Want to improve my pc! horray! =P

[Smith|]

Im still, really confused...

1st, why wont my radeon be enough for an asus mobo?

It's not that it won't be enough, it's that it wouldn't physically fit into the board.

2nd, i dont understand much in psu's, how can i check my current psu's watt?

You need to take the side off of your case and check the side of the PSU that faces you. You won't "screw up your pc case" .

3rd, im not sure i really want to buy another graphic card...i was just interested...so i guess we can take that off the list for now...

Just because we're suggesting a particular upgrade doesn't mean you have to follow it. We're not going "DO AS WE SAY OR DIE A PAINFUL DEATH, MORTAL."


--------------------------------------------------------

@ 1 That aint the point, but you wanted to play FEAR and Quake 4 so I suggested to get a new videocard, you can keep the old one, but I would advise a PCIe and AGP mobo. And the only mobo which has that kind of feature is the Asrock 939Dual-SATA2.

But why should you go with a motherboard that you will never use half of once he upgrades again and will leave him with less-than-average performance?

@ Smith, I get normal scores for my system @ 3dmarks05, ofcourse I checked that first with my PSU , also I would experince slow down and crashes if my psu wouldnt be powerfull enough.

Why are you using a synthetic benchmark, eh? Go do some real world testing and see if it's doing as well as it should =P.

And ofcourse it should have a good V-Rail I said a GOOD PSU .(And 550watt is just overboard, asuming it has a decent v-rail and pushes it watts out it is saying)

550Watt + Good rails is not overboard for him, especially if he wishes to continue upgrading after this time. Why force him to spend even more money down the road?

I will agree, though, that for the peformance/price it offers compared to the Kingston Value, the Patriot low latency RAM is not worth it. Although, getting low latency RAM isn't always about just the low latency. If you raise them, and overclock, they will get far more than from a default medium latency RAM.


--------------------------------------------------------


Upgrade:
Because the Patriot RAM threw it a little too far over your limit, I've not included it.

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3200BPBOX - Retail - $155.00
-For the same reason Devion said: budget. All the Venices are the same core, so they will all overclock generally the same if you ever feel like getting into it.

DFI LanParty UT nF4-D Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail - $117.00
-Has two PCI-E 16x slots for incase you ever feel like SLI-ing =D.

Kingston ValueRAM 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model KVR400X64C3AK2/1G - Retail - $83.91
-I'm going to give up the hill with this one. For the price, go with it. The performance penalty won't be near enough to warrent the increase in price.

COOLMAX CX-550B ATX 550W Power Supply 115/230 V - Retail - $71.50
-Good enough to power an SLI setup in your future as well as any extra drives you wish to add.

eVGA 256-P2-N376-AX Geforce 6800GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail - $289.00
-I'm suggesting a PCI-E card as getting an AGP motherboard (or even AGP + PCI-E) motherboard will start to show its age way too fast. AGP is at the end of its line this year for decent cards. What's the point of getting a dual AGP + PCI-E if half of it becomes pointless? Then you're left with a less-performing PCI-E motherboard.

Total price in US from newegg = $716.41

If that's too much for you, then you may consider only a 6600GT, which won't give nearly the same performance as a 6800GT, but will still out-perform your 9800Pro and is SLI capable.
MSI NX6600GT-TD128E Geforce 6600GT 128MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail - $154.00

Which will bring your total to only $581.41 =).

 

[Devion]

First of all you also dont know, maybe he wants to suspend his videocard upgrade.

Also Smith, the 550watt is total overboard, there are even people who runs a AMD 64 3800 and a 7800 gtx totally fine with a 300 watt.

Also he doesnt know how to overclocking so the ram advantages isnt worth it =P

Also I know my 350 watt is enough or you would see drastic lower score then I should get in 3dmark05.(Also 3dmarks05 is still the most intense graphics benchmark/game out there, 3dmarks05 is ideal for checking, your temperature and psu )

I agree with your shopping list except for the mobo and psu.(SLI is overboard dont ya think, after you do an SLi upgrade, there will be a faster card for about the same money )

He can better take a decent 350watt and normal 939 mobo.(Without sli, it makes the mobo only more expensive)

If he does that, he will have enough for 6800GT

 

[Smith|]

Also Smith, the 550watt is total overboard, there are even people who runs a AMD 64 3800 and a 7800 gtx totally fine with a 300 watt.

