# Im getting bored of my Video Card



## DrCuddles

Its an awesome card and has lasted me every game up to now that i have installed on my PC with no problems, but im thinking, that Unreal Tounament 3 is going to pass me by, so im going to upgrade, what do you guys think to this?

Novatech GeForce 8800GTS 320MB HDCP Enabled Dual DVI PCI Express (500MHz Core Clock) (1600MHz Memory Clock) (1200MHz Shader Clock)

Budget is about £200 becuase that is all i can be bothered saving up from work, any other suggestions?  But this card does seem Uber


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## The_Other_One

If money's not a problem, why not get the GTX rather than the GTS?  Or, why not save up a bit more and get whatever card's best when UT3 comes out?  Even if it's still the 8800, I'm sure it'll be cheaper.


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## DrCuddles

Hmmmm, but i want it soonish, and i cant be bothered saving up for too long, so money is under budget, about £200


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## Kornowski

> lasted me every game up to now



You've played all the modern games on that? Really? Did you have them all on low?


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## polardude1983

my 8800GTS is coming in tomorrow i bought it for $270 because the price is right and it is the 320. i bought it off www.newegg.com


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## DrCuddles

Kornowski said:


> You've played all the modern games on that? Really? Did you have them all on low?



No, i have to admit, not the highes setting, but the defaults for my PC are high
So, no funny business you  i hand picked this piece of crap and it was kick ass at the time


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## DrCuddles

Is newegg UK deliverable?


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## DrCuddles

Are these the same card?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133188

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?nov-88gts3&P=1


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## polardude1983

they are the same card but different brands..geforce does make the card..but different brands make the board...one brand is PNY though still a GeForce graphics card..the other brand is novatech though still a GeForce card


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## polardude1983

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130082 here is what i bought an evga brand but 8800GTS for $279


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## Kornowski

> No, i have to admit, not the highes setting, but the defaults for my PC are high
> So, no funny business you  i hand picked this piece of crap and it was kick ass at the time



lol 

One thing you have to look at, What are the 12v rails on your PSU?


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## b3rt_d4ni3l

newegg does not deliver to UK...


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## DrCuddles

b3rt_d4ni3l said:


> newegg does not deliver to UK...


 
Damn, so there is no point me looking at newegg 

So im thinking
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?nov-88gts3&P=1

Its a damn good card and within my budget


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## Kornowski

I'll say it again then 

One thing you have to look at, What are the 12v rails on your PSU?


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## DrCuddles

Kornowski said:


> One thing you have to look at, What are the 12v rails on your PSU?


 
I dont know, dont even know what you mean by that, never heared of that before


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## Kornowski

> I dont know, dont even know what you mean by that, never heared of that before



Well, look at the side of your power supply, it should give you a load of numbers, find what it says next to or under the +12v rail... It'll need to be pretty high, also, I heard that it needs a minimum of a 450watt PSU, what do you have?


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## DrCuddles

Kornowski said:


> Well, look at the side of your power supply, it should give you a load of numbers, find what it says next to or under the +12v rail... It'll need to be pretty high, also, I heard that it needs a minimum of a 450watt PSU, what do you have?



Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh thanks, it says 120/230 V but i've got it set to 230V, hmmm will need a new PSU aswell then  no problem


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## DrCuddles

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, just found out from my dad, that i was wrong about that value, thats something else 

On the recipet it says 450V  so i've got that covered


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## DrCuddles

Kornowski said:


> nVidea XFX 7900GS XT



Just found out that you've got the same board as Gareth's Laptop lol
Nice one! Is this it?

http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=475&card2=443#


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## Kornowski

> Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, just found out from my dad, that i was wrong about that value, thats something else
> 
> On the recipet it says 450V  so i've got that covered



Yeah, but you could have a really bad ampage on the 12v rail, look it up!!!

Gareth couldn't have it in his laptop, think about it C'mon, How would you get a full size PCI-e card in a laptop, it just wouldn't happen.

Anyway, I have the XFX 7900GS XT version, this one:


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## DrCuddles

That looks so nice, its just so smooth and funky  Gareth defiantely has the one on the left in the link i showed you but a Laptop version, its the same one though 

It looks different, but is it the same Spec as the one in that link?


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## Kornowski

> That looks so nice, its just so smooth and funky  Gareth defiantely has the one on the left in the link i showed you but a Laptop version, its the same one though
> 
> It looks different, but is it the same Spec as the one in that link?



