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What do you think of this upgrade?

B

Barnaby W. Füi

Elite Member
I'm behind the times these days but bear with me. 😛

Current machine:

Intel D865GBF
P4 2.8c
1GB ddr
flimsy antec 1030 knockoff

Planned upgrade:

ASRock ConRoe945G-DVI Micro ATX ($74)
Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 ($186)
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit ($129 AR)
Spec-Research 01006 Black 0.65mm SECC MicroATX Mini HTPC Computer Case ($60)

total: $449 AR + shipping

I use my machine mostly for surfing and software development. No 3d anything -- but I do have a 2407wfp, so I want DVI. Thus I chose the only mATX board with built-in video and DVI that I could find (and it seemed to have good reviews). I'm not 100% sure on the cpu choice. I think I may try and OC a little, but nothing that would require more than stock cooling. I know I don't even need 2GB, but 2x512MB PC2 8500 kits all seem to be stupidly expensive.

My current case is big (too big), cheap, and flimsy. Enough said.

The goals I'm going for here are low energy use (I already have a highly efficient power supply), small size, stability, linux compatability, and a respectable improvement in performance. And of course $. This isn't a "budget" build (I don't think), but I always try to hit the sweet spot on prices and not blow tons of money on high end stuff. The stability thing is critical. I really dislike troubleshooting hardware problems. And I looked into linux compatability for the mobo and the chipset/audio/network all seem to be supported.

So what do you think?

edit: Another question: dual channel ddr2 works the same as dual channel ddr, right? Meaning, you have to run them in pairs for best performance?
 
You don't need to get 1066mhz RAM, thats a major overkill. 533mhz DDR-2 is what runs with the normal FSB speed of that CPU, so 667mzh ram is good for a light OC on stock heatsink, and 800mhz ram for a higher OC.

And to answer your other question, yes, dual channel works the same way for DDR-2 as it did for DDR.
 
Originally posted by: stevty2889
You don't need to get 1066mhz RAM, thats a major overkill. 533mhz DDR-2 is what runs with the normal FSB speed of that CPU, so 667mzh ram is good for a light OC on stock heatsink, and 800mhz ram for a higher OC.

And to answer your other question, yes, dual channel works the same way for DDR-2 as it did for DDR.
Click to expand...

Definitely. And there are some hot deals on 667mhz DDR2 2GB kits.
 
Ok. I'll plan on the Corsair XMS unless anyone has any objections. Super Talent is a hilarious name.

edit: Actually, with combined shipping, the super talent stuff only turns out to be a couple bucks more from newegg.
 
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