Tis not overboard . I also highly doubt (read EXTREMELY) that anyone would run an AMD 64 3800+ and a 7800GTX on only a 300Watt PSU. Got some links?

Also he doesnt know how to overclocking so the ram advantages isnt worth it =P

I'm not longer recommending it for him, so you can drop that issue.

Also I know my 350 watt is enough or you would see drastic lower score then I should get in 3dmark05.(Also 3dmarks05 is still the most intense graphics benchmark/game out there, 3dmarks05 is ideal for checking, your temperature and psu )

Yes, I know. Was just making a hit at you for being hypocritical =P.

I agree with your shopping list except for the mobo and psu.(SLI is overboard dont ya think, after you do an SLi upgrade, there will be a faster card for about the same money )

By the time that card is out, the one he can SLI will cost a whole lot less. Spend 280 now + 150 later = better deal than 600+ then.

I'm sticking by the list as above:

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3200BPBOX - Retail - $155.00
-For the same reason Devion said: budget. All the Venices are the same core, so they will all overclock generally the same if you ever feel like getting into it.

DFI LanParty UT nF4-D Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail - $117.00
-Has two PCI-E 16x slots for incase you ever feel like SLI-ing =D.

Kingston ValueRAM 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model KVR400X64C3AK2/1G - Retail - $83.91
-I'm going to give up the hill with this one. For the price, go with it. The performance penalty won't be near enough to warrent the increase in price.

COOLMAX CX-550B ATX 550W Power Supply 115/230 V - Retail - $71.50
-Good enough to power an SLI setup in your future as well as any extra drives you wish to add.

eVGA 256-P2-N376-AX Geforce 6800GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail - $289.00
-I'm suggesting a PCI-E card as getting an AGP motherboard (or even AGP + PCI-E) motherboard will start to show its age way too fast. AGP is at the end of its line this year for decent cards. What's the point of getting a dual AGP + PCI-E if half of it becomes pointless? Then you're left with a less-performing PCI-E motherboard.

Total price in US from newegg = $716.41

If that's too much for you, then you may consider only a 6600GT, which won't give nearly the same performance as a 6800GT, but will still out-perform your 9800Pro and is SLI capable.
MSI NX6600GT-TD128E Geforce 6600GT 128MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail - $154.00

Which will bring your total to only $581.41 =).

ACTUALLY, minus the motherboard and graphics card. Go with this deal: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130238

7800GT + Free SLI Motherboard for $399, 7 less than the 6800GT + SLI Mobo.

Here's your new list:

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3200BPBOX - Retail - $155.00
-For the same reason Devion said: budget. All the Venices are the same core, so they will all overclock generally the same if you ever feel like getting into it.

Kingston ValueRAM 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model KVR400X64C3AK2/1G - Retail - $83.91
-I'm going to give up the hill with this one. For the price, go with it. The performance penalty won't be near enough to warrent the increase in price.

COOLMAX CX-550B ATX 550W Power Supply 115/230 V - Retail - $71.50
-Good enough to power an SLI setup in your future as well as any extra drives you wish to add.

eVGA 256-P2-N518 Geforce 7800GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 VIVO PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail - $399.00

eVGA 133-K8-NF41 Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail - FREE!


Total price in US from newegg = $709.41

If that's too much for you, then you may consider only a 6600GT, which won't give nearly the same performance as a 6800GT, but will still out-perform your 9800Pro and is SLI capable.
MSI NX6600GT-TD128E Geforce 6600GT 128MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail - $154.00

DFI LanParty UT nF4-D Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail - $117.00
-Has two PCI-E 16x slots for incase you ever feel like SLI-ing =D.


Which will bring your total to only $581.41 =).

 

[Devion]

Tis not overboard . I also highly doubt (read EXTREMELY) that anyone would run an AMD 64 3800+ and a 7800GTX on only a 300Watt PSU. Got some links?