Thanks, it's great card!

Gareth doesn't have an 8800 in his laptop!

*Check the +12 rail on your PSU, if it isn't good enough you can't get that card, or you'd have to get a PSU*


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## hermeslyre

Kornowski wants the Amperage on the +12 volt rail. Look for a number followed by A or amps next to the +12 volt rail on the side of your PSU. It's possible you have more than one +12 volt rail so list all the amps you see.. BUT don't worry about the -12 volt rail, it doesn't count.


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## Kornowski

> Kornowski wants the Amperage on the +12 volt rail. Look for a number followed by A or amps next to the +12 volt rail on the side of your PSU. It's possible you have more than one +12 volt rail so list all the amps



Yes, Exactly, Thank you


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## DrCuddles

OK screw it Here is a pic of the sticker on the side of me PSU (memo to self, dont knock Sata HDD cable while Box is open, BSODs arent very nice )






This should tell you everything!!!


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## Jack Bauer

You need a new powersupply the 8800 will absolutely kill that powersupply that you have now.


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## DrCuddles

Jack Bauer said:


> You need a new powersupply the 8800 will absolutely kill that powersupply that you have now.



What should i get then?


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## Shane

Wouldnt he need a better processor than the Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3500+ 2.20 Ghz because wouldnt it cause a bottleneck if he was getting a 8800?


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## Jack Bauer

Nevakonaza said:


> Wouldnt he need a better processor than the Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3500+ 2.20 Ghz because wouldnt it cause a bottleneck if he was getting a 8800?



Yes but if he were to get that card I would upgrade the powersupply first.  There will be a bottleneck but you will still be able to play games pretty damn good with that card.


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## DrCuddles

Jack Bauer said:


> Yes but if he were to get that card I would upgrade the powersupply first.  There will be a bottleneck but you will still be able to play games pretty damn good with that card.



Cool! so now, what Power supply should i go for, any suggestions?


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## INTELCRAZY

No......wait, why are you guys putting an 8800 with an A64 3500+? I sense bottleneck.


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## Jack Bauer

INTELCRAZY said:


> No......wait, why are you guys putting an 8800 with an A64 3500+? I sense bottleneck.



It will be a bottleneck but it wont be that bad he will still be able to play games maxed out just not on the highest resolutions.  But he has 3 GB of ram which should help even out that bottleneck.


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## DrCuddles

Keep the advice coming, this is great stuff 

I still wanna know what power supply i should go for, coz i didnt even know anything about the 12v Railings thing


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## Kornowski

DrCuddles said:


> OK screw it Here is a pic of the sticker on the side of me PSU (memo to self, dont knock Sata HDD cable while Box is open, BSODs arent very nice )
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This should tell you everything!!!



As I suspected, the PSU is no-where near enough!



INTELCRAZY said:


> No......wait, why are you guys putting an 8800 with an A64 3500+? I sense bottleneck.



I totally agree with that, it'd be a huge bottleneck!



Jack Bauer said:


> It will be a bottleneck but it wont be that bad he will still be able to play games maxed out just not on the highest resolutions.  But he has 3 GB of ram which should help even out that bottleneck.



You can't keep trying to 'boost' your PC's performance, especially an 8800 with PC3200 RAM


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## Jack Bauer

Kornowski said:


> As I suspected, the PSU is no-where near enough!
> 
> 
> 
> I totally agree with that, it'd be a huge bottleneck!
> 
> 
> 
> You can't keep trying to 'boost' your PC's performance, especially an 8800 with PC3200 RAM



It wont be that bad of a bottleneck for now until you get a new cpu cause if he were to get a new cpu he would need a new motherboard and ram.  So I would get the videocard now which will be able to play games pretty good and then upgrade the cpu later when you get more money.

And this videocard is 10x better than the current one he has so he should be able to play games way better than he has been.


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## hermeslyre

The difference between DDR1 RAM and DDR2 isn't that much.. His PC3200 is still good RAM for gaming. There will be a bottleneck but it won't be huge as you think. For PSU's any on this page would be sufficient (taken from Praetor)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=Suggested&Description=17-189


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## DrCuddles

So i need at least 450W on my PSU?


