Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Hardware and Software => Topic started by: Masherbrum on March 14, 2006, 05:28:16 PM
-
I've been asking questions in game, but now, I'd rather ask in here.
1.) Which PCI x16 Card to get? $180 limit.
x800GTO: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814131424
or
x850XT: http://www.newegg.com/Product/CustratingReview.asp?item=N82E16814102505
Rest of PC I have picked out is this:
AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego
ASUS A8R-MVP Socket 939 ATI Radeon XPRESS 200 CrossFire
CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (will be getting 2GB)
Thermaltake W0093RU 500W PS
Cooler Master Centurion Case
Thanks in advance,
Karaya
-
GOIN BY THE NUMBERS...X850XT, AS LONG AS THE PCI SLOT NEXT TO THE PCI-E SLOT IS OPEN
-
Opteron 148 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103596)
You may want to look for deals on this CPU. Same unit as the 3700+ SD you are looking at, but built to server grade QoS. When I bought mine they were about $20 diff in price (not much when spending over 200-250 on a chip). However, it appears that the gap has increased over the months. A decent buy for a PnB (proc-in-box) solution if you can find the right deal.
-
Good pick on the MoBo. I run an A8N-E, which is essentially the same as the A8R-MVP but with an extra PCIx1 in place of your second x16 slot. Good idea if you plan on chuckin the X8 ATI card down the road for a Crossfire solution. Even better (wish this deal was around when I was searching.. or caught my eye.. wuddeveah!) is that the Crossfire board you are looking at is only roughly $1 more (to trade a PCIx1 slot for a PCIx16).
However, if you plan on using alot of PCI slots (I do.. my box is a near completed Media Center) the A8N-E may be the way to go. Heck, 512MB PCI-E cards are EXPENSIVE. I sure don't plan on moving to Crossfire in the near future after this updgrade :furious .
-
1st question? why not use the ASUS A8N-E board is only like $94.00
unless you plan on buying 2 2crossfire enabled video cards.......
the X850XT is the better card, has 4 more pipelines available, has higher core/clock/memory and will outpreform the 800GTO card......
regardless if it is ATi / Sapphire / ASUS ---I have used all three of these branded Radeon cards and have had no glitches from any of them, except a card I gave away was a 9200 64 meg radeon, gave it to a player on the boards here, it helped him improve his FR, but he was already even worse.......that 9200 card was prob worse I have ever used as far as finding the corrct drivers to maximize its ability........
I have a Sapphire Ati 9000 atlantis Pro 128 meg 4x AGP and a TRUE Ati 9800 Pro 128 meg 8x AGP cards along with a 9000 sapphire ati 64 meg and all work great for what they are...
newest cards are ASUS X850Pro ( has 12 pipelines and the other 4 are unlockable :-( )
and an ASUS EXtreme X850XT both 256 meg, both rock and don't skip a beat.....
only GeForce card I have in use is an old Mx400 64 meg something or nother, works great also, was a gift from a squaddie.....
anyhow, I would go with the Sapphire X850XT, Karaya.......my opinion more for ya money......
I would opt for the A8N-E 939 socket MB though, unless u plan on using crossfire down the road sometime, or step up to the A8N Premium or A8N Delux ( one is like 114.00 the other is like 153.00<---deluxe) if you want to use the dual SLI stuff...better yet go A8N-E Deluxe 32bit Sli nforce4 thingymajiggy card ( 224.00 ) and cover all bases......
as for the opteron, can it overclock like the 3700+ can, 3700 is capable of running at FX57 speeds without an elaborate cooling schemes.......
I like the Antec powersupplies as well.....using in 2 different PCs the antec TPll 550 watt trupower 2.0 Power supplies, the big 120mm fan is quiet and even helps keep pc running cooler......( they run around 80 to 90 bucks though )
good luck , Karaya
need to add: Whels has been building PCs for as long as I remember him playing AW back in mid 90's, I will usually run my setup for a new pc by him, since he stays up to date on most all these things, and he has stopped me from buying 1 or 2 things before I made a BIG BOOBOO :D
-
Originally posted by Masherbrum
I've been asking questions in game, but now, I'd rather ask in here.
Rest of PC I have picked out is this:
CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (will be getting 2GB)
Thermaltake W0093RU 500W PS
Cooler Master Centurion Case
Thanks in advance,
Karaya
-
Revised:
AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego
ASUS A8N-E Socket 939 NVIDIA
CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB
SAPPHIRE 100106SR-RD Radeon X850XT
Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-500W
COOLER MASTER Centurion 5
Seagate Barracuda 7200 SATA
SAMSUNG Black DVD Burner
Better?
Karaya
-
can i touch it?
a friend of mine has that very cpu...IT ROCKS...it runs cool...you'll love it
-
Originally posted by Masherbrum
Revised:
AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego
ASUS A8N-E Socket 939 NVIDIA
CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB
SAPPHIRE 100106SR-RD Radeon X850XT
Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-500W
COOLER MASTER Centurion 5
Seagate Barracuda 7200 SATA
SAMSUNG Black DVD Burner
Better?
