upgrading my motherboard, processor, and video card


going for about a AMD athlon 64 4400
and a nvidia 8 series

any advice or comments?

1/8/2008 2:02:17 AM

What kind of comments are you looking for? You didn't really provide any specifics of the hardware your upgrading to or from.

1/8/2008 2:04:24 AM

budget, full system specs of what you have, what you want to do with the the new/upgraded computer, etc. I know I have a different price point when I upgrade and build new computers compared to other people.

1/8/2008 12:36:13 PM

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ 2.6GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor (Black Edition) $100 + add Memory to save more. Corsair (add $7), Kingston (add $14), Crucial Ballistix (add $20) after Combo/Rebate = $107-$120
http://slickdeals.net/?permadeal=11298#direct_deal_11298

evga 8800gt
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130318

ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition AM2 NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131011

ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131013

GIGABYTE GA-M61P-S3 AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 ATX AMD Motherboard (integrated video)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128034

[Edited on January 8, 2008 at 3:29 PM. Reason : ,]

1/8/2008 3:23:39 PM

Go intel. Bad choice to go AMD.

Check out the new prices:

http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/image.html?image=MTE5OTU5Mzc0MXJrZ2duMTlEUllfMV84X2wuanBn

1/8/2008 5:56:43 PM

E8400 or Q9450

[Edited on January 8, 2008 at 6:04 PM. Reason : bargain!]

1/8/2008 6:04:12 PM

^^NICE, i didn't see the new prices yet for Intel

1/8/2008 6:18:49 PM

^^^^ the cpu + memory combo deals expired

1/8/2008 7:06:35 PM

here my thoughts right now
motherboard and processor
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3536988&CatId=2417
pc cooling
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3441097&CatId=493

for ram
im gonna get 2 gigs of the dual channel ddr2 from here
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_slc.asp?CatId=2366&Nav=|c:2261|c:2263|&Sort=0&Recs=10

and video card

either 2 linked
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3445092&CatId=1826
or

1 of these
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3436163&CatId=1826
or
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3427120&CatId=1826

[Edited on January 8, 2008 at 11:53 PM. Reason : .]

1/8/2008 11:52:53 PM

^don't do 8600 SLI, it's not as fast as one 8800GT & you can get much better cooling (freezer pro for same price), also get a MINIMUM of DDR2-800 speed memory

1/9/2008 12:56:11 AM

1 Ultra Chilltec for Socket 939/775/AM2 CPU Cooler $129.99

2 OCZ Vista Upgrade Edition 4096MB PC6400 DDR2 800MH $209.98

1 Asus M2N-E SLI nForce 500 Socket AM2 Motherboard $98.29

1 AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+ Socket AM2 Black Edition $176.70

1 Palit GeForce 8800 GT Super 1GB PCIe w/Dual Link $299.99


Just ordered this evening. I have dual dvd burners and dual 160 gb hds and a 550 watt power supply Im bringing from the old computer. Yes, thats 8 gb of RAM. Plus a new Antec case with tons of fans. Will buy a second 8800 GT 1 GB card to SLI with after tax refund.

1/9/2008 1:05:10 AM

you must overclock, because quite frankly that cooler is a waste of money for the 4'C it gets over a comparable Zalman that's $80 less...unless of course you overclock and need every last degree of performance, which begs the question....why the lonely 160gb hard drives, you'd get a heckuva lot more performance with a larger platter drive or a raptor, and what are you going to use 8GB for?

the specs makes me think video editing or gaming but you don't have the hard drives for it, so rendering?

[Edited on January 9, 2008 at 1:16 AM. Reason : .]

1/9/2008 1:13:08 AM

hmmm, I'm not opposed to it.... thats probably the one thing Im not super knowlegable about. I've never came even came close to filling a 100 gb hd. I do like to keep movies, music and photos on the second drive and run all my games and stuff from the primary hd, so anything more than the 160s are probably overkill.

High end gaming, Flight Simulator X, COD4, BF2142 on a 32" lcd hdtv through a HDMI set up

Last desktop computer I built was in 2004 and Im currently gaming on my Dell e1705 laptop

just want to go all out so I dont have to update for awhile

if you have a recommendation for a HD, Im open to suggestions

PS I think that cooler is pretty tight, and I will probably overclock as well

[Edited on January 9, 2008 at 1:22 AM. Reason : .]

1/9/2008 1:18:54 AM

ah ok, just looked like an enthusiast PC so i was just curious

this is what i was talking about:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136012
(they have a 74gb version but it's only $20 less)

probably the biggest difference in overall performance you'd see instead of that (2nd) 8800GT (unless of course you're gaming on 24"+ LCD)

[Edited on January 9, 2008 at 1:23 AM. Reason : ,]

1/9/2008 1:20:06 AM

well i also was curious because you were buying a black edition of the AMD processor which has an unlocked multiplier, so you'll have lots of headroom, that's good

1/9/2008 1:23:57 AM

Thanks for looking out, I'm considering getting one now

This is the case, got it from Intrex

http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=15900#

[Edited on January 9, 2008 at 1:29 AM. Reason : .]

1/9/2008 1:27:13 AM

they also have a version for $5 more that has a glass cover so you can see the platters spinning! (if you can see your hdd while the computer's on)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136011

1/9/2008 1:30:19 AM

one thing that is pissing me off is that I am going to have to pay for a CD for XP home so i can load that back onto my comp.


any other alternatives

1/9/2008 2:38:31 AM

Ok, so this is my final decisions and ready to purchase.

