# AMD Setup



## Cab00se

Hey everyone, 

I can't even begin to tell you how much I've wrestled over the past year with this issue.  This thread I thought about for the past 3 days before posting it, but I think I am finally ready to begin final preparations.

I am going to build because it is the most cost effective method I've found and I want an AMD system.  I've been reading a lot of your posts and I know that the X2 processor sounds good for the future which I want this computer to be good enough (with minor upgrades like video and ram) to last me the next 3 years of college.  

Basic needs are a computer and a new monitor because the current 15" LCD screen hurts my eyes and gets too dusty.  This is for mostly gaming with basic school needs like word processing and what not.

I am thinking of the following with a budget of pretty much I'd like it to be under 1500 but preferrably less than that.

CPU:  AMD X2 processor /// AMD 64 (whatever is best for future)
GPU: 7900GT or GTX, or ATI equiv, in SLI or crossfire eventually but one for now.
PSU: to fuel SLI/Crossfire
Ram: 2gigs
Motherboard: SLI//Crossfire compatibility
Monitor: I'm thinking of a 17"CRT because I have one now and love it
HDD: I only need one and nothing crazy maybe like 120gigs or so, never used more that 30 in any case.  7200 rpm is fine there.

The monitor doesn't have to be included in the price because I will sell my current one and get the money for that.  But if it could be under with the monitor that would be awesome.

Note that I only want one video card now and I will get another in a few months to complete the SLI.

Like I said this is for gaming over the next 3 years and I'm willing to throw money into it every so often but not completely revamp it for at least 3 years.  And hopefully this will all run vista ok, I'm assuming it will though...

I really appreciate your insights and have greatly benefited from your knowledge thusfar.


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## PC eye

For the cpu you may also wonder about the Opteron 165 to 185 dual core models there for Socket 939 boards. ATI Crossfire will see better performance with the higer end cards. A good Enermax or even Antec True Power 550w supply would go in there while the TP 480w would work. If deciding on an Asus or MSI board Kingston, OCZ, Corsair are the better names. And gee, I just came across a BenQ 19" viewable lcd with a response time of 2ms. You won't find too many larger screened model with that fast of response. They usually see between 4-8ms at best. http://www.mwave.com/mwave/viewspec.hmx?scriteria=3876308


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## 34erd

Take a look at Praetors $1500 gaming setup in Computer Specs 101.


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## Cab00se

Those are some helpful reviews thanks, but I'm sort of torn between SLI and Crossfire, I'm somewhat loyal to ATI because they've never steered me wrong but they are so pricey in comparison to the 7900 series.

Also, how crucial would it be to have a toledo say 4400 over a 4200 Manchester X2 cpu


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## PC eye

One advice seen often is to "leap in large increments" when upgrading so as not fall behind every six months or so. On one board I saw three cpus in a row due to eventually wanting performance as well as cpu speed. That was in a relatively "short" time frame. January 2007 sees a much diifferent approach when going after the top model cpu and memory and ATI video card(s) along with either an Asus or MSI board. It should cost a few bucks. But I can run it for a few years when I get done.


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## Cab00se

PC eye said:
			
		

> One advice seen often is to "leap in large increments" when upgrading so as not fall behind every six months or so. On one board I saw three cpus in a row due to eventually wanting performance as well as cpu speed. That was in a relatively "short" time frame. January 2007 sees a much diifferent approach when going after the top model cpu and memory and ATI video card(s) along with either an Asus or MSI board. It should cost a few bucks. But I can run it for a few years when I get done.



uh, I don't really understand where you are going there

EDIT: I was reading some more about this this morning and some say that having one card is better than the SLI gains of two lesser cards.  So they say instead of getting two 7900GTs if you just buy say a x1800XT or even a x1900XT then it would be better.  This because I play my games geneerally at 1280x1024 or 1024x768 but I prefer the former.  Never above that really because then its just too small.  If that helps any...


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## DKdeadly

when are you buying this pc?


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## Cab00se

sometime in the next month probably it's for next semester at school and the next 3 years of college


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## PC eye

The idea of going in large increments is to avoid the need for hardware swapouts at every other corner when the price on something better drops or some new model comes just beef up your system more. If you were right now running a dx486 desktop and wanted a new case would you go with an Intel P2 AT case or an Updated P4 or even AMD Socket 939 system?


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## Cab00se

the point is I need to build the base line computer now that will last me at least 6 months before it needs more ram or a new video card or what not

Are you suggesting waiting for AM2 or something or are you just making a comment


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## PC eye

If you want a basic setup the AMD64 3000+ or 3200+ installed on a board that can be boosted later to an FX or even Opteron model would suffice cost wise since recently the 3000+ was spotted for only $145-. A pair of 1gb performance dimms would be the next item if you are not planning to boost to 2gb later. Make sure you go with a flexible model board to see this though. Plan for keeping the bios up to date for the eventual upgrade to a dual core cpu. If the problem here mainly is budget shop around for the OEM deals along with rebates for video and sound.


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## Cab00se

I was planning on just getting an X2 processor in the first place,
I don't see the point in degrading all the way back down to a AMD 64 base model when the X2's are pretty cheap right now.

My question is just what video card and processor/mobo should I get I have pretty much everything else taken care of in my mind.  Those are all interdependent on each other in terms of Crossfire or SLI and the processor.


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## PC eye

The NVidia 7900GT seems to the top of that line while the new X1900XT sees a higher performance value with that high end model. In order to utilize either the SLI or Crossfire you will probably want two identical cards to see the best results. Get one now for general use until you are ready for the addition there. As far as mobos I will going with Asus or MSI on the next build. I have been looking over the specs on both brands before making the final there. For a cpu I'll probably run with the Opteron 185 for the finish with 2-3gb of ram. That will last a few years with just that there.

 If you are not planning to OC heavily the 3800+ X2 should be a good temp model to go with pricewise as indicated earlier. Unfortunately AMD's site is down for maintainence where you can look over the comparison charts at this time. But you are set on AMD anyway. Price shop the vendors for the highest you can go on the dual core line within your budget. If you can grab a better X2 for a few bucks more go for it.


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## mrbagrat

Wait till June/July for AM2 to come out. Prices for socket 939 stuff is supposed to drop around 50 $, then maybe you could afford a nice 19" LCD. 

EDIT: Like this one.


