Socket 754 mobo with PCI Express

[nboy22]

I'd like to upgrade my machine for a bit of gaming but I believe that most gaming performance is dependent on the video card and ram, which I would like to upgrade my video card from AGP to PCI Express... I have a socket 754 3000+ Athlon 64 processor but I'm a little out of the loop on what is available today for the 754 socket. Any help/suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

[pkme2]

According to most of the AT threads, it is recommended to get a 939 3800+ , 2GB RAM, 7900GT for your gaming needs.

Your budget will determine what you finally end up with. You can go economically or go high end.

My recommendation is first a case that has excellent cooling qualities and a PSU that is realiable.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi...mit=ENE&Manufactory=1375&SubCategory=7
http://www.xoxide.com/seasonic.html?gclid=CILB1rXOqoUCFTV7JAodDwtd3Q

Cooling is a main concern and if silence is a requirement, you can't go wrong with LL and Seasonic.
Check out people's rigs to see what they have. Then you can make informed choices.
Good building.....

 

[Firsttime]

Originally posted by: pkme2
According to most of the AT threads, it is recommended to get a 939 3800+ , 2GB RAM, 7900GT for your gaming needs.

He never said he wanted to build a whole new system. He just needs a new motherboard. There are a few options. I am in the same boat as you, I think I will be going PCI-E after the summer, there are a few nice 754 boards. I have mainly been looking at this one, from what I have read it is a really good overclocker. The integrated graphics are ok, but not near 6600gt levels. So you would need to upgrade it. Or there is the king of 754 PCI-E boards. I would go with the Biostar myself and get a 7600gt to go with, or at least that is the upgrade I am looking at for my oc'ed Sempron.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: pkme2
According to most of the AT threads, it is recommended to get a 939 3800+ , 2GB RAM, 7900GT for your gaming needs.

Half of those people doing the recommending are in debt. The other half have wealthy parents. :evil:

There are quite a few socket 754 PCI-E motherboards on the market. what are your needs? Something basic? Overclockable? SLI? Yes, even SLI is available for socket 754.

My "normal" recommendation is the Biostar Tforce6100. It runs about $70 at popular online retailers and is passively cooled, has adjustable "Smart Fan" settings in BIOS and is nicely overclockable.

Are you looking for anything more specific?

 

[nboy22]

Originally posted by: Zap

Originally posted by: pkme2
According to most of the AT threads, it is recommended to get a 939 3800+ , 2GB RAM, 7900GT for your gaming needs.

Half of those people doing the recommending are in debt. The other half have wealthy parents. :evil:

There are quite a few socket 754 PCI-E motherboards on the market. what are your needs? Something basic? Overclockable? SLI? Yes, even SLI is available for socket 754.

My "normal" recommendation is the Biostar Tforce6100. It runs about $70 at popular online retailers and is passively cooled, has adjustable "Smart Fan" settings in BIOS and is nicely overclockable.

Are you looking for anything more specific?

Well.. mainly what I want to do is keep my 3000+ 754 and just gain capabilities in PCI-E and possibly even SLI... Problem is I don't believe I can afford a completely new 939 system, but if I can in a month I might go for it. I have college coming up and will need to save money up for gas, food, etc... So basically all I'm looking to do is upgrade the mobo, get some more memory possibly, and get a very nice new video card.

 

[Stumps]

EPOX 8PNA+SLI....skt 754, nf4, pci-e, SLI...NUFF SAID😀

they are pretty cheap to...I'm not sure on US prices but they are under AU$150 in Australia

 

[nboy22]

Originally posted by: Stumps
EPOX 8PNA+SLI....skt 754, nf4, pci-e, SLI...NUFF SAID😀

they are pretty cheap to...I'm not sure on US prices but they are under AU$150 in Australia

yeah i saw on newegg it was like 90 bucks... not bad at all. Only problem I have with these newer boards are there's only 2 ram slots and only 2 regular pci slots..

 

[Stumps]

Originally posted by: nboy22

Originally posted by: Stumps
EPOX 8PNA+SLI....skt 754, nf4, pci-e, SLI...NUFF SAID😀

they are pretty cheap to...I'm not sure on US prices but they are under AU$150 in Australia

yeah i saw on newegg it was like 90 bucks... not bad at all. Only problem I have with these newer boards are there's only 2 ram slots and only 2 regular pci slots..

why would you want any more rams slots?, any more than 2 sticks and the timings need to be backed off, which hurts performance.

the 2 PCI slots are a shame, but most PCI-E boards are the same, it's the price of having a new board.

but the rest of the features are pretty good, I am considering replacing my GA-K8NS PRO and 6800gt with one and getting a 7600gt or faster

 

[ElFenix]

mem timings on A64 systems are overrated. running 2T on a lot of boards doesn't hurt performance noticeably.