Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Hardware and Software => Topic started by: Jag34 on August 06, 2009, 03:10:26 PM
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Hello All
I have a system I built back in 2003, well now it is 6 years old and with AH new upgrade, its time for me to build a new system. Only problem is when ever I start to save up some cash, something at home goes bad and there goes my saved up cash. I so I am looking to upgrade this system so it may last longer, or until I can build myself a new system.
Here is what I have now.
1) AMD XP 2800 (462 pin, socket A) OC to a 3200
2) Asus A7N8X Deluxe MB ( with the latest BIO updates)
3) ATI X700SE 256 mb AGP video card (low end card)
4) 2 GB Corsair XMS Pro Series, XTreme memory speed, Twin 2048- 4000 Pro (volts set at 2.8v)
5) Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy Gamer
6) 320 GB 7200 RPM Sea Gate HD
7) Antec Titan 650 computer case
8) Windows XP PRO SP-3
9) Antec 750 watt PSU
All the software and hardware have the latest's drivers
I am looking at two video cards, one is a ATI 9800XT 256 mb for $50.00 on Ebay and the other is a VisionTek Radeon HD 2400 Pro OverClocked Video Card - 256MB GDDR2, AGP, Dual DVI, HDTV on Tiger Direct for $50.00 also.
Here are the Spec's.
1st: VisionTek Radeon HD 2400 Pro OverClocked Video Card - 256MB GDDR2, AGP, Dual DVI, HDTV
Lifestyle: Mainstream
Chipset: ATI Radeon
GPU Series: ATI Radeon HD 2000
GPU/VPU: RADEON HD 2400 Pro
Additional Features: HDCP Enabled
Vista Certified
ATI Avivo HD Technology
Video Memory: 256MB
Memory Type: DDR2
Memory Interface: 64-bit
Stream Processors: 40
Core Clock: 700 MHz
Memory Clock: 800 MHz
Interface Type: AGP
Interface Speed: 8X
Connector(s): HDTV
DVI (Dual Link)
DVI (Single Link)
Overclocked: Yes
APIs: DirectX 10.1
1080p Support: Yes
Video Output: DVI
S-Video
Low Profile: No
Cooling Type: Fan, Heatsink
ATI 9800 XT 256 mb
Processor
Graphic Processor ATI RADEON 9800 XT
GPU Clock Speed 365 MHz
RAMDAC Speed 400 MHz
Key Features
Card Interface AGP 8x
Compatibility PC
Memory
Installed Memory 256 MB
Memory Tech DDR SDRAM
Memory Data Width 256-bit
Installed Memory / Technology 256 MB (DDR SDRAM)
Technical Features
Form Factor Plug-in card
Video Compression Standards MPEG-2
Max. Screen Resolution 2048 x 1536
Refresh Rate at Max Res 85 Hz @ 2048 x 1536
Pipeline Engines 8 Pipeline Engines
Special Features MPEG Decoder Card
Input / Output
Display Interface VGA - 15 pin D-Sub x 1 • DVI x 1
Output Interface S-Video • YPbPr Connection for HDTV
Ok, here is my question, The VisionTek has higher Core and Memory speeds then the ATI 9800XT. It would seem as if the VisionTek is the way to go. But the VisionTek gets low marks in gaming. Why is this??? We all know how well the ATI 9800 does in gaming.
2nd Question: I just found on Ebay the AMD Athlon XP-M Bartan (462 pin, socket A) laptop cpu's that run's cooler and is unlocked and will OC to a XP 3600 and run cooler then a Athlon XP 3200. I have done some reseach and found this to be true and that this will work on desktop systems. So has anyone tried this? If so, how well did it work?
Guys, thank for any help you can give
Jag 43T
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The VisionTek card only has a 64bit memory interface. The 9800XT has a 256bit memory interface.
The VistionTek would have to be running the memory clock 4 times faster than the 9800XT just to produce the same memory bandwidth available on the 9800XT.
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Hey Skuzzy, Thanks for the fast answer. I saw that but was not sure on what it meant.
Thanks :aok
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i was just running the 9800XTwith a 3.0ghz prescott and it really sucked, id sell you mine for 30.00 + shipping
i have some 939 and AM2 chips around for 20.00 would be much better platform to upgrade too then that SocketA
for 100.00 you can get a Am2+ 7750 dual core + Motherboard + 2 GB DDR .. honestly i wouldnt put 50.00 into a SocketA
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I wouldnt put 50 cents into an AMD dual core
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I wouldnt put 50 cents into an AMD dual core
well if you wanna spend 2-3 times on a chip just cause it says intel by all means go for it. AMD phenom based X2 are very good.
