Need a gamer recommendation for a s939 proc upgrade.

[Apocalypse23]

Hey guys, I was just thinking it would be about time for me to upgrade my computer a little. Here are the current specs:

Acer AL2216W 22" Widescreen
DFI LanpartyUT nF4 Ultra-D
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice @2.66ghz
2X1GB OCZ Performance PC3200 2GB DDR400 CL3 3-3-8 184PIN DIMM W/ Ramsink
eVGA 7800GT CO SE 256mb PCI-E x16 (480/1200)
200gb Maxtor Sata HDD + 160gb
Antec Sonata II 450w PSU/CASE

Since I'm a gamer, I like playing the latest games with as much eye candy as possible, at a 1680x1050 resolution as well I would like to upgrade the 3000+ to something more powerful that can boost performance in gameplay . Right now the amd s939 x2 processors are really catching my eye, since they also provide dual core capability, but I'm not sure as to what would be the best proc upgrade for my board or if I should just switch the board to AM2, which is a hassle

I'm also looking at the vid card, for now not really sure what to do, but im thinking if selling it right now would be a good idea so i could go for something like a 7950gt KO 512 mb card for that extra performance boost....Im looking to play games like Gothic 3, Oblivion, Need for Speed Carbon, bf2142, Crysis, Mark of Chaos at a good fps, so a good suggestion would be appreciated


Thanks!

 

[tallman45]

Switching to a new platform would mean not only a new CPU but new memory, if you have no other system that can use the Mem you currently have then it is a waste.

A nice upgrade from a 3000+ and since you know how to OC is one of the Opterons, 165 or 170, they may not get to 2.66ghz but will be close

 

[Apocalypse23]

How bad is my mem?, its 2gigs but its pc3200, I'm not sure as to how fast the newer rams are in gaming. Anyhow the 170 dual core opterons look appealing, but looks like in Canada here most stores haven't updated the prices, they are still sellling for 499 CAD, while some stores online are selling htem for half that price :S , I take it the Opterons are better than the X2s, but which one is worth the money for me, the Opteron 170, 175 or 165? Also, how much of a performance increase can I expect in games compared to my current 2.6ghz setup if I run an opt 170 -175 at stock or oc it. Typically they look like the same with the potential overclock to 2.6-2.7 but have dual core so I'm curious as to what the performance increase will be in games and fps.

Thanks

 

[betasub]

For almost all current games, an upgrade from your Venice @2.66GHz will not make a noticeable difference. Unless you have a real requirement for dual core, I'd stick with your current CPU and save for a more major upgrade (platform or gfx) further down the line. For your requirement of high-res gaming with eye-candy, a larger L2 cache or (the possibility of) a slightly higher OC aren't going make any near as much difference as putting the money towards max-ing out your graphics card purchase (8800GTS?).

 

[11427]

Originally posted by: tallman45
A nice upgrade from a 3000+ and since you know how to OC is one of the Opterons, 165 or 170, they may not get to 2.66ghz but will be close

As a side note, I just got an Opteron 170 (to replace my 3200+ @ 2.55ghz) day before yesterday, popped it in and hit 3.0ghz without even trying. So far it is 24hrs stable and I'll see what more I can get out of it this weekend.
Personally I think it's a pretty nice little upgrade, but I'm not a big gamer.

 

[BoboKatt]

Well if you want to stick with the 939 chipset, you can do what I did for my other system. In fact you have the same board, same RAM and same case and same monitor as I have. I just found a really good deal on an X2-4800+ that is running 24/7 at just a tick over 2800Mhz 1:1 RAM and with a X1900XT (at XTX speed). I have the same monitor as you and also run that resolution. Honestly there isn't a game I don't fully enjoy with all the candy on. In fact not only is it fast, responsive but runs quiet and cool. I needed little extra voltage on the Vcore to get it stable at that. You can easily do more.

I guess it all depends on what you find and what price. The X2-4800+ might be hard to find or back to being expensive. Obviously as others have suggested the Opertons would be great (dual core versions) as you are already OC'ing hard on your current system so you would want something that can AT LEAST be faster than what you currently have, not even taking into consideration the whole dual core issue.

 

[Boogak]

Originally posted by: betasub
For almost all current games, an upgrade from your Venice @2.66GHz will not make a noticeable difference. Unless you have a real requirement for dual core, I'd stick with your current CPU and save for a more major upgrade (platform or gfx) further down the line. For your requirement of high-res gaming with eye-candy, a larger L2 cache or (the possibility of) a slightly higher OC aren't going make any near as much difference as putting the money towards max-ing out your graphics card purchase (8800GTS?).

