New PC Upgrade - Otto is Otto spelled backwards.

[urseus]

I have to upgrade my 9800 pro. Ive loved it for a very long time, and it did great things for me. Nothing more suprising than playing a game, only to look down and see your Video card giving you a blow job.

After i came out of intensive care, i figured i need to upgrade.


Im probably going to get a 7800 GT. Though im not sure which brand is any good. Leadtek? Albatron?


And because im getting a PCIE card, i need to upgrade my motherboard and CPU. Motherboard is easy to pick. CPU im having to think about abit more.

I think ill get a Single Core AMD. All the stuff ive been reading about Duel core doesnt seem like it would benifit me for the price. I dont do high rendering things like 3D max or photoshop. I dont do video encoding. I dont multitask. I usually play a game, and thats all im doing, and thats the only thing thats running on my whole computer.

Duel core seems to be abit of a waste of money for me.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Bleeding Penis?

[Mephisto]

Seems like yesterday I got my 9800pro.... Is it time for us to upgrade already?

[urseus]

Well it runs games like Silent Hunter III and Battlefield 2 well enough i guess.

But i notice they dont even show up on benchmarks anymore.

Operation Flashpoint remake coming out in october has gotten me all hot and flustered. Not to mention Dod source and Forgotten Hope 2.

[lego]

Urseeus, im in the same situation as you, but I need help too, so I'm going to put my questions into this thread so i dont have to make a new one, i come in peace.

I have an MSI K7N2-G motherboard, whats the fastest Processor and about 100$ on ram can I get for it, so far I've found
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145440 would 2 gigs be overkill?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103377
im not sure if thats good. i dont have much money, or should i just get an athlon 64, but my funds are low.. a cheap mobo/athlon 64 combo?

and what is a good jump from a 9700 pro aiw?

answer uresues first, then me

[urseus]

If your running games, get an AMD no questions asked.

The general rule of thumb for single-core chips (Pentium 4 and Athlon 64) is the following: Intel for audio/video encoding, heavy multitasking, some 3D rendering; AMD for everything else - especially games, compilers, scientific apps, video editing, and some other 3D rendering. The respective leads in each area are quite significant, so going with a P4 system for gaming or an A64 system for A/V encoding is just a bad idea.

[mrhahn]

Personally, my advice would be to splurge on a dual-core mobo if you can afford it. Although you might not use it right now, at least it'll have a bit more longevity. Better to pay the extra..$100(?) now on a more expensive mobo + dual-core CPU than have to spend $200+ somewhere down the line on a whole new system when you decide to get dual-core.

Dual-core is teh futar!

[urseus]

Hmmm.....but i dont multitask.


Also, i notice that all the new video cards have some wierd white connection for the moniters now?

What the hell? How do i plug my moniter into these new cards? I only have the regular 3 row connection. Can i get some kind of adaptor?

[grim reaper]

The weird white connector is DVI. Its used for connecting to LCDs. THe card will come with a DVI to VGA adapter.


If your tight on cash don't get a dual core. By the time the benefits starts to show the current gen will probably be too slow.

As for graphics cards its hard to say what to get with out your budget.

The 7800gt is a good card however if your not in a rush you may want to wait a few months for ATI to release r520.


Most 939 motheboards will support dual core porcessors with a simple bios flash.

[[Damien]]

Here's a good review of a couple of 7800's. The 3500+ is a good cpu, and is only £150 now, so it's dropped £50 since I bought mine.

You're right about considering single core rather than dual core. A fast single core is faster than a dual core for gaming, seeing as you tend not to be running anything else while gaming anyway. You can always upgrade to a dual core once you decide to anyway, and still keep the same board, as Grim pointed out.

Now as much as an ati fanboy I am, I'm going to have to go with you getting the 7800, rather than wait for r520. It seems that the only thing it will have over the x800 series is SM3.0 support and other small tweaks. The 7800 already has these anyway.

Another reason to go with it is that once you have 1 7800, you can always drop another one in once the prices drop a bit and run sli, rather than wait for a graphics card that you'll only have to upgrade once ati's crossfire cards pummel your wallet into releasing your credit card once again.

[urseus]

Originally Posted by [Damien

]
Another reason to go with it is that once you have 1 7800, you can always drop another one in once the prices drop a bit and run sli, rather than wait for a graphics card that you'll only have to upgrade once ati's crossfire cards pummel your wallet into releasing your credit card once again.

So are do you think i should get an SLI motherboard now, even if im not planning to use the other one?

Or should i get a motherboard with just 1 PCIE slot for the card, then upgrade my motherboard later and get another card.

Does this SLI stuff actually work? Ive read some stuff that says the increase is negligable, and you would be better off using the moeny for 1 good card than for 2 medium cards.

Or is SLI the way of the future?

Also, whats a good speed CPU at the moment. Moneys not really a problem, but obviously im not going to spend 400 extra for the top of the line when the next one down is only a fraction slower.

[[Damien]]

If you're getting a gfx card and motherboard at the same time, then you might as well get pci-e, seeing as agp is officially dead. If you're only getting a card, then get one that's value for money, as you'll have to move to pci-e eventually.

I bought my x800xt pe agp knowing full well that sooner or later I'll have to upgrade, but for the time being, it works for me.

As for processor speed, anything between an a64 3200 and 3500 sounds best.

[urseus]

I have an Intel cpu for the past 2 years.

I had no idea that you are suposed to use AMD for gaming. Is there a really noticable difference?

[The Master]

SLI is only for high performance benchmark freaks. Its only good if you have the top cards all the time.
e.g. 2 x 6800Us in SLI are now beaten most times by a single 7800GTX.
and 2 x 7800GTX SLI will be beaten by the next gen top card.

[urseus]

Ah.

It did seem like abit of a wank.

Now all i gotta do is figure out which brand of 7800 GT to get. XFX maybe. I think ill order it online from america. The Cost for one here in australia online stores is around $700.

After exchange, the cost for one on amazon.com is around $500.

[Monkeyfeng]

i have a 9800pro and i love it. it never failed me. even after a year or two it still runs game fine with good graphic quality. it should be nominated to the graphics card hall of fame. i've never seen anyone that is disappointed with their 9800pro. long life 9800pro!

[grim reaper]

It dosn't realy matter which brand of card you get. BEcause the 7800 is a new series of cards they are all using the refereance design.

Things to look out for are whats bundeled with the card, if its been pre overclcoked and if it has a different HSF on. the main factor for me deciding is price, there can be about £50 of varience between them.

[The Master]

Urs, have you thought about the RAM? You know BF2 is like a whore if you offer her 2GB.

[urseus]

yeah ive already got 2 gig.

Runs games at the moment well enough i guess, but im thinking about the future.