I have been out of the loop...need some updates...

[BChico]

1. Are new motherboards still supporting RDRAM, is 1066 still the fastest? The fastest DDR is 400? How does that compare to 1066?

- Is there any future in RDRAM...(my computer has 1066 in it)

2. The ati 9800 is alot better than nvidia 5800ultra?

- These cards run both 4x and 8x? How much performance is gained with an 8x mobo?

3. Where are we at with sound cards? Audigy 2 pretty much the standard?

4. Wireless lan...are we still only at 11mbps?

5. Are blue laser dvds in our near future?

6. And what about processors, does the 3.0 HT overtake the 3000+ barton? What are in the near futures for processors...


If anything else important happened since last august feel free to tell me. Gotta start to figure out whats going on again for my summer job, college kept me outta this stuff...

 

[MikeMike]

Originally posted by: BChico
1. Are new motherboards still supporting RDRAM, is 1066 still the fastest? The fastest DDR is 400? How does that compare to 1066?

- Is there any future in RDRAM...(my computer has 1066 in it) NO

2. The ati 9800 is alot better than nvidia 5800ultra? YES

- These cards run both 4x and 8x? How much performance is gained with an 8x mobo?not much

3. Where are we at with sound cards? Audigy 2 pretty much the standard?people will say no, but it is a quality card

4. Wireless lan...are we still only at 11mbps?802.11g is the newest out (no standard yet) but it is 45mb i believe

5. Are blue laser dvds in our near future?you can get one now, but for like 10grand, yes they are in the future

6. And what about processors, does the 3.0 HT overtake the 3000+ barton? What are in the near futures for processors...depends upon what situation, and AMD 64 in september/ Intel Prescott around the same time.


If anything else important happened since last august feel free to tell me. Gotta start to figure out whats going on again for my summer job, college kept me outta this stuff...

 

[BChico]

Thanks, Anyone else?

 

[MarkHark]

Newer boards with support for dual DDR 400 (both for AMD and Intel) are considerably faster than any RDRAM based system, as far as I know. A good cost/performance ratio can be achieved with any Nforce2 board nowadays. By the way, onboard sound on many of these is of excellent quality, comparable (SIC) to Audigy levels at almost no extra cost. I'd say Nforce's Soundstorm is quickly becoming the current standard.

Radeon 9800 Pros are likely to remain at the top for quite some time yet, but you'd better get a 9700, or even a 9500 Pro, and save some hundred bucks. It doesn't matter much if you run them at 4X or 8x, as 128 MB cards hardly make use of the AGP feature on current games.

 

[dakels]

I basically agree with everythig nourdmrolNMT1 said. Just elaborating a little bit more from what puny knowledge I have

1. Are new motherboards still supporting RDRAM, is 1066 still the fastest? The fastest DDR is 400? How does that compare to 1066?
- Is there any future in RDRAM...(my computer has 1066 in it)

Depends RD1066 is still faster then most DDR setups but Dual channel DDR at 333mhz+ is beating out RD1066 in most benchmarks. DDR has a clear stake in the future, RDRAM does not. Even Intel, the main proponent of RDRAM, is phasing out RD in it's chipsets and adopting DDR. Nothing wrong with your RD setup though. It will last a while.

2. The ati 9800 is alot better than nvidia 5800ultra?

The 9800 scores much better then the 5800 in most benchmarks. It seems to have less negative problems too such as a loud fan, or driver issues, or compatibility probelms. Of course the 5800 is still quite new so expect better drivers in the future to help it but the R9800 seems to be the top choice for most people. Both are priced the same.

- These cards run both 4x and 8x? How much performance is gained with an 8x mobo?not much

I believe they run at 2x, 4x, or 8x. 4x is fine but 2x may be a bit bandwidth limited in some applications. 8x has only shown 0-4% speed bumps in benchmark tests. 8x AGP bandwidth is so large the cards will not saturate it. 4x seems to be good enuff for a while.

3. Where are we at with sound cards? Audigy 2 pretty much the standard?

Its a good all around entry lvl card. Creative also packs some nice software and driver support is much easier to deal with then some other companies. I think its a good choice for the average retail consumer. I personally use an Audigy 2 Platinum but I have also used, Turtle Beach, Hercules and even Protools hardware. I am certainly not unhappy with my Audigy 2.

4. Wireless lan...are we still only at 11mbps?

There are many wireless standards. Go to IEEE.org to learn about them. The 11mbps routers were IEEE 802.11b but the new 22mbps ones are basically using the same standard with slight modifications. They'll call it like IEEE 802.11b+ or something. There are faster IEEE 802.11g IEEE 802.11a standards as well. The new IEEE 802.11g routers run at 54mbps.

5. Are blue laser dvds in our near future?

It's called Blu-Ray and I think Sony is the first to take on to the market. Sony currently sells one (I think only in Japan at the moment) for $5000. Its a DVD format that holds about 23-27gig intead of the 4.7 or so of standard DVD.

6. And what about processors, does the 3.0 HT overtake the 3000+ barton? What are in the near futures for processors.

like nourdmrolNMT1, it depends on the situation. HT on or off can make a big difference to an appliction that uses it like 3D rendering. This is an easy topic to find debates and information on. The AMD/Intel arguement is the everlasting gobstopper. I think the next gen/series of HT processors and faster Bartons will really show more variety.

If anything else important happened since last august feel free to tell me. Gotta start to figure out whats going on again for my summer job, college kept me outta this stuff...

800mhz FSB's now are a big deal. Not much overall improvement though on system wide benchmarks. Like 8x AGP, its hard to saturate the bandwidth so in most cases its unecessary. They do allow for MUCH faster native dual channel DDR speeds though. Alot of stuff changes in the tech industry. Skim the old AT articles

 

[BChico]

Thanks for the post dakels.

 

[BChico]

Hmm...could i actually make money if i sold my system for a comparable amd?

8ihxp 2.26 512 kingston 1066

 

[MikeMike]

Originally posted by: BChico
Hmm...could i actually make money if i sold my system for a comparable amd?

8ihxp 2.26 512 kingston 1066

most likely as long as u r reasonable

 

[dakels]

Originally posted by: BChico
Hmm...could i actually make money if i sold my system for a comparable amd?

8ihxp 2.26 512 kingston 1066

Why? You have a good machine that looks like you spent $1000-1200+ on. Unless someone gave you a rediculous amount for it, then I doubt you will make much money, if at all, getting a new athlon system to match that storage and performance.

If you really want to switch to an athlon DDR setup then buy a Dual channel DDR board and cheap Barton. Then see what you get for your RD board and Intel processor. There is no reason to ditch your Ti4600 or all those drives, audigy, etc. Still, you'll be lucky to break even, or even lose a little money if you did. Your RD MB costs less then a dual channel, a barton will cost more then your 2.26, and high speed DDR costs about the same or more then RD 1066.

I say keep the machine. What's in a athlon setup that yours cant do for your needs?

 

[Markfw]

By the way, even though the 54mps on wireless lan is what they advertise, I think you will find reviews and benchmarks that says even that router only gets about 11 mps thruput(actual). The current ones that says 11 only get about 3mps(actual).