Worth the upgrade? AMD Sempron still quite slow

[vinster345]

I changed my processor and motherboard recently from an Athlon 2700+ to a Sempron 2800+ and placed that in an ECS K8 754 board with 1GB of DDR 3200 memory and a radeon 9700pro.

This system now seems slower than my athlon in a pc ships socket A board.

If i needed to get the speed out of the 64bit architechure in the sempron, should I change out the mboard for a 969 or get a new processor and mboard.

Also, any recommendation for a sub £100 ($160) graphics card that will run Fear and the like at a reasonable 1024 level. Would do more research but have lost track of PC systems for about 6 months due to DS lite and PSP playing and less avaiable cash

 

[HannibalX]

ATI X1600 Pro, best AGP card out there and under 170 most places.

Can you score a cheap Athlon XP3200+ somewhere?

 

[mwmorph]

overclclokc the sempron.

if you can stretch a little bit and get thsi, this si highly recommended. x1600pro is pretty slowish.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102492

 

[HannibalX]

x1600pro is pretty slowish.

That?s convincing.

X1600Pro with 512MB is a darn good card. I have one in my spare PC with an XP3200+ and I can play HL2, BF2, Q4 with all the graphics options maxed out @ 1280x1024 with no slow down. What more do you want out of an old rig?

Why overclock when the XP3200+ is cheap now days?

 

[electrosoccertux]

Originally posted by: Trinitron

x1600pro is pretty slowish.

That?s convincing.

X1600Pro with 512MB is a darn good card. I have one in my spare PC with an XP3200+ and I can play HL2, BF2, Q4 with all the graphics options maxed out @ 1280x1024 with no slow down. What more do you want out of an old rig?

Why overclock when the XP3200+ is cheap now days?

Perhpas 1600x1200? A 6800GT or x800 would do much better. I've got a Sempron 3100+ and 6800GT overclocked when I need it and get 16x12 no problem on HL2, Q4, Doom3, Farcry, etc.

An x1600 would be comparable to an x600 which would be worse than a x700 which is even worse than an x800.

 

[mwmorph]

Originally posted by: Trinitron

x1600pro is pretty slowish.

That?s convincing.

X1600Pro with 512MB is a darn good card. I have one in my spare PC with an XP3200+ and I can play HL2, BF2, Q4 with all the graphics options maxed out @ 1280x1024 with no slow down. What more do you want out of an old rig?

Why overclock when the XP3200+ is cheap now days?

Numbers dont lie
http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics....delx=33&model1=318&model2=311&chart=79

Age of Empires 3
Max Details 1024x786 no aa(with aa, there is even bigger a difference)

X800xt(SM2)-56fps
X1600pro 256mb agp(SM3)- 19fps

Black and White 2 1024x768 Max details (no aa)

X800xt(SM2)-28fps
X1600pro 256mb agp(SM3)- 20fps


Black and White 2 1024x768 Max details (4x aa)

X800xt(SM2)-22fps
X1600pro 256mb agp(SM3)- 11fps

Call of Duty 2 1024x768 Max details (no aa)

X800xt(SM2)-38fps
X1600pro 256mb agp(SM3)- 24fps

Fear 1024x768 Max details (no aa)

X800xt(SM2)-34fps
X1600pro 256mb agp(SM3)- 21fps

Quake 4 1024x768 Ultra details (no aa)

X800xt(SM2)-86fps
X1600pro 256mb agp(SM3)- 44fps

Serious Sam 2 1024x768 Max details (no aa)



3DMark2006 1024x768 default

X800xt(SM2)-1251
X1600pro 256mb agp(SM3)- 800

Let me rephrase what I said then.

The X1600pro is a slow worthless overpriced POS, one of the worst cards you can buy for the money. I used the lowest resolution so the results are closer. Give it a higher reesolution or aa, and the x800xt pulls even further ahead every time.

Get a 6800ft/ultra or a X800/X850xt xl or pro.

With the X800, you wont have fancy parralax mapping orr HDR but you will actually have demanding games be playable.

As shown above, the X800xt and the X1600pro is the difference between constant stuttering and playable or playableish.

Furthermore Athlon XPs are Socket A. He has a Socket 754 motherboard and a Sempron 64 based off the AMD Athlon 64 architecture. He could upgrade to a athlon XP Mobile but its hardly worth the price. Clock for clock, a Athlon XP is comparable to a Sempron 64 so he might as well just overclock and save the money.

 

[electrosoccertux]

Clock for clock Sempron skt 754 is much zippier than AthlonXP. I had an XP3200+ and upgraded to an OC'd sempron 3100+ OC'd at 2.3 and it's much, much better.

 

[vinster345]

Thanks for the help guys. So there definately no need to go and get a pci express motherboard just for the hell of it. I might look at an 800XL. Also, I've overclocked my 2800+ to 1.97Ghz and its only at 34 degress temp. Anyway of overclocking it further. I seem to have a limit on my motherboard. its a a ECS K8 nforce 3

 

[vinster345]

so could that be the motherboard (ECS K8 Nofrce -3) that's slowing it down then? Or maybe i should just do a clean install on windows to spedd it up again.

 

[HannibalX]

See was that so hard?

 

[HannibalX]

I'll post some numbers from my machine with the 1600 when I get home. I don't think the card is the "dog" you make it out to be. If you have to stay with AGP the 512 1600 is a great option and overclocks very well.

 

[imported_killuminati]

well the 7600GS AGP is out

eVGA 256-A8-N542-AX Geforce 7600GS : ( $130 after MIR )
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130036

Peace & ciao !!!

 

[SoundTheSurrender]

the 7600 is pretty bad, its not much faster than a 6600GT. I think because it uses 128 bit memory.