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i was just running the 9800XTwith a 3.0ghz prescott and it really sucked, id sell you mine for 30.00 + shipping
"Hey, this thing sucks eggs, wanna buy it?" :lol
well if you wanna spend 2-3 times on a chip just cause it says intel by all means go for it. AMD phenom based X2 are very good.
There's always a reason behind something costing less...
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Here's what I have any suggestions?
300w PSU
2.4 P4
1 gig mem / 512 x 2
sound blaster x-fi extreme
nvidia gforce 7600gs- 512 AGP
My broad band isn't so broad 3.33MB down and .5MB up
After this last patch (4) I went from 50 FR to 9 FR sitting in the tower. Sliders have been adjusted to middle low in graphics and still crappy FR.
Should I upgrade this computer or build an I7?
If an upgrade will work what are your recomendations?
Would an I7 be over kill for this game?
My goal is to have high frame rates with sliders all the way to the left.
Thanks
Dingbat
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i was just running the 9800XTwith a 3.0ghz prescott and it really sucked, id sell you mine for 30.00 + shipping
Seeing as I can only upgrade at this time, Zohan, What frame rates are you getting? What do you mean it sucks? What is it not doing that you want it to do???
If you want too. I'll take you up on that. Is it 256 mb card?
Jag34T
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Here's what I have any suggestions?
300w PSU
2.4 P4
1 gig mem / 512 x 2
sound blaster x-fi extreme
nvidia gforce 7600gs- 512 AGP
My broad band isn't so broad 3.33MB down and .5MB up
After this last patch (4) I went from 50 FR to 9 FR sitting in the tower. Sliders have been adjusted to middle low in graphics and still crappy FR.
Should I upgrade this computer or build an I7?
If an upgrade will work what are your recomendations?
Would an I7 be over kill for this game?
My goal is to have high frame rates with sliders all the way to the left.
Thanks
Dingbat
Other can post contrary opinions and probably will, but... replace, not upgrade. You are very limited in terms of AGP for a better video card.
And yes, an I7 is overkill. Nice, but definitely absolutely not required. Best bang for buck is somewhere around the E8500 (for Intel). I can't tell you what the best bang for buck AMD is right now.
<S>
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Would the X4500HD card work? They are pretty cheap and if you have a compatible computer then you might not need to blow 50 bucks.
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Would the X4500HD card work? They are pretty cheap and if you have a compatible computer then you might not need to blow 50 bucks.
The X4500HD is an integrated graphics chip made by Intel. It is not a video card. It comes on a motherboard.
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Whatever. Well will it work? I saw one while shoping for a computer and wondered if it would play Aces High.
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????? :huh ?????
It's just not really a "Whatever" kind of thing.
But no, an X4500HD IS not going to be of any use to him...
<S>
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"chip" and "card" are unimportant as long as they accomplish the same thing. If I had listed a sound card then OK. But chips and cards are of little difference to me as long as I escape the Hell of an AH2less world.
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You CAN NOT swap a graphics "chip", but you CAN swap a graphics 'card" See the difference?
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The hell you say. I've had it done on my old computer. So either the guy that fixed it swaped out the mother board or something like that, or he updated something else that made the chip more efficent.
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The hell you say. I've had it done on my old computer. So either the guy that fixed it swaped out the mother board or something like that, or he updated something else that made the chip more efficent.
start your own thread if you truely want help.
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I just got my help Kermit, I don't need to. I was just pointing out that swapping a chip is not impossible or that some computer store people (the specially trained ones two) are liars.
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Hello All
I have a system I built back in 2003, well now it is 6 years old and with AH new upgrade, its time for me to build a new system. Only problem is when ever I start to save up some cash, something at home goes bad and there goes my saved up cash. I so I am looking to upgrade this system so it may last longer, or until I can build myself a new system.
Here is what I have now.
