My computer getting long in the toof...

panzerkwpanzerkw New York City
edited September 2008 in Hardware
For a couple of years now I've had an Opteron 165 with 2G of RAM on an Abit AN8 Ultra, with a 7950GT graphics card.

It runs everything quite nicely (even Oblivion on high settings), that is until I bought Flight Simulator X. As usual with a new version of Flight Simulator, now I need a system with more beef.

What would you suggest for upgrade components for a new mobo, and CPU. I know I'll have to buy new memory as well, and will get a 4GB kit. The 7950 I think is still adaquate. I know my case and PSU are up to snuff for new stuff.

My budget is around $500. What do you all suggest?

Comments

  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited March 2008
    Will you run stock settings? Overclocking? What CPU cooler do you have now? What onboard features do you want with the motherboard, such as Gigabit LAN, Firewire, e-SATA, RAID, number of SATA ports, onboard sound? Do you want SLI, or would you prefer more PCI slots? Be prepared - few boards no come with more than one IDE port. Will you need a PCI-IDE adaptor (they work quite well, BTW.)

    Assuming your PSU and video card are adequate, we can easily set you up for rock-n-roll with $500. :D
  • panzerkwpanzerkw New York City
    edited March 2008
    Leonardo wrote:
    Will you run stock settings? Overclocking? What CPU cooler do you have now? What onboard features do you want with the motherboard, such as Gigabit LAN, Firewire, e-SATA, RAID, number of SATA ports, onboard sound? Do you want SLI, or would you prefer more PCI slots? Be prepared - few boards no come with more than one IDE port. Will you need a PCI-IDE adaptor (they work quite well, BTW.)

    I only overclock mildly.

    I think I would need a new heatsink since mine is for socket 939 CPU's. I have a thermalright one now which works very well.

    Features:

    I need an ethernet port, and at least 2 SATA ports. Don't need onboard sound. Don't need RAID ($$$). Don't need SLI (again, $$$). Don't need Floppy. Just need one IDE for my DVD drive. One PCI express slot for my video card and a PCI slot for my sound card. Need at least 2 USB ports on the backplate and a port for plugging in my case's 2 USB ports.
  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited March 2008
    For a motherboard I would recommend either the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L or the Abit IP35-E, both of which meet your criteria. I have the P35-DS3L and it's a very good board for the price and I believe that Leo is running a few of the Abit IP35 boards. Neither has raid or multiple PCI-e X16 slots, but you don't need those features anyways and they both cost around $90 at Newegg. For a processor, I would recommend the E6750 for $190. It has an 8 multiplier so it gives you some extra headroom on the fsb for overclocking and is dead easy to overclock past 3 GHz. I have one that runs at 3600 MHz with no problems, all while running DC projects. The E8400 Wolfdales (45 nm C2D) would be a good choise too as that is the latest and greatest offering from Intel, but they are very hard to find right now and carry quite a price premium over the Conroe procs. For ram, I would recommend going with a 2 X 2GB kit for your 4 gigs of ram. But I have no personal experience with those kits so I can't recommend any kit from hands-on use. But look for ram from Manufacturers such as Crucial, OCZ, G. Skill and Corsair and you should find something to do you well. Since you aren't going to be pushing the extremes in overclocking, some DDR2-800 ram should do fine for you and you can find quite a few kits from the manufacturers I mentioned for $100 or less. For cooling the proc, I would recommend the Thermalright Ultra 120 or Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme, with a fan of around 50-100 cfm airflow.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited March 2008
    If only mild overclocking, the Intel stock Heatsink should do just fine. You can always upgrade the heatsink later if want to. Alright here are my picks for you:

    CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 (2.66GHz, 1333MHz FSB) - $189.99, or
    ........Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 OEM (2.4GHz, 8MB cache) - $240 (add $15 for retail with HSF)

    Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L - $89.99

    Memory: A-Data PC2 6400/DDR2 800 4GB (2X2GB)- $82.99 (I run this in my No. 1 in signature. It's good quality and will overclock. I don't think you can do better for the money.)