I'm not longer recommending it for him, so you can drop that issue.

Yes, I know. Was just making a hit at you for being hypocritical =P.

By the time that card is out, the one he can SLI will cost a whole lot less. Spend 280 now + 150 later = better deal than 600+ then.

I'm sticking by the list as above:

You forget, SLi board cost more, also a 7800 GT(X) doesnt cost 600+, but rather €365 or $438.(GTX is 40 euro more expensive)

So a board for $120, $280 the vga, special PSU $80 and $150 for the second SLi card = $620.(Which depends on the drivers for SLi support per game)
Or board $90, vga $438 and psu $50 = $578.(GT)
Or board $90, vga $486 and psu $50 = $626.(GTX)

And where was I being hypocritical?
I said the scores dont matter, but its great for temperature testing and psu stressing.

Ill post you the 300watt link if I find it again.

 

[Smith|]

You forget, SLi board cost more, also a 7800 GT(X) doesnt cost 600+, but rather €365 or $438.(GTX is 40 euro more expensive)

I was skipping this generation as 2 6800GTs in SLI ~ a 7800GT.

So a board for $120, $280 the vga, special PSU $80 and $150 for the second SLi card = $620.(Which depends on the drivers for SLi support per game)
Or board $90, vga $438 and psu $50 = $578.(GT)
Or board $90, vga $486 and psu $50 = $626.(GTX)

<s>Well then he can get one 6800GT now and when money is more available, sell it and get a 7800GT/7800GTX later. Then he'll have an SLI mobo ready =D! If you go with your $90 board now it will leave him unable to have SLI, which is becoming almost a requirement for highend gaming.</s>
Look up and see my edit about the 7800GT + Free SLI mobo.

And where was I being hypocritical?
I said the scores dont matter, but its great for temperature testing and psu stressing.

You throw a hit at me for using synthetic benchmarks and then say you use one to do testing with. That's hypocritical.

Ill post you the 300watt link if I find it again.

Have fun. I really hope it isn't just one post with them showing their specs and a 300Watt PSU, but a little/big review.

We're both going off-topic here. Instead of trying to help him, we're both just combating each other over little claims here and there. Go ahead and post your PSU link, but otherwise, it's time for him to decide. He'll choose what he wants, and if he's still confused, he'll ask more questions.

 

[Devion]

I was skipping this generation as 2 6800GTs in SLI ~ a 7800GT.


<s>Well then he can get one 6800GT now and when money is more available, sell it and get a 7800GT/7800GTX later. Then he'll have an SLI mobo ready =D! If you go with your $90 board now it will leave him unable to have SLI, which is becoming almost a requirement for highend gaming.</s>
Look up and see my edit about the 7800GT + Free SLI mobo.


You throw a hit at me for using synthetic benchmarks and then say you use one to do testing with. That's hypocritical.

Have fun. I really hope it isn't just one post with them showing their specs and a 300Watt PSU, but a little/big review.

We're both going off-topic here. Instead of trying to help him, we're both just combating each other over little claims here and there. Go ahead and post your PSU link, but otherwise, it's time for him to decide. He'll choose what he wants, and if he's still confused, he'll ask more questions.

Last reaction on your post, no its not hypocritical.

I said its a great tool to see if your psu can keep up and temperature testing.

If I was using it too compare my 6800gt to a x850XT it would have been.

(I said 3dmark05 aint a good tool to show how fast your hardware in real games and comparing hardware, you should read better :x)

 

[Smith|]

You never said that "scores don't matter" until I started calling you hypocritical. It's not a case of who's reading better . If anything, your main point in these quotes are about your score.

Also I know my 350 watt is enough or you would see drastic lower score then I should get in 3dmark05.(Also 3dmarks05 is still the most intense graphics benchmark/game out there, 3dmarks05 is ideal for checking, your temperature and psu )

@ Smith, I get normal scores for my system @ 3dmarks05, ofcourse I checked that first with my PSU , also I would experince slow down and crashes if my psu wouldnt be powerfull enough.

Then when I call you a hypocrite:

And where was I being hypocritical?
I said the scores dont matter, but its great for temperature testing and psu stressing.