1) AMD XP 2800 (462 pin, socket A) OC to a 3200
2) Asus A7N8X Deluxe MB ( with the latest BIO updates)
3) ATI X700SE 256 mb AGP video card (low end card)
4) 2 GB Corsair XMS Pro Series, XTreme memory speed, Twin 2048- 4000 Pro (volts set at 2.8v)
5) Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy Gamer
6) 320 GB 7200 RPM Sea Gate HD
7) Antec Titan 650 computer case
8) Windows XP PRO SP-3
9) Antec 750 watt PSU
OK... with an old socket A CPU, you're going to have a SEVERE CPU bottleneck, no matter what processor you put in there... so you're going to need to replace the motherboard AND the processor. The good news is that everything else should be able to be reused (except MAYBE the memory.. depending on whether or not the replacement MB supports it). You can reuse the case, drives, Sound Blaster, PSU, and software.
As for video goes, the Nvidia 9500 cards seem to perform quite well for a 'budget' card, and they can be found new for under $50. If you don't mind spending just a little bit more, assuming you have enough amperage on your PSU rails, it should be more than sufficient enough to power up a Nvidia GeForce9800 or better card (I can't speak for ATI as I don't have any experience with them in the last decade).
You can go for a budget MB and a budget Core2Duo processor and a 9500 video card for probably less than $150 and reuse everything else... and have a system that will run CIRCLES around what you have currently. A 1.86GHz socket 775 Core2Duo processor will flat out demolish even a 3.0GHz socket A AMD XP processor.
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OK... with an old socket A CPU, you're going to have a SEVERE CPU bottleneck, no matter what processor you put in there... so you're going to need to replace the motherboard AND the processor. The good news is that everything else should be able to be reused (except MAYBE the memory.. depending on whether or not the replacement MB supports it). You can reuse the case, drives, Sound Blaster, PSU, and software.
As for video goes, the Nvidia 9500 cards seem to perform quite well for a 'budget' card, and they can be found new for under $50. If you don't mind spending just a little bit more, assuming you have enough amperage on your PSU rails, it should be more than sufficient enough to power up a Nvidia GeForce9800 or better card (I can't speak for ATI as I don't have any experience with them in the last decade).
You can go for a budget MB and a budget Core2Duo processor and a 9500 video card for probably less than $150 and reuse everything else... and have a system that will run CIRCLES around what you have currently. A 1.86GHz socket 775 Core2Duo processor will flat out demolish even a 3.0GHz socket A AMD XP processor.
You're forgetting replacing the ram. You'll need DDR2 which 2x1gb runs about $25.
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The hell you say. I've had it done on my old computer. So either the guy that fixed it swaped out the mother board or something like that, or he updated something else that made the chip more efficent.
No problem, seeing as you know so much more (thats why your asking questions on a BBS :rolleyes: ) I'll keep my info to myself, good luck.
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some suggestions for cheap upgrade
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116072 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116072) E5200 $66
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128357 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128357) GA-G31M-ES2L $53
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127425 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127425) 9500GT $40 after rebate
[urlhttp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148163][/url] 2GB RAM $26
thats $185 and you can run AH maxed with a little room to grow in the future in you wanted
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i just rebuilt my rig and i spent about 120.00 and i get 50-60 FPS and have room to upgrade later
X2 7750
2 GB DDR2-667
Biostar 8100 AM2+ board
8500GT Nvidia PCIe card
my case power supply and harddrive and optical drives i carried over.
later on if i want to get a better card and processor i just have to upgrade the PSU .. but the system itself is well capable of handling the game and the cost was minimal.
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I just got my help Kermit, I don't need to. I was just pointing out that swapping a chip is not impossible or that some computer store people (the specially trained ones two) are liars.
You clearly have no clue what you're talking about, can you please stop posting 'advice' in a forum that's supposed to help people? Thanks.
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You CAN NOT swap a graphics "chip", but you CAN swap a graphics 'card" See the difference?
X2
EDIT: The cost of replacing an on-board graphics chip far out weighs the cost of a new motherboard and video card. It is simply not done. There is not a computer shop I know of that does any soldering on a MB. To do so would take highly specialized tool's, optics to see what your doing (something close to a microscope), and a hand steadier then a surgeon.
Here is what one looks like mounted on a MB
(http://www.tdcomputersystems.com/builds/onboard_graphics.jpg)
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Yep, the tolerances on motherboards pretty much only permit the replacing of capacitors. If you need to do that, you need a new motherboard. And most likely a new one of whatever the caps were feeding, most likely the CPU.
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No problem, seeing as you know so much more (thats why your asking questions on a BBS :rolleyes: ) I'll keep my info to myself, good luck.
Not what I was saying. I value your opinion. I just happen to know you can swap chips; not as easy or cheap as just swaping a card but it can be done.
