I am upgrading...

AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego core
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103539

ASUS A8N-SLI ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131524

SAPPHIRE Radeon X800GTO2 100130VIVO Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102645


I already have...

ASPIRE ATXA2XPW-BK/420 Black Computer Case With Side Panel Window (w/420w ATX power supply)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811144050

NEC DVD burner
40gb Seagate HD
120gb Maxtor HD
200gb Maxtor HD



What do you think?? I plan to mess with OCing a bit.

How do I know if my power supply is enough to support my computer upgrading? I may have completely overlooked it... but I cannot find where there is any kind of ratings on video cards/processors. I am worried my power supply won't be able to handle the load.

12/25/2005 11:12:57 PM

wait are you saying you already have an amd 64 bit 3700+? or youre looking to upgrade to it?

12/25/2005 11:40:44 PM

Already bought the processor and I received the motherboard for xmas. The only thing I could really change at this point would be the vid card or buying a new power supply/case.

Ah, also forgot to mention 4x256mb PC3200 (1gb) RAM

So I am looking for opinions on what you guys think of the system all together (will the power supply support it? will it be fast enough for most games?) And also what you guys think of getting the X800GTO2 and OCing it. Also... what heatsink would you recommend?? I am leaning towards the ZALMAN CNPS7000B http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835118113


Current System:
P4 2.8ghz
Chaintech mobo
memory, hd's, dvd burner, and case all same

[Edited on December 25, 2005 at 11:57 PM. Reason : current system]

12/25/2005 11:53:26 PM

you might consider a more powerful power supply (500ish)

and why did you go with 4x256MB of RAM? just curious i guess.

other than that the processor and motherboard look solid. i like nvidia graphics stuff so i dont know too much about the other newer graphics cards. so i dont have a comment there. but if that is equivalent to a 7800GT/GTX just screw the OCing and dont get an aftermarket heatsink

its a huge waste of money imho

12/26/2005 12:07:49 AM

if anyone is looking for a high end agp video card, i'm getting rid of mine...

http://www.thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=375033

12/26/2005 12:10:48 AM

I am considering a better power supply... just wondering if its necessary.

I have 4x256 because I originally had 2x256 and then grabbed 2 more after BF2 came out. I figured the $20 upgrade from 512 to 1024 was well worth it. I will likely upgrading to replace them with 1gb sticks when I find a good deal.

The X800GTO2 isn't equivalent to the 7800GT... it comes decently close, but pixel shader is an issue. Not a big issue for me as I am used to running on low everything anyways and just playing on full high video settings is getting me excited for this new system. The reason why the X800GTO2 over the 7800GT is because it's $100+ cheaper and comes close to the 7800. My motherboard does however support SLI... but I run dual monitors so SLI wouldn't help me at this point anyways. I have no preference really... just price and performance play the role in my decision (as with most people I suppose)

And the heatsink... I am talking about the CPU heatsink. Not sure if we're talking about 2 different things or not (vid card vs CPU). I plan to OC the vid card and probably the CPU a little bit.

MOODY... looks like a nice video card... my new mobo doesn't support AGP and I already have an AIW card. But still... nice card.

[Edited on December 26, 2005 at 12:17 AM. Reason : k]

12/26/2005 12:15:28 AM

well AMDs come with plenty good enough stock cpu heatsinks(i have a 3800+ and with the stock heatsink im running significantly cooler than friends of mine with aftermarket heatsinks, esp on p4s). so i wouldnt worry about getting a different one. if you REALLY wanted to do something extra ( like i did) id just get some nice arctic silver thermal grease. but really you dont even need that.

[Edited on December 26, 2005 at 12:20 AM. Reason : ]

12/26/2005 12:18:20 AM

wouldnt the zalman heatsink be much quieter than the stock heatsink?

12/26/2005 12:39:51 AM

why would you not go nVida, you have an SLI motherboard allready...
(just wondering)

the zalman should be alot quieter

[Edited on December 26, 2005 at 1:31 AM. Reason : zal]

12/26/2005 1:30:16 AM

^^ it could be im not sure. but my computer is pretty dang quiet. the loudest part of my computer is my cddrive or harddisk when they are running and other than that its not bad

12/26/2005 2:32:55 AM

that ram will not run at ddr400. no 939 boards support 4 dimms at ddr400 without some sort of hacked bios. get better ram (read 2 512mb+ dimms) and a better psu if you want to OC

12/26/2005 3:16:05 AM

ddr400 is pc3200 correct? because my 939 motherboard can support 4 seperate sticks if thats what youre suggesting.

and yea definitely id go with at least a 500W PSU

12/26/2005 12:57:50 PM

^ are you sure they're all running at 200mhz each? Unless things have changed, every single board I read about when picking out mine reverted to ddr333 (166mhz) when 4 dimms were inserted.

