New puter stuff - recommendations plz (1 Viewer)

[LexxY]

Currently Im running a 2.4ghz celeron, some like asus saggittarious 2 motherboard, xpert vision nvidia fx 5700 256mb gfx card and a gig of ddr ram ( 2x512 sticks.. its not the best type)...

Okay, Im considering a amd x2 3800. It's dual core, only like 2ghz or something... new motherboard too. Any1 think it's a waste of $550 or there abouts? I'm going to be doing a lot of 'multithreaded' applications next year whatever I do for tertiary education as well as my spare time. I'm getting a new motherboard too.. anyways to my list of questions ( when u answer try n put whatever question # ure answering in )

1. Any1 think that processor is shit? Worth spending a little more on something else?
2. Should I upgrade to better ram?
3. I'm looking for a new case preferably with a power supply. I'm thinking neons, blue... what's a good brand?
4. Should I get a new gfx card now.. or wait a bit? Cos if I get a new one I gotta change the motherboard n stuff.

I think that's it. If I think of anything else, Im sure to post again. I like getting people's opinions on things, real people. I have a terrible dislike for computer review sites, only to look at benchmarks n stuff.

Thanks for your help =)

 

[Collin]

Why do you have to get a new mobo if you don't decide to get a video card now but later? You have to get a new one anyway for your X2! X2s are powerful processors for the tasks that you need, whether or not you think it's worth it really does depend on the specifics of what you're doing. So take a mindstorm of how you'll be using your computer and then determine whether or not it's worth it. Your RAM is good. Nothing wrong with that. If you wanna open your options for gaming, you can also consider putting in another 512MB - 1GB. As for cases, I personally prefer Lian Li and Thermaltake.. but again that's my opinion only. For PSU, get something atleast 480W. Don't skimp on generic brands here either, the quality of your PSU is very important for the longevity of your components. If I got your PC, I certainly wouldn't trust a crappy cheap PSU with my X2, 1GB RAM and perhaps new video card. Speaking of video cards, a nice Geforce 7 or Radeon X1800 would be nice. Then you can finally play Quake IV at all it's Doom 3 engine gloriness..

 

[Templar]

1. Any1 think that processor is shit? Worth spending a little more on something else?
2. Should I upgrade to better ram?
3. I'm looking for a new case preferably with a power supply. I'm thinking neons, blue... what's a good brand?
4. Should I get a new gfx card now.. or wait a bit? Cos if I get a new one I gotta change the motherboard n stuff.

1. If the X2 is shit, then there really isn't anything that isn't. The X2 3800+ has great overclocking potentials for its price, and is better than any other processors out there for most applications.

2. Personally I'd get low latency RAM, but that's just me. I suppose your current RAM will do if it's not generic.

3. Refer to JKDDragon's post. Just make sure you really want it to be fancy with lights, if it's within view most of the time the blue LEDs soon become a pain. My Thermaltake Tsunami is windowed (not my choice since the other version was out of stock) and sometimes it gets irritating with all those lights.

4. I don't think your current graphics card is PCIe, so you have to get a new graphics card anyway. In that case you might as well get a good one so you don't have to upgrade in the next year or so.

 

[Collin]

Yup, FX5700s definitely don't come in PCI-e, so best idea methinks is to just get a nice PCI-x16 mobo for your X2 and then you'll also be set for future video card upgrades.

BTW Templar, I have a Tsunami too! They are awesome cases.. I accidentally scratched mine the 2nd day I got it though -_-, fuck that pissed me off so much. Now I just have the 5cm scratched covered up by the big Doom 3 sticker I got when I bought the game. It makes me forget sometimes, atleast *bursts into tears*

 

[sunjet]

It's best to upgrade all at once, new system so you don't get problems. I'd upgrade that fx5700 if you're getting PCI-e

 

[loquasagacious]

If you can't afford to upgrade all at once then do so in this order:

RAM first if upgrading for general usability.

Graphics card and RAM if for games.

I have found the CPU itself to have a minimal effect on games when comparred to the graphics card. Dollar for dollar the performance gain you get from a graphics card is better. I know friends who run HL2 on Athalon XP 1800+ with 9600XT graphics cards and it runs pretty well.

 

[LexxY]

Yeah I was getting a new one, but wasn't getting one with pci express.

