YAH(ardware)T

[Eos]

I'm not a gamer, but need solid upgrades to my Asus K8N-E Socket 754 with an AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Newcastle and 2 gb of pqi pc3200 ddr400 RAM. This has been a solid system for two years, but now it's time for an upgrade.

My use is heavy duty audio editing which uses 100% processor load for 15-20 minutes at a time, web & e-mail.

I've read so many reviews, I'm starting to get dizzy. At this point I think I am 99% sure these are the right parts for me. Please tell me if there are any conflicts with the chosen parts or my choices just suck!

MSI K9N SLI Platinum Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - I love the dual ethernet ports!

AMD Athlon 64 3800+ Orleans 2.4GHz Socket AM2 Processor

Kingston ValueRAM 1GB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) - 2 of these

Leadtek WinFast PX7300GT TDH 128MB DDR3 Extreme Geforce 7300GT 128MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card

Thermaltake W0106RU Complies with ATX 12V 2.2 & EPS 12V version 700W Power Supply

Parts I already have -

Ultra Grid case.
WD 36 gb Raptor for OS drive.
4 more SATA or IDE storage drives.
Windows XP Home

 

[stevf]

What's your budget and any reason you are not choosing core2duo?

edit - also if you are not gaming you dont need an sli mobo.

 

[oynaz]

I disagree with your choice of CPU. If you often use 100%, I would recommend a C2D E6600 or similar.

BTW, which kind of audio editing? I am into audio myself, but my P4 2,4 ghz is plenty for me.

 

[Eos]

The budget is around $1k, and I don't know that core2duo is what I need. I'm an AMD guy and the prices for Core2 Duo start way over what I think is an acceptable price for a processor.

Sadly, the features I wanted (dual ethernet, 3 PCI, LPT); I could not find on a non SLI board.

 

[Eos]

Originally posted by: oynaz
I disagree with your choice of CPU. If you often use 100%, I would recommend a C2D E6600 or similar.

BTW, which kind of audio editing? I am into audio myself, but my P4 2,4 ghz is plenty for me.

I edit out commercials from radio shows. Also, encoding from .wav to .flac or high bit rate .mp3 to a little lower.

 

[Eos]

Christ. I can't justify $313 for the C2D E6600 processor alone.

 

[stevf]

the intel core2duo e6600 is about $315 right now and the core2duo line is currently the best game in town. I know you are an amd guy, but sometimes intel is just better.


edit - i see we posted at the same time !

 

[oynaz]

Ah, so you do not need good real-time performance from your CPU, right? In that case, the cheaper AMD option might be a better choice.

 

[Eos]

I guess my issue is the need for high performance in short bursts. Mostly 3-5 minutes, but occasionally 20 minutes. A super duper processor seems to be overkill to me.

And it's so hard to decide with so many of the critique threads here are for gaming rigs. I thought this would be a nice change of pace.

 

[stevf]

Yes, lots of gaming rigs, but gaming rigs are usually pretty high powered. Nobody seems to mind the video card you chose as you arent gaming and that card is good enough for your use. I mentioned you dont need SLI on your motherboard, but having wont matter. SLI is for dual video card gaming. We are mentioning the core2duo only because it is the best line out now. If the amd meets your needs and budget it will be fine

edit - also take a look at a core2duo e4300 - about $170 now, it is the lowest in the line but still very fast

 

[engiNURD]

For Audio Editing/Encoding alone, the Core2Duo would only increase performance by about 15%. So, unless you do alot of multi-tasking, the Core2Duo isn't for you. However, assuming the newer audio programs will make use of multi-core systems, you might be better off goin with an X2 Brisbane CPU instead. The X2 3600+ is only $90 at the egg, last I checked.

//edit: its $95

 

[jpeyton]

Your build is average at best. And a few things don't make sense; how is your budget $1k when you're listing <$500 worth of parts? If you're doing audio work, wouldn't a silent computer be ideal?

 

[Eos]

Originally posted by: jpeyton
Your build is average at best. And a few things don't make sense; how is your budget $1k when you're listing <$500 worth of parts? If you're doing audio work, wouldn't a silent computer be ideal?

To be fair, the total listed is a smidgen under $636, but I didn't factor in the 2 OS's I need to purchase from a different location, which brings me up to $900. When I said already had, I implied already had "from another source". Anyhoo.

Average is fine. Average has been fine for the last 2 years. I want to continue average as it is easy on the checking account and works well for me.

As for the volume of parts I've listed, are they loud? 90 dB? 100 dB? I guess I thought the parts were no louder than what I already have and it has been quiet enough.

 

[Eos]

Ordered the 3600+ 64 X2 Brisbane and everything else stayed the same.

Thanks for all the advice.

 

[Frintin]

Definitely no reason not to go with a a dual core processor if you are upgrading right now. An X2 3600+ is a great cpu. Your requirements for dual ethernet etc might limit your X2 choices though.