12/26/2005 1:01:17 PM

ill have to double check. im only running 2 x 1GB sticks of dual channel pc3200 atm anyways but i coulda sworn i read they would work the same with 4 but ive only had this for a month or two and that wasnt something i ws too worried about when i bought this, just something i was reading in the manual later

[Edited on December 26, 2005 at 1:07 PM. Reason : ]

12/26/2005 1:03:46 PM

just looked at my motherboard's online manual and the whole several pages on there never said supporting or denying that really. so now im interested, ill try and figure that out.

it mainly just showed the obvious positions the ram would have to be in in order to utilize dual channel and also stated the obvious of ram operating at the lowest frequency of your ram in there (thus suggesting to use the same exact kind of ram etc etc)

nothing really of much use

12/26/2005 1:18:06 PM

nvidia cards that are about the same as the x800gto2 are at least $100 more. I have been tempted, but we'll see. I have looked at the vid card specs on tom's hardware and the 7800 edges the x800 in every category... but not by a huge margin. Do you think the 7800gt is worth the extra $100? This could get expensive really quick. Can anyone recommend a good power supply?

Also I thought that the 4 sticks of pc3200 would be supported with this board. Why wouldnt it?

12/26/2005 1:32:41 PM

Just picked up 2gb (2x1gb) of corsair PC3200 care of slickdeals

12/26/2005 1:56:57 PM

that ram is cas3, hopefully you will be able to run it in 1T mode. if you cannot, I'd return it as you'll see a 30+% decrease in memory bandwidth. also, you won't be able to overclock very well with that ram at all.

12/27/2005 12:06:43 AM

well damn.

what kind of RAM would you recommend? also still looking for recommendations for a good power supply. I've been browsing newegg

12/27/2005 12:24:45 AM

any antec 450w or greater should be fine, just make sure it's atx 2.0 I have an OCZ powerstream but it cost a fuckton ($95). If you want good overclocking ram look for the lowest CAS latency you feel comfortable paying for. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227210 would be a good bet.

12/27/2005 12:50:36 AM

wow...

so the 2gb of RAM corsair value RAM wouldn't help me at all? You'll have to forgive me lack of knowledge... I am just getting into OCing and upgrading. I guess you have to start somewhere.

12/27/2005 12:56:29 AM

that ram is a good upgrade IF it runs in 1T mode. just forget about the overclocking. you shorten the life span of your hardware so much for so little in comparison, just buy nicer stuff and hold onto it longer. there really isn't anything that's going to max your memory bandwidth or cpu with a 1mb l2 cache a64 anyway

12/27/2005 1:03:56 AM

so should i just stick with the 4x256 and maybe upgrade later? or go with the 2x1gb corsair?

12/27/2005 1:07:22 AM

I'd grab the 2*1gb corsair if you can get verification that it runs in 1T mode and just be satisfied with the performance of all the other components. I'd definitely flash that x800gto2 with the x850xt pe bios though

12/27/2005 1:22:11 AM

Here's a video card question for you guys...

Which would you rather have... (2) nvidia 6600 GT's run in SLI or (1) sapphire radeon x800gto2 OCed to a x850 xt pe?

12/27/2005 1:28:04 AM

x850pe > 6800 ultra, 2*6600gt ~ 1*6800 ultra

12/27/2005 1:35:44 AM

I thought about getting 1 6800 as it's just a little more than the x800gto2 and i could later run it in SLI... but I figure by the time I'm ready to upgrade video cards... I'd probably get some other video card than another 6800.

12/27/2005 1:45:34 AM

you arent going to see a 30% drop in memory performance because of the fucking cas rating. IF that were true, it would perform on par with what PC2100? PC1600?

You won't even notice the difference in use. I used to be a big proponent of timings until reading several articles showing that the speed and not the timings are what make the real difference.

Use the 2x1gb and be happy with it.

And remember overclocking is about having fun fiddling with your shit, it's not about saving money or time. It's going to suck away vast amounts of both.

12/27/2005 1:47:53 AM

not from CAS rating, from running in 1T mode versus 2T. The performance loss from cas2.5 to cas3 is noticable but nothing like the 30% I mentioned. I also am not speaking in terms of pure performance loss, but memory bandwidth loss, which on a 939 athlon (read no north bridge and hyper transport) it is crucial.

[Edited on December 27, 2005 at 2:00 AM. Reason : just google "1t vs 2t"]

[Edited on December 27, 2005 at 2:03 AM. Reason : .]

