Upgrading in Dec; got a 6800GT AGP, am I screwed?

[parkbench]

Hey there, I'm looking to upgrade to either A64 or Intel in Dec. I've been an AMD guy for a long time (currently an Asus Nforce2), but the few extra fps loss might be worth it this time for the hyperthreading and SSE stuff. I'm looking at Nforce4 right now for AMD and anything for Intel since I've never researched them before. Soundstorm was really important to me, as was onboard LAN and 6 USB2.0 ports, but now most of that is fairly standard. I currently have DDR RAM and would like to drop that in my next system unless DDR2 offers a huge boost in something I use (which it doesn't seem to right now).

I also have an AGP 6800 GT so AGP is important since I dropped $400 on the damn card. Unfortunately, my 6800GT has increased load times and frame sputters in Unreal Tournament 2004 (which I play fairly often) since so many high res textures are being loaded. Obviously, gaming is important to me, as is stability. I've been running rock solid for a long time and I intend to keep it this way.

That said, I have several questions.

1. Will an Nforce4 system or high-end Intel mobo have AGP?
2. Will either system support DDR or only DDR2?
3. Is the onboard Intel 7.1 audio comparable or better to SS for my DTS setup?
4.Will an Nforce4 system have Soundstorm?
5. Can I transport my DDR RAM to a newer Intel mobo or nforce4?
6. Is it worth sticking to DDR?
7. What solution should I lean towards based on my needs and expectations?

PS - Don't forget stability!

 

[TimTheEnchanter25]

It is hard to sort through the rumors and facts for Nforce4. I'm waiting for it and I spend a lot of time looking for any info on it I can find. It sounds like Nvidia will make an announcement on Nforce4 in the next 7 to 10 days. So, that should clear most things up.

1. Some lists show an Nforce4 AGP version. But, a lot of places say that the only major change from NF3 to 4 is adding PCI-E. I'm pretty sure that Intel is sticking to PCI-E for socket 775.
2. AMD will be DDR till they make diff cpus (not anytime soon). As far as I know all socket 775 will be DDR2.
3. Don't know much about intel's onboard sound.
4. It looks like SS was just a rumor, but some people still hold out hope.
5. Intel no, NF4 should be ok.
6. So far DDR2 hasn't been anything exciting.
7. Unless NF4 has an AGP version, get a Nforce3 board. Right now AMD 64 kicks Intel's ass for any game.

Hope that helps.

 

[parkbench]

Thanks for the speedy and great response!

Let me add:

8) Does Nforce4 offer anything besides PCI-E over Nforce3?

 

[imported_Bleh]

Soundstorm audio if its still true and not a rumor, sata 2, support for future 939 processors, and probably will be better for overclocking (probably not by much tho). This is all speculation tho according to reports on theinquirer so nothing is concrete til nvidia makes an offical statement.

 

[TimTheEnchanter25]

I don't think it is going to have SATA 2. I know I read something about when that would be out and can't remember what it said.

I know that Nforce4 adds a couple more USB and SATA ports over what NF3 has. I think it has 10 USB and 8 SATA.

 

[ChineseDemocracyGNR]

You can read AnandTech article.

You're not missing much by getting an nForce3 Ultra motherboard instead of the simpler nForce4, but maybe you can find someone willing to pay close to $400 on your card? Of course, wait for the K8T890/nForce4 motherboards and the PCI-E 6800GT to be available.

 

[parkbench]

/rant on

Boy did I make the wrong decision. Seems like just about anything I choose is already obsolete an entire generation. Is it me or is everything from mobos, hard drives, ram, and video cards literally dead by the time they come out? SATA2? I don't even see SATA1 drives in the stores yet. Then there's RAID and the ever elusive 10,000rpm drives. DDR 266, 333, 400, 533... DDR1/DDR2. AGP... PCI-E, PCI-E SLI.... 5.1, 7.1 audio. USB 2.0, Firewire and whatever's on the roadmap for connectivity (help me out here I KNOW there's something!).... DVD-R/+R 2.4x, 4x, 8x, 16x, DVD+R DL, Blue Ray, HD-DVD.... 32 bit, 64 bit... leading to new OS's

ARRRRRRRRGH... System meltdown.

Usually being obsolete doesn't mean you'll be behind a whole generation, but this time it seems like there's no way to be ahead of the game.

All because I had to get Doom3 first. How #$@$ing frustrating :disgust:

Usually I can get about two years out of a $1000 no-monitor system and be only a few CPU speeds down and be a little ahead with RAM and hard drive. 2 years ago I picked up an nforce2 board and things got SIMPLER! I had great onboard audio, dual onboard LAN, both SATA and IDE, 6 USB 2.0 plugs, firewire, AGP and PCI. To be on top, all I had to do was plug in a new CPU and some more RAM.