    There you go - two high performance multi-core systems for under your stated budget.

    Notes: 1) maybe consider an OEM processor - save money and put the savings into a quality, high performance heatsink; 2) the P35 Intel chipset is not the latest and greatest, but it's still an excellent performer; 3) the board I selected is compatible with Intel's new (but not all released yet) 45nm dual and quad core CPUs -- may require BIOS update; 4) both of the selected CPUs have plenty of overclocking headroom; 5) if your budget increases, consider an X38 chipset board or a Gigabyte P35 board with the heatpipe cooling system - it really works well.

    I know you said it's good, but please humor me and tell me the brand and model PSU that will power your new system.

    Is your current video card PCI-e?
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited March 2008
    Whoa Mudd, you and I think alike! We posted nearly simultaneously. For someone not out to start overclocking as soon as the case side goes on after the build (I do that!), I would recommend the Gigabyte *P35 boards. The IP35-E is an excellent, stable board, but it has some tricky settings that must be dealt with before it's stable - at least at high overclocking. Go Gigabyte.

    DRAM: I recommended the A-Data because I use it and know it to be high quality, at a much lower cost than some of the competition. For lower cost DRAM, G.Skill and Geil have been very good to me, but I have not tried those brands in 4GB configurations.

    *X38 if the budget is a bit larger
  • panzerkwpanzerkw New York City
    edited March 2008
    My PSU is a 650 watt BFG unit, and my current vid card is a PCIe.

    Is the Quad core worth the extra 50 bucks? I use my computer mainly for gaming, so I don't want the quad core if the gaming performance will be inferior to the Dual core.

    EDIT: Considering some overclocking in the above query
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited March 2008
    If not a heavy duty Folding@Home participant and not into intense multi-tasking, the Core Duo would be the smart choice for you. Although I'm a quad core fool, I must admit that four cores, except for a few uses, is not much superior to dual core.

    BTW - I updated my notes in my recommendation thread.
  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited March 2008
    If you are into gaming mostly, the quad core isn't the way to go as most games have a hard enough time using just 2 cores and the thermal budget on a dual core is much lower than a quad. The E6750 that both Leo and I recommend is a really sweet choice.
  • panzerkwpanzerkw New York City
    edited March 2008
    Sounds like a winner, thanks!
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited March 2008
    EDIT: Considering some overclocking in the above query
    Start thinking about an aftermarket heatsink. The stock cooler will allow overclocking up to a point, but it's a little buzzy.

    We'll be glad to talk Socket 775 heatsinks with you!
  • panzerkwpanzerkw New York City
    edited March 2008
    I just checked and my heatsink is actually a Thermaltake Big Typhoon with the included 120mm fan.

    Will that work with the CPU I'm gonna get? It looks like it will (LGA775 is one of the applications) but I'd have to get the mounting plate for that socket
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited March 2008
    If your Typhoon has Socket 775 mounting hardware, then it will work very well with the CPUs we specified! It will not be capable of high overclocking, but certainly moderate overclocking, assuming your case ventilates well. One beauty of the Typhoon (I've used them on several platforms) is that it will accommodate any 120mm fan, 25 or 38mm, high output or low output. Very easy to mount and remove.

    Ohh, you just mentioned needing the mounting plate. Hmm, don't know if you can order mounting kits separately for the Typhoon or not.
  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited March 2008
    Yeah, I don't know about the mounting plates either. But you might be able to use the Thermalright backplate instead. You won't be able to use the spring loaded screws of that kit, but you should be able to use the backplate itself with the screws that came with your BT or if they are the wrong size or thread you can buy some replacement screws that fit the backplate.
  • panzerkwpanzerkw New York City
    edited March 2008
    When I get all the stuff together I'll see if the existing mounting plate works. Its looks like the BT comes with one plate that fits both. I will confirm next week when it all comes in.

