Finally made the move to Intel

[j0j081]

I spent the past few weeks driving myself nuts trying to figure out what the best system overhaul would be for my limited budget (350-375 for cpu/mobo/ram). I read this message board a lot and a few others so I was already pretty much in the KNOW about how Intel is the smart choice to go with right now at just about any dollar amount but only having owned AMD to this point in my life I felt compelled to stick with them in the hopes Phenom would be a success sometime next year. My problems with going the AMD route though were...

A. Couldn't decide between the 5000 BE and 6400+ BE
- newer but slower tech vs. faster but hotter and on the verge or being obsolete tech
-was thinking I could upgrade to Phenom assuming AMD worked things out next year
B. Couldn't decide on a proven SLI mobo or a brand new (possibly not very good) AM2+ mobo
-Would I ever want to use SLI? vs. not liking to buy something without knowing if it's good first as I don't get to upgrade often
C. Feeling like a dumbass based on the articles I was reading and what everyone was saying.

Well yesterday the sum of all my research was just too much to deny anymore so I said what the heck and ordered my first ever Intel system.

I ended up getting

E6750 combo w/ACF7 Cooler which added only like $14
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115029

GA-P35-DS3L (which is now out of stock again so I got lucky)
http://www.newegg.com/product/...p?item=N82E16813128059

and A-DATA Extreme Edition 2 x 1GB (wanted the Crucial Ballistix but was too lazy to order from Fry's to match the price of these)
http://www.newegg.com/product/...p?item=N82E16820211174

The only thing I am worried about is the ram but I googled the model number and found a good review which said it is actually slightly faster than the Ballistix so who knows. The items won't arrive until Thursday so I won't be able to tell you my impressions until then but I feel really happy with the purchase already. With an AMD system I think there would have still been a lot of doubt in my mind. I am sure this setup will do everything I need at stock then will be able to have some fun ocing as well down the road. Only part that sucks is I am gonna be stuck with a 8600gt for now but hope to get an 8800gt within a few months. This should be a HUGE upgrade for me because I am one of the momos still running a 754 system, a pretty fast one at that but still this should be a whole new era for me lol. Anyway just thought I'd describe my experience since I've been posting cheese all over the place lately.

 

[AmberClad]

So it sounds like we'll have to wait until Thursday to hear your thoughts on the "snappiness" of your new rig .

 

[BoboKatt]

Can't wait to hear about your full experience once it's built.

On a similar note, when I went from my trusty (still using it) AMD X2-4800+ to my current e6850 (stock at 3Ghz), for what I do, like decoding, file compression, ripping, and some gaming, the difference was very very very noticeable, and I mean from benchmarks, actual gaming experience and of course the working aspect, decoding times etc. Add to that the fact the e6850 I got ran at stock, but easily oc'ed to 3400 and a bit higher without breaking a sweat or raising Voltages, and the result for me was even better.

My e6850 runs so cool with my Tunic Tower that shocks me. It took me a good 5 times I would say to install the Tunic properly, but it was well worth it. I thought I could never match the X2-4800+ with its Big Typhoon for coolness and quiet and reliability, but this e6850 has met all my expectations. I am using 4 sticks of the Crucial Ballistix (4-4-4-12 800) and they have been absolutely flawless. Also got 4 sticks of Patriot 4-4-4-12 800 2.1v on my other comp (Q6600 G0) and those are also brilliant.

The X2-4800+ now resides as my kick ass HTPC. I will never sell it or give it away like I have in the past with many of my older systems I no longer use. I never would think anything bad about AMD and the fun and experience the X2 brought me and still does. It's a capable system that just won?t quit.

However as we all know the new C2D's and Quads from Intel are hard to beat. I hope your system gives you all the best!

 

[brencat]

Welcome to the club jojo. Only thing I'd suggest is that when you put your system together, you use 1 RAM stick only for the 1st boot and immediately go into Bios and raise the vDIMM to 2.0v. IIRC, some A-Data will not boot at the 1.8v JEDEC spec. I can tell you for a fact that Crucial Ballistix will.

 

[Conjugal Visit]

@jojo81 - I think you'll be very pleased with that new processor and board - it's the "snappiest..." ADATA is on your board's supported memory list - not certain about your specific modules.

 

[badnewcastle]

Rock on! Way to be "snappy."

 

[Killrose]

If you game much you will not notice too much difference IMOH because of your GPU, but you probably made the right decision to go Intel this time around as it is the best choice at this time. You took the CPU out of the equation for sure. Enjoy!

 

[j0j081]

Originally posted by: Killrose
If you game much you will not notice too much difference IMOH because of your GPU, but you probably made the right decision to go Intel this time around as it is the best choice at this time. You took the CPU out of the equation for sure. Enjoy!

yeah I game a lot but like I said the 8600gt is only a temporary thing until I save up a bit more money for an 8800. I pretty much have to do all my upgrades a few parts at a time. I was thinking about waiting until January or whenever for the new Intel cpus but I've waited long enough already. I am sure the e6750 will be fast eough for me for a long time.