12/27/2005 1:52:00 AM

This is what I got for Christmas. Wanted to see if most of it sounded pretty solid or if any of it was shit and take suggestions on the video card:

Video Card: PNY Geforce 6800GS VCG6800SXPB

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814133159

This was/is the video card I'm considering. Should I go with an ATI in the same price range, or is this pretty good for a midlevel gamer. I haven't been really into top level shit thats gonna kill it like Battlefield 2, yet.

Motherboard: DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D Socket 939

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813136152

This is what I got for Christmas. Seemed like a pretty good deal and had good reviews.

Processor: AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego 1GHz FSB 1MB L2 Cache Socket 939

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103539

Looks like I got the same Processor that Alex got.

RAM: mushkin eXtreme Performance 1GB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 500 (PC 4000)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820146396

Seemed pretty damn good, so I picked that out and wasn't the most expensive.

Heat Sink: ZALMAN CNPS7000B-ALCU 92mm 2 Ball Cooling Fan

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835118112

Wanted something big enough for me to OC and quiet enough that it wouldn't sound like an airplane.

So does that all look good? The video card has not been ordered yet, so I'll take suggestions on that piece. I also got a tube of Arctic Silver for a good contact to the heatsink.

[Edited on December 27, 2005 at 7:08 AM. Reason : ]

12/27/2005 7:07:42 AM

Does that motherboard support PC4000? I see PC3200 listed.

The processor looks the same... lots of good reviews for that. I bought mine from a recent slickdeal with dell. I looked at that motherboard but wanted to try something ASUS (never had one before... got it as a gift from my lady though she still has no idea what it is and kept wanting to call it a daddy board).

You'll like that heatsink. I have one just like it for my P4 Socket 478. I am getting an all copper one because my 2 tone heatsink doesn't have the parts to work for the newer sockets. I don't think 939 was out at that point.

But your system looks pretty solid... and expensive

12/27/2005 8:03:23 AM

Yea Santa was pretty damn nice to me.

12/27/2005 9:42:46 PM

So does that RAM work for that motherboard?

12/27/2005 10:27:42 PM

do you still login on wireless in the library and give out your password?

12/27/2005 10:47:13 PM

I haven't hooked it up yet to try, but it should. Most RAM will run at the speed of the mobo if its slower, right? I've put faster RAM than what the motherboard was spec'd for and it ran just fine, thought probably limited to the speed of the motherboard.

12/30/2005 10:10:07 PM

i'm building about the same setup, but i ended up with 3gb of ram through a killer deal and an evga 7800gt

but i can't find the stupid xp disk to repair windows after changing the motherboard...

so i'm waiting on my copy to get here...

12/30/2005 10:15:40 PM

BTTT, is this the video card I should go with, or should I go with a Radeon? I have no problems with ATI cards, but I haven't seen any that match up to the 6800GS so far in the same price range. Lemme know as I'm ordering it tomorrow likely.

12/31/2005 10:26:44 AM

i've heard great things about those...i can't wait to get my system going...i've got the 7800gt so it's similar

12/31/2005 11:28:20 AM

^^^why not just download miniPE (windows live cd with a shit ton of recovery/diagnostic/etc utilities)?

http://www.tecniconline.com.ar/post-9676.html&sid=1446e1a4f1618fab8c9bb716a96fea9a

[Edited on December 31, 2005 at 11:33 AM. Reason : carets]

12/31/2005 11:32:39 AM

^i sent you a pm

12/31/2005 11:47:15 AM

^^anyone care to explain what that is?

12/31/2005 1:49:08 PM

yeah that's what i was asking...i think it's an alternative to me having to wait to get xp to repair windows after replacing the mobo...i'm not sure though

12/31/2005 1:50:06 PM

i would advise against the Zalman heatsink. I have a 7700-Cu. It works great and yes it's pretty quiet. You can also change the fan speed through mobo controls, but in the unlikely event that the fan fails you can't replace it easily. I wish I had gotten a Thermalright XP-120 so I could have picked out a nice Nexus/Panaflo fan to go with it.

As far as RAM goes, I agree with Noen.

12/31/2005 8:07:27 PM

Gonna kick this topic bttt for one quick question. Finally got the vid card tonight and I'm gonna tear the computer I'm on now down and build in the new one.

XP question though. I wanna use my current version of XP and the current setup I have on my HD. Will it be be possible to simply swap my shit out, put in the current drives and go or what am I looking at? Sorry its been a while since my last build, so I'm kinda rusty.

2/8/2006 7:17:46 PM

if you're completely rebuilding except the HD and CD, I did the same and it was recommended to me to reinstall XP.

2/8/2006 8:03:11 PM

you can do a repair install and be fine, just patch it. or sysprep

2/8/2006 8:14:55 PM

^Where can I get that at? Is it a program I d/l or just what is on the XP disk?

2/8/2006 8:20:35 PM