If anyone sees anything or has advice, let me know

Motherboard and processor:
MSI K9N4 SLI-F Motherboard CPU Bundle - AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+ Processor 2.80GHz OEM
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3536988&CatId=2417

Ram:
Corsair XMS2 DHX Dual Channel 2048MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz Memory (2 x 1024MB)
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3089477&CatId=2368

Video Card:
EVGA GeForce 8800 GT Video Card - FREE Enemy Territory: Quake Wars PC Game, 512MB DDR3, PCI Express 2.0, SLI ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, HDTV, Video Card
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3433260&CatId=1826

Power supply:
CoolerMaster Real Power Pro 650-Watt Power Supply - SLI, SATA-Ready, 120mm Fan, Active PFC
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3299709&Sku=C283-1854


and once i get it together, im going to get a cooling product for the processor, so if you have thoughts on that, let me know.



for 80 bucks more could get this instead of the motherboard/processor bundle
ASUS M2N-E SLI Motherboard CPU Bundle - AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+ Processor Black Edition 3.20GHz Retail
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3520085&CatId=2621

[Edited on January 9, 2008 at 4:01 PM. Reason : wat you think?]

1/9/2008 3:44:28 PM

^ Palit GeForce 8800 GT Super 1GB PCIe w/Dual Link $299.99

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3525668&CatId=2306

only $10 more than the 512mb 8800 GT you had listed

1/9/2008 5:01:46 PM

^except it's 2-year warranty

1/9/2008 5:40:34 PM

and its a peice of shit

1/9/2008 5:48:18 PM

you're aware that the mobo linked won't utilize pci-e 2.0 (which the card has) right? Of course it will still work, you just won't get the performance you're paying for.

1/9/2008 6:24:42 PM

anyone else agree with this?

1/9/2008 6:31:12 PM

only the X38 & X48 chipsets supports PCIe 2.0 right now, while the 8800GT supports 2.0, i haven't seen what the benchmarks are with the 8800GT on a non-2.0 chipset, i'd imagine he's half right about this, you will see performance gain on a chipset that supports 2.0, but how much performance and is it worth the extra $$$ that the X38/X48 chipsets cost

[Edited on January 9, 2008 at 6:46 PM. Reason : .]

1/9/2008 6:45:16 PM

i havent seen any that support 2.0 though

1/9/2008 7:26:47 PM

I may have jumped the gun a little. Your mobo doesn't support pci-e 2.0 so you won't get all that you could out of the card.

I jumped the gun in sort of assuming there may be a significant cost increase for the fact that it was pci-e 2.0. Whether or not that cost increase exists or not I don't know, but it doesn't matter because it seems that all of the 8800 cards are pci-e 2.0. So if the cost is built in then you're paying it no matter what unless you go to a lesser card.

I am unaware as to what true performance gains there are from pci-e 2.0 or if those gains justify what the cost difference may be. But the boards are out there. I checked and Tigerdirect and newegg carry several (I found them by searching "pci-e 2.0 motherboard" on google). When youre selecting specs for mobos on newegg "PCI-E 2.0" is one of the options at some point.

nForce 7series supports pci-e 2.0 as well I believe.

A quick search found this (first one I clicked on).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128081

I didn't do a side by side comparison but off the top of my head it seems to support faster memory in addition to the pci-e 2.0. And it may have better FSB as well. (Don't jump me if other specs or reviews don't pan out, like I said this was a really quick look and it's just to illustrate that there are boards out that support it).

So I'm not saying there's anything wrong with what you have as of now. Just that you may want to take the time to look into this before you make a final decision.

[Edited on January 9, 2008 at 8:19 PM. Reason : .]

1/9/2008 8:18:34 PM

dude, i just told you, go search X38 at newegg and there's a slew out there that support PCIe 2.0, it's a chipset standard

i counted 23

[Edited on January 9, 2008 at 8:46 PM. Reason : .]

1/9/2008 8:44:57 PM

i wasnt on newegg

1/9/2008 9:36:35 PM

with this mobo
MSI K9A2 Platinum Motherboard - AMD790FX, Socket AM2+, ATX, Audio, PCI Express 2.0, Gigabit LAN, S/PDIF, USB 2.0, Firewire, eSATA, RAID
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=3489726&sku=M452-6000

will a socket AM2 fit or does it have to be a AM2+

1/9/2008 10:22:53 PM

look at the AMD 770 chipset, there are a few that have PCIe 2.0

[Edited on January 9, 2008 at 10:33 PM. Reason : .]

1/9/2008 10:30:37 PM

i found PCI-2 2.0 motherboards that are AM2+ sockets

but the one im looking at now, says it supports the processors that are just AM2

1/9/2008 10:33:16 PM

my real problem right now is knowing whether an AMD Athlon 64 x2 will be compatible with the AM2+ socket

because of what type of sockets and processors the mobos say they support

1/9/2008 10:48:19 PM

AM2 will work on an AM2+ board. and AM2, AM2+, and AM3 are all supposed to work on AM3 sockets when they come out.

your athlon 64 x2 is either socket 939 or AM2 (most of them are AM2). If it's AM2, it should work just fine.

Something i noticed about that motherboard: it says all over the page that it's AM2+, yet under details it says socket 775. Probably just a mistake but look at the model number on another site (manufacturer's) to be certain.

1/9/2008 11:55:12 PM