If you're refering to this:

As a techie you should know, never to trust synthetic benchmarks, but normal game benchmarks.

Then you should've ellaborated more as Synthetic benchmarks are an excellent show of how something will perform, say your video card or CPU, but not always a good all around benchmark. Now, if you wouldn't mind:

We're both going off-topic here. Instead of trying to help him, we're both just combating each other over little claims here and there. Go ahead and post your PSU link, but otherwise, it's time for him to decide. He'll choose what he wants, and if he's still confused, he'll ask more questions.

 

[Super Veggeto]

Ok, so it's like this guys XD I decided not to buy the parts saperatly cause thats obviously a mess for me.
So im going to buy a new computer.
And now it does include a graphic card =P So lets start over from a point that i can actually understand what im going for ^_^

 

[|Overlord|]

Ok, so it's like this guys XD I decided not to buy the parts saperatly cause thats obviously a mess for me.
So im going to buy a new computer.
And now it does include a graphic card =P So lets start over from a point that i can actually understand what im going for ^_^

First off, describe what pc you are getting in terms of specs, budget & where you are getting it from (a shop or some oem vendor etc).

 

[Smith|]

Ok, so it's like this guys XD I decided not to buy the parts saperatly cause thats obviously a mess for me.
So im going to buy a new computer.
And now it does include a graphic card =P So lets start over from a point that i can actually understand what im going for ^_^

Have fun getting ripped off .

 

[Killface]

I dont blame him smith. You, Saiyan Overlord, and Devion are confusing him because of you 3 quarreling over little things like benchmarking and rails in the PSU that dont even deal with Super Vegetto's question. So before you guys get mad and Smith gives me a warning for what I said, look over what my post really good.

@ Super Vegetto - If you need any help on buying this PC or if you are still interested in upgrading (which i hope you are) then drop me a PM or you can E-mail me (perferably). I have a good computer background, not as good as Smiths but it's still good, so i know what Im doing.

 

[|Overlord|]

I dont blame him smith. You, Saiyan Overlord, and Devion are confusing him because of you 3 quarreling over little things like benchmarking and rails in the PSU that dont even deal with Super Vegetto's question. So before you guys get mad and Smith gives me a warning for what I said, look over what my post really good.

@ Super Vegetto - If you need any help on buying this PC or if you are still interested in upgrading (which i hope you are) then drop me a PM or you can E-mail me (perferably). I have a good computer background, not as good as Smiths but it's still good, so i know what Im doing.

We're just tech junkies that get all on the crits/pros/cons side of hardware.

Trust me, build it yourself, that way you : a) save money (and can probably afford better parts too) b) Have a better pc & c) Customize things they way you want them (you could buy a nice fancy looking case for yourself for all you know, selecting a case for my pc has always been my choice to select witch one I like, or what I can find for a bargin).

Do your research too on parts/configs and then you will get a rough idea of what you want/need (even if you buy it built from a pc shop built, sure, that's your decision & will cost you more money with out a doubt, but you still know what youv'e got for a system ).

 

[Killface]

Oh, good, your not pissed at me then. But what about Smith and Devion o_0?

Yeah, i agree with Saiyan Overlord, I would build your own, because you know what you are getting and it gives you experience too. But its your call man, if you feel more comfortable getting a new one then do it. Dont upgrade it just because you think that it would make us happy, we dont mind at all (and im speaking for all of us). So go with your gut instinct and do what makes you happy, not your wallet or us.

 

[Devion]

Oh, good, your not pissed at me then. But what about Smith and Devion o_0?

Yeah, i agree with Saiyan Overlord, I would build your own, because you know what you are getting and it gives you experience too. But its your call man, if you feel more comfortable getting a new one then do it. Dont upgrade it just because you think that it would make us happy, we dont mind at all (and im speaking for all of us). So go with your gut instinct and do what makes you happy, not your wallet or us.

Smith and I just had a little twist on what he should spend his money on.

But no hard feelings! I love everyone \o/

 

[Killface]

You don't discriminate? good for u, i wish I could do that but I have my own issues. Now to see what Smith thinks of my little comment.