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## PC eye

For a basic BenQ in the same price range, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824014090#DetailSpecs The one favored here lately, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824014111


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## 34erd

Did you take a look at computer specs 101?


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## PC eye

Under "Play Machines" you will see cpu models listed. The budget build runs either the AMD64 3000+ or 3200+ on many configurations while the 4200+ X2 is seen on several. For boards you will see Asus and MSI models listed.


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## Cab00se

mrbagrat said:
			
		

> Wait till June/July for AM2 to come out. Prices for socket 939 stuff is supposed to drop around 50 $, then maybe you could afford a nice 19" LCD.
> 
> EDIT: Like this one.



Well I just got back from talking with a knowledgeable guy at a store and I've decided to go with a AMD x2 4400 Toledo core and probably a single PCI-E mobo and get the best card instead of two cheaper in SLI.  Probably going with the x1900XTX because ATI has more options for the AA/HDR and games I play.  

So it might cost me more now but I'm sure it will come out later.  Then I can get one of those Monitors like above for X-mas.

Also, for PSU he recommended a 600W Enermax Liberty I think, any good?

so basically this is what it might look like

X2 4400 Toledo
x1900xtx
2gb pc3200 corsair, geil, or mushkin
7200rpm Seagate hdd
mobo perhaps http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813157081
Asrock was recommended as a good one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813157087

either of those 

probably the Coolermaster Centurian 5 case
600w enermax liberty or antec trupower II 500w
and some nifty LED fans and what not to make it all look pretty in the window  

thanks for any additional input, you're really helping me out here


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## PC eye

You'll have plenty of power with Enermax 600w to play around with for sure. Antec has a good line of supplies as well with their TP 550w. I have been from many on going with ASRock boards while still being a diehard for either Asus or MSI. Corsair or Kingston are two brands preferred here for memory. But I do favor Western Digital over Seagate strongly while will never go with any Maxtors.

 Some years back when a Seagate 1.2gb crashed a WD 1.4gb went into the Packard Bell. That drive is still going strong to this day. In fact I still have a few WD 500mb drives hanging around here somewhere. That 4400+ should work quite well for your needs there along with ATI model. Let us know sometime on how well the ASRock mobo goes for you.


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## Cab00se

yea, i will be sure to tell you all,

but lol,

this http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/03/09/ati_and_nvidias_same_day_mega_launch_mayhem/page13.html

shows to me that two 7900GT's kick the crap outta one x1900xtx in CS:S but I dunno now.

I'm pretty set on the processor and everything else I just need to know about video card and obviously that will effect mobo.  So confusing in terms of SLI being better or one x1900xtx etc.  Darn them for making confusion competition


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## Bobo

Well I would recommend the 7900GTX over the x1900xtx.  They are about the same price.

For $490:
x 1900xtx:
650MHz core
1500MHz memory
16 pipelines
256-bit
512MB GDDR3

7900GTX:
665MHz core
1630MHz memory
24 pipelines
256-bit
512MB GDDR3

Have a looksee here:
http://techreport.com/onearticle.x/9780

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=30856

It seems that they are pretty much even in performance, but the x1900xtx is so loud, I would never buy it over the 7900gtx


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## Cab00se

Bobo said:
			
		

> Well I would recommend the 7900GTX over the x1900xtx.  They are about the same price.
> 
> For $490:
> x 1900xtx:
> 650MHz core
> 1500MHz memory
> 16 pipelines
> 256-bit
> 512MB GDDR3
> 
> 7900GTX:
> 665MHz core
> 1630MHz memory
> 24 pipelines
> 256-bit
> 512MB GDDR3
> 
> Have a looksee here:
> http://techreport.com/onearticle.x/9780
> 
> http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=30856
> 
> It seems that they are pretty much even in performance, but the x1900xtx is so loud, I would never buy it over the 7900gtx



would you recommend 7900GT SLI over one 7900GTX or are you just saying one 7900GTX for now or just in total?


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## PC eye

For a single high end model card the ATI model gets the best reviews. Some go with Crossfire while others go with SLI depending on the performance seen in different games themselves. Sometimes when any issues are seen during gaming you simply notch the voltage up from 1.5v to either 1.6v or 1.7 to meet the demand on the card itself. That's an older trick there. SLI or Crossfire is supposed to be the added avantage of running twin cards for higher performance over the use of one. The impression here was that you were trying to assemble a basic case not a full blown screamer at this time.


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## mrbagrat

Cab00se said:
			
		

> would you recommend 7900GT SLI over one 7900GTX or are you just saying one 7900GTX for now or just in total?



Any of the aforementioned cards is pretty much overkill for most games out there (excluding oblivion) so one 7900 GTX would be good. Don't get an Asrock board, I would go for something like  this. If you can spend that much money on a PC don't screw it up with a cheapy mobo. The one I mentioned would be the minimum.


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## Cab00se

no, i'm sorry if I gave that impression, the idea is a full blown screamer as you say that will last me the next 3 years.


The modifications I spoke of in the future are only if it needs more than the 2 gigs I am putting in now and the video cards I want.  If for instance a year from now I need to upgrade them.

However, for right now I want that not to be an issue at all for at least a year and I want this computer to run games like CS:S at 1280x1024 with full AA and AF and all the bell and whistles on.  Hope that makes it a little bit more clear.  I have at maxiumum of like 1500 bucks for this all.  Monitor will just wait until x-mas so don't worry about that.


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## PC eye

Well the MSI K8N NEO4 Platinum board mrbagrat posted a link for looks far better then ASRock you were listing. You could throw on a pair of 1gb Kingston, Corsair, or even OCZ performance dimms to meet your needs. To go much over 2gb for most games out would be stretching however. CAD and other large engineering programs would have that need. As far as video I crank HL2, CS:Source, and Metal of Honor alike with the ATI 256mb AGP card. That's why the single card performer s really all you would need if you want to save some cash over the next few years for the case that follows.


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## Bobo

Cab00se said:
			
		

> would you recommend 7900GT SLI over one 7900GTX or are you just saying one 7900GTX for now or just in total?


Well he had said that he only wanted one card now, and to upgrade to SLI/Crossfire in the future.



> For a single high end model card the ATI model gets the best reviews. Some go with Crossfire while others go with SLI depending on the performance seen in different games themselves


Well I have always seen SLI get better reviews than Crossfire, that's why I would go with the 7900GTX over the x1900XTX.  Find me a review that says Crossfire is better than SLI, and I might change my mind.