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## Jack Bauer

hermeslyre said:


> The difference between DDR1 RAM and DDR2 isn't that much.. His PC3200 is still good RAM for gaming. There will be a bottleneck but it won't be huge as you think. For PSU's any on this page would be sufficient (taken from Praetor)
> 
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=Suggested&Description=17-189



Thats what I have been trying to tell them but they wont listen to me.


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## Shane

i would wait a bit until you can afford a new mobo & C2D....then by that time the 8800 might have gone down in price a little bit.


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## Jack Bauer

DrCuddles said:


> So i need at least 450W on my PSU?



I would go with at least a 500 watt or even more with about 20 amps on each rail just to be on the safe side.


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## DrCuddles

Jack Bauer said:


> It wont be that bad of a bottleneck for now until you get a new cpu cause if he were to get a new cpu he would need a new motherboard and ram.  So I would get the videocard now which will be able to play games pretty good and then upgrade the cpu later when you get more money.
> 
> And this videocard is 10x better than the current one he has so he should be able to play games way better than he has been.



YES! that is exactly how i was thinking it out


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## DrCuddles

Jack Bauer said:


> I would go with at least a 500 watt or even more with about 20 amps on each rail just to be on the safe side.



Ok thanks!


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## Jack Bauer

Nevakonaza said:


> i would wait a bit until you can afford a new mobo & C2D....then by that time the 8800 might have gone down in price a little bit.



Or you if you dont want to wait buy the videocard now then buy a C2D and new motherboard and ram then these guys wont be worried about any bottlenecking.


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## DrCuddles

Jack Bauer said:


> Or you if you dont want to wait buy the videocard now then buy a C2D and new motherboard and ram then these guys wont be worried about any bottlenecking.



Im gonna go with the Video Card first, coz i wanna use the RAM in my machine as much as possible coz i only bought it a few months ago

What do you guys think of this one?
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?nov-psu600&P=0

Any good?


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## Kornowski

Doesn't give any amp readings and it looks like a budget one, I don't know, it may be, but then again, it may be utter crap!


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## DrCuddles

Ok then... this one looks quite promising =]

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?hyp-4k530&P=1


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## hermeslyre

It uses a 20 pin connector. All current PSU's use a 24 pin i believe.

The hyper type R looks good though


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## DrCuddles

hermeslyre said:


> It uses a 20 pin connector. All current PSU's use a 24 pin i believe.



On the specification page it says:

"ATX Main Power Connector 24 pin (20 + 4pin) "


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## hermeslyre

I was referring to the earlier on.. our posts were only a minute apart!


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## DrCuddles

hermeslyre said:


> I was referring to the earlier on.. our posts were only a minute apart!



Ahhhh okies fair enough


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## Kornowski

Thats a better PSU, it's a total of 37A on the 12v rails, I don't know if it's enough, it may be. Ceewi1 knows his stuff, I wonder when he'll show up 

Just wondering, my 380watt Antec has a combined 12v rail of 32A, rekon thats enough?


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## Jack Bauer

Kornowski said:


> Thats a better PSU, it's a total of 37A on the 12v rails, I don't know if it's enough, it may be. Ceewi1 knows his stuff, I wonder when he'll show up
> 
> Just wondering, my 380watt Antec has a combined 12v rail of 32A, rekon thats enough?



37 amps should be enough to run that system.  

Your 380 watt antec The amps are enough I would think I would be worried about the watts though I would have at least 450 or more.


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## hermeslyre

A 8800gts system needs 26amps to run. I actually think kornowski might be able to pull it off.. slizone did tests with a fx60 and two 800gts in sli and the power consumption rarely went over 400w.


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## DrCuddles

hermeslyre said:


> A 8800gts system needs 26amps to run. I actually think kornowski might be able to pull it off.. slizone did tests with a fx60 and two 800gts in sli and the power consumption rarely went over 400w.



So this http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?hyp-4k530&P=1 would pull it off?


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## Kornowski

> Your 380 watt antec The amps are enough I would think I would be worried about the watts though I would have at least 450 or more.



Isn't it the watts that provide the ampage? So if the ampage is enough, the watts should be enough?



> A 8800gts system needs 26amps to run. I actually think kornowski might be able to pull it off.. slizone did tests with a fx60 and two 800gts in sli and the power consumption rarely went over 400w.



So, let me get this right, two SLI'd 8800's used 400watt, so I wouldn't have anything left for my other stuff. 

Well, Some people said that I couldn't run my curreny system on the Antec, Wrong  People often overkill on their PSU!


