Originally posted by: JEDI
why single stick 1 gig for 754 instead of dual 512 pc3200? (i have the dual configuration)
Socket 754 doesn't do dual channel. Now, you
can run a "dual channel kit" in there and it will work fine - still single channel but the whole amount will work, however there is the possibility that you can run lower latencies and/or overclock higher on one stick.
Originally posted by: dholmes97
I'll need to get a new power supply, because my current one is several years old so I'm assuming it won't be up to par.
Is the 7800GT the best bet in the sub-$300 range right now?
If you care to expound more, what's the benefit of socket 939 over 754?
Yeah, new PSU won't hurt. There's actually some really nice quality units available in the $40-60 range. You may as well buy one that has all the "new" plugs on it such as 24 pin ATX and PCIe. I've been recommending the Fortron FSP400-60GLN. It is available from eWiz for around $50 and Newegg for around $70. Too bad eWiz is often out of stock on it, but it's a great power supply for the money. Plenty of other nice ones in that price range - just do a search in Cases & Cooling.
Yes, IMO the 7800GT is the "best" choice at the moment if you can afford a near $300 video card. The reason is that it is closer to the higher end cards in performance (7800GTX, X1800, X1900) but at as low as half the price of the higher end stuff which can cost up to $650 for the best X1900. It also is "enough" performance above the lower end cards that the extra amount is worth it as long as you find a deal on it.
Almost always there is some sort of under $300 deal, usually with a rebate but fortunately those have mostly been small considering overall price ($30 or less). Cheapest I've seen them so far is at $265 after rebate, but quite a few in the $270-290 range after rebate. Now, you also may be interested in paying a few bucks more for a "higher end" version because a few manufacturers have been making factory overclocked models. Sure, any of them can be overclocked, but some of these are at nearly 25% overclock beyond stock, and that's guaranteed with a warranty. eVGA seems to make the highest overclocked ones, but BFG and XFX also has some. Sometimes the cost difference between the base 400MHz and overclocked 490MHz is only $20 or so. Just something to think about if the difference is small.
Socket 754 vs 939... subject of endless arguements. Here are the facts, you decide for yourself.
- Socket 939 does dual channel memory while 754 is single channel. Dual channel is of course faster, but...
- Socket 939 can get dual core CPUs if that's what you're wanting in the future.
- Socket 939 usually has higher end motherboards because it's the higher end platform. However, some see that as a minus because with "higher end" comes "higher price." Your choice based on your budget.
- Socket 754 has CPUs ranging from $60 - $400 while socket 939 has CPUs from $165 - $1000. Where they overlap, probably just better to get the socket 939 choice.
The short version: If your budget for CPUs is not quite $165, then go with 754 because at this time socket 754 is the best choice for under the lowest priced 939. If your budget can go up to $165 or higher, get 939.
Besides dual core and dual channel memory, the two are pretty similar. You can even get SLI on socket 754 if you want (but if you spend that much, may as well get 939). You can get PCIe 754 motherboards starting at around $60 and many of the boards are nicely overclockable including the cheap ones, and the Semprons are more than willing to overclock (except for the Paris core 3100+). There's even a Venice core socket 754 CPU at $120, which so far
one person has reported an overclock to 3GHz from the default 2GHz!!! About 2-3 others have gotten 2.6GHz and up.
If you do decide on socket 754 with PCIe, do some research to make sure that the board you intend to buy is known to be a decent overclocker because the best CPU won't clock worth $#%@ on a board that is a lame overclocker.
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