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Mobo dying .... suggestions please on upgrading my system ...
dk70:
Hmm, with your very new and changed budget 8) there just got to be room for dual-core. And even if you dont plan to upgrade it is "wrong" to buy DDR1 today, at least when price is about the same. Both Intel and AMD are going DDR2 so cant argue. AM2 might also offer a bit extra speed, a little. More about doing the right thing!
So I would cut down on power supply, ram and motherboard for a dual core cpu. If you go AM2 you see wider selection of X2 cpus - overclockers UK shop? and extra cost is only 45£ for a 3800. Should be easy to find. Good idea to pay a little extra for passive cooled motherboard, 125 might be over the top though? Model you picked is overkill with some features. Not like you are going to enjoy 8 phase power design or ADVANCED passive cooling prepared for water cooling and what not, dual core you will notice :) Asus M2N-SLi Deluxe for AM2 has a simple heatpipe and almost allow dual core cpu. Why have such a hefty power supply? Very easy to find more than adequate alternative and the last £ for dual core. DDR2 should cost about the same.
Well Intel cpus are ahead right now so if you go for most value/speed for money I guess you should compare with Intel setup, based on one of these beast http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Intel_Pentium_Core_Duo2.html
Carol Haynes:
What you say makes sense - but at the back of mind I really don't want to be using all new absolutely latest gear - I'd rather have a set of components that have been used (at least for a while). When I built my current machine I bought everything at the 'bleeding edge' - even though it now looks pretty feeble - but there were lots of issues with hardware incompatibilities - esp. DDR memory modules - I don't want to be going down that line again. I notice that you can't even buy AM2 heatsinks and fans yet (according to overclockers) unless you buy a retail pack which comes with an AMD HS/Fan included.
Realistically I am not be going to spend loads upgrading CPUs, memory etc. as I have spent more than I can afford so it will have to do now until I build a new machine in 3 or 4 years time - by which time AM2 sockets and DDR2 will be old hat so it probably won't make much difference to me in the long run. I have no intention of upgrading to VISTA or XP 64 so 2Gb of RAM is probably more than enough for my needs and can't be usefully expanded much further under 32-bit Windows anyway.
The hefty power supply was for two reasons - I liked the modular build (and reasonable price for what you get) and I wanted something that was future proofed (if I add more Drives, another SLi graphic adapter etc) - plus power consumption generally seems to go up with new gear and I had problems in the past with a PSU struggling with all the crap I throw at it!
Basically I am going to have a much nicer and faster machine than the one I have now and if I upgrade at all it will probably be to buy a matched pair of SLi graphics cards and dual LCD monitors (which would make the biggest practical difference to me).
f0dder:
Also keep in mind that, even though it added DDR2 support etc., initial reports on socket AM2 was that it was slightly *slower* when running with a CPU at the same clockspeed - dunno if they fixed that problem now, but it was a bit embarassing.
Core2Duo might seem a bit pricey, but it is pretty kickass, and ~35W lower power consumption than a similar AMD64x2.
The machine you've picked will probably suit you fine (even if you should consider dualcore a bit more :)), but you won't be upgrading it - by the time you might want to add a SLI card, a card identical to the one you bought might be hard to find. Same goes for CPU, and DDR prices may very well rise above DDR2 prices soon.
But you're probably not going to need/want an upgrade for the next "x" years anyway - and there's no telling if both intel and AMD have moved to new sockets and DDR3 by then anyway. In my experience, buying for upgradability only works if you upgrade every few months...
Btw, no reason for SLI just to run dual monitors, get a graphics card with two (DVI) outputs. Works like a charm.
Carol Haynes:
by the time you might want to add a SLI card, a card identical to the one you bought might be hard to find.-f0dder (November 06, 2006, 05:17 PM)
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I realise that - one of the reasons I bought a relatively economic model - if I want dual SLi I will buy a matched pair when the time comes!
Btw, no reason for SLI just to run dual monitors, get a graphics card with two (DVI) outputs. Works like a charm.
--- End quote ---
Yep - I know. I also like the idea of the Matrox breakout box I mentioned above which allows you to treat 3 LCD screens as a single large widescreen monitor with any graphics card.
dk70:
Yeah well problem is shop dont have many 939 X2 cpus right? Could buy X2 3800 elsewhere. You like to watch TV, perhaps also video while working = more reason to buy dual. Ive had dual for some time now but can still remember the one core stutter while fiddling about. Went all bad when I got 2 monitors. Dual can have big effect with regular desktop work. With your budget it must fit in. 8 phase power circuit is not more important ;)
I did not mean to cut down on quality or specs when suggesting cheaper power supply/mohterboard - finding those extra 45-50£ for dual core cpu is possible without suffering. Motherboard is top model, too much unless very interested. Best to spend where output is recognized.
FSP Sparkle FSP400-60 Blue Storm 400W ATX2.0 PSU (CA-004-SK) for under half price of Antec is an example. Enermax Noisetaker 535W for 25 less another.
You could recycle your old memory? Idea is to have 2 working computers I guess. But as a temporarily solution to get dual it would work.
Special offer on your heavy duty motherboard http://www.microdirect.co.uk/ProductInfo.aspx?ProductID=11551&GroupID=1088 Save 25£ - they also have X3800 for 939 socket. Not to make you nervous but while oc shop looks nice they dont have the best reputation. Good at sending out items, bad with RMA/service. Might be worth a Google search, some I trust have had bad experiences - you find them every where but at some point there are too many.
Might have to spend a bit more on video card then. Good find that 7300GT since it have DDR3 memory = higher mhz than DDR2. Be sure you check if card has DDR3 or DDR2, ocuk version is really cheap. OEM/reference card but not so important. Getting close to a 7600GS instead judging from a quick look...
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