 

[NXIL]

Most importantly, what color case? With the right paint, you could have yourself a red snapper .

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: AmberClad
So it sounds like we'll have to wait until Thursday to hear your thoughts on the "snappiness" of your new rig .

Originally posted by: Conjugal Visit
@jojo81 - I think you'll be very pleased with that new processor and board - it's the "snappiest..."

Originally posted by: badnewcastle
Rock on! Way to be "snappy."

Originally posted by: NXIL
Most importantly, what color case? With the right paint, you could have yourself a red snapper .

Oh gawd no! I thought we had a week break from that crap?!?!? isgust;

 

[j0j081]

well all the stuff arrived last night including one of my dad's xmas presents which is 2 gb of ram for his pc as it's running a bit sluggish after I installed Vista on it with only 1 gb. All the boxes look so nice I am enjoying just looking at them for now lol. Been a long time since I built a new system (for myself). I am thinking it might have been a waste to get the ACF7. The Intel heatsink looks a bit better than I was expecting coming from a socket 754 AMD. I am really impressed with the Gigabyte mobo. The documentation is a lot better than I thought though I doubt I'll need it and I can tell this is a pretty nicely made board despite being slightly under $100. Later I'm going to take out the A-Data ram and try to see what chips it uses. Will probably start building it tonight after I backup some crap on one of my hdds that won't be coming to the new setup.

 

[SlowSpyder]

I'll be upgrading from my trusty old s939 system in spring. I'd really like to get a Phenom then, assuming they get the speeds up, prices down, and the bugs worked out. But, somehow I have a feeling Intel will still be by far the better choice then, then I too will come over to the dark side.

 

[j0j081]

hey I finally got around to setting up this system. it worked on the first boot to my surprise (usually I forget something), installing everything was pretty straight forward despite coming from an old AMD. I've haven't been up and running more than a couple hours so far but I got a couple quick questions if someone would be nice enough to help me.

1. What should the stock voltage be for my Ram? I made the mistake of setting the timings before adjusting it. Now I have it on 2.0 and it seems stable but I'm wondering if 2.1 would be better.

2. Everytime I reboot the mobo makes a loud beeep. Is this just a reboot signal or is it a warning or some sort? The only warning I enabled in the BIOS so far is the cpu fan control which is definitely working fine.

Obviously these are pretty basic questions. I can't wait to start messing around with this setup more. Thanks and Merry Christmas.

 

[amenx]

Download CPUZ and look under the SPD tab for your RAMs default volts.

Re the beeps, you need to look into your mobo manual for the what the beeps are. I think they're pretty standardized for Award bios mobos, ie for my Gigabyte, they're as follows:

AWARD BIOS Beep Codes
1 short: System boots successfully
2 short: CMOS setting error
1 long 1 short: DRAM or M/B error
1 long 2 short: Monitor or display card error
1 long 3 short: Keyboard error
1 long 9 short: BIOS ROM error
Continuous long beeps: DRAM error
Continuous short beeps: Power error

 

[GuitarDaddy]

Per the specs on the newegg link you posted its 2.0+2.1v, it should run stable at either voltage.

 

[j0j081]

hmm I am getting one loud long beep exactly as it is restarting, then a short beep as it posts.

 

[njdevilsfan87]

Loud beep if your CPU fan turning off for a second. If you have a LED fan you'll notice this. Don't know why but Gigabyte boards do this before post.

 

[j0j081]

oh okay. that might explain it. perhaps I'll just disable the cpu fan check then it's kinda annoying.

 

[Phunk0ne]

concerning your ram, there is absolutely nothing wrong going with A-Data Extremes.
http://www.overclockersclub.co...a_vitesta_extreme_800/
see my sig

 

[SX2012]

I got your snappy right here

 

[Borealis7]

Originally posted by: SX2012
I got your snappy right here
-------------------------
CPU:AMD Phenom 9500|MoBo:Gigabyte DS5 790FX|
GFX:Sapphire ATI 3870 |MeM: 2GB XMS2 1066

Wow...an actuall Phenom user! Props to you, man. way to stick with the underdog!

 

[mhahnheuser]

Originally posted by: SX2012
I got your snappy right here

Just out of interest can I ask what your 06 3D mark score is? Are you running XP or VISTA? I get 8000 using my trusty 939 X2 3.8 with Radeon 3870 on VISTA. Good enough to run Crysis (completed the game) at 1680 by 1050. I've really been rapped with that, wasn't expecting anything like it, other than DX 10 support, but took off beyond my expectations, hence putting my faith in AMD once more. I am currently sprucing up my work rig with BE 5000+ and GeForce 8800 GT. Replacing my 6320 pc. I call it "the FREEZER" it's too sticky to live with. Was originally my upgrade path with OC, but delivered nothing but pain.