That literally seems impossible this time. and it seems that the market is so inundated with new technologies that it doesn't even get to properly support its old ones! Dropping $1k doesn't even ensure a constant min framerate of 60fps in the newest games at 1280x1024 with V-Sync on. Now I don't like to get inundated with numbers but when you drop a bunch of dough you don't want to compromise and I feel like I'm being squeezed into a compromise. Is it too much to ask for a couple years of smooth gameplay at your LCD monitor's default resolution and brisk OS at less than Alienware prices? I just want to be able to play a couple hours of UT2k4 at smooth framerates without waiting 2 minutes for the level to load and lots of thrashing to occur during gameplay. Why am I dropping the textures and world to min detail on a 256mb 'next-gen' card? And trust me, my system is tweaked to the max without spending money.

And why in God's 3 letter all knowing name are RAM prices still so friggin high? 3 years ago I picked up 256MB of RAM for less than $30. And that was when 256 was a lot and 512 was only for the elitest. Now, 3 years later I can't even pick up ddr400 512MB (today's equivalent of 256) of RAM for less than $60.. or more like $70+ unless I strike gold with a hot deal. I thought technology prices were supposed to go down, not up, what's going on here?

I know I'm sick and tired (and poor) of upgrading and I definitely realize I sound crazy!!!
But am I imagining things or should I just give up on upgrading and concentrate on consoles?

Sorry guys
/rant off

 

[Gamingphreek]

Nforce 4 will not have AGP. IIRC it will be pure PCI-E.

The Intel systems do not support regular DDR, however AMD will not have DDR2 #1 because they do not need it as they are not nearly as bandwidth starved as Intel, and #2 they would have to update the entire A64 architecture due to the onboard memory controller.

Intel audio is HD but it has yet to gain a reputation like SS did. It has been confirmed that SS2 will be incorporated into the Nforce 4 platform. However (AFAIK) SS is the ONLY audio solution capable of encoding in DD in real time. So if you are using an external receiver with Dolby Digital 5.1 support then SS is the absolute best. Not sure if SS2 will incorporate 7.1 or not.

Like i said above for the Nforce 4 you will be able to move it over, however for the Intel 775 chipsets you will not.

Yes it is worth sticking to DDR AMD isn't going to upgrade to DDR-II for a while... a long while.

A64 for anything nowadays. Intel is still stubbornly sticking to the Mhz myth. The new Sckt 939 A64 chips beats the Intels in EVERYTHING, include a decent amount of encoding/decoding apps.

I would definately wait 7 days for Nforce 4. Its going to be way better than anything else on the market. RIght now A64 and the Nforce chipsets are the best out there right now.

-Kevin

 

[parkbench]

Thanks Kevin, I'll wait until I hear from nVidia before I make any assumptions.

However your encouraging words still leave me with a $400 AGP doorstop. Actually I do have one measly chance. I bought an eVGA and they have a 90 day step-up program, and I have about 30 days left to step up to a 6800GT PCI-E. Of course, that'll leave me with NO videocard on my current systemuntil nForce4 comes out, and that's supposing I definitely want the nForce4. Honestly, I don't even know if the PCI-E 6800GT is even out yet!

At least I have one option I suppose, I guess I'll have to see how this plays out.

 

[TimTheEnchanter25]

The only thing wrong with your video card is that your PCU is too slow and bottlenecking it (read the anandtech Doom 3 review). If Nforce4 doesn't end up having an AGP version, get a 939 NF3 board for around $100 and a 3200+ CPU for around $255 and you will be happy for a couple years. 939 is going to be around for a long time, so you can easily upgrade your CPU later and add ram. There is no reason to think about PCI-E if you have an AGP 6800GT. Use it till you need something better, than make the switch.

The only place to "confirm" SS2 was the inq (and people that quoted them) they are also the only ones to say it would be there in the first place. A lot of other sites have confirmed that SS will not be back until the mobo manufacturers are convinced it is worth the extra money.

Nvidia is making a press release about Nforce4 on the 20th, you won't be able to buy it for another 2-4 weeks.

And no, the PCI-E version of the 6800GT isn't out yet. Hopefully Nvidia is smart enough to get it in stores by time the Nforce4 is out. So far, all I've seen is that it will be out in the "fall." Hopefully that means the first week of Nov.

 

[FullRoast]

parkbench - I'm sure that there are a lot of people in the same boat you're in. I have an AGP 6800GT and ended up getting an nForce 3 Ultra board so that I could keep using the video card for awhile. I should be good with that setup for awhile. I still get the advantage of the latest AMD CPU's, and skip some of the startup pain of PCI-E (and there will be some pain).

It is tough being on the leading edge all the time. Either you spend lots of money or lots of time trading/selling to keep moving up. It is particularly hard when there are big changes, like PCI and AGP to PCI-E, memory technology changes, etc. The price drops on SDRAM, so you load up your system, then the next motherboard has DDR memory and you can't use your DIMMS.

Some changes will cost you more than others (I've been really happy with my 6800GT but it is the most expensive card I've ever bought). Just figure out how much turnover you can stand and pace yourself - and have fun!