Bearing in mind that a half decent MOBO is gonna be 100 Euros and 2 matched RAM DIMMs* are going to be in the region of 110-150 Euros it does not leave much for your processor.

The Athlon 64 3000+ is a good buy at current prices.

I do have two boxed 256 Mb DDR 400 Kingmax 'Ultimate Speed' sitting on a shelf doing bugger all. If you want them I would be happy to give them away to a good home :) I had them as a trial pair to test on Athlon MOBO's. They work fine.

pm me with an e-mail address (to get your rl address) and I'll get them Fed Ex'd to you. 512 Mb will be fine for general play as long as your not dual logging.

P/N is MPXB62D-38KT3R

http://www.kingmax.com/support/Kingmax_DDR_SO-DIMM.pdf

Note * most MOBO's do not work with a single DIMM you normally have to have a two matched DIMMs due to the way the memory is addressed.
 

Tualatin

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One more thing about the memory, don't focus too much on Brand-A's. The performance gain (without overclocking) is at most 2%, but you pay up to 4 times as much. If you go overclocking however, brand-a matched is what you want.
 

Bonelamencer

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Kaun_IA said:
2x Kingston DDRAM PC-3200 400MHz 512MB CL 2,0 HyperX

and this will be my next buy. about 70€ per one. i read somewhere that pc3200 is one of the best choises for amd64....
Yeah, DDR400 is the fastest RAM AMD supports cos it doesn't support DDR533/667/800/1000 yet.

I wouldn't recomend to buy CL2 RAM for budget systems since you will get like 5% boost in performance max,compared to CL2.5RAM,but will pay 2x more for the RAM.New mentioned mobo should support PC2700 RAM too i guess so buy 256 and 512 PC2700 memory sticks and ask ur friend to put em in dual channel mode.Don't think the difference between 1gb pc3200 CL2 and 1.5GB pc2700 CL2.5(3) will be noticable.
 

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