Dilemma with Upgrade

RickyC

benchmarks aren't the "be all and end all" either. It has been well documented that some drivers cause benchmark programs to kind of "fluff up" the numbers.
 
kinda hrd to "fluff up" a processors benchmarks like a graphics card vendor is able to do...

drivers are the key :)

if the application is designed to support certain features in that product, thats a different story, but for all intents and purposes, benchmarks for the processors are generally legit and straightforward indications of performance, albeit mostly synthetic..

real world benchmarks prove that the a64 has an edge over its competition right now..
 
Don't waste your money on the Ballistics or anything. PQI and a few other companies have the exact same Samsung chips as those more expensive brands. The TCCD chips is what you want for your machine if you want to overclock.
 
ShepsCrook said:
Don't waste your money on the Ballistics or anything. PQI and a few other companies have the exact same Samsung chips as those more expensive brands. The TCCD chips is what you want for your machine if you want to overclock.

Any in particular you could point out? ta
 
Two years ago I would have said Micron without a thought but Samsung has been coming out with some fine product. (Yes, another useless answer.)

Go with the more cost effective one making sure the timing numbers are the same on both.
 
Corsair 1GB DDR XMS3200XL Platinum TwinX (2x512MB) CAS2 (2-2-2-5) costs £150 excl VAT

Ballistix 1GB DDR (2x512MB) CAS2 (2-2-2-6) costs £132 excl VAT

Hmmm. Decision time

(I know the corsair uses samsung tccd chips)
 
<nods> Shame i can't make a poll for this heh - I'm liking the corsair (very happy with the stuff i've been running too) Cheers tuffgong
 
like everyone said before you need to make your own decision, not sure what else we can say. Getting a board that supports pci-exp, is a must right now if you want it future proof, but then you must get a pci-express v/card, 1gb mem is minimum. Keep this in mind, try and find a mobo that has 4 Dimm slots, so if you get two 512mb mem sticks today you'll be able to get more later without having to decide about throwing the old out to make the mem sticks fit. Also a 3500+ is more than enough for any game for the next 2 yrs at least, a 6800 gt or ultra will be able to run any game on full spec for the next yr at least. So worrying over a trifling 100mhz here or there is pointless and a waste of money. You would be better aimed at getting a betting v/card and as much memory as you can, also buying a quality psu about 400w is crucial. One other point, you need to make sure you have a good cooling plan for your pc so many people leave this out. The AMD standard fan is ok, but you need to go with fans and paste that will cool your cpu and case as much as possible, i can tell you as no doubt many here will that having your case COLD, will not only give you a stable pc, but the pc will also be 10-20% faster on average, as pcs work faster colder. This means having exhaust as well as fans that take air in. Try also to get fans with air filters on them to keep the dust out of the pc.

The speed of the HD does not really matter too much as long as it is above 7200rpm, you could go for scsi or sata, but i don't see the point if you have a lot of memory.

I wouldn't really consider getting a sound card unless your a sound affectionardo, as you wont really be able to notice the difference between the onboard sound and a $100 card. Others may argue this point but as i just bought an audigy 2 at $100 i notice no sound quality improvement at all over the onboard ac97.

Dont buy cheap memory, also buy the fast memory you can ie ifyour mobo can support 3200 then buy 3200 memory etc... as (and anyone correct me if i'm wrong) if your boards fsb is 400mhz, and you buy 2700, then you are stuck at running a system at 266mhz. Kingston and crucial are the best buys.

Also when buying a case, don't go for the flashy small ones waste of money, but more importantly you want a case that has space inside for air to circulate and that is easy to work with. The flashy case wont speed up your system and it could cost 50-100% more than you need a basic $40 (pounds) case is fine, just replace the PSU with a good quality one.

Don't overlook a good mouse i think the logitec m500 is a good overall choice, don't have one but heard its very good for the money.

for 1100 pounds you could buy all this and still have money left over. as long as a moniter was not included in that budget. Seeming as you are in enlgand, order from action.com or i think its known as insight.com now or dabs.com, they have some of the best prices, don't buy from shops as they charge an extra 10-30% ontop of what an online retailer would.

As for your last question the L2 cache may make some difference in a couple of years, but i don't think its worth the bother, as long as you but in good quality parts now that work cohesively together you'll find your system runs very well.