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## mrbagrat

Using what you have said so far I set this up for you:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+

DFI Lanparty nF4 SLI-DR

Western Digital Caviar SE16 250gb

                             ^^Combo^^
NEC 16X DVD±R DVD Burner

G.SKILL 1gb PC 3200

AeroCool ZERODBA 620watt PSU

XFX GeForce 7900 GTX

Total: 1467.94

The Centurion you posted earlier looks fine, but this one supports 2 x 120mm.

If you don't need a DVD drive, it will be about 1500 with shipping  & taxes. The reason I added a 250gb drive instead of a smaller capacity is that the price difference isn't really that much, and you get double the storage. 20-30$ for an extra 130gb is really good.

Comments?


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## Cab00se

only that I wanted 2 gb of ram really and that I like having a window in my case   .

Other than that, guess on the higher end of price but if I really want it to last I guess I should.  I have about 7k dollars but I am supposed to be saving it for my vehicle next summer  .  Oh well computer first IMO.  

I think I can get a 2gb corsair deal for 128 bucks after mail in rebate on newegg I saw this week and I'm sure there will be a deal like that when I order all this.

Other than that I guess you are suggesting just getting the one 7900GTX for now and maybe a second in the future?  Or just keeping the one in the SLI board?

Anyway, looks pretty good I appreciate your time


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## Bobo

Cab00se said:
			
		

> Other than that I guess you are suggesting just getting the one 7900GTX for now and maybe a second in the future?  Or just keeping the one in the SLI board?


Well if you want to have two later, you need an SLI board.  Unless you plan on upgrading the motherboard later as well, which I wouldn't recommend doing.  It isn't that hard, just seems pointless to me.


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## Cab00se

the DFI one he just suggested is SLI


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## mrbagrat

And its an nVidia GPU. If you want ATI, get this one with crossfire support. But I recommend the 7900 GTX


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## PC eye

For a better model board you may want to look over the MSI if not Asus for a board that is more updated and has easier access to downloads to keep the system updated. As far as choosing between Crossfire and SLI look over some reviews on the performance levels on each before jumping on anything too fast. http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2481
http://www.motherboards.org/ http://www.channeltimes.com/channeltimes/jsp/article.jsp?article_id=72088&cat_id=883
http://www.firingsquad.com/news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=9069
http://overclockercafe.com/old_news/week_of_12-11-05.htm


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## Cab00se

I've had 2 video cards in the past 7 years.  The Geforce mx420 and the ATI 9600XT.   Both were good cards for me at the time so I have no loyalty either way.  The ATI crossfire looks impressive but for the cost/performance ratio is just not worth it IMO, rather look towards the nVidia.  I'm thinking the 7900GT right now because the increase to the GTX is just alot of money for not that huge of a gain as far as I can see.  

Will that Centurian case be big enough to hold it ok?

Also, why did you pick the most expensive DFI lanparty board, is it just that much better or what because there are alot of other ones with good reviews.

Lastly, The powersupply i've never heard of that brand, is that good or would going down to a Antec TPII 550w be better for only 85 bucks?

Thanks


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## mrbagrat

Cab00se said:
			
		

> Will that Centurian case be big enough to hold it ok?



It will be fine. Cases only start to get cramped with a lot of expansion cards, aftermarket cooling, etc. You could get a full tower but they are 
a. Usually more expensive

b. Take up a lot more room. You don't know how big full towers are until you've seen one.

By all means, if you have the room for a full tower and are willing to spend more money do so, but the Centurion will do just fine.


			
				Cab00se said:
			
		

> Also, why did you pick the most expensive DFI lanparty board, is it just that much better or what because there are alot of other ones with good reviews.



DFI makes great quality boards. If you want the system to last 3 years as you said, DFI is the best way to go (IMO). Besides, you get what you pay for.



			
				Cab00se said:
			
		

> Lastly, The powersupply i've never heard of that brand, is that good or would going down to a Antec TPII 550w be better for only 85 bucks?



Aerocool is a reliable brand, in cases, cooling, and PSUs. 
You probably want >600 watts for what you are getting. A video card that powerful will be power hungry, and if you are planning to get SLI in the future you will need that much power.


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## Cab00se

thanks, and I'm an idiot the benchmarks I was looking at were for a 7900GT with 512 mb of RAM and i was going to buy a 256 for 300 but the 512 model price I might as well get the GTX, guess I'll just have to do some odd job to rationalize to myself the extra 200 bucks.  Then I'll throw in another at x-mas prolly come way down in price by then with the 8xxx series out.  Hopefully anyway.

basically I am looking at between 1500-1600 dollars right now unless I'm doing something wrong.   Seems a bit high but oh well I guess then at least I won't have to worry about it for a year or two


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## PC eye

Cab00se said:
			
		

> I've had 2 video cards in the past 7 years.  The Geforce mx420 and the ATI 9600XT.   Both were good cards for me at the time so I have no loyalty either way.  The ATI crossfire looks impressive but for the cost/performance ratio is just not worth it IMO, rather look towards the nVidia.  I'm thinking the 7900GT right now because the increase to the GTX is just alot of money for not that huge of a gain as far as I can see.
> 
> Will that Centurian case be big enough to hold it ok?
> 
> Also, why did you pick the most expensive DFI lanparty board, is it just that much better or what because there are alot of other ones with good reviews.
> 
> Lastly, The powersupply i've never heard of that brand, is that good or would going down to a Antec TPII 550w be better for only 85 bucks?
> 
> Thanks



 Aerocool gets up there along with Enermax and Antec as far as supplies are concerned. Before jumping the gun on Crossfire completely you may want to look over some reviews. http://neoseeker.com/Hardware/Products/ati_x1900_crossfire/
http://www.legitreviews.com/article/293/1/
http://www.siliconfactor.com/article.php?aid=30
http://www.digital-daily.com/video
http://www.hothardware.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=777&cid=2


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## Cab00se

those articles just confirm the fact that ATI has somewhat more performance but the cost is just too high for the average consumer in pound for pound ratio

EDIT:  I'm pretty sure I might just go with a 7900GT and get another one later even if they are 256mb because I don't play any games over 1280x1024 anyway and the benchmarks are pretty much the same at that size


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## PC eye

The idea of the X1900 is for "High End" performace gaming with the larger capacity of 512mb on each card and not for the average weekend occasional game play. Anytime you after that line you will see a higher price since you are then paying for what you get as the saying goes. On many games the 1280x1024 resolution is not even supported. Games by Steam/Source are designed for running on lcds that usually see 1280x1024 default. You will see that on Flat screen crts as well.

