Upgrading

[jojo29]

Ok, its almost about time for me to finally join the multi-core world.

I just have a couple of questions as i already have:

2GB Memory
300GB Hard Drive
Antec Case
Antec 500W PSU


All i need now is to determine which mobo/cpu to get, im switching over to the Intel side as to not do doesnt make sense at this point.

So here goes my first question: Should i upgrade now or wait till the end of the year? Or when would be a great time to buy? When Phenom/Penryn release etc..??

And which Intel CPU/Mobo should i get within these ranges:

High End: CPU/Mobo

Mid-Range: CPU/Mobo

I would like a mobo with SLi, a mobo 'with all the goodies' so to speak

 

[dflynchimp]

Gigabyte P35-DS3 series (I'm using the L (lite) version, but people seem to like the R version better)
if you have the dough, splurge on a Q6600 G0(revision), but otherwise an e6XXX or E4XXX would OC well enough.

High end: Gigabyte P35-DS3P + Q6600
Mid-range: Gigabyte P35-DS3R + e4300 (you could save $50 going with a DS3L like I did, but you lose some tweaking options)

as for SLI, frankly it's not really warranted. I went from a Radeon 9600XT to a Geforce 7900GT, which more than doubled the performance of the 9600XT, then went from that to the current 8800GTS, which again doubles the performance of the 7900GT. Basically if you upgrade in two or three years there will be much better options than throwing another card into your system.

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: jojo29
Ok, its almost about time for me to finally join the multi-core world.

I just have a couple of questions as i already have:

2GB Memory
300GB Hard Drive
Antec Case
Antec 500W PSU


All i need now is to determine which mobo/cpu to get, im switching over to the Intel side as to not do doesnt make sense at this point.

So here goes my first question: Should i upgrade now or wait till the end of the year? Or when would be a great time to buy? When Phenom/Penryn release etc..??

And which Intel CPU/Mobo should i get within these ranges:

High End: CPU/Mobo

Mid-Range: CPU/Mobo

I would like a mobo with SLi, a mobo 'with all the goodies' so to speak

Overclock what you've got, then wait until Penryn retail release + price cuts. If you can't wait, then get a great mobo + 2160 or so, then replace it later for minimal loss.

 

[abast]

Do you have DDR2 memory now? Q6600 is a great buy right now. SLI mobo's NF68-A1 I believe is the favorite, but people around here seem to prefer the P35 chipset, doesn't give you SLI but it's more stable, and a better OC than 680i boards.

 

[GuitarDaddy]

If the 2gb of ram you have is the Corsair DDR1 thats in your sig, you will also need to upgrade that to DDR2 ram. All of the good Intel socket 775 board require DDR2, there are a couple of low end boards by Asrock that support 775 chips and DDR1 memory but I wouldn't recommend going that route.

The good news is that DDR2 is really cheap right now, you can get a good 2gb kit for well less than $100, and you should be able to sell your DDR1 for the same price or perhaps even more.

 

[jojo29]

Will this mobo

High end: Gigabyte P35-DS3P

Be able to use the new Penryn sockets? or will Penryn use a completely new socket?

 

[jojo29]

If the 2gb of ram you have is the Corsair DDR1 thats in your sig, you will also need to upgrade that to DDR2 ram

No those parts i listed are not from my sig's rig. Ive figured that HDDs and RAM are on a pretty 'constant' status, meaning we dont have to upgrade them very often, so i bought them now they are DDR2

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: jojo29
Will this mobo

High end: Gigabyte P35-DS3P

Be able to use the new Penryn sockets? or will Penryn use a completely new socket?

That should be Penryn-ready. There are benches out there of Penryn running on the P35 chipset. Who knows, even some P965 mobos may unofficially work with Penryn quads.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ar...set-family-launch.html

"The three most immediate advantages the Series 3 Chipset family brings to the table are its support for Intel's upcoming 1333MHz FSB, DDR3 support, and Turbo Memory. In the longer term, Series 3 also provides an upgrade path to Penryn?Intel's upcoming 45nm processor"

 

[nyker96]

I say in your case, get a P35 that has the features you want then go for a cheap dual core C2D like 4300/4400 or if you don't need even that a 85 buck E2160 or such from newegg. That should hold you over until a quad core upgrade. Also find a mb that's Penryn ready then you can get a penryn quad when it comes next year. But I don't think you can get one if you wait until end of this year just yet.

 

[jojo29]

Ok so the bottomline is with this mobo:

Gigabyte P35-DS3P

I should be Penryn ready?

Also is there is asus equivalent mobo

 

[wittangamo]

Don't forget the bargain OC board, Abit IP35-E. It will take all the CPUs on your high or low list (including Penryn) and costs less than $100.