Agreed, if it's eye candy you want, your best bang for the buck is to upgrade to a new video card.

 

[nyker96]

Since you look like a OCer, I'd get a opteron 165 and OC it. Buy it cheap off ebay.

 

[mrzed]

Don't upgrade the CPU. Full stop. Same goes doubly for RAM.

You get a new s939 dual core, and you'll do very well to hit 3gHz. It would provide a boost, but not much, you could also get unlucky and end up right where you are now in clock speed. The only big CPU upgrade for gaming in your situation would be a conroe, and an entire platform change is not worth it. You are not going to be CPU limited in many games at 1680*1050 with your setup.

Like the other sensible folks have told you, upgrade your video if you're itching, save the rest of your money, and wait until 4gHz dual-core overclocking is easy and cheap in another year. You're fine til then.

 

[Apocalypse23]

Alright, but is there any real proven advantage in games (latest ones) with having a dual core system at the same 2.5-2.6 speeds? Since I was thinking that Dual core for games that support it would probably play them better and with more fps. As for a video card, would selling my current card be worthwhile so I could save some for a 8800 GTS in the next month or so? Or should I go for a more affordable 512 mb evga 7950 gt KO version at this time?

I have a hunch that the 8800 GTX wont come down to any lower than 500 CAD in the next few months, the 8800 GTS is selling for 550 CAD atm, I can only spend about 350 CAD max on a vid card so how long should I wait for prices to drop, or would getting something cheaper be worthwhile?

Mind you I do have another computer, but it is a 2nd generation computer, AMD xp2500+ ocd to 3200+ with 512 pc3200 memory, and an abit nf7-s board with a 5900 geforce. Now this rig is just for mostly internet browsing, etc, but I am not sure if I should sell, but it's a big hassle then again to switch the newer system with this one, and then get a whole new platform, that would be very costly
Thanks

 

[skrewler2]

I just upgraded my 3500+ Winchester to a 4800x2, and didn't notice much of a difference in gaming on that box... just FYI, what these guys are telling you is correct...

 

[Furen]

The benefit from dual-core depends on the game, some games gain quite a bit, others don't gain anything at all. If you decide to go Opteron you'll also get double the cache, and that helps games quite a bit, something around 7-10% at the same clock. I'd keep the video card for a while, you'll need to spend lots of money to get a substantial performance benefit.

All in all, I probably wouldn't recommend upgrading at all but the supply of socket 939 dual-cores is going to dry up relatively soon.

 

[Apocalypse23]

Hmm, well I'm getting greedy and looks like I might steal the Opty 170 and sell the 3000+ while its still in some demand Personally I want to test the Dual Core capability myself and see what kind of a difference it makes in everything overall, not just games.

I'll wait for the 8800 GTS to swoop down to the 350 CAD mark and grab that in the coming months.

Also, the future games should easily support dual core, Dual core will be the gaming future imo.

 

[Apocalypse23]

Alrighty, I just bought a 1950xt and an opty 170, but now I'm thinking of switching to an 8800 gts just for the fact that I am getting it at a very good price suddenly. My question is will the 450W Antec PSU be sufficient to run everything? It's never given me problems in the past and I'm looking forward to test the 8800gts tomorrow. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[myocardia]

It's highly unlikely. My 500 watt Enermax Liberty couldn't run my X1900XT in 3d mode, and it has considerably more voltage on the 12v rails than your Antec.

 

[bongsteen]

get a seasonic s12+ to max out your system.

 

[Apocalypse23]

signature updated

The 450W seemed fine on the system with the 8800GTS, I bought the OCZGameXstream 600W PSU anyway to be on the safe side since I'm a hardcore ocer . Anyhow I did notice it was a breeze ato oc the video card with this new PSU, pumped the evga 8800gts to 600/1800 mhz exactly, the opty is at 2.9ghz currently, I'll be getting my second ram stick tomorrow so I'll be finally doing some hardcore testing and post some results here, I may be able to get to 3.0 stable but the ram timings are higher for those speeds. I must say however I'm very impressed at the quality and stepping of the opty 170, I wonder if I could push it over 3.0 with the fastest pc3200 timings

 

[zephyrprime]

Get the Opteron 165 or 170.