Karaya
I was just giving my opinions Karaya, of stuff I have used before.......
looks good to me, you going to use SATA 150 or step up to SATA II 3gig/sec HD? in all seriousness I can not tell to much difference in the 2, except when I am doing DVD burning or CAD work....any other times even playing AH or other games I do not see a difference....... I did step up to the SATA II though on the wifey's pc I just built....... heck her HDs were 10 dollars cheaper for same capacity as I paid for my SATA 150 and all are by same manufacture just bout 1 year apart...
I going to go review that opteron , scrap posted about, see if it is unlocked and capable of being OC'ed...
but with your setup here, there really isn't a reason to even overclock the 3700, it is fast enough and with the ram and vidcard you should be able to run max quality on everything and not take any fps hit.....should max out ok....
again, my opinion......
years ago, I would follow advice from others, and install 1 component ( ie vid card ), then boot up, set up restart, then move to next component do same rinse, repeat........I guess had alot to do with setting IRQs and stuff, for my last 5 pc builds, I basically throwed everything together at once, booted up, loaded Win XP Pro SP2 or Win98se ( depending on which PC )( or dual boot ), and loaded all drivers /updated then let pc run for a full day or 2 without shutting off to see if it crashed, have not had one fail me yet, doing it this way verses setting each device up individually.......which back then seemed always had some issue conflicting somewhere......food for thought.....maybe....maybe not....... only issue I had was lost processor fan, while playing AH, it literally melted processor down into the socket on my old athlon 1800, I put new fan on it ( processor is still stuck to the board LOL, and it is still running fine, I thought it had messed up my memory because of the heat, but after cleaning registry all is still good, it has runned like this for over a year now, and my youngest daughter uses it like 24/7 except when I catch her door unlocked and her not in her room, where I can shut it off...........kids......:)
-
Below in my sig is a CPU-Z validation for 3.0ghz for my 3700+, up from 2.2 ghz . I have an older stepping KABCE, The newer ones KAB2E OR KAB3E are even better , some even getting 3ghz on air. If the place you order it from lists the stepping , look for the '3E. From being on the fourms over at overclock.net ,and helping people clock theirs , Id say the average is 2.8. GL
-
TC,
The Opteron 148 is a 3700+ SanDiego. Only diff is that the Opteron is held to a higher standard off the assembly line.
Also, if you look at the differences between the ASUS A8R-MVP and the ASUS A8N-E were only talking interfaces. Otherwise they are identical.
A8NR-MVP $95.99 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131584) :
3 PCI
2 PCI x16
1 PCI x1
*firewire
A8N-E $94.99 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131530) :
3 PCI
1 PCI x16
2 PCIx1
*no firewire
As for the A8N Delux, the board is SLI. That means you will have to go with Nvidia when stepping up to dual GPU. Not that there's anything wrong with that... :D
-
Karaya (Jay) if you read what the SKUZZY master said recently right now is not the time to upgrade .... as much as i know you need it wait a lil!
I know AMD is switching socket type again and you might want to wait for the newer socket type MOBO... (just a suggestion) on the Ram dont skimp! get good fast stuff from a good manufacturer! NOT VALUE SELECT.
-
Originally posted by TequilaChaser
the X850XT is the better card, has 4 more pipelines available, has higher core/clock/memory and will outpreform the 800GTO card......
Oh yeah... and the X800s they are shipping out now are 16 pipes out of the box. But the point is moot, X850 is boasting better core speeds, better memory, and better pixel shaders... and CHEAPER (by a couple O bucks)!
I would make the call between the two based on:
a) How much space I want to sacrifice (the X850 is the size of the new X1900)
b) Outputs 2DVI for the 800, only 1 for the X800
c) Reviews/Feedback
d) overclock capability (might be able to push the 800 to the same limts as the 850.. dunno, could be possible the way manufacturers make the same card and lock it down to make price points for various models).
The way I look at it w/o any other reseach other than looking over the specs on NewEgg (which aren't accruate for the X800 in pipes) I would go w/ the 850 mainly b/c of price and the features it boasts over the 800 (shader technology, etc..). However, if you are running alot of PCI cards like I am going to (Media Center) I would think twice... the X800 will leave me room for sound card, TV tuner, GPU, etc..
It's all a matter of careful planning and research.
*Side note: my X800-GTO came from NewEgg w/ a software bundle that included a set of standalone Pacific Fighters CDs.
-
Originally posted by boxboy28
...on the Ram dont skimp! get good fast stuff from a good manufacturer! NOT VALUE SELECT.
Good point. I opted for the XMS (2 sticks, 1gig) over 2gig of the CheapoSelect. I figured quality is important and so is RAM. Plus, you can always pick up an extra G of XMS later down the road. An easy upgrade that would do the least amount of damage to the pocket book (somthing the wifey might not even notice.... :aok ).
-
I can't wait anymore Box. As much as I want too, I can't. I can play AH2 just fine, after 5mins of surfing.....Blue screen O' Death.
Last thing then. So 1GB of XMS is more "effective" than 2GB of ValueSelect? If so, I'll get 1GB now, and then add another GB later.