 

[Collin]

If you can't afford to upgrade all at once then do so in this order:

RAM first if upgrading for general usability.

Graphics card and RAM if for games.

I have found the CPU itself to have a minimal effect on games when comparred to the graphics card. Dollar for dollar the performance gain you get from a graphics card is better. I know friends who run HL2 on Athalon XP 1800+ with 9600XT graphics cards and it runs pretty well.

1. That depends on which and the types of games you play.

2. I wouldn't say 'minimal', but at best 'less important'. The CPU still plays a major role. Especially the better the video card, since then the system could become majorly processor-bound. Top-end cards nowadays need top end CPUs to perform at maximum potential.. so what I'm trying to say is although I definitely agree with the suggestion that many games out today will benefit more from a new video card than a new processor, if you get a high-end video card but still retain a very old processor, you may find your video card severely bottlenecked. For example, from a CPU-bound perspective.. it would be an absolute joke if she say, retained that Celeron whilst went out and bought a shiny new 7800GTX.

Yeah I was getting a new one, but wasn't getting one with pci express.

Why not?

The best you can do then will be either a Geforce 6800 or an X850XT. From my knowledge ATi and nVidia ain't going AGP anymore after those. So no X1000s AGP, no Geforce 7 AGPs.. and perhaps certainly no AGPs for cards released in the future after these. In other words, if you plan on upgrading again on the same computer where you intend to get another video card, you're gonna have to switch mobos.. again. Why not save yourself a trouble, make your rig more futureproof and go PCI-e.. especially since you said you're also a gamer?

 

[Minai]

I think supplies for socket 939 AGP mobos are going to decline soon, so yeah, I'd go PCI-E now, since all new graphics cards are on that BUS

I'm not sure, but do Gigabyte/ASUS etc still make AGP mobos?

 

[Jayphen]

Dual core processors are a waste of money on a gaming rig. It doesn't increase game performance at all.

 

[darksbane]

Dual core processors do increase performance in games if the games support multithreading, as far as I'm aware though, very few games support it, I think Doom 3 is one that does, though I'm not 100% certain on that, though with dual cores it means you could game and be doing something else in the background on the other core. Besides that, she said she will be doing alot of multithreaded work.

1. That processor would be a very nice beast to have in my opinion Don't see a problem with it, of course if you want, it would be cheaper to get a dual core Opteron 165, or if you want to spend more you could always go for a x2 4200+ or a dual core Opteron 170, though I don't know you'd want to spend much more then that at the moment.

2. Yes, if your ram is generic then better ram would be worth getting, Kingmax, Geil, Corsair, OCZ or any other decent brand should be fine, though if your after low latencies, Corsair or OCZ would probably be the best, though Kingmax and Geil do make low latency models and their normal models are perfectly fine.

3. As for new cases, anything that looks cool in your opinion would be fine, though I would recommend getting a decent 480w or higher power supply, either Antec or Enermax, the X-Connect power supplies seem to have a good reputation also, personally I have an Antec True Blue 480w and its a very stable power supply and has actually kept my computer running when there was a power surge that took out 4 other computers in the house.

As far as upgrading goes, there is an Asrock skt 939 motherboard with both AGP and PCI-e 16x slots, ya, Asrock are a cheap brand, but if your not overclocking, it shouldnt really matter if your just using it as an upgrade method. Eg, upgrade CPU to skt 939 Athlon 64 or Opteron, get the Asrock board and keep your current video card, and then later upgrade to a PCI-e video card, then you could get better ram, then a better motherboard, or something along those lines.

4. So in light of the above, I would say get a new gfx card now or later, depends on your upgrade path.

I'm not sure, but do Gigabyte/ASUS etc still make AGP mobos?

Yes, they do.

 

[Jayphen]

Yeah, I probably should've read her post before replying heh.

 

[Collin]

Dual core processors are a waste of money on a gaming rig. It doesn't increase game performance at all.

True, but only for right now. Obviously when you buy new hardware, you have to look towards longevity. Games are going to be more multithread compatible in the future.. plus the prices of dual core processors are coming down. If I was to upgrade right now for a gaming rig I wouldn't mind a nice X2 3800+, even if I wasn't doing any multithread non-gaming apps.