 

[|Overlord|]

Smith and I just had a little twist on what he should spend his money on.

But no hard feelings! I love everyone \o/

I love you too .

Considering that you have only had a 9800pro for some time, i'd advise that if you are desperate for an upgrade that you get a board with agp & a decent processor (let's say a venice 3200+ or 3000+ for the time being). With amd jumping on to a new socket design soon, it's probably best to just to do a cpu & mainboard upgrade at the moment (and if you feel like it, some memory too, get something in terms of value and better then average memory timings and you should have a pretty good setup).

I also suggest this for some overclocking (if you feel that overclocking is something you can do). The chips above are good value and are good for overclocking, even on the stock hsf, but may I reccomend that you look into getting a better cooler (such as a thermaltake or zalman cooler if you do feel like you want to overclock your cpu).

I did a little check on current prices at newegg.

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice core, 512kb L2 cache, S939 cpu retail - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103535 - $152

The mainboard you mentioned on the first page of your thread.

CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Dual Channel Kit Retail - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145440 - $78.12

A small upgrade, but your getting yourself a decent system, & if you do some overclocking (this is something I reccomend you do your research on or have someone with knowlege assist you), It's pretty good if you ask me & probably be worth it for the time being.

Or if you don't feel like upgrading your mainboard, do yourself a favour and get some memory (you stated on the first page you have 256mb of memory correct?. If so, get a gig, It made all the difference for me when i went from 512 to 1gig in my games, & belive me you will notie how much better your current system will be if you get a gig of memory).

 

[Smith|]

I dont blame him smith. You, Saiyan Overlord, and Devion are confusing him because of you 3 quarreling over little things like benchmarking and rails in the PSU that dont even deal with Super Vegetto's question. So before you guys get mad and Smith gives me a warning for what I said, look over what my post really good.

I agree about confusing him, that's why I was trying to stop our (Devion and Mine) posting so that the creator could, and he has. No warning for you today, sorry .

I would still go with my recommendations, but whatever suits you.

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3200BPBOX - Retail - $155.00
-For the same reason Devion said: budget. All the Venices are the same core, so they will all overclock generally the same if you ever feel like getting into it.

DFI LanParty UT nF4-D Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail - $117.00
-Has two PCI-E 16x slots for incase you ever feel like SLI-ing =D.

Kingston ValueRAM 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model KVR400X64C3AK2/1G - Retail - $83.91
-I'm going to give up the hill with this one. For the price, go with it. The performance penalty won't be near enough to warrent the increase in price.

COOLMAX CX-550B ATX 550W Power Supply 115/230 V - Retail - $71.50
-Good enough to power an SLI setup in your future as well as any extra drives you wish to add.

eVGA 256-P2-N376-AX Geforce 6800GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail - $289.00
-I'm suggesting a PCI-E card as getting an AGP motherboard (or even AGP + PCI-E) motherboard will start to show its age way too fast. AGP is at the end of its line this year for decent cards. What's the point of getting a dual AGP + PCI-E if half of it becomes pointless? Then you're left with a less-performing PCI-E motherboard.

Total price in US from newegg = $716.41

If that's too much for you, then you may consider only a 6600GT, which won't give nearly the same performance as a 6800GT, but will still out-perform your 9800Pro and is SLI capable.
MSI NX6600GT-TD128E Geforce 6600GT 128MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail - $154.00

Which will bring your total to only $581.41 =).

 

[Killface]

Originally he just wanted a new video card and thats it right?

 

[Smith|]

No, originally he wanted pretty much everytihing but the video card.

Well, I dont understand much in these stuff, but heres what im thinking of buying:

AMD Athlon 64 3500 Venice Socket 939 Tray
Asus A8V Deluxe VIA K8T800 Socket 939 Motherboard
Kingston KVR400X64C3A-512MB DDR 3200 Memory X2 = 1024MB
Maxtor 120GB 7200rpm 8MB Buffer Serial ATA HDD

 

[Killface]

Oh thats right, im thinking of another thread. Sorry my bad, oh and i didn't want a warning, i just thought i might get one.