 Your best choice here is to go with what works best for your budget as well as any performance values you will see. There are some great NVidia cards out there just as well as seen in the ATI line. I added the reviews here for giving you a few more ideas to work with. MSI also has some good cards to look over along with the 7900GT.


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## Cab00se

well I am going to be playing at least an hour or two on a daily basis and games like CS:S in the resolutions I've specified.  I dunno, I really am on the fence with wanting to just get the GT model and knowing that I might be dissapointed if I don't go big here between the GTX or even the FSAA of the ATI line.

Basically I am reading your reviews and articles you posted and its hard to get a clear cut understanding because obviously they are partial to whatever they are reviewing at the time.  But I have two weeks left of commencement things before I buy this so hopefully I will know by then.

On a side note, would it be wise to start purchasing deals from newegg that offer free shipping and good prices on the items I want seperately as to save on the total shipping costs if I ordered it all at once (70 bucks).  Just a thought I had because I am set on the ram that is always on sale and other things.


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## Bobo

Well you could order pretty much everything except the video card(s), because it seems that we are set on everything but that.


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## PC eye

If the offer for free shipping beats the costs of the same items ordered from another vendors with lower prices you would calculate the total by that. At times the shipping and handling costs will tally for items ordered at different times while costs can still get up on one time orders as well. But for what you are after you don't have to go with any top of the line video card just for a 1 to 2hr. daily game session. The reviews always seem partial mainly due to the favor shown towards one model over others. But there are adequate cards out there using either ATI or NVidia softwares. Your decision.


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## Cab00se

well it still sorta matters because if I got crossfire over SLi it would be a different motherboard is all.

I was thinking just getting the 7900GT for now and another later in SLI but if you think just get one now and maybe by x-mas even get a new dx10 card then maybe I'll just get a non-sli board and get a x1800xt or something?  I hear that card has better anti-aliasing than the 7900GT although there again just hearsay most likely


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## PC eye

You still have to with what is best for your wallet as well as long term usage. The rest of the hardwares already look good the way they are. It's now choosing the best card for your model board within reason. Later when prices see a drop you can spend the extra to go after higher end performances.

 The thing most noted in games is not so much the particular card as is memory and system temps. If you run a system all day long and then start gaming the temps will climb fast. Your hardwares are then being loaded. Plan on cooling as well as what card(s) you end up with. A periiodic run of a good memory tester like memtest can save a few headaches by spotting things early like failing dimms or the need for reconfiguring hardwares. As for the X1800XT read some reviews on that model as well.


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## Cab00se

yea, thanks pceye, you are very knowledgeable and I hope by the end of this I can return the favor to someone else who needs some help.

with the DFI lanparty board though, I read some reviews that seem to think its a OCers board and since I dont really necessarily do that, and there are sometimes issues I've read about with it,

would this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813123246
be any better because it's cheaper and seems to still have everything I want.

looks like there's some good ram up for 130-150 dollar range some are just that cheap but some are after mail-in-rebates which are always iffy.  the G.skill ones are http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820231047
just that cheap with 2.5-3-3-6 which seems to be as fast as the Corsair XMS with heat spreaders.

Bear with me in the next week lol


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## PC eye

I hear good things about Abit model boards while not being the OCer's Dream. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813127222  For memory in the same price range and not an unknown name here with even better 2-3-2-6 Latency http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820146883


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## Cab00se

I just heard about how if the board I buy is only 8x PCI in each slot then the card will run slower until I get SLI if I only have one card as opposed to just a one slot board running at 16x is this true?

Also, the person who said that recommended http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131568

seems a lot more expensive but he said it was really good.

Also, the case I was going to get has the window but he strongly recommened getting the non-windowed one so that it has the cooling vents over the GPU and CPU.  How important is this?

Lastly, he put some doubt in my mind regarding the AM2 and DX10 cards, basically said if I buy now it will be obsolete by x-mas and not last me.  

How true is any of this?


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## PC eye

Essentially twin cards at 8x supposedly double the bandwidth. A single card on a PCI-E 16x board can run upto 16x when the support is there. The Asus model board seen on the link is one of the latest models with the SLI capability. Asus does have a knack for being a little ahead of other brands. Other then a few bad boards getting out they generally hold a good standard and receive some great reviews. Plus you can save nearly $50- here at, http://www.mwave.com/mwave/viewspec.hmx?scriteria=BA22016

 As far as the DX10 cards being obsolete by the end of the year is rederic since Vista will be using that when released this summer. The cards you are currently looking at while browsing around are still DX9 capable. You have to remember one thing here that Vista is the OS that will require DX10 not XP. And you will be able to run DX10 on DX9 cards like you could DX9 on DX8 cards since it is a simple upgrade of the DirectX capability. The games you see online or in stores have a minimum of DX9 while many available will DX8. The most you would see at that time is some newer models being marketed.


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## Cab00se

so essentially you're saying that 7900 series will be fully capable of running the DX10 upgrade but it was not originally built for that but will still function well.  (Although I don't know if my school will allow us to upgrade to Vista anyway because they want us all on XP pro for networking stuff).

And I suppose you like that board as well then, I might have to get that from mwave then because newegg seems a bit expensive for the first time ever.  Maybe there will be a sale or something.  The more I hear about ASUS everyone seems to think they are the best way to go for mobos so I will probably lean towards them, DFI sounded good initially but I don't plan on doing any extreme overclocking maybe just a minor amount for the GPU so it's ok.

I assume the X2 will be comparable to the AM2 in speed and not be that much of an increase or am I mistaken about that?


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## spraybottle

Let, me join this conversation 
As for your question on X2 being comparable, here is a review I found:
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2738&p=4
From there you can see if there's a difference.
As for your board, yeah, that is a nice motherboard. To tell you truthly, I'm quite dissapointed that Newegg had a higher price than the website shown, as I'm a Newegg fan boy. But, as things go, always buy from the cheapest places! Although, you should note that the thing is going to arrive at a different time than all the other stuff that will be bought from Newegg


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## PC eye

Some of those dual core models stand out. Personally it's still a toss up between an Asus or MSI board that will see an Opteron 185 2.6ghz cpu on it. That will have to wait until the price drops a little after January 1st however. The one thing that makes Asus a preferred brand is the easy access to support for updates and utilities.
 If you go with an Asus like the one there be sure to look on the board cd or go to the utilities section for the PC Probe V2 or whatever number is there at the time. It's an excellent temp monitor with an adjustable overheat shutdown bar with an audio alert that lets you know if something starts cooking. You set that where you want the max to be and... beeeeeeeep! will let you know. Asus also has an auto shutdown overheat protection circuit in there for the cpu.


