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Decisions, Decisions.

W

Wraith0078

Junior Member
Okay. Time to update my system.

I currently have the following:
Athlon XP 2500+ @ 2.04GHz
AGP GeForce 6600GT @ 580/1020
512 MB Corsair XMS 3200 that has gone bad and won't run above ~360MHz
Asus A7N8X Deluxe.

I'm trying to choose between the following. (prices are from newegg.)

Choice 1:
Epox 9NPA+ Ultra - 95.00
A64 3800+ Dual Core (Manchester) - 374.00
1GB (512x2) OCZ EL Platinum Rev 2 - 171.39
Leadtek GeForce 6800GT - 288.00
Total - 928.39

Choice 2:
Epox 9NPA+ Ultra - 95.00
A64 3200+ (Venice) - 190.00
1GB (512x2) OCZ EL Platinum Rev 2 - 171.39
MSI NX7800GTX - 465.00
Total - 921.39

I'm also a little up in the air on the motherboard. Between the Abit KN8 Ultra and the Epox 9NPA+ Ultra above. The Abit is $3.00 more.

Which would be better and why?
 
Hi Wraith0078 and Welcome to the Forums!

As to which configuration to choose, I think it depends largely upon the intended use. For example, I'm a FPS gamer who doesn't multi task while playing, and since I have only dial-up where I live just play single-player missions. So...

I feel no need whatsoever for a dual core CPU and would prefer the rig with 7800GTX. Plus I'm an OCer and would have a crack at jacking up that Venice core (although no real need as CPU bottlenecking in gaming is overstated).

My .02

Fern
 
dont buy dual core unless your really gonna use it if your a gamer its a waste get singel but if u actually will use dual core than get it.
 
Consensus with everyone I've talked to seems to be to go with the single core and considering the primary use will be gaming, I'm leaning more in that direction.

With that in mind, I've revised what I'm considering to the following. I realize any of the three choices would blow my current system out of the water, but this one splits the difference of the previous two and is cheaper.

Abit KN8 Ultra - 98.00
A64 3500+ (Venice) - 219.00
1GB (512x2) OCZ EL Platinum Rev 2 - 171.39
MSI NX7800GT - 369.00
Total - 857.39
 
nah, there is no point in buying a 3500+. just get the 3200 or even 3000 and overclock it. if you game, the biggest factor is the video card. the cpu doesnt have too much of an effect. the 7800gtx will kill the 6800gt. if you arent multi tasking at all, or you can live without it, just go for the 3200+. also, if you have a smaller monitor that only supports lower resolutions, the 7800gtx would be sort of a waste because it really pulls ahead of the pack at resolutions 16x12 or higher.
 
1. Single core is perfectly fine
2. Whatever A64 CPU you get, get a Venice core for OCing
3. Splurge and get a good graphics card. A 7800GTX would be nice, but you could get a 6800 and unlock the pipelines.


 
Yeah. The amount of multitasking I do is handled fine by my current system.

You suppose I'd have better luck overclocking the 3000 or the 3200? I would imagine I'd get more bang for my buck out of the 3000.

Does video card manufacturer still make much of a difference anymore? Namely Albatron vs MSI vs eVGA.
 
Okay. This is the final revision of my wishlist. Should be relatively future-proofed.

MSI K8N Neo4/SLI - 124.00 (99.00 after mail in rebate that I'll probably never see.)
A64 3000+ (Venice) - 146.00
1GB (512x2) OCZ EL Platinum Rev 2 - 171.39
Albatron 7800GTX - 459.00
Total - 900.39

I decided to go with the SLI board so I can get another GTX down the road, should the need arise.

Now for payday to get here......
 
 
Get 2x1GB of RAM. Should cost around $230'ish. That'll serve you much better with the insane RAM requirements that games are coming up with. BF2 is just the first of many games that will really make use of more RAM. MMORPG's also make good use of it and from all indications FEAR will like lots of RAM as well.
 
Originally posted by: Wraith0078
Okay. Time to update my system.

I currently have the following:
Athlon XP 2500+ @ 2.04GHz
AGP GeForce 6600GT @ 580/1020
512 MB Corsair XMS 3200 that has gone bad and won't run above ~360MHz
Asus A7N8X Deluxe.

I'm trying to choose between the following. (prices are from newegg.)

Choice 1:
Epox 9NPA+ Ultra - 95.00
A64 3800+ Dual Core (Manchester) - 374.00
1GB (512x2) OCZ EL Platinum Rev 2 - 171.39
Leadtek GeForce 6800GT - 288.00
Total - 928.39

Choice 2:
Epox 9NPA+ Ultra - 95.00
A64 3200+ (Venice) - 190.00
1GB (512x2) OCZ EL Platinum Rev 2 - 171.39
MSI NX7800GTX - 465.00
Total - 921.39

I'm also a little up in the air on the motherboard. Between the Abit KN8 Ultra and the Epox 9NPA+ Ultra above. The Abit is $3.00 more.

Which would be better and why?
Click to expand...

Choice 2

You can overclock your 3200 and that 7800GTX should last you a good time.

 
There's one very important thing missing in this thread.

What monitor are you using?

If it doesn't run @ 1600x1200 or higher, you shouldn't be getting a 7800xxx, since only a couple games (BF2 for one) that will be able to really shine & not be CPU-bound.

I pick system #1, easy choice, unless you dislike multitasking, &/or have a higher rez monitor.
People fail to remember how CPU is the main limiter of today's games till teh rez gets to 1600x & higher.
 
Originally posted by: n7
There's one very important thing missing in this thread.

What monitor are you using?

If it doesn't run @ 1600x1200 or higher, you shouldn't be getting a 7800xxx, since only a couple games (BF2 for one) that will be able to really shine & not be CPU-bound.

I pick system #1, easy choice, unless you dislike multitasking, &/or have a higher rez monitor.
People fail to remember how CPU is the main limiter of today's games till teh rez gets to 1600x & higher.
Click to expand...

I use Dual monitors. Main one is a 19" IBM P96. It'll do 1600x1200@85Hz
 
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