Please, Help Me!

C

ceejee

Geek Trainee
I'm upgrading my current computer, and the first thing I'm looking to upgrade is my CPU/Motherboard. I am primally a gamer, in fact that's really all I use my computer for.

I'm leaning towards an AMD 64, simply because all of my friends have used them before and recommended them to me.

I was looking at the AMD 64 3500, but then I wasn't sure when it compares to only a 2.4GHz, but then I thought that the higher the GHz, the better?

For the motherboard, I'm leaning towards the Asus 8v simply because every magazine I've read has recomended them. But, which one? I've noticed there are multiple versions of the boards.

Any Input would be great!


Oh, I was looking at this combo...

Asus K8V + AMD 64 3400+
 
Don't be fooled by 2.4Ghz. Thats the whole point of AMDs rating system. the 3500 shows that it will compare to a 3ghz or more pentiums. For the motherboard you'll need a socket 939. Asus have some good mobos for A64s. The A64 3500 will be a good choice for gaming and you'll probably need a decent video card to get the most out of it.

I wouldn't go for the mobo combo you have because its a socket 754 which doesn't have any upgrade prospects. You're better off with the S939 ones.
 
I would go with if I was you a P4 more because of their power that hey have. I have a 3.0ghz HT that is very good and is also good for gaming. But if you really are a gamer go with 1gb or ram it helps. But also their are some good P4 boards on the net
The DFI "LANPARTY PRO875B" i875P Chipset Motherboard for Intel Socket 478 is a very good board that i have had the chance to work with. They look good and preform good. It coast around 163.00 at
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=13-136-129&depa=0.
For a cpu i would get a
Intel LGA 775 Pentium 4 530 3.0 GHz, 800MHz FSB, 1MB L2 Cache, Hyper Threading Technology for 179.00
that is also at
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-116-184&depa=1

and if you are a gamer get a good graphics card a Radeon 9800 Pro 128mb thats good card for around 233.00
 
Those two products aren't compatible with each other. Ones a S478 mobo and the others an LGA 775 cpu. The prescott does have some heat issues and overclocking will be a problem with this cpu unless you get a big heatsink.
 
Woops sorry i missed that. Yeah my mistake i have been having the worse day sorry guys for the mistake i sick so i not looking that things my bad.
 
The 3400+ is a performance rating. Megahertz and Gigahertz are simply a number to show how many cycles per second go on. How much work goes on per cycle is a different story. AMD does have the edge here, although I wouldn't call the P4 slow. It's just for the money, AMD is a better value, and I do have both AMD and Intel-based boxes myself.

The deal itself isn't too bad, but it's Tiger Direct, and I wouldn't touch them with a 10 ft pole, mostly because of their service (or lack thereof). I would highly recommend Newegg or ZipZoomFly for your purchase. It might be a little extra money, but these are some of the best online stores around in the US in price and service.

Besides the Asus, you might take a look at the Abit KV8 Pro.

For a video card, while the Radeon 9800 Pro isn't bad, the Radeon X800 or nVidia's GeForce 6800/6800GT would be a better investment in the long run, especially if you're looking to play Far Cry and D00M 3.

As far as motherboard brands I trust, go with Abit, Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, or even Soyo (as long as you're not looking for some heavy overclocking). Stay very far away from Epox, as, at least in my experience, they seem to have some major issues in the quality control department. DFI, although I haven't used them seems to have some strange quirks.
 
I've just built an A64 myself (click on the link below my name) and it's rock stable, I suggest you go with that but it IS expensive though.

If you're mainly gaming, AMD's the way to go
 
ninja fetus said:
The 6200's are gonna come out soon, If money is a factor
Click to expand...

If money is a factor and you're into gaming, the 6200 isn't the way to go, unless you want to play D00M 3 and FarCry at 640x480. It's a value card, and if the budget is tight the Radeon X700 Pro or XT or the GeForce 6600/6600GT would be the way to go for a good card without selling your kidneys. The one thing about the 6600 and 6200s and the X700 is that they will be exclusively PCI-express (PCIe), but Athlon 64 motherboards with PCIe will be coming out shortly (as in, before the year is up). I'm not sure if they'll be for Socket 754 or not, as that's designated to be the 64-bit value platform, and Socket 939 to be the high-end lineup---which you really ought to look at if you're going to go all out.
 