----------



## PC eye

spraybottle said:
			
		

> Let, me join this conversation
> As for your question on X2 being comparable, here is a review I found:
> http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2738&p=4
> From there you can see if there's a difference.
> As for your board, yeah, that is a nice motherboard. To tell you truthly, I'm quite dissapointed that Newegg had a higher price than the website shown, as I'm a Newegg fan boy. But, as things go, always buy from the cheapest places! Although, you should note that the thing is going to arrive at a different time than all the other stuff that will be bought from Newegg



 Hey TigerDirect used to be the main vendor around here. They did have an excellent return/exchange policy. But mwave was spotted some time ago and the price war began. Sometimes you had to go back and forth since one would have a better deal on this and the other had a bargain on something else. Never had problems with either. But price shopping is what is always done here first.


----------



## spraybottle

Hehe, pricewar... Of course that would be better for us as the prices would drop...  but what about Newegg? Everyone loves newegg.. I mean it litterally has the words "new" on it!! But, I guess I should start looking at other websites also for the price differences...


----------



## Cab00se

yea because honestly, I just configured my system on mwave, actually a little bit better even for like 100 dollars less in the end.  

Not that with a few deals come 2 weeks from now newegg couldn't be the one in charge.(get it?)

anyway,  interesting to look for different prices all around.

Thanks for the article about the AM2, that pretty much helps me make my decision that it doesn't off that large of an increase and I would rather have my computer ASAP this summer so i'll stick with X2 4400 Toledo.

I think I'll look at some ASUS and MSI boards and make a final decision this week or next week and then choose a card based on the board I like, although right now it looks like I might do the 7900GT because the increase in performace to the GTX just doesn't show itself at my LCD monitor's 1280x1024.  Which incidently, looked absolutely horrible and I was going to replace at 1024x768 but then tonight after I read your article about "native resolutions" I tried the native 1280x1024 and it looks like night and day.  Just breathtaking but of course the 512mb of ram and the x300 SE are killing the fps but I see potential.

So all that remains is to link it with a beefy rig.  any thoughts on the case window/no casewindow and vents on GPU.  I really like windows but if it will hurt performance I can rethink it I guess.


----------



## PC eye

I haven't ordered from Newegg as of yet. But I have seen price differences there at times to compete with the other vendors when looking there to locate an item. One place that lists the different prices for an item seen at the various vendors they list can be found at: http://www2.shopping.com/xCH-computers


----------



## PC eye

Cab00se said:
			
		

> yea because honestly, I just configured my system on mwave, actually a little bit better even for like 100 dollars less in the end.
> 
> Not that with a few deals come 2 weeks from now newegg couldn't be the one in charge.(get it?)
> 
> anyway,  interesting to look for different prices all around.
> 
> Thanks for the article about the AM2, that pretty much helps me make my decision that it doesn't off that large of an increase and I would rather have my computer ASAP this summer so i'll stick with X2 4400 Toledo.
> 
> I think I'll look at some ASUS and MSI boards and make a final decision this week or next week and then choose a card based on the board I like, although right now it looks like I might do the 7900GT because the increase in performace to the GTX just doesn't show itself at my LCD monitor's 1280x1024.  Which incidently, looked absolutely horrible and I was going to replace at 1024x768 but then tonight after I read your article about "native resolutions" I tried the native 1280x1024 and it looks like night and day.  Just breathtaking but of course the 512mb of ram and the x300 SE are killing the fps but I see potential.
> 
> So all that remains is to link it with a beefy rig.  any thoughts on the case window/no casewindow and vents on GPU.  I really like windows but if it will hurt performance I can rethink it I guess.



 Gee I just got done helping someone on this one. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811133132  But there are a number of links for a custom as well as non custom cases to browse through. http://www.advanceddesignky.com/cases.cfm
http://www2.shopping.com/xGS-Custom_Cases~NS-1~linkin_id-8000856~r-1~CLT-INTR
http://www.dealtime.com/xPP-pc_cases-Custom_Cases-cabinet_form_factor_mid_tower:confused:


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## Cab00se

well Pceye you might have finally won me over, after reading a review my roomate just gave me in MAxiumum PC and they gave it a 9/10 as opposed to 8/10 for the ASUS, plus the ASUS doesn't have nearly as good as reviews as the MSI on newegg.

And the price lol.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813130037

hopefully that's a good one because it makes my wallet happy.

We might be one step closer gentlemen (and ladies).

And I don't know if I really wanna spend that much on a case I like the Centurian's price and quality


----------



## PC eye

It's certainly a good model with the best price as well. TigerDirect was the highest at a $208- price tag. I can tell one for sure here is that MSI will be given a serious look for the case here. While I have been favoring Asus I see the specs on MSI keeping up. If you do go with that model here's the update and general support link to hold onto. http://www.msi.com.tw/program/support/download/dld/spt_dld_detail.php?UID=710&kind=1  I generally favor having three pci slots. But the specs look worth the effort. As far as cases go you can spend a small fortune on custom jobs at times. But whichever one you go with make sure to leave some room for expansion and even some extra cooling down the line. I also seem to have the feeling that you right on top of what you will want to see.


----------



## Cab00se

ok, finally back from college and ready to go and what happens but Conroe is about to be released and kill AMD.... sigh... now I have to look into this.

Everytime..


----------



## Praetor

> Basic needs are a computer and a new monitor because the current 15" LCD screen hurts my eyes


How so? LCDs dont have refresh so there's no flicker-greivence.



> Note that I only want one video card now and I will get another in a few months to complete the SLI.


I wouldnt advise that ... in a few months, a new card is prolly gonna be better than your SLI setup  (well that and your GPU isnt going to be the only bottleneck)



> but I'm sort of torn between SLI and Crossfire,


Then "you wont notice"  This will be especially true since anything you buy now in preparation for SLI/CF will be obsolete by the time you complete it



> Also, how crucial would it be to have a toledo say 4400 over a 4200 Manchester X2 cpu


Not at all. In fact i would personally advise against it. AMD chips (for the time being) are not cache bound and as such you wont notice an earth shattering performance jump.