Lastly an important note to consider. A computer is in essance a "Sum of all parts". Meaning if you have a 6800GT v/card but the rest of the pc is cheapo slow parts, the v/card WILL NOT run as fast as it should. You need to buy quality parts throughout to get the most out of the system. It would be like you being ultra healthy but you have a weak heart.
 
god damn that was a long post sorry :(
 
lancer said:
god damn that was a long post sorry :(

No, It was ace mate :D How about I post the whole thing.. <collates upgrade lists>

oki - here we go


Processor: AMD Athlon64 3500+
Motherboard: MSI Neo2 Platinum
Memory: 1GB DDR XMS3200XL Platinum TwinX (2x512MB) CAS2 (2-2-2-5)
Graphics: BFG 6800 Ultra OC
HDD: 80gb Maxtor 7200rpm
Opticals: 16xDVD-Rom and 32x12x40x CD-RW
Floppy
PSU: Antec Neopower 480w Modular
Soundcard: Creative Audigy
CPU Cooler: Zalman 7000b-CU
Case: Antec Plusview 1000
Cooling: 3x Antec 80mm LED Fans.
Operating System: Windows XP home
Keyboard and Mouse: Logitech Wireless Keyboard/Mouse (Don't know model number off the top of me head)

Great post lancer :) just wish i could give more rep than I could - any mods fancy doing me a favour and rep this dude? :)

Only thing i'm gonna argue with is the PCI-E (just because getting hold of a GPU higher than a 6600gt is hard. It's not a road i'm wandering down yet)
Thanks
 
Good system only not i would make is that the logitec wireless mouse as with others can have a slight lag, so playing fps games or CS especially could be hard, heard that the logitec wireless laser mouse has no lag, this is just what i heard.

P.s. thanks for the vote of confidence, i should give you my wifes number haha so you could tell her.
 
lancer said:
Good system only not i would make is that the logitec wireless mouse as with others can have a slight lag, so playing fps games or CS especially could be hard, heard that the logitec wireless laser mouse has no lag, this is just what i heard.

P.s. thanks for the vote of confidence, i should give you my wifes number haha so you could tell her.

Lol - I don't think they do rep points in real life :(

I've never had a problem with my keyboard and mouse :) I still wouldn't be any good with FPS' with an amazing mouse :lick: Glad to hear the system looks ok. Ordering the parts to arrive after these god damn exams are over :devious:

Friday/Monday will be order day :)
 
where are you ordering from?

good luck with exams also.
 
lancer said:
where are you ordering from?

good luck with exams also.

I'm ordering from ebuyer, ordered all my parts in the past from them, been very reliable - good RMA policy and the likes. Cheap price on motherboard/processor too.

Exams are almost over.. had 4 last week, 3 more this week/next mon. Aggrivated that I couldn't have this thing built and ready though.
 
I must say i wouldn't advise you to order with pc componant centre as theyve been nothing but a pain in the ass :(
I will never be ordering from them ever again
 
As far as the heatsink goes, go with a Thermalright XP120 and a panaflow medium flow 120mm fan. That's your best cooling option for the 939s.

As far as the video card goes, you can go with the 6800GT and save some money and overclock it EASILY to 6800Ultra speeds. Why waste the money on something that you can get for about $100 cheaper.

As far as Logitech equipement goes. I like the LX700 series for both optical and wireless performance, but as far as mice go, I like the MX1000 Laser mouse.
If you want a gaming machine. You're best bet is an MX1000, and a USB keyboard, along with a USB joystick. Unless you want the slick wireless gaming machine. Then go with the Logitech Cordless Freedom Joystick, the MX1000 and either the LX700 series keyboard or the one just above it.

For the ram, if you read my post before I editted it, Forget the PQi. The Corsair was a dollar cheaper. :)
 
Well Ladies and Gents, I never did return to this (or my other upgradethread thing..) But yes, the beast has landed and working like a charm!(since tues!)

Thank you VERY much to everyone who helped with decisions and pointing out how stupid i am etc etc, it all helps out :D

Thanks guys!
 

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Also Hi EP and people. I found this place again while looking through a oooollllllldddd backup. I have filled over 10TB and was looking at my collection of antiques. Any bids on the 500Mhz Win 95 fix?
Any of the SP crew still out there?
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