Get a New System/ Buy a New One?

[chubbyfatazn]

I know all of you are thinking, "Well duh, the C2D!!" But I wouldn't be here right now if I didnt have other reasons for not C2D, would I?

I just built my A64 system this February. I don't gots no job, so I have to rely on *Christmas* and *my birthday*

I'm low on the cash, but I need to upgrade. Dunno when AMD's discontinuing the Optys (not soon I think), but they've discontinued other 2x1MB cache CPUs... and plus my A64 at the moment won't go past 2.35ghz. (On a side note, I think heat has been destroying it. At the time of build I could clock it to 2.5ghz, but last month all my temp sensors except Sandra were reporting idles of 60C and loads of 70s. Now it won't clock past 2.35ghz. I'm so stupid)

It's either the Opteron 165/170 and a Lanparty CFX3200 (which by Christmas I can afford both) or an entirely new C2D system (just the mobo, cpu, and mem)

I've got 2GB of Ballistix ram which cost a fortune, and I don't want that going to waste. My plans are one of the following: (upgrade from system in siggy that I will put up)

-Opteron 165/170
-DFI LanParty CFX-3200
-Possibly a Danger Den/Thermaltake WC system

OR

-C2D E6400 or E6600 (does the extra cache help a lot? doing vid encoding and gaming)
-Some generic ECS mobo that handles both DDR2 and DDR ram (I live near a Fry's and they have E6400's bundled with mobos like that for around 220)

I'm figuring maybe 350 for the Opty setup.. or I could just wait till next April (my birthday) to get a C2D system, with a better mobo and DDR2 ram. Or simply for the Opty + board.

Any suggestions? Thx.

 

[johnos]

generic mobo? errrmmm........i dont like the sound of that
i would wait till ur b'day and buy the C2D system, give it a nice mobo, some nice ddr2 ram etc etc.
unless you really cannot live with a slower system for a few more months that is, my advice is be patient and go for the C2D system

 

[chubbyfatazn]

by generic I meant ECS.. used their mobos for my last 3 builds.. served me well for the purpose at stock

 

[ForumMaster]

ECS are not very good. i would suggest waiting until april. unless you really need the faster computer now, wait. you could also probablly sell that Ballistix for $250 easily if not more. not everybody has moved to DDR2 yet. the most important thing with your new build, it to get a better PSU. Antec PSU's are unreliable.

 

[pkme2]

I just got my 4800+ last week and plan to pickup a 22" LCD at Costco next week. I am impressed with C2D but alas, I need other stuff for my systems.
Well, I will only be able to upgrade my hardware this season and just watch others reap the benefits of C2D.
I hope the Sceptre 22" at Costco is what it claims to be. At $299, I wonder?

 

[chubbyfatazn]

ECS hasnt been bad to me.. even though it looks like crap they're actually a pretty decent board making company. i can safely say that since i've used their boards for the past 6 years and nothing's failed

i paid 250 for my ballistix, and seeing as how ram prices are thru the roof i think imma keep them for now.

antec psu's aren't that bad, it's been powering my computer for a decent while. i'm not too worried on that part yet, altho i will need to upgrade it later.

 

[theprodigalrebel]

Dude, you have an excellent system. Not the greatest but not shabby at all.
What exactly is it that your system doesn't do right? Are you into heavy content-creation? Like large video editing or 3D rendering projects, something that could use a major boost that the Core 2 or a dualie Opteron can provide?

For purposes of gaming, I wouldn't recommend getting a new CPU+Mobo+RAM (the Intel route).
If you really need dual core, an Opteron 165 (1.8GHz) is around $160 new (if you can find them in stock). I don't know how much they go for used (or even what a good price ought to be). But the thing about Opterons is that they need excellent motherboards (and cooling) to get to high clockspeeds. I don't know much about your particular mobo and how well it will OC.

My suggestion: your machine is pretty damn fine. Don't let the upgrade bug bite you. Wait until you have some real money to get a full on upgrade next year and try and enjoy your rig!

Find some decent work next summer and by then, the computing landscape will be a whole new vista. Windows Vista, Quad-Cores, G80/R600, PPUs, what-nots...that will be a great time for an all out rig.

 

[MrX8503]

PC enthusiasts has really clouded judgement vs. reason and practicality. He's jobless and you're telling him to buy a new pc. A64 isnt exactly ancient.

I would say if you cant live with your current system go with the opteron route, considering its 50% cheaper now then it was a few months ago. Use the money you save on something else. Maybe a nice wide LCD.

 

[chubbyfatazn]

Usage of gaming and vid-editing.

I would have a job if I was of age.. can't drive yet so that gives you an estimate of how old I am.

I'm also upgrading because right now my 3700 sucks at multitasking. Nor will it oc even the slightest bit. The mobo is your generic type and only allows for FSB increase. Only. And plus my dad keeps stealing my computer for his own things instead of letting me use it (I paid for it all). He can't encode/edit/whatever else on a secondary AXP computer.

Well yeah the time is right about now for me to head into dualie territory so that's why I'm here. I don't really care right now about Vista, nor quad-cores (get more dual-core support out there, and then i'll jump on the quad-core bandwagon), I'm not shelling out for another GPU in a long time (DX10 and Vista- not for me), and definitely not for a PPU.

Opteron then? I still probably would hang out till next year till April if I was to go Conroe..

I've got me a decent LCD, a widescreen 19" Samsung. I'm happy with it.

 

[deadseasquirrel]

You've got a good graphics card, especially for playing at your resolution (1280x1024 I'm guessing). Your 3700+ is fine for your gaming needs. But, you're right, it isn't going to handle 2 CPU-intensive tasks at the same time very well. Dual-core will do you well there. You can easily sell your 3700+ for $50+ and grab a X2 3800+ either new for $175 or used for less. That'll be your cheapest and best upgrade. Your dad will be able to do his video encoding 2x as fast, or allow you to game *while* it's encoding.