> I was reading some more about this this morning and some say that having one card is better than the SLI gains of two lesser cards.


Phew, save me the trouble of convincing you



> Well I would recommend the 7900GTX over the x1900xtx. They are about the same price.


If you're doing a singlecard config, the Radeon box (all other things being constant) will outperform the nVidia card (that and offer FSAA+HDR which nVidia doesnt have)



> but the x1900xtx is so loud


LOL it's not _that_ loud



> would you recommend 7900GT SLI over one 7900GTX or are you just saying one 7900GTX for now or just in total?


Well if you're getting a 7900GTX vs 7900GT _now_, the SLI box will outperform ... but it also depends on when you plan to go SLI



> If you can spend that much money on a PC don't screw it up with a cheapy mobo. The one I mentioned would be the minimum.


Another board to consider is the *ASUS A8R-MVP [RX200CF] ($95.99)*  which is cheaper and offers more



> Well I have always seen SLI get better reviews than Crossfire,


Yes but we also all know that nVidia ... um ... pays better  Furthermore, assuming that for equal settings nVidia cards outperform ATi cards .... nVidia cards cant do FSAA+HDR so it's no competition there.



> Find me a review that says Crossfire is better than SLI, and I might change my mind.


Wow you're credibility went out the door  



> that I like having a window in my case


Then cut one 



> As far as choosing between Crossfire and SLI look over some reviews on the performance levels on each before jumping on anything too fast


Although to be honest, in 6 months, when he plans to actually goto SLI/CF, things will be different 



> Will that Centurian case be big enough to hold it ok?


Yes.



> with the DFI lanparty board though, I read some reviews that seem to think its a OCers board and since I dont really necessarily do that, and there are sometimes issues I've read about with it,


They're good boards in general, just a few nuisenses here and there. You can avoid problems by reading the info and buying memory that is known to work with it 



> I hear good things about Abit model boards while not being the OCer's Dream.


It's a solid board there but nothing spectaular. I'd say the A8R-MVP offers more value (including the option for Crossfire) for $10 more.



> The one thing that makes Asus a preferred brand is the easy access to support for updates and utilities.


As a ASUS fan myself I have to disagree: when their site is up ..it's great, but ASUS has a lot of "maintenece" time too. MSI doesnt have the same peak performance as ASUS in terms of download server performance but also doesnt have the annoying downtime too



> It's an excellent temp monitor with an adjustable overheat shutdown bar


It doesnt offer shutdown ability. Just alarm ability. This is a good thing because software can be easily buffer overflowed 



> Asus also has an auto shutdown overheat protection circuit in there for the cpu.


(cough) so do MSI boards. (cough) so do most freaking boards



> after reading a review my roomate just gave me in MAxiumum PC and they gave it a 9/10 as opposed to 8/10 for the ASUS, plus the ASUS doesn't have nearly as good as reviews as the MSI on newegg.


Four important things:
1. MaxPC also 

 Rates the Raptor74 as having "decent capacity" 
 Rates the LG Super Multi GSA 4082B a 6/10 (rightfully so) ... but gives it this rating for the wrong reasons: lack of support for virtually unused DVDRAM rather than poor burn quality and lifespan
 Rates the Sony GSMC520 a 9/10 because of poor text reproduction and the NEC Multisync FE2111 a 9/10 ... because it's biege 
 According to them, only AMD has support for NX
Good job MaxPC

2. Newegg reviews are done by .... non-professionals. Nuff said

The point is, just because a review says something is good doesnt mean it is ... do some research and use reviews as guidance with a grain of salt. (case in point: THG did an incredibly stupid thing like run a AthlonXP without heatsink and it went on fire ... but THG failed to note clearly that the cause of the fire was a failed motherboard sensor ... now add fanboys that dont know diddly about computer hardware and we have a recipie for a near-fanatic AMD-chips-light-on-fire craze)



> but Conroe is about to be released and kill AMD


Conroe is an integer monster. Not necesarily a FP powerhouse


----------



## Bobo

Praetor said:
			
		

> Wow you're credibility went out the door


Pssshhht, thanks




> 2. Newegg reviews are done by .... non-professionals. Nuff said
> 
> The point is, just because a review says something is good doesnt mean it is ...


But the Newegg reviews are from users, who aren't trying to test the card, they are using it, and those reviews are very helpful when deciding between products, because they do tell you how they perform (roughly)


----------



## mgoldb2

> But the Newegg reviews are from users, who aren't trying to test the card, they are using it, and those reviews are very helpful when deciding between products, because they do tell you how they perform (roughly)



I would say at least 50% of the time when someone gives a product a bad review at newegg it because they got no clue what they doing and it more likely human error then the product it self.


----------



## Praetor

> But the Newegg reviews are from users, who aren't trying to test the card, they are using it, and those reviews are very helpful when deciding between products, because they do tell you how they perform (roughly)


That wasnt my point, the point is that Newegg reviews are often incorrect and/or not useful. Perhaps I was being too subtle ... many of the reviews on Newegg are outright dumb. There are reviews saying that a CPU is stable ... well no crap ... it's freaking boarderline impossible to find a CPU that ships flawed.



> I would say at least 50% of the time when someone gives a product a bad review at newegg it because they got no clue what they doing and it more likely human error then the product it self.


Bingo


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## Geoff

That maybe true, but there are some products out there that are just plain awful.  Like some that break extremely easy, or certain products that dont work with other products.  And the easiest way to finf out is newegg reviews, since if say 50 people all say that the motherboard doesnt work with DDR2, even though it says it does, that would be an easy way to find out whether to get that board or not.


----------



## mgoldb2

[-0MEGA-] said:
			
		

> That maybe true, but there are some products out there that are just plain awful.  Like some that break extremely easy, or certain products that dont work with other products.  And the easiest way to finf out is newegg reviews, since if say 50 people all say that the motherboard doesnt work with DDR2, even though it says it does, that would be an easy way to find out whether to get that board or not.



In other words the people that do absolutely no research before buying might benefit from new egg reviews?  Well that person deserves what ever he gets if he relying on newegg reviews to catch any compatibility mistakes. 

Smart people already done the research and already know what they looking for before they go to buy.