    EDIT: LOL at car aftermarket ads being served by Google on this page
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited March 2008
    Now after looking at pictures and thinking back on the Typhoon installations I've performed, I'm pretty sure you can use it for your new system. The back plate and matching top retention plate are universal, as far as I can remember.
  • panzerkwpanzerkw New York City
    edited March 2008
    I've installed everything. Big Typhoone bolted up just fine. However I'm having other problems. Posted in Emergency Help section...
  • panzerkwpanzerkw New York City
    edited March 2008
    My computer's up and running again. Anyone got a nice link to overclocking the E6750 with Gigabyte P35 mobo?
  • panzerkwpanzerkw New York City
    edited March 2008
    Alright guys I've gotten everything installed, and I set the host clock to 400MHz.

    So my E6750 is currently running at 3.2GHz @ 1.425v stably.

    Got a question on the ADATA RAM though. It's rated at 5-5-5-18 at 400MHz, and any attempt to make the timings more aggressive (I tried 4-4-4-12) prevents windows from finishing startup. I tried raising the VDIMM voltage to +.3V but that didn't help.

    Does that timing difference make a big deal in the grand scheme of things, or no? Either way I'm really happy with the increased performance. Flight Simulator X runs very smoothly and even COD4 is great at max setttings. Now I just need a newer video card to complement it.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited March 2008
    Does that timing difference make a big deal in the grand scheme of things, or no?
    Does it make a performance difference? Yes. Will you notice the difference in real world usage. No.
  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited March 2008
    Leonardo wrote:
    Does it make a performance difference? Yes. Will you notice the difference in real world usage. No.

    Quoted for truth. You really won't notice any difference.

    You might try backing down the vcore too, since you know you are stable at 3.2. My E6750 was able to run 3.2 with stock vcore. Of course your mileage may vary.
  • panzerkwpanzerkw New York City
    edited March 2008
    That's fine then. I'll run orthos overnight at stock vcore and see how it goes.

    Though I am not looking to replace it for awhile yet, what vid card would you suggest to replace my 7950GT
  • redchiefredchief Santa Barbara Member
    edited March 2008
    wow, good thread, My only game addiction is Flight simulator and I also have FS X and Xplane, Plus yoke & pedals. and this big projector in the living room and surround sound , but it's just a game right?? I'm heading towards the 6600. there may be some way of assigning processes to cores on a quad or dual core. we may have to ask around to see how to set that up. Glad to hear FS X runs smoothly, I already have an antec 850 PSU and thermalright sl 120 for cooling with the adapter plate. so glad to hear I'm on the right track.
  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited March 2008
    If you aren't going to replace the vid card for a while, then it really doesn't matter what is out today, because by the time you do get ready for a new vid card, the offerings might have totally changed. But both AMD(ATI) and Nvidia make some great mid-high end vid cards right now that can be had in the $200-350 range.
  • QeldromaQeldroma Arid ZoneAh Member
    edited March 2008
    I've been looking at new video cards too and if I got it right: If you're not running a demanding DX10 app, you will not see a significant performance increase with what's out in the market today. In fact, the 7950 will still hold its own against many of the newer generation boards. I've got a far lesser X1900 that I still have no compelling reason to upgrade and outside of the fact I'm replacing an AGP system, I wouldn't be looking.

    BTW- nice upgrade.

    I'd sit on that one until I had to.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited March 2008
    The 9600 GT is now $139 after MIR.
  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited March 2008
    Yep, the 9600GT is a hell of a good value for what you get.
  • panzerkwpanzerkw New York City
    edited September 2008
    Hey guys, sorry to resurrect an old thread but I wanted some input on the CPU

    Mobo: Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L
    E6750 @3400

    Since March this has been running very well, but I find myself wanting mo' powah still for FSX. FSX primarily cares about CPU clock speed, I bought a HD4870 and it didn't make much difference in frame rate.

    What would be a good choice for CPU + RAM that can handle a more substantial overclock? I'd like to keep the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L if possible. My current heatsink is the thermaltake typhoon 120mm
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