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## Kornowski

> So this http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s...?hyp-4k530&P=1 would pull it off?



Yeah, apparently so...


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## Jack Bauer

Kornowski said:


> Isn't it the watts that provide the ampage? So if the ampage is enough, the watts should be enough?
> 
> 
> 
> So, let me get this right, two SLI'd 8800's used 400watt, so I wouldn't have anything left for my other stuff.
> 
> Well, Some people said that I couldn't run my curreny system on the Antec, Wrong  People often overkill on their PSU!



Its better to go overkill on your powersupply cause if the powersupply goes it could take down your whole system so it is better to get one that is 2x what you need just so you arent stressing the powersupply out.  

Just remember you may be able to run your curent system with that powersupply but you never know if its unloaded untill it goes and if your lucky it wont fry anything else when it goes.  Your powersupply could be getting overworked right now.


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## Kornowski

It may be, but it's Ok for now, I guees


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## DrCuddles

Kornowski said:


> It may be, but it's Ok for now, I guees



Yea it is 

But id still go for the safe option, "Better Safe Than Sorry" You should always leave a margin for error!


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## Kornowski

> Yea it is
> 
> But id still go for the safe option, "Better Safe Than Sorry" You should always leave a margin for error!



It's Ok for this build and I won't be buying an 8800 any time soon, So I'm Ok.


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## hermeslyre

Kornowski said:


> So, let me get this right, two SLI'd 8800's used 400watt, so I wouldn't have anything left for my other stuff.
> 
> Well, Some people said that I couldn't run my curreny system on the Antec, Wrong  People often overkill on their PSU!



The tests counted the watt consumption of the entire system, with a HDD, RAM, etc.. So unless you have some phase cooling in mind i wouldn't know what other stuff you'd need 

I found it! 
http://forums.slizone.com/index.php?showtopic=405
It actually goes over 400w when under heavy load but thats with the FX60.. official requirements are: A 400W PCI Express-compliant system power supply with a combined 12V current rating of 26A or more, but the requirements usually are a bit over whats realistically needed. 

edit: No 8800gts yet.. no it's ok, i understand....lol


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## INTELCRAZY

Nevakonaza said:


> i would wait a bit until you can afford a new mobo & C2D....then by that time the 8800 might have gone down in price a little bit.



I am in that boat, you should wait on newer components. I am not pairing an 8800 with anything except Core 2 Duo's, 85 & 8600's can go with Pentium D. That is why ppl are disappointed in the 8800 Ultra, the processors of today can't reach great speed with it.


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## Kornowski

> The tests counted the watt consumption of the entire system, with a HDD, RAM, etc.. So unless you have some phase cooling in mind i wouldn't know what other stuff you'd need
> 
> I found it!
> http://forums.slizone.com/index.php?showtopic=405
> It actually goes over 400w when under heavy load but thats with the FX60.. official requirements are: A 400W PCI Express-compliant system power supply with a combined 12V current rating of 26A or more, but the requirements usually are a bit over whats realistically needed.
> 
> edit: No 8800gts yet.. no it's ok, i understand....lol



I get you now, Thats pretty good actually, it's allways nice to know that I have the option there


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## DrCuddles

INTELCRAZY said:


> I am in that boat, you should wait on newer components. I am not pairing an 8800 with anything except Core 2 Duo's, 85 & 8600's can go with Pentium D. That is why ppl are disappointed in the 8800 Ultra, the processors of today can't reach great speed with it.



So you think that i should upgrade to a C2D and get a new mobo before getting a new gfx card?

If i do that are their any mobos out there that can take my RAM, id hate to waster it i only bought it a few months ago and it is a big 3GB


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## Kornowski

> So you think that i should upgrade to a C2D and get a new mobo before getting a new gfx card?
> 
> If i do that are their any mobos out there that can take my RAM, id hate to waster it i only bought it a few months ago and it is a big 3GB



I think it'd be wise, you don't want an excellent GPU and not be able to use it properly, This is getting very expensive, new PSU, Mobo, CPU, GPU and maybe RAM.


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## DrCuddles

Kornowski said:


> I think it'd be wise, you don't want an excellent GPU and not be able to use it properly, This is getting very expensive, new PSU, Mobo, CPU, GPU and maybe RAM.