I sincerely appreciate all of your help.
Karaya
-
Originally posted by Scrap
TC,
The Opteron 148 is a 3700+ SanDiego. Only diff is that the Opteron is held to a higher standard off the assembly line.
Also, if you look at the differences between the ASUS A8R-MVP and the ASUS A8N-E were only talking interfaces. Otherwise they are identical.
A8NR-MVP $95.99 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131584) :
3 PCI
2 PCI x16
1 PCI x1
*firewire
A8N-E $94.99 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131530) :
3 PCI
1 PCI x16
2 PCIx1
*no firewire
As for the A8N Delux, the board is SLI. That means you will have to go with Nvidia when stepping up to dual GPU. Not that there's anything wrong with that... :D
you picked me apart, scrap.
if he went with the crossfire MB< would he not have to use Ati crossfire enabled video cards? that is how I read it anyways..
is the opteron locked or unlocked for overclocking? if it is locked like some AMD processors, then the San Diego 3700+'s look to be better from a gamers view, maybe....
firewire, I always used a 9 or 10 dollar belkin firwire pci card ( my opinion it works better than onboard on the MB firwire jsut my opinion though ) but his crossfire edition MB he originally chose did have a firewire port and two crossfire ready X16 pci-E slots.....
if people decide to use the dual vid cards, most all I read opt for the SLI and nividia cards vs the Ati crossfire setup......
was my reason for saying go full tilt and use the A8n 32 Deluxe SLI board...... would have to go with nividia cards though, but I am not knocking the nivda vid cards by any means......either
as for the X800 coming with all 16 pipelines unlocked 1st I heard or seen of it, all reviews I have read at Tom's or thru newegg, or that other adtech place say pro versions are 12 pipes some or all 1300's are 12 pipes, the XT versions are 16 pipelines, they supposedly stopped after the 800/or 700 series on giving the user the option of unlocking the extra pipelines......... ( the pipeline count is supposedly based on the pro/Gto/XT version of the card you picking from what I have read ie Tom's/Ati website/ and post by owners of particular cards ) there are some GTO's and XTs that offer dual DVI and then some that offer DVI and analog etc....
our 850Pro is 12 pipelines and wil not unlock, our 850XT is 16 pipelines out of the box.... but both cards are overclockable.......
I agree, got with premium grade memory, you will not regret it......
I think Karaya has chosen a decent pc build, is his money, we all just giving him our opinions.....he is has the burden deciding if he chose the right stuff for what he is wanting to gain...
<----often wonders how much time all of us waste just sitting reading up on stuff and asking questions, man do we miss alot of fishing, golfing, swimming, woman chasing, time spent outdoors........list goes on, not forgetting all our honey do list we keep putting off, Honey, I just got to find out about this product, if it is worth buying, just a few more minutes please ( 2 hours later ) honey, I found an interesting article, I need to read this and I promise, I will wash your car and change your oil before dark.....oops honey, I forgot to get ya oil, I will play online with the guys in AH tonight, and make sure I fix ya car 1st thing Monday morning :D )
heck, I am just a dweeb, I know from what I have built, and from advice from a few here, mentioned 1 of them already, that I have yet to have any problems.....and I thank this forum and Whels for being part of that!!
-
Sorry TC. Just playin a little point-counterpoint :p . I sitll agree w/ you on the X850 definately a better bang for the buck. As for the mo-bo, I would reccomend the A8N-E simply b/c it is what I am using and I have had no complaints (but wouldn't discourage the Crossfire option).
-
Try this option masher - save some bucks:
http://shop.ati.com/product.asp?sku=2707477
-
Your setup sounds fine, buy it :).
If your playing ah2 the 1G RAM might be faster, when you use apps that eat up the memory 2G is faster... so according to what you wrote i would probably get 1GB.
On PC buying these days there is always a reason to wait, but this time i would say waiting only makes sense if you by january 2007, since before that it will probably be hard to get working equipment with AMD AM2 board, which is the only reason i currently would want to wait for.
While ASUS was verry good for motherboards it has lost its advantage now i think, but i currently know of no manufacturer whose motherboards are notable better than others. Think MSI,ASUS,DFI,Gigabyte,AOpen are all pretty good, but i have no definite winner currently. Does anyone know a definite quality motherboard manufacturer?
ciao schutt
-
Originally posted by Masherbrum
Revised:
AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego
ASUS A8N-E Socket 939 NVIDIA
CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB
SAPPHIRE 100106SR-RD Radeon X850XT
Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-500W
COOLER MASTER Centurion 5
Seagate Barracuda 7200 SATA
SAMSUNG Black DVD Burner
Better?
Karaya
Me and you are headed down the same path.
AMD athlon 64 3700 SD
ABIT KN8 mobo
OCZ CAS 2 pc3500 RAM
aspire 520w PSU
Seagate baracuda 7200
but........I forked out the extra dough for the AATI radeon x1800xl aiw, just to try to avoid the 'next year videao card upgrade' that ends up costing more in the l;ong run. Im going to complete the assembly and try to fire it up tomorrow.