If you do your research by reading newegg reviews you a moron.  Anyone that does research correctly the newegg reviews will be 100% useless too.


----------



## Praetor

> That maybe true, but there are some products out there that are just plain awful. Like some that break extremely easy, or certain products that dont work with other products. And the easiest way to finf out is newegg reviews, since if say 50 people all say that the motherboard doesnt work with DDR2, even though it says it does, that would be an easy way to find out whether to get that board or not.


My point still stands:
_The point is, just because a review says something is good doesnt mean it is ... do some research and use reviews as guidance with a grain of salt_


----------



## Geoff

mgoldb2 said:
			
		

> In other words the people that do absolutely no research before buying might benefit from new egg reviews?  Well that person deserves what ever he gets if he relying on newegg reviews to catch any compatibility mistakes.
> 
> Smart people already done the research and already know what they looking for before they go to buy.
> 
> If you do your research by reading newegg reviews you a moron.  Anyone that does research correctly the newegg reviews will be 100% useless too.


Im actually referring more to products like fan controllers, than actual computer hardware.  There are times when i look for a fan controller on newegg, but almost all of the reviews say that the controller breaks after a few weeks, or that it only slows a certain brand of fan speed down, ect.


----------



## Praetor

> Im actually referring more to products like fan controllers, than actual computer hardware. There are times when i look for a fan controller on newegg, but almost all of the reviews say that the controller breaks after a few weeks, or that it only slows a certain brand of fan speed down, ect.


Yes we also know that for a mundane product like fancontrollers we can have stupid fanboys that prefer Thermaltake and then go criticize a vantec FC without giving it a chance. 

Also, a dinky product like a fan controller isnt a problem when stupidity reigns supreme with reviews ... if you buy a crappy fan controller (whether you relied on Newegg "reviews" alone or not) then you lose out on a bit of money. If you buy a crappy PSU from Newegg cuz some moron said it was good and then you go home and it fries your computer then thats a bit more significant.


----------



## PC eye

I don't have to worry about Newegg reviews at all. The first thing looked over is specifications as well as multiple reviews from searches. Then I put a case together it goes through the mill anyway. When you have a system running 16-24 hours a day you get to see which hardware works best with what.


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## Praetor

Amen to that


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## Cab00se

wow, sorry my internet was out because someone decided to cut the main cable line running to our town lol.

Yea, after some more research I'm definately going with a one card option and probably getting a DX10 card when they come out probably for x-mas or my birthday in Jan.

From what was said above I take it that the 3800 X2 overclocked would be fine in comparison to a 4400X2 toledo?  

I'm still nervous to do that before Conroe comes out just to be sure but I half think that it might not be the absolute beast that some of the numbers show.

But yea, I take professional reviews like MaxPC (I read that) more seriously than newegg people because I realize it could just be some kid whose parent bought it for them or something.


----------



## fade2green514

Bobo said:
			
		

> Well I would recommend the 7900GTX over the x1900xtx.  They are about the same price.
> 
> For $490:
> x 1900xtx:
> 650MHz core
> 1500MHz memory
> 16 pipelines
> 256-bit
> 512MB GDDR3
> 
> 7900GTX:
> 665MHz core
> 1630MHz memory
> 24 pipelines
> 256-bit
> 512MB GDDR3
> 
> Have a looksee here:
> http://techreport.com/onearticle.x/9780
> 
> http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=30856
> 
> It seems that they are pretty much even in performance, but the x1900xtx is so loud, I would never buy it over the 7900gtx


what you're forgetting is that the x1900xtx and x1900xt both have 48 vertex shaders. thats quite the large advance compared the the 7900gtx's 8 vertex shaders.
careful though, the x1800xt i believe also has 8 vertex shaders.


			
				Praetor said:
			
		

> My point still stands:
> _The point is, just because a review says something is good doesnt mean it is ... do some research and use reviews as guidance with a grain of salt_


please note: i voted for praetor on the favorite leaderboard members.
haha thats amazing...
anyways, i totally agree.. like that conroe review that said its 150% better than an fx-60 @ 2.8ghz even though its clocked at 2.66ghz..
RIGHT lol...


----------



## Ku-sama

arent they actully like 48 "virtual pixel shaders" ??


----------



## fade2green514

nope, vertex shaders... completely different object. and they aren't virtual, they're physical.
vertex shader != pixel pipelines
as for x1900xtx and 7900gtx, they're fairly well on par with each other. one performs better in some games another performs better in other games. ultimately i'd prefer the one that either #1 is cheaper or #2 performs better in their respective dual card setup.
personally, i prefer SLI because its been around longer and therefore theoretically should have less bugs... and has a lot more reviews.
i mean SLI no longer needs two cards that are identical, as long as they have the same gpu + same size memory they'll work now. (thats with the latest drivers)


----------



## Ku-sama

i prefer nVidia, they have updated and better drivers about every other week, lol, and then i make a trip over to Tweaks-R-Us and pick up the tweaked version


----------



## Geoff

fade2green514 said:
			
		

> anyways, i totally agree.. like that conroe review that said its 150% better than an fx-60 @ 2.8ghz even though its clocked at 2.66ghz..
> RIGHT lol...


Not sure about 150% better, but it's deffinetly better.


----------



## Cab00se

what it probably is though is that the best best model of Conroe tweaked out is 150% better but 150% more expensive


----------



## mgoldb2

I am a bit confuse how you measuring this 150%.  If you talking about gaming I very very much doubt you see games jumping from 50fps to 75fps by upgrading to any of the Conroe base CPU over the FX-60.

Hell most of the time the difference between upgrading to a fx-60 from Pentium D 930 wont increase FPS by 150%.


----------



## Cab00se

mgoldb2 said:
			
		

> I am a bit confuse how you measuring this 150%.  If you talking about gaming I very very much doubt you see games jumping from 50fps to 75fps by upgrading to any of the Conroe base CPU over the FX-60.
> 
> Hell most of the time the difference between upgrading to a fx-60 from Pentium D 930 wont increase FPS by 150%.



on that note: what's the potential gain seen from jumping from a x2 3800 to an x2 4400


----------



## mgoldb2

Cab00se said:
			
		

> on that note: what's the potential gain seen from jumping from a x2 3800 to an x2 4400


I assume you are talking about FPS in video games when asking that question.

Well in most games you more likely to be bottle neck from the video card so jumping from an x2 3800 to an x2 4400 properly an under 5fps increase.  