Im in need of an upgrade on my pc anyway so i dont mind replaing alot of compnonets for better ones 

Ok, so here is a list of what i think i should get:

Novatech GeForce 8800GTS 320MB HDCP Enabled Dual DVI PCI Express (500MHz Core Clock) (1600MHz Memory Clock) (1200MHz Shader Clock) 

Hiper Type R Modular 530W, Sli Cert, Black, APFC  

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 2 x 2.4Ghz 4Mb Cache 1066 FSB Dual Core Processor 

But i dont know what motherboard to go for...?

Any suggestions? If any, would you make any changes to what i have chosen?

Try to keep it under £500 but i will consider components if you go over


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## Kornowski

If you wanted to use your old PC3200 RAM, you'd have to get something like this:

http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/124950


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## DrCuddles

Thats perfect!!!

so i should go for 

Novatech GeForce 8800GTS 320MB HDCP Enabled Dual DVI PCI Express (500MHz Core Clock) (1600MHz Memory Clock) (1200MHz Shader Clock) - £190.59

Hiper Type R Modular 530W, Sli Cert, Black, APFC - £57.58

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 2 x 2.4Ghz 4Mb Cache 1066 FSB Dual Core Processor - £151.57

ASRock 4CoreDual-VSTA PT880 Ultra Socket 775 SATA 8 channel audio ATX - £39.68

Thats £190.59 + £57.58 + £151.57 + £39.68 = £439.42

Part 1: Im going to go for the Mobo and the CPU first so thats £151.57 + £39.68 = £191.25

Part 2: Then the rest £190.59 + £57.58 = £248.17

So could save up and get Part 1 then have a faster PC, save up and get Part 2 and have better Gfx, Does that sound like what i should do?


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## Kornowski

> Thats perfect!!!



...Yeah, You're welcome 

Do you not think you're rushing into this, I said your card was bad, no you're wanting to buy a whole new PC... It's a bit of an impulse buy.



Kornowski said:


> C'mon, that thing is rubbish!





DrCuddles said:


> Hey! This thing has kept me going through all my games!!! not failed me once and i did get it November 2005!!!
> 
> But yea i do need an upgrade  i think ill get one pretty soon, wonder waht i should get... dont answer that here i think ill ask in a new thread



See!


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## DrCuddles

So dan, do you think i should buy the components in the order i said there,

Step 1 then Step 2?

Im going to college now but will deffo check back after, about 3:30 to 4:00 ish


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## DrCuddles

I think ill go for that which i said 
Thanks for your help guys,  by the time i've got me CPU and MoBo then saved up the extra moneyz ill be able to get a better card


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## Kornowski

I'm sick of you ignoring my posts!

Grrr!


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## Shane

Kornowski said:


> I'm sick of you ignoring my posts!
> 
> Grrr!



Lol


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## DrCuddles

Ignoring what posts?? You hanvt posted any questions before that ???


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## hermeslyre

I think he's caught up in ugrading now.. You know how that can be. He's got an alright plan and i dunno if we can change his mind at this point.


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## DrCuddles

You can, im open for ideas until i actaully get the money


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## INTELCRAZY

Okay, look, Nevakonaza, Kornowski, and Me, all told you the same thing. Which was,"wait until you get an upgrade". You are not gonna see the full effect from an 8800 with an A64 3500+, it won't happen. You need to wait until you get a better CPU, C2D or an high AMD X2, the Phenom in Q3. This is the final time I am going to tell you. 

hermeslyre, I saw his plan, it looked good. I hope he actually sticks with it.


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## hermeslyre

INTELCRAZY said:


> Okay, look, Nevakonaza, Kornowski, and Me, all told you the same thing. Which was,"wait until you get an upgrade". You are not gonna see the full effect from an 8800 with an A64 3500+, it won't happen. You need to wait until you get a better CPU, C2D or an high AMD X2, the Phenom in Q3. This is the final time I am going to tell you.



You don't have to tell him again. That's what he's doing. He is simply asking for more advice on the components he should get, etc. 



> hermeslyre, I saw his plan, it looked good. I hope he actually sticks with it.



Wait, if you knew he was taking your advice why reiterate?


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## Dual_Corex2

If your going from a 6600LE to an 8800 of any kind, hold onto your seat belt....its gonna be one hell of a ride! 

I went from a FX 5200 to a 6800nu and it blew my mind! But this was about 2 years ago lol.


