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Socket 939 board - Video update question

S

sgc1000

Junior Member
Doing a little light gaming (NBA 2K9, Beijing 2008, Madden 09) but my current config won't support it...here's what I am running -- question is will I be able to add a faster graphics card to solve prob or do I need new board, chip? Also, will I get much out of going to a low end dual core chip?

Board: Epox 9NPA nForce4 Ultra
Chip: AMD Athlon 64 4000+ (2.41 Ghz)
Mem: 3 gb 400 DDR 32PC
Monitor: Samsung 22'' 225W
Vid Card: Radeon x800 (Think brand is Connect 3D)

Any thoughts appreciated.

Steve
 
almost a similar setup cept I have a opteron 165... Right now I have a 8800 GTS and everything is fine (I can even run fallout 3 ... abit at 1024x768 full everything). Although I love this setup I think I am going intel in the next few months, not because I cannot play my games but I do a ton of multitasking (Photoshop, Dreamweaver, flash).

I say: new video card first, try it, and then see if you need a new mobo/cpu.
 
Budget ?

Your power supply becomes a serious consideration. Your x800 pulls around 45w. Give up a little more info.

A new video card would make a big difference for less than $100 and work within your power envelop (maybe a Radeon HD 4670 - less than 60w - ???)
 
A faster graphics card will help, but most modern games will make very good use out of a dual core CPU.

IMO no matter what you need a new video card, so get something and see if it will work (9600GT / HD4670 at a minimum, I'd probably go up a step or two to a 9800GT or HD4830 (or even another step up to a 4850 at your resolution)

If that doesn't give enough improvement, then you can bring that card with you to a new platform.

You can find S939 dual cores, but they're generally as or more expensive than a new AM2 proc or an intel e5200. With how cheap DDR2 is, a full platform upgrade isn't all that much more expensive than just getting a used S939 CPU.

My guess is that a low end dual core and a 9800GT-ish card will do you just fine for a while at your listed games.
 
Originally posted by: heyheybooboo
Budget ?

Your power supply becomes a serious consideration. Your x800 pulls around 45w. Give up a little more info.

A new video card would make a big difference for less than $100 and work within your power envelop (maybe a Radeon HD 4670 - less than 60w - ???)
Click to expand...

I kind of doubt power envelope is a huge deal, but if it is, an e5200 + P43 chipset mobo or the AMD route of a 4850e + 780G mobo are both way less power than his current processor + mobo (nforce 4 sucked the juice compared with current chipsets, and the e5200 &4850e CPUs both have way lower power draw than a 4000+.

He can use a 9800 GT (105 watt thermal design power) or an HD4850 (110W TDP) and he should have to extra ~30 watts of margin he'll need to power a 100W-ish video card. Hard to believe his PSU would not have a spare 30 watts or so.


 
ASUS EN9800GT HB/HTDI/512M GeForce 9800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail ...is $105 at Newegg af rebate (assuming rebate company still exists) That's def within budget. Sound like what y'all are recommending?

Steve
 
Yep, that should work fine for your resolution. You can see if that's good enough for you. You'll likely be able to max out your CPU capability with a card like that so any more need for speed would likely require a platform upgrade or at least a dual-core.
 
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