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[|DRC| Iceman]

Ok for all you computer literate people out there, I need some help. I want to upgrade my mobo, and probally processor as well, but I'm not sure what to get. I've tried to do some reading on different ones but I really don't know shit about hardware, and by the time I learn my system will probally be fried because of overheating so I'm asking for advise.

Right now I have a PIV 2.4 GHz processor. I'm not sure what I have for a mobo though Wartex knows what I have though since it was his before.

I don't think I want to get Intel again. I'm thinking of switching back to AMD. I previously had a AMD Athalon 1800+ and never had a problem with it. This one is still overheating and I've got the sides off my box and a fan blowing on it

I'm starting to think that Intel is one those companies that push their shit in adds, but the quailty lacks for the money you pay.

Anyways, I'm thinking up upgrading to AMD 64 bit technology but don't know which mobo to get.

Can anyone give me some advice?

Thx!

[Sponsored Ad]

[Jaguar]

All AMD 64 procs are either Socket 754 (older procs.. 3000+ 3200+) Socket 939 (everything higher) and Socket 940 (The Opteron.. server procs). So, first thing's first. Go to NewEgg.com and look at mobos. You want mobos that are for Socket 939. Next question: How new do you want your comp? Brand SPANKIN new? Or just pretty good in order to run today's games? If you're looking to get the newest amd64 procs, the dual core ones, then you have to consider that most of the mobos out there will need a bios update. Do you want SLI (2 nvidia cards) or no SLI? Whether or not you want SLI basically determines whether or not you want PCI xPress slots or not. Technically we aren't even close to using up AGP 8x bandwidth quite yet (with only 1 vid card). After you choose that, do you want onboard sound? If so, 8 channel? 5.1? what? Lan capabilities: most newer boards today have Gigabit lan available, some of them have dual lan.. totally personal preference again. After that look at the other onboard capabilities of your board (USB, Firewire, how many expansions slots, how much memory can it support.. and what standard/speed). One thing about amd mobos is that (so far) they can only support up to DDR 400 ram, nothing higher like the Intel boards. I don't know why that is, but I'm guessing it's because of the integrated memory controllers inside the actual procs. I'm assuming your case can support normal ATX mid-tower mobos (that have a max size of 12.0" by 9.6" inches). You also want to check its RAID capabilities, if any, depending on what you want to have your hd configuration as. Most good AMD mobos come with raid controllers for 0/1/0+1 raid. You'll need to get another controller to have raid 5 if you're interested. Also, check how many SATA and PATA slots it has.

That's pretty much most of it, selecting a mobo is basically the most important part of your computer besides your cpu. My favorite mobo for AMD is this Asus A8N-Sli Premium board. It's socket 939 with SLI (2 pci-x16 slots) capability. It has the latest bios revision, able to run AMD dual-cores without a bios update. It has great onboard capabilities with a max of 10 USB devices (onboard and rear panel) as well as 3 Firewire (onboard and rear panel) devices. I think the best part of this board compared to it's older version (the A8N-SLI Deluxe) is the heatsink+heatpipe to cool down the Northbridge, instead of the noisy fan.

Linkage: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813131540

I didn't really know very much about hardware either, but if you spend some time on online stores like NewEgg and see the different options available to you, google the options you have no clue about.. become more educated about it.. the more knowledgable you'll become.

I hope that helps, and isn't too confusing
_________________
graphical sigs are bad, mmkaythxkbye - the management

[|DRC| Iceman]

Thanks for the feedback Jag. It sounds to me like I'm going to have to upgrade/build a whole new computer. I doubt my case would fit that board, although I'm not sure either so I guess I need to start from scratch again.

I'm basically after a system on the more high end scale so I won't have to upgrade again for at least 1 - 2 years. It doesn't nesscarly have to be "the best" out there, but I would like a system that is pretty darn close to that if possible. I think what I'm going to do is buy a piece at a time, so its a little more affordable. Is PCI express better? I don't really need onboard sound because I'll have a sound card (PC speaker is all I would need to hear those bios beeps I dread so much lol). My next sound card will either be 5.1 or 7.1 but I'm sure that 5.1 will be surfice. Now LAN capabilities ...... I don't really know the beniefts of that, or what its all about so I'm not sure. Whats the difference b/w the two, and does it really matter if its duel or not?

Right now I have 1GB or RAM, but I wouldn't mind having the extra space in case I want to upgrade in the future either. My case is a mid-tower piece of garbage (some kind of generic bs I think). I looked for a name but couldn't find one

I like the idea of duel cores though and thats probally the route I'll go if possible.

Just out of curiousity, which mobo would you get Intel or AMD? I'm curious what kind of system you would set up if you had the time/money. I'm not rich by any means, but I would like to build a really nice system if possible peice by peice. What parts would you buy to build a kick ass machine from scratch?

Iceman's Wish List

1. Case - ??
2. Motherboard - ASUS A8N-SLI Premium Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD
3. Processor - AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Manchester Integrated into Chip FSB 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket 939 Dual Core Processor
4. Sound - http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Revolution51-focus.html
5. Network Card - ??
6. Video Card - Current is (ATI 9800 PRO 256 MB)
7. ??
8. ??
9. ??
10. ??