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## Kornowski

> Do you not think you're rushing into this, I said your card was bad, no you're wanting to buy a whole new PC... It's a bit of an impulse buy.
> 
> 
> Quote:
> Originally Posted by Kornowski
> C'mon, that thing is rubbish!
> 
> Quote:
> Originally Posted by DrCuddles
> Hey! This thing has kept me going through all my games!!! not failed me once and i did get it November 2005!!!
> 
> But yea i do need an upgrade  i think ill get one pretty soon, wonder waht i should get... dont answer that here i think ill ask in a new thread
> 
> See!



There, thats what you've ignored...


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## DrCuddles

I dont see a question in that... 

Haha it better blow my mind for the money ill be spending


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## Kornowski

> *Do you not think you're rushing into this*, I said your card was bad, no you're wanting to buy a whole new PC... It's a bit of an impulse buy.
> 
> 
> Quote:
> Originally Posted by Kornowski
> C'mon, that thing is rubbish!
> 
> Quote:
> Originally Posted by DrCuddles
> Hey! This thing has kept me going through all my games!!! not failed me once and i did get it November 2005!!!
> 
> But yea i do need an upgrade i think ill get one pretty soon, wonder waht i should get... dont answer that here i think ill ask in a new thread



Theres the question!


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## DrCuddles

Oh, there it is  And erm... no lol


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## Kornowski

> Oh, there it is  And erm... no lol



You've got to be kidding!?

You've only decied you want a new PC because I said your current graphics card wasn't very good.

Well, Actually, you were originally just going to get a new GPU, but now because it wouldn't be very good if you did, you're going to upgrade your whole computer... Just think it's a tad stupid!


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## DrCuddles

Kornowski said:


> You've got to be kidding!?
> 
> You've only decied you want a new PC because I said your current graphics card wasn't very good.
> 
> Well, Actually, you were originally just going to get a new GPU, but now because it wouldn't be very good if you did, you're going to upgrade your whole computer... Just think it's a tad stupid!



I dont 

Im in need of an Upgrade so im going to upgrade, if i need new parts to get the full whoompf of my GPU then thats what ill get


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## Kornowski

> I dont
> 
> Im in need of an Upgrade so im going to upgrade, if i need new parts to get the full whoompf of my GPU then thats what ill get



Alright, Just as long as you think it through and make sure you actually need and want this, and don't want it so that you can have "8800GTX" in little fancy colours in a signature.

It's a lot of money!


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## INTELCRAZY

DrCuddles said:


> I dont
> 
> Im in need of an Upgrade so im going to upgrade, if i need new parts to get the full whoompf of my GPU then thats what ill get



Finally........you came out and said it. THANKS


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## DrCuddles

It is a lot of money!

But that is what you need to do for good specs these days!

I want to be ready for Unreal Tournament 3 and any other game the world might throw at me, including Crysis!

Im sick of putting it on the highest setting and having to tweak it down these days, its very annoying!


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## INTELCRAZY

DrCuddles said:


> It is a lot of money!
> 
> But that is what you need to do for good specs these days!I want to be ready for Unreal Tournament 3 and any other game the world might throw at me, including Crysis!
> 
> Im sick of putting it on the highest setting and having to tweak it down these days, its very annoying!



You would know about good specs wouldn't you?

AsRock 756SIS
AMD A64 3500+
3Gb 400Mhz RAM
8800GTS *


LOL!!


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## hermeslyre

DrCuddles said:


> It is a lot of money!
> 
> But that is what you need to do for good specs these days!
> 
> I want to be ready for Unreal Tournament 3 and any other game the world might throw at me, including Crysis!
> 
> Im sick of putting it on the highest setting and having to tweak it down these days, its very annoying!



Good luck man. This will pretty much make your system current (screw DDR2)... You can add a shitload of performance by overclocking, have you considered that? Admittedly Your PC3200 will make your job a bit harder but nothing a couple dividers wouldn't take care of.


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## Archangel

well.. if your motherboard supports it, you could change your CPU to a X2 (4600+, 4800+ or FX60, assuming its socket 939).


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## DrCuddles

hermeslyre said:


> Good luck man. This will pretty much make your system current (screw DDR2)... You can add a shitload of performance by overclocking, have you considered that? Admittedly Your PC3200 will make your job a bit harder but nothing a couple dividers wouldn't take care of.



Dividers...? Ellaborate please... I dont know what they are. 