Sorry if I offended you.
<S> The Fugitive.
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Not what I was saying. I value your opinion. I just happen to know you can swap chips; not as easy or cheap as just swaping a card but it can be done.
Sorry if I offended you.
<S> The Fugitive.
Please if you don't mind... give me the name of one, just one company that will do this at any price. Since you had it done this should not be to hard. I was laughed at by a few friends in the business (building 3000 systems per month or more) as to why spend 400 to 1000 to have this done when you could get top of the line MB and GPU for less.
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It was a local store called Mike's Computer Shop. The owner was appearently trying to make fun of "Mikes hard lemonade" and he failed on that score. His real name was Douglas John, and said everyone called him DJ.
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I wouldnt put 50 cents into an AMD dual core
I'm not entirely sure I agree with that type of generalization. While there is no question that $ for $ Intel has ruled the roost for quite awhile now AMD is making a solid inroad into the lower end of the market. I'm still digesting what I'm reading at Toms and other places but my very limited 1st hand experience isn't bad. If we look at the various CPU scores at Toms AMD has a number of CPUs that equal or outperform more expensive Intel offerings...in effect you either get an intel i7-920 or you step down to AMD. Totally senseless IMO to buy anything less in intel although you can make an argument for the 8400-8600.
However if you look at the numbers an overclocked X3 710/720 can generate I'm not sure that holds up anymore. The 550 I grabbed for my wife is far behind the slightly more expensive 720 and can run AH at default hi res reasonably well with onboard ATI 3300 GPU. So for a guy (or gal) on a budget the ability to get CPU/MB/Mem/GPU for the price of an intel CPU of roughly equal performance is a potentially compelling argument.
I easily unlocked all 4 cores of my 550 (unstable under win7 however) so it should benchmark (using toms recent article as a guide) to roughly a 940/955 chip. For broad based use I think thats a very competitive CPU for roughly $100.
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It was a local store called Mike's Computer Shop. The owner was appearently trying to make fun of "Mikes hard lemonade" and he failed on that score. His real name was Douglas John, and said everyone called him DJ.
Got a location for this place or a phone number. He maybe the only one in the US doing any type of soldering a board other then capacitors
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phone number, just stared. As for adress, I will have to check. He is just starting out and might not make it. I will get back to you. I just went in and asked if he could and he said yes. So I brought my machine in and when I got it back, it ran great...for how old it was. It is like 9yrs old. He only charged my 50$ including the new chip if that is what he did. As I said, he may have done something different.
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phone number, just stared. As for adress, I will have to check. He is just starting out and might not make it. I will get back to you. I just went in and asked if he could and he said yes. So I brought my machine in and when I got it back, it ran great...for how old it was. It is like 9yrs old. He only charged my 50$ including the new chip if that is what he did. As I said, he may have done something different.
So, basically what you're saying is, you have no clue what he did, but you're telling everyone he changed the integrated graphics chip, even though you have basically no clue what it is nor how difficult that would be to do?
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So, basically what you're saying is, you have no clue what he did, but you're telling everyone he changed the integrated graphics chip, even though you have basically no clue what it is nor how difficult that would be to do?
Sound about right. I'm sure mechanics love him.
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So, basically what you're saying is, you have no clue what he did, but you're telling everyone he changed the integrated graphics chip, even though you have basically no clue what it is nor how difficult that would be to do?
No, what I am saying is I asked him if he could swap out the chip for a better one and once he worked on it, it runs better. So either he swapped out the chip or did something to make the old one run better. All i know is that the a cover on the bottom of my machine is now dark grey instead of black. It's hard to argue with results though.
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Holy smokes Nemesis!!! You're diggin a latrine, but worse than that, you are making the double mistake of standing in it, waitin for the "Fallout"!!!
Last year I asked for some advice on a new game machine, they definately gave me the good info...
My game machine kicks ass!!! My wifes new laptop Kicks too!!! Last yr, I didn't know doodly squat!!!
I still don't know alot, but MUCH more than before!!!
I've learned alot about PC's from the guys on here!! You should read more, and ask a few questions.. You'll pick up some good info too... But, whatever ya do, stop diggin !!!!
RC
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But I wana reach china. One of my dollars could by one of those alienware computers over there.
