Looking to get a new comp
polycounter lvl 18
My computer is ancient, was mid-range when I bought it back in 2000. So I'm looking to get a new comp, and I have an idea as to what I'm looking for but I'm not too sure on the specifics.
My current computer:
gigabyte mobo
p3 666MHz
256meg memory
geforce 3
20 gig and either 160 or 180 gig HD (my motherboard is so old it can only see 128 gig)
what I'm thinking about getting:
http://www.xoxide.com/sunbeam-transformer-case-black.html Not sure what power supply I'll need.
Someone recommended an ASUS board, forget which one. Is the performance gain from SLI worth the cost of another card, or do not enough applications support it yet?
AMD dual core proc, but with all the different versions amd makes I don't know which one is better than another.
geforce 7800 gtx, either 256 or 512, will the 512 give enough of a performance boost to really justify doubling the cost?
2 gig memory, don't really know much about different brands of memory.
250-300 gig hard drive.
Sound card, have no idea as to what's even available for these.
So that's what I'm thinking about upgrading to, everything else I have already. Unfortunately I haven't really kept up to speed on a lot of these so any suggestions are appreciated.
My current computer:
gigabyte mobo
p3 666MHz
256meg memory
geforce 3
20 gig and either 160 or 180 gig HD (my motherboard is so old it can only see 128 gig)
what I'm thinking about getting:
http://www.xoxide.com/sunbeam-transformer-case-black.html Not sure what power supply I'll need.
Someone recommended an ASUS board, forget which one. Is the performance gain from SLI worth the cost of another card, or do not enough applications support it yet?
AMD dual core proc, but with all the different versions amd makes I don't know which one is better than another.
geforce 7800 gtx, either 256 or 512, will the 512 give enough of a performance boost to really justify doubling the cost?
2 gig memory, don't really know much about different brands of memory.
250-300 gig hard drive.
Sound card, have no idea as to what's even available for these.
So that's what I'm thinking about upgrading to, everything else I have already. Unfortunately I haven't really kept up to speed on a lot of these so any suggestions are appreciated.
Replies
More video RAM means you'll be able to choose higher texture resolutions for much longer. Doubling the cost isn't worth it, though, since you can just buy a new card for that money when your old one is obsolete and get a much bigger performance boost.
Sound cards are pretty much unnecessary, there's onboard sound these days and it seems to be good enough.
geforce 7800 gtx, either 256 or 512, will the 512 give enough of a performance boost to really justify doubling the cost?
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If the only difference between the two cards is the amount of memory, I don't think there would be any difference at all in performance between the two cards, since virtually no current game requires anywhere near that amount of memory (I think Doom 3 has an ULTRA high-resolution texture setting that requires a 512MB card, but that is very uncommon). The 512 card might have faster RAM or a higher clockrate, but otherwise I'd say it's not worth the cost if the only difference is the amount of RAM (by the time games get to the point where you need that much RAM, the card will be obsolete anyway... the extra RAM is usually just a marketing device to sell high-priced cards).
And you need atleast 400W PSU (the 40W is a typo by malcolm or he lives in 1983) but i would get 450W just in case.
Sli performance runs about 175%..... I wouldnt really call that slim. True its not double the bang for double the buck but saing something like that just makes you look misinformed. I wouldnt do it personally but just for the reason that in 6 months there will be a new card thats just as fast as your sli system that you can buy with the money you saved on buying a single 7800gtx. IMO the 512 meg versions of that card are WAY too expensive to justify getting it(fucking $8-900?!?!) If you do go sli just remember to make sure you get a good power supply, like 600w and make sure it will actually support SLI. Im not sure if nvidia's SLI drivers are even mature enough to consider doing it tho, i've heard some people saying they werent very good.
Also, if you want to run ANY sort of hardware sound config, EAX or anything, GET A DECENT SOUND CARD. Another misinformed statement, try turning on EAX with onboard sound in bf2 and you'll see what i mean, or try turning the sound quality to max for that matter and you'll see what i mean as well.
Get a load of this bad boy:
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6141912.html
That case, though pretty, is'nt too hot on space or function. None of those pretty cases tend to be. pricewatch.com is your friend. and a 7800 gtx 512 card will last you for about 1 year solid with most games at 1280x1024 maxed out and minimum 60fps. There wont be another major upgrade wave till UT2k7 shows up i'm sure.
Any thoughts on processor speed? AMD surprisingly is taking lead in performance and heat while running. SATA 2 250 gig drives are cheap now. I would reccomend the soundblaster x-fi (platinum if you want the breakout box) as I just bought one, and the sound is amazing in 5.1+, the card is fully cabable of 7.1. Also I suggest this line of Power supply, tis godly:
http://www.xoxide.com/ultra.html
1gig of ram is enough, but memory is cheap enough that 2 is feasable. But you wont notice much difference. AMD systems boards dont support DDR2 memory yet, but again, not noticable if the DDR is dual channel 533mhz plus.
and.. http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/11/29/making_a_case_for_the_lan_and_office/
would be my personal case of choice... any thing else you need feel free to post or PM.
