Time for an Upgrade !

Tysonator · 25-08-2007, 20:47

Hi, it’s that time again when I start thinking about upgrading my RIG to something better.
At present I have,
CPU AMD XP3000+
Fan Coolermaster Aero 7+
MoBo ASUS A7N8X Vr 2.0 ( Socket A )
RAM 2Gb Corsair XMS PC3200
HD 160 GB WD Caviar Special Edition 8Mb Cache
SATA 1
PSU Tagen 580watt 18db SLI
VGA Gainwood 6800GT

I will be selling all the above apart from the PSU.

The proposed set is
CPU` AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 6000+ 3.00GHz
Fan ! ? not sure yet
MoBo Asus CROSSHAIR nForce 590 SLi (Socket AM2) PCI-Express DDR2
RAM Corsair 4GB DDR2 XMS2 PC2-6400C5 TwinX
HD now, I am not sure what to do on this
Do I have a WD raptor 74Gb for C drive or 150Gb Raptor for Program drives, or raptors for both drives !
Or WD Caviar RE 500GB 5000ABYS SATA-II 16MB Cache for programs, and 160Gb Caviar SATA II 16Mb cache for C drive.

VGA some 7950 for now
Case All the above set in a P182, does
any one know if I can get a Side window this ?

What are your thoughts and recommendations please.

Feek · 25-08-2007, 21:02

Any reason for staying AMD when Intel give much more bang for the buck performance these days?

Richard Slater · 25-08-2007, 21:22

Just to echo what Feek said, I am in a similar situation to you at the moment as I have always been a AMD/ATI man, now however I am switching to a Intel/nVidia combination because the Core 2's are better value for money and the ATI vs. nVidia Graphics card argument seems to have come down to preference now.

Tysonator · 25-08-2007, 21:26

Yeah,.. I hear what you 2 are saying about Intel !
I want to switch, but sime thing is saying no !

Feek · 25-08-2007, 21:32

It's saying no because it thinks you should support AMD because Intel are an evil multinational conglomerate blah blah blah.

But you're better off not having a brand loyalty in this situation. In some cases I'd argue it but not here, why pay more for worse performance? It doesn't make sense.

What OS are you looking at? If you use a 32 bit version then you'll be wasting some of that RAM as it can't access the full 4Gb.

Mark · 25-08-2007, 21:53

The prices of the X2 range is a lot lower than I remember them not so long back, so the X2 6000+ isn't such as bad deal as it used to be. Still slower than a Core2, especially if you give it a boot up the backside.

The WD Caviar RE drives are optimised for RAID arrays where heat tends to be a problem, so they might be slightly slower than other typical drives. I'd suggest choosing something else unless you have RAID or tight spaces in mind. I don't hold much faith in Raptors though - that little extra performance comes at a price (noise/heat).

Do you really need 4GB? Most users don't. 2GB is getting to be the standard for Vista + gaming. I'm not saying don't here, I'm just saying think what you'll use it for first.

Tysonator · 25-08-2007, 23:37

Operating system is going to be Xp pro for the mean time. Till Vista SP1 issues are sorted and the prices come down a bit.
Raptors are expensive so I think the WD SATA II should be OK. was not thinking about RAIDing them as of yet, mayby in the furture.
the X2 AM2's are some what cheaper now, so not a bad buy. Core 2 Intel are running away at the moment and I have been tempted to jump ship, though holding off doing that at the moment.

Mark · 26-08-2007, 00:10

I'd not bother with the 4GB RAM unless you plan to upgrade to Vista soon (preferably Vista 64-bit). XP Pro just won't be able to make good use of it. I'm not entirely sure what 'problems' you're waiting for SP1 for, either.

As for disks, I'm not saying get Raptors, I'm saying the RE drives aren't the quickest (non-Raptor), though they're quick enough for most things.

PS - as for the side window, there was a limited edition P182 that did have one, but that's been and gone.

Toby · 26-08-2007, 00:48

Have to agree with others - going AMD right now when you're changing the motherboard and processor is madness - Intel all the way. I junked my old AMD system a month ago for an Intel one and haven't looked back.

LeperousDust · 26-08-2007, 11:06

I agree with everything said here, unless you have money to throw away staying loyal is useless...

