PC upgrade using A7N8X-X
Hi just joined this forum tonight in the hope that someone out there can give some straightforward advice on improving my PC performance. The main function of my machine is now dedicated to transferring old VHS tapes to digital AVI or MPEG conversion using Pinnacle Software. I am finding that transfer speed could do with being faster and I find that on playback there is sometimes interruption as though it's trying to buffer the replay.
The current spec is as follows:
A7N8X-X Motherboard, AMD Athlo0n 2600+ processor and Nvidia GeForce FX5200 Graphics Card, 320Gig hard Disc and 2Gig of Corsair Memory.
I have approached my original seller who isn't very forthcoming with progressive paths of upgrade, probably because technology has moved on so much in the last 2 years they can't supply new processors and cards to suit this motherboard. They advise I completely change the base unit. I can't afford this for a while. So with so much used stuff available on the market, e bay and the like I'm asking you guys what sort of processors are suited to this board and should I upgrade the graphics card and to what sort. I only wish to spend about a £100 to get noticeable improvement.
Pogel
The current spec is as follows:
A7N8X-X Motherboard, AMD Athlo0n 2600+ processor and Nvidia GeForce FX5200 Graphics Card, 320Gig hard Disc and 2Gig of Corsair Memory.
I have approached my original seller who isn't very forthcoming with progressive paths of upgrade, probably because technology has moved on so much in the last 2 years they can't supply new processors and cards to suit this motherboard. They advise I completely change the base unit. I can't afford this for a while. So with so much used stuff available on the market, e bay and the like I'm asking you guys what sort of processors are suited to this board and should I upgrade the graphics card and to what sort. I only wish to spend about a £100 to get noticeable improvement.
Pogel
0
Comments
Well, let's think. You have a NForce 2 mobo, but this one only has single channel memmory.
Have you updated the NForce drivers?
In theory you could go to faster CPU, but then you might need faster memory, and if you are doing that then replace the whole thing.
Maybe someone else has thoughts on this.
The input is via a special cable into Pinnacles capture card in the PC, with Phono and S-Video plugs for the source end. The problem is not so long it takes to record, but I want to get maximum performance during playback through the monitor. Well I want maximum performance out of the Mobo full stop. Does single channel mean I'm restricted to certain types of processor. If so, please say what types and speed of processor can I search for that is computable with this board. is it worth upgrading the graphics card? Again what types are compatible with this MoBO.
Pogel
You could go to higher speed CPU. The Barton chips with 200 FSB will run in this mobo. You can still get XP3200s, but they are $150. Not much of a deal in my book.
I would suggest saving you money and waiting a bit. The Intel Core2Duo 4xxx chips will be out soon. You should be able to build a machine for less.
mobo <$150 (P965 chipset)
CPU <$150 (E4300)
2GB memory $200 (DDR2 800)
and by then some lower end DX10 video cards should be out in the $150-200 price range.