Updating Rig

[eraser2k1nin]

I've been so indecisive about what to do with my current rig since my VC went out. I've decided to get a new MB w/PCI-e, X1900XT, update my ram since I sold mine.

Ok does anyone have a suggestions for a MB for a socket 754?

Also with my specs what RAM do you recommend? Looking for 2GB.

All I do is play BF2, HL2 E1, and FEAR. So my rig is only for gaming.

Thanks for any help.

 

[buck]

Whats your budget?

 

[eraser2k1nin]

$600

I've found the video card for $365 @ new egg. Shapphire X1900XT. Is that a good brand? I was a Nvidia guy so I'm not familar with ATI brands

 

[bob4432]

you don't have many options with a skt754 and pci-e - newegg list

i wold go with either the abit, epox or dfi one unless you are not o/cing at all then foxconn is pretty reliable - oem type stuff

as far as ram just get the cheapest 2x1GB pc3200 kit you can find from a decent manf

then a good 450W psu and you should be good to go

 

[eraser2k1nin]

Originally posted by: bob4432
you don't have many options with a skt754 and pci-e - newegg list

i wold go with either the abit, epox or dfi one unless you are not o/cing at all then foxconn is pretty reliable - oem type stuff

as far as ram just get the cheapest 2x1GB pc3200 kit you can find from a decent manf

then a good 450W psu and you should be good to go

Well i have a FSP this model Powersupply

dont recommend getting better ram?

 

[buck]

Originally posted by: bob4432
you don't have many options with a skt754 and pci-e - newegg list

i wold go with either the abit, epox or dfi one unless you are not o/cing at all then foxconn is pretty reliable - oem type stuff

as far as ram just get the cheapest 2x1GB pc3200 kit you can find from a decent manf

then a good 450W psu and you should be good to go

yup...

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: eraser2k1nin

Originally posted by: bob4432
you don't have many options with a skt754 and pci-e - newegg list

i wold go with either the abit, epox or dfi one unless you are not o/cing at all then foxconn is pretty reliable - oem type stuff

as far as ram just get the cheapest 2x1GB pc3200 kit you can find from a decent manf

then a good 450W psu and you should be good to go

Well i have a FSP this model Powersupply

dont recommend getting better ram?

no reason getting better ram - skt754 is single channel anyway and that doesn't even matter because the difference between that and a 939 in dual channel is ~5% in real life. plus the amd cpus are not bandwidth starved so even messing with timings may show a difference in a benchmark you will more than likely never see it in real life.

i just switched from 1GB of oc 2-3-2-6 to 2GB of pny 3-3-4-8 and can't tell one bit of difference (besides the obvious amount)

hell, even if you want to o/c your cpu and run your memory slower you will benefit more from the cpu speed vs the ram speed.

 

[eraser2k1nin]

so i shouldnt even get 2 GB ram? Or did i missunderstand you?

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: eraser2k1nin
so i shouldnt even get 2 GB ram? Or did i missunderstand you?

no, definately get 2GB of ram, just don't be too worried over the timings and all. basically don't pay an extra $50 to get 2-2-2-5 timing if you could save some $$$ and get 3-3-4-8 or something like that. personally i would be more worried with the warranty and how the manf handles issues than the timings. i have had good luck in the past with ocz, kingston, mushkin, pny, corsair - and these are just the ones i have personally used and talked to their tech support. and if you o/c you can just slow the ram down - it really doesn't hurt performance more than ~5% or so. i currently have my ram set to the 333MHz setting and the fsb @ ~275-280 or so and it runs fine. i usually get ~9500 on 3dmark05, imo not bad considering i always run 1gen old stuff and usually get the basic m/bs as i dont use all the extra stuff on them. i just keep it simple. my boxes are always on the cheap with case and psu carry over, then i update the gpu as needed as cpu and m/b. my machine is a constantly evolving pc

with bf2 and my x1800xt @ 1280x1024 i usually hit between 1.3-1.7GB tota ram usage, and my computer idles @ ~ 240MB or so.

 

[eraser2k1nin]

would it be wiser to go this route instead of the existing plan?

Update

SAPPHIRE 100149L Radeon X1900XT 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Model #: 100149L
Item #: N82E16814102025
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$355.99 $355.99
Memory - System
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CORSAIR XMS2 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model TWIN2X1024A-6400 - Retail
Model #: TWIN2X1024A-6400
Item #: N82E16820145566
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$119.00 -$15.00 Instant
$104.00
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AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Windsor 2000MHz HT Socket AM2 Dual Core Processor Model ADA4200CUBOX - Retail
Model #: ADA4200CUBOX
Item #: N82E16819103747
** This item is warranted through the product manufacturer only. what's this?
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$307.99 -$10.00 Combo
$297.99
MSI K9N Platinum Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 Ultra MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #: K9N Platinum
Item #: N82E16813130049

Subtotal: $757.98

 

[bob4432]

if you get the x1900xt or 7900gtx you need 2GB of ram for bf2, period. and at this point you would want to go the new intel conroe. personally for gamig i think your current cpu is fine as the games are not cpu limited but gpu limited. for the $65 for the m/b and ~$140 for the 2GB pc3200 along with the x1900xt you would be fine. i would say that your current cpu would take you through anothe year of gaming before it became an issue, then just pick up whatever processor/ram/m/b is the best bang for the buck and go that route.

for gaming, and all i game is bf2, i went from a p4 2.8c w/ x800xtpe to a opty144/nf3/x800xtpe to a opty144/nf4/x1800xt and honestly can't tell the difference besides turning up the eye candy, but i am limited to 1280x1024. also there was no visual difference from the cpu standpoint between the p4, opty @ 1.8GHz and opty @ 2.5GHz although there is a differenc when benchmarking. basically the p4 2.8c = the opty because they had the same gpu and i could keep total ram usage under 1GB, the x1800xt uses a lot more ram even if the settings in game are the same(like 500MB more, don't now why), thus i needed to upgrade to 2GB of pc3200 as soon as i got the x1800xt, which was unexpected and honestly i probably woudn't have gone the x1800xt if i knew i would need to go to 2GB.