And thanks for the Good Luck


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## hermeslyre

The Ram speed is connected to the FSB. So When you raise the FSB to overclock the CPU You are also  raising the speed of the RAM. PC3200 ram runs at 200mhz, and the C2D FSB is 266. The C2D makes the ram run at 266. So unless you have extremely Overclockable RAM you'll need to Put a divider on the ram to reduce the speed of the ram. You might be going, reduce the speed of my RAM?? that sucks! but remember that it's still tied to the FSB, and the FSB is set to 266. So make the ram run at 133mhz from 200mhz, 4/6 divider, and your RAM will be running perfectly at the speed it's supposed too! All this just to get the system to work properly! but you'll still have room left to overclock. Whenever you raise the FSB by 33mhz or so reduce the speed of the ram by 33mhz and everything will equal out. Granted you can't keep reducing the Divider and i can't remember when it stops (hopefully not at 3/6!) but this could all be alleviated by getting a CpU with a higher Multiplier.. a higher multiplier equals a lower FSB thus reducing the strain on you and the ram a bit. Is any of this actually making sense?? It seems like alot of work but you get used to it believe me.


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## krzykidkrisb

niceee


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## DrCuddles

errrr.... i dont know, do you have to buy a divider?

Also, i want to get a new 19" montior aswell, 19" and a 17" shouldnt mix i need two 19" to make it look better 
I hate to say it but it'll have to be Dell to go with my other one, any suggestions?


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## Kornowski

It'd be easier overall to buy some DDR2 RAM wouldn't it...


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## Kornowski

> Also, i want to get a new 19" montior aswell, 19" and a 17" shouldnt mix i need two 19" to make it look better
> I hate to say it but it'll have to be Dell to go with my other one, any suggestions?



You don't need to buy a new monitor to make it "look" better, it isn't a fashion parade! You don't get marked on how good it looks, if you've got two perfectly good, working monitors, stick with them!

This is getting more and more expensive, I still feel it's a really bad impulse buy.


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## DrCuddles

Kornowski said:


> This is getting more and more expensive, I still feel it's a really bad impulse buy.



Its my money, i can buy a new monitor to go with it if i want to, i just wanted suggestions, not fashion tips.


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## hermeslyre

DrCuddles said:


> Its my money, i can buy a new monitor to go with it if i want to, i just wanted suggestions, not fashion tips.



I was waiting for that 

You don't have to buy a divider. When i first got into Overclocking i thought the same thing, lol. A divider is just a term for making the Ram run slower to keep it stable. 

I admit it's a bit daunting for someone new to this but if you read up on it it'll be like second nature. If you just don't want to have to deal with it You're going to have to shell out an extra $200-300 for a new motherboard and RAM. ( i say 200 because i keep seeing 2gig ram packages selling for $100) Up to you DrCuddles


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## Kornowski

> not fashion tips



I wasn't giving you fashion tips, what are you on about, I was saying it sounds like you want your computer to look good, because you're spending more money on a new monitor, so that it looks better than the one you currently have. 

You already have a perfeclty good monitor though, was all I was saying...

Don't need to get your nickers in a twist.


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## DrCuddles

Kornowski said:


> Don't need to get your nickers in a twist.



Best term ever


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## Kornowski

> Best term ever



lol


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## lovely?

DrCuddles said:


> No, i have to admit, not the highes setting, but the defaults for my PC are high
> So, no funny business you  i hand picked this piece of crap and it was kick ass at the time



actually the 6800 was. better yet? my X800GTO rocked out loud!!!... then a week after i got it, the 7900's came out... 


hey guess what??? i just figured out that this thread is 11 pages, so my comment was utterly useless! (not that it woulda been useful anyways, except as a conversation point)


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## DrCuddles

Im not bumping this thread!!!

I have finalllllly payed my parents back after 5 hard months of labour in doing so! i can fianlly save up and upgrade my PC!!!
This spec looks mint  but can it be improved for the same budget?

I am sick of running Shadowrun on lowest settings and it still jumping!!! time to take action!