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back in the mid 90's, I was traveling in mexico when my truck started to overheat. I made it to the nearest town, and they referred me to the local mechanic I had to wail till he came back from working on the fields. anyway he looked at the truck told me that one of the sensors was bad and needed to get fixed. there's no such thing as replaced when the nearest auto store is 3 or 4 hrs away. anyway I sat there drinking a beer while he removed the part, cracked it open almost literally and worked on it, cleaned this added that, soldered this with what I will always swear was a nail. anyway when he finished it looked nothing like the original part but he installed it on my truck and it didnt overheat no more. I sold the truck a couple of years later but that part or whatever he created never got replaced. when I tell mechanics that sensors can be fixed fixed they always laugh tell me the same thing u guys say. costs too much, no equipment, or whatever excuse you can thing of. I am not trying to criticize you guys, but there's a few people out there that will fix things that others cant, or say that it cant be done. so if nemesis says somebody replaced the part on his puter maybe it did happen.
semp
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I know for a fact that it can be done with significantly less problem then many think since I know people who modify or scratch build circuitry boards. No different then thousands of people write or modify drivers all the time. Building system and building a component are 2 different things. 25+ years ago I bowled with a fellow who worked for rocketdyne in LA, he was a senior lathe operator whose primary assignment was in hand tooling parts for the space shuttle program. There were parts with such specific tolerances that the computer controlled machines couldnt produce them within spec...but he could.
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No, what I am saying is I asked him if he could swap out the chip for a better one and once he worked on it, it runs better. So either he swapped out the chip or did something to make the old one run better. All i know is that the a cover on the bottom of my machine is now dark grey instead of black. It's hard to argue with results though.
Nemesis, for the record (17 yrs computer tech)...the guy did not replace the video chip on your motherboard...he replaced the entire motherboard, and if he told you that he did replace the chip, he lied to you. Integrated video chips and sound chips can be replaced but it is neither easy in any sense...there is a distinct reason they are soldered to the motherboard and it's not so they can be replaced. The risks are greater than the benefits too...it's very easy to blow the entire motherboard when replacing an onboard chip...especially if you're talking about upgrading the chips...mismatched pins...wrong voltage...improper bus frequency...etc... Not only that, there is no way for anyone but a motherboard manufacturer to buy individual onboard chips unless you're buying used motherboards and removing the chips...which is a major waste of time and money considering the fact that all onboard video chips stink when it comes to gaming.
I know for a fact that it can be done with significantly less problem then many think since I know people who modify or scratch build circuitry boards. No different then thousands of people write or modify drivers all the time. Building system and building a component are 2 different things. 25+ years ago I bowled with a fellow who worked for rocketdyne in LA, he was a senior lathe operator whose primary assignment was in hand tooling parts for the space shuttle program. There were parts with such specific tolerances that the computer controlled machines couldnt produce them within spec...but he could.
Humble, there is a huge difference between building or modding "circuit boards" and replacing an integrated chip on a pc motherboard...I've done both. Few circuit boards are multi-layered/multi-frequency/multi-microprocessor. You're not just going to put a soldering iron to it and hope the Walmart solder you bought is the right kind unless you're just building or fixing your grampa's old ham radio.
As far as the machining ability of your bowling buddy...25 years ago it wasn't that difficult to beat the old computerized machining systems. Any man worth his weight in salt back then took a lot of pride in being able to out perform a computerized system...and job security depended on it.
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As for Jag34's original question...you have a decent system right now, if you want to keep it running, a simple upgrade of that video card would suffice.
For optimal performance I would start with a complete reload of a barebones Windows install...that will ensure you don't have a bloated registry full of old information, and when your totally done, the drivers will be single instance fresh installs (takes the guess work out of technical issues).
If your AGP slot is 8x then when you buy a new video card, go big... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102730 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102730)...only a few dollars more than that low end card you were looking at and better specs.
Putting a laptop cpu on a desktop mobo can be done...but there is a lot that can go wrong...biggest issue is cpu voltage...as long as the laptop cpu voltage, socket type, and cpu heatsink/cooler fit...then it will work. You might want to research your motherboard specs before attempting.
