Mobo Suggestions

[Volk359]

Greetings all,

I'm looking at replacing my existing mobo & graphics card and replacing them with something that's got a little more horsepower. I do a bit of video editing and gaming and am thinking of going with a GIGABYTE GA-P35C-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard with an AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Windsor 3.0GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM2 Processor.

Questions I have are:

[ul]
[li]Is this a good board/combination for gaming?[/li]
[li]Should I go with the DDR2 or DDR3 RAM? (not sure what the diff is)[/li]
[li]Can someone recommend a good vid card in the $200 to $250 range?[/li]
[/ul]

Thanks in advance.

 

[HalComps]

for a graphics you could go for something like this, its in uk pounds but if you google the card in your $ i dont no if it be simular price but something like this would be excellent for gaming

http://www.dabs.com/productview.asp...11137&PageMode=1&NavigationKey=11137,43990000

 

[Volk359]

Looks like a pretty good card, $300 at newegg.com. Thanks for the tip!

 

[electronicsfreak]

Im using evga geforce pci 16x 7950. Not dx10 but its a great card. 512MB of ram, paid 240 for it though its around 200 now. Newegg just quit selling it as I cant find it on there anymore.

There is a point in wisdom and knowledge that when you reach it, you exceed what is considered possible - Jason Schoon

 

[HalComps]

what games do you play?

 

[electronicsfreak]

fear, half life 2 deathmatch, quake 3, quake 4, thief deadly shadows, unreal tournament 2004, etc...

I have lan parties once a month, so I play many games lol. I can max everything out on fear except the really large maps like asylum, then I have to kick one or 2 things down a notch and then it runs flawlessly.

There is a point in wisdom and knowledge that when you reach it, you exceed what is considered possible - Jason Schoon

 

[HalComps]

maybe going here as a few gamers you might meet that you no.. its a community of clans put together.

http://wxclan.co.uk/forum/index.php?sid=9646f52a48194db1236bd2e55a7b3fe4

 

[Aussie2]

Volk359 Am I reading your post right your considering purchasing a intel 775 mobo and a amd x2 processor not 100% sure these two parts are going to be compatible

 

[paparazi]

As Aussie2 pointed out, you have a miss-match of motherboard (for Intel socket 775 processors) and the CPU (AMD AM2 socket 940) that will not fit in your chosen motherboard.
If you want to go with the AMD processor then look at either of these two Gigabyte motherboards for the AM2 CPU:

GA-M57SLI-S4 (uses the Nvidia 570 chipset, good midrange choice with SLI but not two 16X PCIe slots)

GA-M59SLI-S4 (top of the Nvidia line up with every concievable extra) but at a price

Martin

We like members to GIVE and not just TAKE.
Participate and help others.

 

[Volk359]

Hmm.. I always thought Intel and AMD were interchangable, but I stand corrected thanks for the heads up.

The GA-M57SLI-S4 looks like a pretty good board and fits way into my budget. I wasn't able to find the GA-M59SLI-S4 anywhere, will keep looking though.

Several sites matched up the GA-M57SLI-S4 with an AMD Athlon 64 FX-62 Windsor 2.8GHz ($249 at newegg.com) but would I get that much more performance with a AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Windsor 3.0GHz ($169 same place)? BTW, why is the 3.0 cheaper then the 2.8? The 3.0 was retail with cooling but they also listed an OEM with no cooling for $229. Is there a difference I'm missing?

 

[paparazi]

Intel only make chipsets for motherboards that use Intel CPU's
Nvidia/SIS/VIA make chipsets for motherboards that are fitted with both Intel and AMD processors.

Looks like the X2 6000+ Windsor is the better buy but I'm guessing the FX-62 has more cache.
You will need to look at AMD's spec sheets or those listed by the retailer but with those prices the X2 6000+ looks the better buy.
The Gigabyte GA-M57SLI-S4 is a very good board, the 590i just has the extra 16X PCIe, gigabit ethernet slots and two extra SATA's which for most users is paying for additions they will never use, so for most the 570i board is a better value choice.
Martin



We like members to GIVE and not just TAKE.
Participate and help others.

 

[Volk359]

Thanks for the info and comments, all. I think I have enough to make up my mind.

 

[CiscoRC]

Great information guys!!! I always enjoyed building home made computers. The best!!

***************
R. Corrigan Jr.
Network+, (working on CCENT+CCNA)

 

[kmcferrin]

I wouldn't bother with the FX-62. They were the old "top of the line" AMD chips, but they're functionally the same thing as the current 5600+ CPU. Both are 2.8 GHz dual core CPUs with 2x1MB L2 cache. You can buy a 5600+ CPU for about $149 on Newegg these days, I did just last week. The only reason for the price discrepancy these days is the marketing.