Even if you have a high end video card the gains usually small.  Let’s take a look at oblivion since it one of the higher spec required games out there.  

You see something similar to this

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2747&p=3

That is using a system with x1900XT in crossfire


----------



## PC eye

Cab00se said:
			
		

> on that note: what's the potential gain seen from jumping from a x2 3800 to an x2 4400



 The gain is essentially the same as when going from an Atholon XP1800 to the XP3200+ for a rough estimate there. The OS you are running loads faster. The cpu processes data of various types at a faster rate. If a program requires a minimum of an XP1800+ the jump seen with the 2400+ is like going from 25mph to 35mph while the jump with the 3200+ is climbing to the 65mph super highway. If the 3800+ X2 makes the 40mph you've just gone to the super highway. The real gain is found with increased vpu power in order to free up cpu time when gaming.


----------



## Impr3ssiv3

mgoldb2 said:
			
		

> I would say at least 50% of the time when someone gives a product a bad review at newegg it because they got no clue what they doing and it more likely human error then the product it self.




true

i was listening to the radio and they said that 80% of items return have nothing wrong with them, thusly human error


----------



## Cab00se

PC eye said:
			
		

> The gain is essentially the same as when going from an Atholon XP1800 to the XP3200+ for a rough estimate there. The OS you are running loads faster. The cpu processes data of various types at a faster rate. If a program requires a minimum of an XP1800+ the jump seen with the 2400+ is like going from 25mph to 35mph while the jump with the 3200+ is climbing to the 65mph super highway. If the 3800+ X2 makes the 40mph you've just gone to the super highway. The real gain is found with increased vpu power in order to free up cpu time when gaming.



so even though it wouldn't boost fps a lot it would be useful for just normal operating procedures and processes in the background?


----------



## PC eye

The concept behind the dual cored cpu is to free up processor time for the program or programs you would run along with still seeing all background services incorporated into Windows without taxing cpu time. By going from the 3800+ to the 4400+ you speed up the processing of data sent to the cpu. As far as frame rates in any graphics apps or games that is controlled mainly by the video processing unit(vpu) now seen on the newer AGP model cards as well as the PCI-E type. The upgraded model cpu only takes what is fed to it and goes from there.


----------



## Cab00se

Ok, I finally ordered this and it should be here either today or tomorrow, I will build this thing then tell you how it works, thanks to everyone, especially PC Eye for all your help, it was instrumental in my decision making.

Final buy:

GPU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150144

OS http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16837102062

CASE http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811119077

PSU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103931

HDD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148140

DVD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827151118

MOBO http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131568

CPU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103546

RAM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227084

Should be a nice little powerhouse for a little while.  Eventually thinking about SLI obviously.  Thanks again everyone


----------



## PC eye

Hey let us know how you make out with it. A good price on the XP Pro/SP2 package and running high end memory. I favor WD over Seagate however. But remember to save a TP II 550w for me.


----------



## Cab00se

yea, I know the price was the same for the WD and Seagate ones but I've had 3 Seagates and never a problem with them so I will stay with them and their 5 year warranty.  Nothing against WD just don't fix what ain't broke.  And hopefully it will be here tomorrow so I will tell you how it is tomorrow night or if not then the next night if it takes another day to come/set up.


----------



## Decadence

why socket 939 instead of AM2?(not criticism...just wondering) I'm actually thinking about building a similar computer(in a thread which noone has been answering!!!)


----------



## Cab00se

well, IMO AM2 might be better yes, but it has not been out as long as Sockete 939 and so once again, IMO these mobos have been perfected as much as they ever will be whereas the AM2 ones are still new and not necessarily bad, but not proven good.

Also, The availability of the X2 4400 Toledo was much easier to find for the 939 than the AM2.  I just want a good gaming computer and not necessarily the absolute best as I don't really upgrade major components only lessers like GPU and RAM.


----------



## Decadence

i see...thanks


----------



## PC eye

Personally I will be going a little further with the Opteron line of cpus being given a serious look at the moment. The old Socket A system will be going into the retirement home soon enough. But when building a replacement it will have to be a reliable and stable system to hold up under the crap I'll put it through at times. I always seem to be beta testing one thing or another lately.


----------



## Cab00se

ok, I finally got it all set up and running good and just played some CS:S with it.... I am getting between 80 and 120 fps with everything maxed out including AA,AF and 1280 x1024 resolution.  I couldn't have asked for more and it all went smoothly on the set up besides a small hiccup with not putting in the 12V connector (see other thread).

It's currently operating at 2.21 Ghz ... is that normal for a 4400 X2 (939)?

Sounds good to me but then again I dunno, I'm just making sure because when we put the heatsink on with the heatpad we were forced to take it off again soon after before we were completely done and it seemed to have already taken a bit of the thermal paste that they had on there off.  But overall I think it was still enough to cover it all just making sure.  

Other than that everything is working beautifully and no problems knock on wood. 

I'll post some screenshots and some more complete testing in the near future.  

Thanks again everyone.


----------



## Cab00se

Hey during the installation we had to take off the heatsink because we needed a number from the CPU.  Unfortunately the thermal compound that was on the bottom of the heatsink partially was on there but we got what we wanted and just put it back on.  Now my computer is up and running and everything but on the ASUS monitor it says that the CPU is around 40 C and the MB is around 45C, with stock heatsinks and fans is this normal?  

I also think that the two fans (80mm in front 120 in rear) are not spinning  fast enough because I cannot feel much airflow coming out of either fan.  What speed should they be at so that I can set that in the BIOS.

THanks for those who know


----------



## PC eye

If set on auto you board will take over controlling the fans and speed them up when the sensors indicate the need for an increase. With a freshly seated cpu and new HSF as well the temps will be down before 40C. Keeping that low with a stock HSF is a different matter. With a 92mm fan mounted on the sink here the initial temp was 39C. after several weeks that climbed right up to the average of 44-46C idle. The other morning after several hours of gaming the 60C temp was seen for the first time since the stock was replaced. Well tne new 92mm blue led fan on in the new sink here will go well with the two blue led 80mm fans(one top, one rear of case) already running. Now to get a see through case!

 Wait awhile on the temps for everything to get settiled. The board temp does seem a little high though. Usually you see the cpu temp above the board's. If those fans came with the case and not chosen separately you should go back to the vendor for that info.


----------