Thanks for all your help the first time round guys time for plan B


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## DrCuddles

Ok, so im upgrading my PC, its official! if you guys remember a little while back i had a mega long thread about me upgrading my PC and we settled on this:



DrCuddles said:


> Novatech GeForce 8800GTS 320MB HDCP Enabled Dual DVI PCI Express (500MHz Core Clock) (1600MHz Memory Clock) (1200MHz Shader Clock) - £190.59
> 
> Hiper Type R Modular 530W, Sli Cert, Black, APFC - £57.58
> 
> Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 2 x 2.4Ghz 4Mb Cache 1066 FSB Dual Core Processor - £151.57
> 
> ASRock 4CoreDual-VSTA PT880 Ultra Socket 775 SATA 8 channel audio ATX - £39.68
> 
> Thats £190.59 + £57.58 + £151.57 + £39.68 = £439.42
> 
> Part 1: Im going to go for the Mobo and the CPU first so thats £151.57 + £39.68 = £191.25
> 
> Part 2: Then the rest £190.59 + £57.58 = £248.17
> 
> So could save up and get Part 1 then have a faster PC, save up and get Part 2 and have better Gfx!!!



So now im looking at the prices and thinking, i could get better for around the same price, any suggestions?
The prices above are the prices stated at the time, these have all gone down now, i dont mind keeping this bundle, will it last me?!?!?!?

Is it worth me getting 

Intel Quad Core Q6600 4 x 2.40Ghz 8Mb Cache 1066 FSB Quad Core Processor

This is much better and only a little bit more expensive 

It seems the Powerpack i wanted has disappeared aswell  So i have picked a new one to add onto my list 

So overall (with updated prices ) I think i will be going with this:

]Novatech GeForce 8800GTS 320MB HDCP Enabled Dual DVI PCI Express (500MHz Core Clock) (1600MHz Memory Clock) (1200MHz Shader Clock) - £175.07

Hiper 530Watt BLACK ATX Power Supply  - £46.94

Intel Quad Core Q6600 4 x 2.40Ghz 8Mb Cache 1066 FSB Quad Core Processor - £171.55

ASRock 4CoreDual-VSTA PT880 Ultra Socket 775 SATA 8 channel audio ATX - £37.97

Thats £175.07 + £46.94 + £171.55 + £37.97 = £431.53

*Part 1*: Im going to go for the Mobo and the CPU first so thats £171.55 + £37.97 = £209.52

*Part 2*: Then the rest (GFX)£175.07 + (Power)£46.94 = £222.01

So could save up and get *Part 1* then have a faster PC, save up and get *Part 2* and have better Gfx!!!

Now, the motherboard doesnt seem like it could take a quad...?
So that would mean i would need new RAM? if that is the case then i would go back to my original plan 
And is the new Power Pack a suitable replacement for my previous choice?

Thanks!!!! For all your help so far  Not much further now and this thread can curl up and lay dorment for all eternity!


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## Kornowski

I don't know, but I wouldn't get that motherboard, looks at the Gigabyte in my sig, it's a fantastic board!
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?GIG-965PS3

Also, PSU (power supply unit) not power pack


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## DrCuddles

Kornowski said:


> I don't know, but I wouldn't get that motherboard, looks at the Gigabyte in my sig, it's a fantastic board!
> http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?GIG-965PS3



It does look a good board, but wont support my old RAM, which i will ditch probably in the desperate struggle to get a new PC!

So, now im getting rid of my old RAM and going to buy new DDR2 probably  (Dont get started on the whole impulse buyer thing angain Dan )
And i will go with that board that you suggested Dan!



Kornowski said:


> Also, PSU (power supply unit) not power pack



I know what PSU stands for lol, probably new that before i could walk knowing my history of living with PCs


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## Kornowski

> I know what PSU stands for lol, probably new that before i could walk knowing my history of living with PCs



You kept calling it a power pack 

Yeah,it's a good board!


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## DrCuddles

I just read the spec on the novatech site and was remembering it as Power Pack, not something to go on about 

How many Memory slots does that board your using hold? it looks like 4...
And i think ill get this memory to go with it:
Corsair XMS6400 2GB DDR2 (2x1GB) 800Mhz Non-ECC


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## Kornowski

Yeah, it has four slots... 

I have the Corsair XMS2 RAM, it's great!


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## DrCuddles

Kornowski said:


> Yeah, it has four slots... !



Thanks, Ill rememberthat for the future  2GB will do me for now



Kornowski said:


> I have the Corsair XMS2 RAM, it's great!


Good!!! So i know it is defiantely compatiable then, ah yea i just noticed it says taht ram in your Sig


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## Kornowski

Yeah, I only have a 32bit OS, so I was thinking of getting another 2 x 512MB and having 3GB running in dual channel 

Yeah, It's really good RAM, Highly recomended dude!


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