I'm thinking about getting an AMD 64 X2 4400 proc, seen a lot of good reviews on that one. Haven't been able to find a good list of motherboards that will work with it yet, any recommendations? Looking at an Asus A8N-[something] right now. Not seeing anything saying what memory those boards support.
As far as SLI and the vid card goes, I don't think I'm gonna use SLI just yet, cause another card would cost a lot, but would like to have that option in the future. Does SLI work with any two cards or do they have to be the same card? I'd like to do the 512 meg card, I'm sure we all would, but I'm betting funds may not allow it.
I'm not much of a sound person, have no clue what EAX is, so maybe just using the onboard sound would be enough.
Asus is the way to go. AMD chips only support DDR ram. Just check the front side bus rating in mhz, and match the ram bus speed to it.
sLi only works with identical cards, identical manufactuer, identical chip/ram. The 6800 I bought from MSI is sLi compatible, but they no longer make that card model. So I'm out of luck. Just get a retail box card and chip for the warranty and game bundles. It's worth the extra.
EAX is Environmental Audio Effects. Hardware processed reverb/flange effects in realtime with spacial audio. Doom 3 uses it well. When your in a long hallway the echo is positioned right, outside it muffles the sounds etc. An onboard sound card is a major no no. It slows performance in most games heavily belive it or not. Just grab a sound blaster audigy x2 OEM for 40 bucks or even an old sound blaser live. My farcry fps jumped 10 points when I added an SB live.
motherboard - asus a8n-sli premium
processor - athlon 64 x2 4400 dual core
Case - Sunbeam Transformer Case - Black
power supply - 450w
memory - pc3200 ddr 1gb dual channel
memory - pc3200 ddr 1gb dual channel
sound card - creative labs sound blaster audigy 2 zs
Hard Drive - WD2500KS 250 GB, 7200 RPM, 16 MB Cache
Vid Card - geforce 7800 gtx 256mb pci express sli
I don't know if the memory is the best that it can handle, I saw that the motherboard supported ddr400 which I found to be pc3200. I tried looking for a corsair one but I have no idea what is the equivalent corsair one, their site was pretty useless. I don't think I'm gonna do sli yet cause it costs a lot for a second card and the performance isn't twice as much, but I figure that I'd get stuff that supported it just in case I decide to do it later. may do a raid 0 setup, but that'd need another HD, and all of that is hitting up around $1500 already (which is around what I was expecting), and another drive would only be another 100. Any suggestions?
450 is fine, AMD consumes less power than Intel chips with the latest generations. And with only one HD and I'm assuming he's going to buy a DVD Writer or something, he's only running around 250 watts max with that setup. Still 500w is like 3 bucks more, just get the ultra brand, it's so much easier to manage the power cables.
And just a note. Windows 64-bit is a waste of an OS. Even though you have 64 bit capabilities, I would still reccomend using 32bit XP. Windows 64 is based on Server 2003, and most of your games wont install properly or run without altering the processing compatibility mode. There are 64 bit versions of HL2, and a few game demos. But thats about it. Driver compatibility with Win64 is very limited as well. I also personally think Dual Core is a waste for now. There wont be a solid dual core supported app for another 6 months. In 6 months that processor will be half price.
-R
striping is useless in gaming, and if one drive dies or begins to fail, all your data from both is lost.
as far as the ram goes, you don't have to get memory equal to bus speed. technically there isn't even a front side bus on the 64 bit athlons because they seperate the memory controller. as long as your ram is DDR(preferably ddr400/pc3200) you're fine.
and congrats
edit. he got the right kind, i have no idea what he's worried about. Unless he means the latency etc. Corsair sells many types. Low CAS chips are your speed enhancers, but hardly worth the cost right now.
Another downside to that motherboard. It's 8x sLi, 16x single card. If you go sLi you half bus communication speed. There would be an increase no doubt, but it would'nt take advantage of the full 16x support of that card in sLi.
I also personally think Dual Core is a waste for now. There wont be a solid dual core supported app for another 6 months. In 6 months that processor will be half price.
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Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I just put together my first system, and I went with the AMD 4000+. I had a tough time choosing it over the 4400+, but in the end I decided that I'd take the increased performance now and pick up a dual core processor once they hit the mainstream.
Other than that, our rigs are pretty similar. I cheaped out and got a 7800 GT instead of the GTX, and I didn't pick up a sound card either (Though Downsizer's posts make me think I should toss one in later). I've been really happy with the system so far, especially since I upgraded from a GeForce 3 system.
-I float around 60-70 fps in doom3, fear, or hl2 with most of the settings maxed out.
-Every zbrush and max file i run w/ photoshop and my game engine open have zero sklow downs.
I put in a nvidia 7800, 1 gig of ram, a gigabyte sli board and a 3200+ processor.
-R