25-08-2007, 20:47	#1
Tysonator Vodka Martini Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: ESSEX Posts: 874	Time for an Upgrade ! Hi, it’s that time again when I start thinking about upgrading my RIG to something better. At present I have, CPU AMD XP3000+ Fan Coolermaster Aero 7+ MoBo ASUS A7N8X Vr 2.0 ( Socket A ) RAM 2Gb Corsair XMS PC3200 HD 160 GB WD Caviar Special Edition 8Mb Cache SATA 1 PSU Tagen 580watt 18db SLI VGA Gainwood 6800GT I will be selling all the above apart from the PSU. The proposed set is CPU` AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 6000+ 3.00GHz Fan ! ? not sure yet MoBo Asus CROSSHAIR nForce 590 SLi (Socket AM2) PCI-Express DDR2 RAM Corsair 4GB DDR2 XMS2 PC2-6400C5 TwinX HD now, I am not sure what to do on this Do I have a WD raptor 74Gb for C drive or 150Gb Raptor for Program drives, or raptors for both drives ! Or WD Caviar RE 500GB 5000ABYS SATA-II 16MB Cache for programs, and 160Gb Caviar SATA II 16Mb cache for C drive. VGA some 7950 for now Case All the above set in a P182, does any one know if I can get a Side window this ? What are your thoughts and recommendations please. __________________ Will think of some witty to say, well when I think of it

25-08-2007, 21:02	#2
Feek ex SAS Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: JO01ou Posts: 10,062	Any reason for staying AMD when Intel give much more bang for the buck performance these days? __________________

25-08-2007, 21:26	#4
Tysonator Vodka Martini Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: ESSEX Posts: 874	Yeah,.. I hear what you 2 are saying about Intel ! I want to switch, but sime thing is saying no ! __________________ Will think of some witty to say, well when I think of it

25-08-2007, 21:32	#5
Feek ex SAS Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: JO01ou Posts: 10,062	It's saying no because it thinks you should support AMD because Intel are an evil multinational conglomerate blah blah blah. But you're better off not having a brand loyalty in this situation. In some cases I'd argue it but not here, why pay more for worse performance? It doesn't make sense. What OS are you looking at? If you use a 32 bit version then you'll be wasting some of that RAM as it can't access the full 4Gb. __________________

25-08-2007, 23:37	#7
Tysonator Vodka Martini Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: ESSEX Posts: 874	Operating system is going to be Xp pro for the mean time. Till Vista SP1 issues are sorted and the prices come down a bit. Raptors are expensive so I think the WD SATA II should be OK. was not thinking about RAIDing them as of yet, mayby in the furture. the X2 AM2's are some what cheaper now, so not a bad buy. Core 2 Intel are running away at the moment and I have been tempted to jump ship, though holding off doing that at the moment. __________________ Will think of some witty to say, well when I think of it

25-08-2007, 21:22	#3
Richard Slater Long Island Iced Tea Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Brighton, UK Posts: 285	Just to echo what Feek said, I am in a similar situation to you at the moment as I have always been a AMD/ATI man, now however I am switching to a Intel/nVidia combination because the Core 2's are better value for money and the ATI vs. nVidia Graphics card argument seems to have come down to preference now.

25-08-2007, 21:53	#6
Mark Screaming Orgasm Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newbury Posts: 15,194	The prices of the X2 range is a lot lower than I remember them not so long back, so the X2 6000+ isn't such as bad deal as it used to be. Still slower than a Core2, especially if you give it a boot up the backside. The WD Caviar RE drives are optimised for RAID arrays where heat tends to be a problem, so they might be slightly slower than other typical drives. I'd suggest choosing something else unless you have RAID or tight spaces in mind. I don't hold much faith in Raptors though - that little extra performance comes at a price (noise/heat). Do you really need 4GB? Most users don't. 2GB is getting to be the standard for Vista + gaming. I'm not saying don't here, I'm just saying think what you'll use it for first.

26-08-2007, 00:10	#8
Mark Screaming Orgasm Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newbury Posts: 15,194	I'd not bother with the 4GB RAM unless you plan to upgrade to Vista soon (preferably Vista 64-bit). XP Pro just won't be able to make good use of it. I'm not entirely sure what 'problems' you're waiting for SP1 for, either. As for disks, I'm not saying get Raptors, I'm saying the RE drives aren't the quickest (non-Raptor), though they're quick enough for most things. PS - as for the side window, there was a limited edition P182 that did have one, but that's been and gone.

26-08-2007, 00:48	#9
Toby Absinthe Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 1,023	Have to agree with others - going AMD right now when you're changing the motherboard and processor is madness - Intel all the way. I junked my old AMD system a month ago for an Intel one and haven't looked back. __________________

26-08-2007, 11:06	#10
LeperousDust Bananaman Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Liverpool/Edinburgh Posts: 4,817	I agree with everything said here, unless you have money to throw away staying loyal is useless... __________________