I stepped up one model to the IP35 to get RAID and firewire, ($100 AR at ClubIT,) and I couldn't be happier. My rig is in my sig.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

$71 AR @ MWAVE. Received my rebate in six weeks.

 

[MyLeftNut]

I would recommend you wait for Penryn. Your current setup overclocked should be good enough to hold till then.

 

[jojo29]

Ok so the bottomline is with this mobo:

Gigabyte P35-DS3P

I should be Penryn ready?

Also is there is asus equivalent mobo


I'm a bit akin to Asus as they have been my mobo of choice, for really no reason as that was the first mobo i bought when i first built my computer, so i was wondering if there was a "top of the line" Asus board that can fit all Core 2 Duo Extreme/Core Duo/Penrynn Sockets??? or just like the Gigabyte P35-DS3P ??

 

[jojo29]

Ok i have another quick question that i dont want to post a new thread for:

with my current build, what resolution should i be running my games at?

I was reading the UT: CPU/GPU Test article and i was reading that 1024 resolution is "CPU Bound" or something like that? I m still new to figuring out all the numbers and what they mean when it comes to computers. So does that mean if im running my game at 1024, its not really stressing my GPU, and anything higher will then have the GPU help or what? I got a bit confused about that?

Anyways, again these are the games that i play the most, and i was wondering for best performance(framerate) and image quality ( bells and whistles) what resolution should i be running these games at, also just trying to get a feel of what tips/tricks i can use to get the best performance ( 60fps minimum IMO ) and image quality as i can.

World of Warcraft

Warhammer Dawn of War + Expansions ( playing multiplayer

Half-Life 2 + Episodes 1/2

Battlefield 2

 

[Denithor]

Asus certainly makes motherboards like you want. Newegg lists nine different models with the P35 chipset, all of which should support Penryn with at most a BIOS update. These range from $120 to $240 depending on what options you want.

Regarding what resolution you run your games, it depends on the maximum resolution of your monitor (physical limitation), on how powerful your video card is and whether or not your cpu is strong enough to push the video card. With even a mid-range dual core these days the cpu is not the limiting factor so it is mostly determined by your video card.

For example, I have a 20.1" Samsung LCD that has a max resolution of 1600x1200 so it really doesn't matter if my video card will run at 2560x1600 or something else ridiculous, I can't exceed the physical limitation of my monitor.

 

[myocardia]

JoJo, every motherboard ever made with a P35 chipset, no matter what company made it, will support Penryn, though a few will require a BIOS update. Okay, there might be a couple that cost $59 that don't, but you didn't want one that cheap anyway, did you?. And to answer your original question, with the nVidia chipset SLI motherboards, only the 680i motherboards will support Penryn (with a BIOS update), not the cheaper 650i. <Not 100% sure about that, but that's what I keep hearing.

Also, what everyone kept telling you is correct, that SLI or CrossFire is only for people with alot of money, who don't mind spending it. You're always better off getting a newer card, that's way faster than your old one, than trying to add one just like your old one.

Concerning the term cpu-bound, here's how that works. If, and only if you have a fast video card, then running a game at a low resolution, like 1024x768, your frames per second will be totally dependent on your cpu speed. Your problem is that your cpu and your video card are a pretty even match, so in most games, a faster cpu wouldn't do you much good. And since your motherboard has a crappy Via chipset, you wouldn't get very far at all, if you tried to overclock your cpu. You really just need a new system, if you're wanting to be able to game @ 60 FPS, with all the eye candy turned up.

 

[jojo29]

Originally posted by: myocardia
JoJo, every motherboard ever made with a P35 chipset, no matter what company made it, will support Penryn, though a few will require a BIOS update. Okay, there might be a couple that cost $59 that don't, but you didn't want one that cheap anyway, did you?. And to answer your original question, with the nVidia chipset SLI motherboards, only the 680i motherboards will support Penryn (with a BIOS update), not the cheaper 650i. <Not 100% sure about that, but that's what I keep hearing.

Also, what everyone kept telling you is correct, that SLI or CrossFire is only for people with alot of money, who don't mind spending it. You're always better off getting a newer card, that's way faster than your old one, than trying to add one just like your old one.

Concerning the term cpu-bound, here's how that works. If, and only if you have a fast video card, then running a game at a low resolution, like 1024x768, your frames per second will be totally dependent on your cpu speed. Your problem is that your cpu and your video card are a pretty even match, so in most games, a faster cpu wouldn't do you much good. And since your motherboard has a crappy Via chipset, you wouldn't get very far at all, if you tried to overclock your cpu. You really just need a new system, if you're wanting to be able to game @ 60 FPS, with all the eye candy turned up.

Ok cool, this is exactly the information i was looking for, in terms of the cpu/gpu fps thing.

THanks a bunch, and i will probably be upgrading around March/April of next year, as that will allow Penrynn to be released and lets me see what happens thank you all for the information