upgrade questions

[pseudocajun]

Hi,

I want to upgrade my 3 year old computer. Currently running an Abit mobo and a amd 64x2 4600. I'm currently looking at, what I hope is a simple upgrade till 2009 - what are your thoughts:

Mobo: Gigabyte GA-MA790FX-DS5
CPU: Phenom 9600
RAM: G.Skill 1 GB 240 pin DDR2 1066 (PC 8500)

Also, suggestions on video card - I do not game but render lots of videos. Also, any need to upgrade power supply - currently 650W.

Many thanks in advance,

 

[MarcVenice]

Nah, doesn't look to hot to me. IIRC intel still spanks AMD in video encoding applications. I'd much rather spend 100$ on a p35 mobo, 280$ on a q6600, and 85$ on 2x2gb of ddr2 800mhz ram instead. Overclock that q6600 to 3.0ghz * simply put the FSB at 333, that's it * and it will completely obliterate any Phenom you could possible buy right now. I like AMD, but that's just the way it is. Oh, and slap on a arctic freezer 7 pro, to keep your q6600 cool and quiet. Powersupply sounds good, I just hope it's a decent brand, and not a no name PSU brand.

Oh, and videocard, if you ever want to run dual monitors having 2 dvi ports is nice. But video rendering is not GPU depedant, but CPU dependant instead. Basicaly a 100$ 2600pro will do the job, might even want to get a passively cooled one, to keep the noise down, like this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814125074

That card is an example though, there might be better passively cooled 2600pro's with 512mb of memory, 2 dvi outs and HDCP ready ...

 

[DSF]

How much money are you willing to spend on this?

Regardless, there's no reason to buy DDR2-1066 unless it can be found for the same price as DDR2-800.

 

[Tarrant64]

Although AMD is the cheaper route and can still pack some power for the price, an Intel Core 2 Duo is the route to go if you're going to be working with a lot of videos.

Also, for your memory, you are going to need at least 2GB. The price has come down so much on RAM there is no reason not to get 2GB DDR2 800. As MarcVenice mentioned, there is no need for 1066.

I think you're spending WAY too much on your mobo as well.

 

[cozumel]

The parts you have chosen are not very good at all. What good is 1GB DDR2 when building a new rig?

Please post your budget, which components you will keep from your last rig (therefore indicating what you need), what your primary and secondary uses will be for your new rig and any specific requirements you have (if any). Only then will you get any decent advice..

 

[pseudocajun]

Wow, sorry for the confusion.

1. since I only want to upgrade until the cpu wars settle down in 2008, I'm thinking only spending about 2K. If I spend more than that, might as well get a whole new rig.

2. As you can see, I haven't kept up with the RAM question. I had just assumed that DDR2 1066 would provide greater benefits than 800.

3. I am currently running dual monitors with a an NVidia GForce 6600.

4. I am also currently cooling my 64x2 4600 with a Tuniq Tower 120 Ultra Silent CPU cooler.

Bottom line is that I'd like to upgrade and am, as you can see, not quite sure what exactly to do. So, I'm open to suggestions and appreciate any and all thoughts and inquiry.

Thanks again,

 

[MarcVenice]

Wow, you've set yourself quite the budget. I'm sure there is stuff you can reuse from your old rig, but for 1000-1200$ you could build a complete new rig, that will be so much better then what you've got, and will probably be a lot better then a Phenom 9600 as well. Very important as well is, do you want to overclock, and do you know how to? I'm sure stability is important, but if you slap a Tuniq Tower 120 on a q6600, it will run at 3.0ghz 24/7 under full load without a problem.

Some quick suggestions, 100-130$ for p35 mobo, asus p5k, gigabyte ds3r, abit ip35. 100$ for 2x2gb of ddr2 800mhz, pick one from newegg. q6600 for 275$. 2x500gb HD's for 2x115$, I'd buy samsung t166 500gb spinpoint. Corsair 450vx or 520hx, I'd like a modular PSU myself, for 60-90$. Case, erm, well, p180b/p182 would be my pick, for 120$ or so? DVD-burner x2 for 30$ each. Passively cooled videocard, for 80-100$, 2600pro comes to mind, 512mb ram. You've got a tuniq, but if you need a new one it will cost you 45$ or so. That's it I think, and would cost roughly 1000$. A q6600 is a great pick, and Penryn won't offer that much more performance, so imo no reason to wait.

 

[pseudocajun]

Hi,

thanks for the information. I have just enough knowledge to be dangerous, although I regularly dig around in the case and replace/update. However, this is the first time that I have considered replacing the mobo which also requires replacement of the cpu and RAM, so the point of my confusion.

Many thanks for your suggestions.

 

[cozumel]

You still haven't stated what you want the rig for so I will assume it will be for gaming unless you state differently. Either way, you have a healthy budget (is that 2k in US$?)

Q6600 w/ Tuniq 120
P35 or X38 board (please state whether you wish to use a RAID array so that I can be more specific)
NVidia 8800 series graphics 512MB
Crucial Ballistix / Gskill HZ / or any other quality DDR2. Mimumum 2GB required (preferably 4GB)
Antec P182 or Coolermaster RC690 / Cosmos / Stacker
Vista x64
Corsiar TX PSU

Do you plan to keep to keep your HDDs? If not then WD Caviar or Seagate 7200.11 500GB or larger.

Of course if you want a home theatre system these parts will be no good so please clarify.

Finally....HAPPY NEW YEAR...

 

[pseudocajun]

Sorry.....

I use the rig primarily for rendering videos - no gaming...

 

[pseudocajun]

I currently have the following:

Mobo: Abit KN8 Ultra
CPU: 64x2 4600
Hard Drives: 4 (2 x 74 GB, 1x 200 GB, and 1x 200 USB)
DVD/ROM Drives: 1x Plextor DVDR PX-716A and 1X Sony CD-RW
Sound Card: Creative SB X-Fi
Video Card: Nvidia GeForce 6600

 

[pseudocajun]

Okay, I've taken you're advice, and am looking at the following components:

mobo: Abit IP35 Pro
CPU: Q6600
RAM: Kingston HyperX DDR2 800 (PC6400) - 4 gig
Video Card: Asus GeForce 8800GTS 512MB

OK? Will this allow me to easily upgrade over the next couple of years given the upcoming technology?

Many thanks.