The 6000+ CPU might be a tad faster, depending on the application. I would recommend avoiding it though. While it is true that it runs at 3 GHz (versus 2.8 GHz on the 5600+), due to the way the memory controller is integrated into the CPU it also runs it's memory at an effective 750 MHz (verus 800 MHz on the 5600+). So in operations that are not as memory intensive you will see the 6000+ score higher, but it more memory intensive applications the 5600+ will be as fast or faster. Not only that, but the 5600+ is an 89w CPU, while the 3000+ is a 125w CPU. So it's only marginally faster at best, but consumes a lot more energy and generates a lot more heat.

Have a look at the charts here to see how the 5600+, 6000+, and FX-62 compare:

http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.html?modelx=33&model1=696&model2=694&chart=166

After seeing that, I went with the 5600+. You can save the money and the power and put it towards a better graphics card.

Of course, you could always go the Intel route too, and there are price cuts on Core 2 CPUs slated to go into effect on Sunday the 22nd (3 days away). You should be able to pick up an E6850 for around $180-$190 then, and it will mop the floor with the currently available AMD systems.

 

[Aussie2]

(that's got a little more horsepower.}

Intel appear to be winning the horsepower race at the moment with a leg in the air so a intel system
that supports quad core for future upgrades seems to be the choice of hard core enthusiasts.

But if it is just a little more horse the 5600+ works
well for me great for gaming very low temps using the
stock heat sink and fan teamed with a 8800gts runs
current games without any problems the only advantage
I can see in purchasing the FX-62 it has an unlocked multiplyer
which would allow you to tweak the cpu

 

[kmcferrin]

Ah, I wasn't aware that the FX-62 had an unlocked multiplier. But then I don't overclock, so it's not that important to me.

Intel definitely makes faster CPUs for now, but even with price cuts they're still more expensive. When I built last week I was looking at two options that cost roughly the same (I was working with a limited budget):

Option 1:
Abit IP35-E mainboard $120
Core 2 E4300 CPU $135
Total $255

Option 2:
Gigabyte GA-MA69G-S3H mainboard $90
AMD X2 5600+ $150
Total $240

Looking at that, and knowing that I don't overclock, the choice was easy. Sure, I could have probably found a less expensive mainboard for the Intel side, but I wanted to make sure that I would be able to use future CPUs, which with Intel means 1333 MHz FSB and P35 chipset or better. On the AMD side I can still (in theory, since they haven't shipped them yet) plug in an AM2+ CPU if I want to.

 

[kjv1611]

Do bear this in mind as well: Intel is due to release their newest processors this coming week, and with that release, they are going to cut the prices of existing processors by quite a nice margin. For instance, a currently top of the line Quad-Core processor - I think it was the Q6600 Quad - but I am just trying to remember off-hand - is supposed to be running somewhere around $250 or $260 after the launch.

So, regardless of what you do, I'd personally suggest waiting until after next week if at all possible. I'd imagine you'll get a better deal, whether going with AMD or Intel, as AMD is likely to match at least to some extent the Intel price cuts.

The date for the new release is the 24th, if I'm not mistaken - but again, just going off memory.

--

"If to err is human, then I must be some kind of human!" -Me

 

[kmcferrin]

The date for the new release is the 24th, if I'm not mistaken - but again, just going off memory.

As I pointed out earlier, the date for the Intel price cuts is the 22nd. And AMD won't be cutting prices again to compete with Intel's price cuts because they just cut prices on the 9th in a "pre-emptive strike".

 

[kjv1611]

I see. I still wouldn't necessarily count AMD out of price-cutting. They've made earlier and bigger cuts in the past than apparently everyone expected - not always, but occasionally.

So, the 22nd. That's even better - 2 days sooner. I'm drooling already, as it may mean that I get a Core 2 Duo for free. A relative/friend of mine is planning on getting a quad core, and just giving me their old Core 2 Duo. And they seem pretty set on it, so who am I to say otherwise! So, if that's the case, I'll pick up a new mobo, pci-x vid card, new memory, and drop my old Athlon XP system elsewhere - we'll see how/where I do that when the time comes.

That will be quite some change - Athlon XP to an Intel Core 2 Duo. I can't wait to see the change in performance in regards to Audio editing, since I do a lot of it. The gaming performance would improve, also, but I'm not really as concerend about that - as I really don't have the time.

But I digress - just a wee little bit!

I was just saying - if it were me, and if it were possible, I'd wait until next week for buying any new mobo/cpu stuff. Even if AMD doesn't do a further price cut, Intel will - and I could easily see some of the shops doing special deals - sort of riding a marketing wave to get customers in. We'll just have to wait and see.

--

"If to err is human, then I must be some kind of human!" -Me

 

[Volk359]

Hey Guys,

Been out of the loop here a bit but I'm taking your advice and going with the Gigabyte GA-MA69G-S3H MOBO and the AMD 5600+.

From here I'm a bit confused as for matching up a good vid card. I don't mind shelling out a couple hundred bucks but don't want to get stuck with a mediocre card. Performance and price, if possible. Any recommendations?

Also, how would I know the mobo will fit in my current tower case? They're not universal are they?

Thanks