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X800XL a slight bottleneck to San Diego 3700+?

M

Mark2582

Member
Ok, this probably sounds really stupid, but would an X800XL bottleneck this system even slightly?

MSI K8N Neo 4 Platinum
3700+ A64 San Deigo
1GB Corsair Value Select
430 W Seasonic S12

I will not be overclocking the CPU, but if the X800XL proves to be a bottleneck I will go with the Leadtek 6800GT and OC it to Ultra speeds. Other than that, no overclocking going on. Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I am about the order this rig and need some feedback. BTW, I will be gaming at 1280x1024 with moderate AA/AF on. (4AA/8AF for most games.) I play all the newest FPS's also in case that helps.
 
Depend on which games really

At 1280x1024 4AA/8AF you'd be able to play HL2, Doom3 without problems
If newer games come out and it can't cope then drop 4xAA
Also the 6800GT is not a lot faster than X800XL, even slower at some games

I recommend staying with X800XL for around 1.5 - 2 years to wait for the Longhorn-ready WGF2.0-compliant new gen graphic cards to roll out. Since A 6800GT wouldn't last longer than that time frame either.
 
By the way you are NOT going to overclok your CPU? You are probably kidding.
It's a total waste of money getting a San Deigo and NOT overclocking it.

San Deigo sell for premium price not only because of its 1MB cache, no one cares much about that actually
It is because the Multiplier of the CPU is unlocked which allows you to overclock very easily. that's why people spend extra buying a San Deigo. In your case it is a waste really not overclocking.
 
Would it be smarter to downgrade the CPU to a Venice 3500+ (I still will not overclock) and buy an x850XT? Would this offer a greater boost in performance? If I did this I would also be buying a CRT so it would be at 16x12.
 
overclocking doesnt kill, voltage does as someone told me. Try overclocking it as high as you can stock voltage.

Newb comment, someone correct me, as i only know about AMD overclocking.
 
Alright I am thinking about attempting to OC with stock volts. Will this require something more than the Corsair Value Select? Also, can this lead to a corrupt BIOS? I am thinking about getting the X850XT but I don't know if it's really a whole lot faster. Also, what kinda PSU am I going to need to run this stable?
 
Originally posted by: Mark2582
Alright I am thinking about attempting to OC with stock volts. Will this require something more than the Corsair Value Select? Also, can this lead to a corrupt BIOS? I am thinking about getting the X850XT but I don't know if it's really a whole lot faster. Also, what kinda PSU am I going to need to run this stable?
Click to expand...

Just a light OC (especially with a venice) is no problem. Just bump up you FSB (or HTT if you ant to be all technical). You will probably have tio use a divider with the RAM, but that isn't a big deal. Search for a thread by Zebo detailing how to OC an A64 at stock voltage, it is a great guide. Assuming you are only OCing a little bit through the bios, there should be no major software or harware problems.

If you are OCing, maybe you could get a venice 3000+ or 3200+, OC them to around 2.4 (should be a piece of cake from what I have heard) and save some more mony. Then in a couple of years, switch to dual/quad core. The x850 is arguable the best card out there, but it has a premium. I would just stick with the x800xl for now. Unless you *have* to spend all of the money, it seems like a wastew, but everyone has their own values.
 
True the X850XT doesn't really seem worth it. I think I will just stick with the X800XL. I also will probably go with a 3200+, but are they acheiving that 2.4 on stock volts? I really don't want to up the voltage as I have never OC'd before.
 
Originally posted by: Mark2582
True the X850XT doesn't really seem worth it. I think I will just stick with the X800XL. I also will probably go with a 3200+, but are they acheiving that 2.4 on stock volts? I really don't want to up the voltage as I have never OC'd before.
Click to expand...

My winchester does 2.4 on the stock voltage, but it tends to get a little wamr (before I got my xp-90). Venice are supposedly cooler and better OCers, though, so I don't think you will have a problem.
 
If gaming is your biggest concern, the video card will matter much more than the CPU.

San Diego core chips come fully unlocked? I thought they limited that to their FX line.

Get a 3000+ Winchester or Venice and OC it to 2.4 or so to get the most out of it. It sounds like most Venice core CPUs can get their max OC at stock voltage (after reading how some are hitting 2.8 with stock voltage). As far as I know the reason why the 3700 is so popular is its 1MB cache (which is equivalent to about an extra 100-200Mhz in performance). Its the cheapest socket 939 Athlon 64 with it. Also its fairly high multiplier (x12) is helpful in getting the best overclock.

I would actually kinda recommend getting the MSI SLI board. It has a great onboard sound chip for games (save you some money there) and doesn't cost much more. Then get a single 6600GT for now and wait to see what happens with the new video cards. If its gonna be a while then get a second 6600GT and SLI them to get the performance you want.
 
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