Upgrading Computer Need Help!

[tbroso]

Hi this christmas I am planning to upgrade my computer. My specs currently are:

Nforce2 Mobo

GeforceFx 5600

Maxtor 120 Gig HD

512(1x512) Kingston Value Ram

Amd 2000+

This was a decent comp last year, but now with all the next gen. games out (Doom3,HalfLife2, etc.) I feel the need to upgrade. I need a computer that will let me play the old games (Halflife:CounterStrike, ect.) and will run the next gen. games as well. I also need the next gen. games to run well, not just run. Here is what I plan to upgrade to:

Keep Nforce2 Mobo

Keep Maxtor 120 Gig HD

Sapphire 9600 Xt 256 More info here...

Kingston HyperX(2x256) More info here...

Amd 64 3200+ More info here...

Also, will my Nforce2 be able to handle it? Thanks

 

[LordPhoenix]

1. Get Regular Value Select CORSAIR/CRUCIAL/MUSHKIN/KINGSTON DDR 400 RAM (1GB)
2. Add $29.50 so you can get an MSI Radeon 9800 PRO which SMOKES the 9600 XT by TONS. The MSI's almost all have a R360 core allowing you to OC to XT speeds.

Nforce2 was made for SOCKET 370/A , So it doesn't support Socket 754/939 (ATHLON 64). You'll need a new motherboard....I recommend the DFI Lanparty UT 250GB Nforce 3 if you get a socket 754.. research the 939 boards though.

 

[nick1985]

Originally posted by: tbroso
Hi this christmas I am planning to upgrade my computer. My specs currently are:

Nforce2 Mobo

GeforceFx 5600

Maxtor 120 Gig HD

512(1x512) Kingston Value Ram

Amd 2000+

This was a decent comp last year, but now with all the next gen. games out (Doom3,HalfLife2, etc.) I feel the need to upgrade. I need a computer that will let me play the old games (Halflife:CounterStrike, ect.) and will run the next gen. games as well. I also need the next gen. games to run well, not just run. Here is what I plan to upgrade to:

Keep Nforce2 Mobo

Keep Maxtor 120 Gig HD

Sapphire 9600 Xt 256 More info here...

Kingston HyperX(2x256) More info here...

Amd 64 3200+ More info here...

Also, will my Nforce2 be able to handle it? Thanks

for the price of that 9600XT, you can get a 9800pro that is way better
for the price of that RAM, you can almost get a gig of regular pc-3200
an athlon64 wont work with an n force2 mobo

 

[kd2777]

Well if you keep the nForce2 motherboard you can only go to a 3200+ and that isn?t that big of a upgrade. I really like the 3200+ A64, but since you are going to have to buy a motherboard you may want to save some money and go with the 3000+ A64 (152 plus 15 for HSF). For a good cheap board (I assume you are on a budget) I like the Soltek It is currently out of stock but it will come back in soon.

As far as the RAM I have two favorites; Mushkin & Corsair Value. They are both CAS 2.5 and both 1 GB (2*512), by the Mushkin costing less I would get it. I know you said you selected high performance RAM, but it is only pc-2700 (not pc-3200) and it is almost as expensive as the RAM I picked out and you will see a lot more performance in games using 1 GB than using high performance RAM.

Next is the Video card. The 9600XT is alright as long as you are not an avid gamer. If you like to turn up the resolution and turn on the effects at a good frame rate, the 9600xt will not do. I don't know what your budget is, but i think you should be choosing between the 9800 pro (@<200) and if the budget allows the 6800 (@ a little over 250) I would check the FS/FT forums and see if you can find a good deal on either of these cards. The 6800 will be a better card and will last longer, but the 9800pro is a great price/performance card if you can find it for about 175 (I've been noticing newegg and others selling these cards for over 200 and that is way to high for these cards when the 6800 is only 270). Let your budget be your guide, if this is going to be mainly a gaming computer get the best card you can afford up to a 6800GT (any thing more is over kill).

kd

 

[tbroso]

Thanks alot nick, lord, and kd, that looks like a good mobo so I guess I'll go with that, lol. Same goes with the gfx card.

 

[tbroso]

Ok, so instead of the Sapphire I should get This

And instead of the hyper x
This

And for a new mobo This

Or should I go with This

And for a processor this

 

[DaveSimmons]

Careful - one of those motherboards was socket 754 which can't be mixed with a socket 939 processor.

Also, if not overclocking you can always get a retail CPU and use its HSF, just be sure the CPU socket matches the motherboard!

 

[nick1985]

yeah, you will need a socket 939 athlon64 board. i suggest the epox 9nda3...(see sig)

 

[kd2777]

Originally posted by: nick1985
yeah, you will need a socket 939 athlon64 board. i suggest the epox 9nda3...(see sig)

I suggested the Soltek to save a little cash, but the EPoX that nick suggested is great!!! I personal own that one. I also have the DFI you suggested, it is good as well, but I like the 939 socket better than the 754 so I like the EPoX the best.

If you don't know I will let you in on the differences in the AMD chips.

1st you have the Socket A (which is what you have now) they where great two years ago, but as they got faster (higher numbers) they started to suck a little, so then AMD came out with the Athlon64 socket 754 (s754), now this thing was great it starts at 2800+, but don't let that fool you, a 2800+ s754 will smoke a 3200+ Socket A. The s754 was great, it but it only supported single channel memory, so AMD introduced the socket 939 (s939). This is now AMD?s bread and butter. It has the best of the s754 plus it has dual channel memory, it starts at 3000+ but here again you can't compare it to the socket A that you have. If you need to look at a motherboard and tell which one it is the s754 (single channel) has a hole in the middle of where the CPU goes. This is because 754 and 939 relates to how many pins the CPU has, as you more than likely have guessed the s754 has 754 pins and the s939 has 939 pins.

I told you earlier that you can't compare a 3200+ socket A with 3200+ athlon64 (either s754 or s939) that is because with the Athlon64 line the big change is in the memory controller. With your nForce2 board the chip accesses the memory by going through the nForce2 northbridge. So if the CPU needs something from memory it sends it's request to the memory controller on the northbridge and the northbridge then goes to the memory. With the Athlon 64 the memory controller is on the chip, basically eliminating the middleman. This has worked wonders for AMD, which is essentially how they are kicking Intel?s butt right now.

Hope this small lesson helped and wasn't too confusing.

kd

ps. guys I know I over simplified a couple of things, but it was in the spirt of trying not to over explain.