Big B said:
The one thing about the 6600 and 6200s and the X700 is that they will be exclusively PCI-express (PCIe), but Athlon 64 motherboards with PCIe will be coming out shortly (as in, before the year is up).
Click to expand...

Is that...good or bad...
:confused:
 
PCI-E has more bandwidth than AGP so you should get a performance increase on some games, but the PCI-E boards for Athlon 64s aren't out yet but will be soon.
 
ceejee said:
Is that...good or bad...
:confused:
Click to expand...

What that means is that all currently available Athlon motherboards will not physically support PCIe cards. Now, the high-end Radeon X800's and GeForce 6800's all come in AGP flavors, but the more mainstream and value target cards are PCIe only. You might see the 6600/6600GT in an AGP format at some point, but I wouldn't expect to see that until next year sometime.

PCIe x16 slots (the AGP replacement) does have much more bandwith available to it than AGP. The thing is, right now the AGP 8x speeds are still plenty for even the top cards, so PCIe, right now won't really provide any noticeable performance increase over AGP. However, as they are coming available, you really ought to consider looking into PCIe as that's the direction things are going, and once it's in gear, you'll start to see AGP go the way of the dodo. Not immediately mind you, but I would expect to see the next round of graphics chips from ATi and nVidia to start off with PCIe and then a little later see the AGP versions hit.

How often you upgrade your system completely is the big question. If you're looking to upgrade as needed, you might find it better to jump on the PCIe bandwagon now and be set up early. On the other hand, if you're like some of us that upgrade the major components roughly every year, go AGP now and the next time, jump to PCIe.
 
Alright, I've got it now. This is my first upgrade in two years, so yes, upgrading is a big deal for me. I was planning on possibly getting my new parts before Halo 2 comes, even ordering them in the next few days. If I were to wait for the PCI would it be a enough of an increase over AGP? Also, how much are we looking at for these to cost?

Lastly, the X800 would work with the 64, right?
 
Yes the X800 will work on 64bit systems.
Basically If You want a graphics card thats gonna rock get the Radeon X800 XT. Ive got one and its blistering. Its the one to get If your thinking of running Half Life 2 on max.
Dont be tempted by the X800 XT platinum edition though. Its just more money for a minute almost undetectable increase in performance. :sick:
 
In that respect, no PCIe wouldn't give you any advantages in terms of speed over AGP. What it would do is give more headroom, and also provide more juice over what AGP can give. It's also the way you can expect to see the future of cards go. AGP won't instantly drop off the face of the earth, but do expect it to take a back seat very quickly if not already. If you upgrade your video card between entire system overhauls, you're probably going to start to find AGP cards coming out later than PCIe, and likely see AGP relegated to mid-range to low-end cards instead of the high-end ones currently available. Since PCIe is a newer technology, you will find that the PCIe components will run a little more than the AGP ones, but that's not going to stick around forever.

Yes, the X800 would work with the 64-bit CPU's. The only thing you'll need to do is make sure you get an AGP version if you go with AGP and a PCIe if you go with PCIe.
 
The X800XT is the PCIe version of the X800XT Platinum, which is agp.

Right now, I'd get the 6800 (vanilla, GT or Ultra depending on your budget) instead of the X800.

I'm not an nvidiot (I've got a 9800 Pro), but this time, nvidia seems to have the edge.
 
With an X800 you won't see any increase from PCIe, to AGP 8x. right?

Please correct me if I'm wrong
 
harrack52 said:
I'm not an nvidiot (I've got a 9800 Pro), but this time, nvidia seems to have the edge.
Click to expand...

I have similar sentiments. nVidia's really come back with the GeForce 6800. I think the midrange cards from ATi and nVidia, the X700 and GeForce 6600 series, respectively, are also reflecting this right now. Of course, we could see some future optimizations that genuinely improve performance and not just for extra points in 3DWangMark 03/05.
 
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