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I'm not talking about the guy in the garage. I'm talking about the guys capable of both hardware bypass hacking and code manipulation and recompiling. There is actually a pretty big subset out there. I lived in Phoenix until recently in a community with a lot of upper end techies from both motorola and intel. Over a dozen were running "customized" rigs for fun. All these guys got 1 free system a year seperate from whatever work required they tinker with. Far beyond my understanding and no question they had knowledge and equipment beyond the norm. I've got minimal interest in the topic and for them it was just ubbergeek fun....but its a pretty big community overall....probably as big as the hard core OC commmunity. "We" are limited by the hardware options were given, these guys will envision and then create what they want/need (basically recreating what they do for work). As an example one of the intel guys has his Fridge and pantry hooked up to his net. All food products get one of those little tracking tags so he knows everything in the house and the system maintians a running shopping list. In additions he has a huge collection of recipes and they match against whats in the house. So he can see what he can prepare with whats on hand or what he needs for a specific recipe....he's had this for about 3 yrs btw...
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sounds like what he's had for 3 years is too much time on his hands
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I'm not talking about the guy in the garage. I'm talking about the guys capable of both hardware bypass hacking and code manipulation and recompiling. There is actually a pretty big subset out there. I lived in Phoenix until recently in a community with a lot of upper end techies from both motorola and intel. Over a dozen were running "customized" rigs for fun. All these guys got 1 free system a year seperate from whatever work required they tinker with. Far beyond my understanding and no question they had knowledge and equipment beyond the norm. I've got minimal interest in the topic and for them it was just ubbergeek fun....but its a pretty big community overall....probably as big as the hard core OC commmunity. "We" are limited by the hardware options were given, these guys will envision and then create what they want/need (basically recreating what they do for work). As an example one of the intel guys has his Fridge and pantry hooked up to his net. All food products get one of those little tracking tags so he knows everything in the house and the system maintians a running shopping list. In additions he has a huge collection of recipes and they match against whats in the house. So he can see what he can prepare with whats on hand or what he needs for a specific recipe....he's had this for about 3 yrs btw...
Well geezuz Humble...you're talking the MIT grads who ain't running their own little computer repair shop down the street, nor are they wasting their time with overclocking rigs for gaming. Those guys have patents on a lot of what we take for granted...and the equipment to do stuff like micro surgery on processors. Stuff that neither Best Buy, Computer Rennaisance or any other run of the mill computer shop isn't going to have the knowledge or access to.
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sounds like what he's had for 3 years is too much time on his hands
No actually it started with a project for Rio Solado college in PHX. They had a "shrinkage issue" and a 3rd party vendor sold them a real time tracking solution that was basically a combination of issuing a unique inventory label with a real time tracking capability and then integrating it into campus security....so they needed a test bed...so this guy stepped up and deployed the test bed in his house. Initially "wired" his kids and there toys so he could "track" movement and "theft"...then went a bit overboard and started fooling with stuff....he had his CD collection and all other stuff tagged. Basically a small little metal (or so it looked adhesive tag)...was a bit of a hoot....gee hon I can't find my keys....they're in the bathroom right by the window...
From the little I saw it doesnt take a huge amount of equipment...just an understanding of how the stuff works. I'm component savvy to a degree...but if I look at an old 7900GT I have here at my desk I have zero clue what the various "gizmoids" are or what they do....these guys will look at it and start to argue/comment on the merit of a specific part or combination etc or how it can be "improved"...often they'll buy stuff or liberate it via work connections just so they can do exactly that.
Realize that as more and more stuff gets hardened hardware wise to avoid software hacks the hardware skills get more in demand again. My understanding is that you have to hack the iphone hardware before you mess with the software (not entirely sure on that) for example...
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As for Jag34's original question...you have a decent system right now, if you want to keep it running, a simple upgrade of that video card would suffice.
For optimal performance I would start with a complete reload of a barebones Windows install...that will ensure you don't have a bloated registry full of old information, and when your totally done, the drivers will be single instance fresh installs (takes the guess work out of technical issues).
If your AGP slot is 8x then when you buy a new video card, go big... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102730...only a few dollars more than that low end card you were looking at and better specs.
Putting a laptop cpu on a desktop mobo can be done...but there is a lot that can go wrong...biggest issue is cpu voltage...as long as the laptop cpu voltage, socket type, and cpu heatsink/cooler fit...then it will work. You might want to research your motherboard specs before attempting.
Gyrene81,
Thanks for the reply. I checked out the card you listed and it fits my needs to the tee. I will be ordering the card this pay day. My system is old but I am hoping to get at lest one more year out of it, and with this new video card, that should do it. I added another HD I had laying around the house to my system and installed XP Home with SP3 and only installed just the drivers I needed to run the system and only my few games I have. So now this HD will be my gaming HD. Nothing else will be installed.
Once again guys, thanks for all your help.
Jag34T