[|DRC| Wartex]

Just to give you an idea on CPU price:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103547

You would also need Nvidia 7800 card, which is $450

I can tell you right now, it's going to cost you $2700+ CAD if you build a high-end system.
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[|DRC| Iceman]

I'm not really that concerned about the price at this point because I will buy a peice at a time to cut down the cost but if i'm going to do this I have to start somewhere, and I want to be sure that I buy the right parts so I don't waste my money. Thats why I'm posting here so the experienced people can tell me what I need

[Jaguar]

No need for a network card if you're getting a mobo that already has built-in lan, unless you want wireless. The dual (not duel ) lan is pretty cool because your computer could actually be used as a gateway or a router on its own. Or kind of be a wireless access point to the computers without wireless cards.

I'm kinda pathetic, but I've had my wish list on newegg pending since May hoping that one day I'll have the $3000+ to get everything I want.

If you want a dual core, get the 4400. It's only about $80 USD more and is worth it because it has the 1MB L2 Cache instead of the 512k. $80 more is a nice price for that kind of upgrade

My personal preference on a case HAS to be Lian-Li. The cases are known for their great air flow, plenty of room for large mobos, quality construction, removable mobo tray (easy to add/remove components), and great looks. http://www.lian-li.com/product.htm Check out the cases and see if you like or dislike them. One disadvantage to Lian-Li is that they are a bit more pricy than their competitors.

I also believe that Wartex had a news article pending in the Drafts forums concerning case manufacturers and their respective homepages, go check it out.

You don't necessarily have to get a SLI-capable board, some people think it's a waste of money considering the small/medium difference in performance to that of a single gpu system. If you were to get a SLI mobo and wanted high-end gpu's.. say.. the 7800GTX.. that's nearly $1000 USD in graphics cards right there. But if price isn't a deterrent I think it would be worth it in the long run to have that extra boost of performance, prolonging the necessity to upgrade.

After this, you might consider what you'd like for cooling. With a computer with a lot of the newer high-end stuff.. it's definitely going to be hot. You mentioned water cooling in another topic, which definitely is a nice silent solution to cooling your pc.. however it can be very pricy. There's also a select few psu's out there that do not use fans, with huge heatsinks to cool themselves, however none of them are >= 500 watts which you would need for a high-end machine (especially with SLI).

Oh, and my personal preference would be to get an AMD system instead of Intel. But there's arguments on both sides why one might be better than the other. AMD has a video on their site somewhere explaining how their cpu's work and the advantages to their design. One particular feature that AMD cpu's have that Intel does not is the integrated memory and I/O controllers. Normally Intel cpu's communicate to memory and I/O via onboard controllers, which is dependant upon the speed of your Front Side Bus (FSB) which can be slower than what the chip could do when communicating with itself. I definitely don't know enough about the advantages and disadvantages of either brand, so that'd be something to google if you're not sure which cpu manufacturer to go for.

Keep the questions coming, we'll build you the sweetest rig on this planet.

[Kapa6ac]

Wait a bit for ATI Crossfire ready mobos
http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/video/crossfire.html
It should be much better then SLI ...

cheers,
Kapa6ac

[|DRC| Iceman]

So far I have bought these parts:

1. Lian-Li PC-60 Aluminum Case

2. Thermaltake - Aquarius II Liquid Cooling

3. M-Audio Revolution 7.1 <-- This is by far my favorite upgrade!

4. Western Digital Raptor 74Gb X 2 - Next upgrade

5. Sennheiser 650 This will be my final upgrade once I have everything else because I already have a pretty decent set of headphones.

I'll let you know

[|DRC| Iceman]

I just got and installed the M-Audio 7.1 Revolution. I had a little difficulty figuring it out in the beginning, but finally managed (at no fault of the card I might add....just me being stupid )

In all honesty I will have to say that the 7.1 Rev has been by FAR my best investment! I can't even begin to explain in words how awesome this card is, and the software that comes with it! It actually comes with a full licensed version of WinDVD 5.0 DXVA! Plus it comes with a trial version of Abelton Live 3.0.4. which is a mixer/recorder to make music. In all honest I have seen better mixer software, but its something to play around with! heh

I wanted to test the clairity and highs so I put on Sara McLachlan "Angel" and "World is on fire" in .mp3 format with Sennheiser HD500's, and I was speechless.....I had shivers running up my spine! Felt like she was right here beside me! I can't even put it into words............all I can say is it IS an experience!!!

I wanted to test the bass, so I played Metillica "Leppah Messiah" and Megadeth "Symphony of Destruction" in .mp3 format. It sounded awesome! ...but to be honest IMO the highs seem to be more crisp and clear. Although I didn't change any settings so maybe if I play around with it, I will get the same results

BUY ONE YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!!!

[|DRC| Iceman]

The Ice Machine


Inside The Ice Machine

The Ice Cube (a.k.a. Water Cooler)


The Ice Pump & Cooler


The Ice Block (a.k.a. Water Block)


The Ice Refill (a.k.a. Water Reservoir)


The Ice Box Profile (I know the wires need to be neater :tounge:


I would like to say thanks to Wartex for puting the Water Cooking kit together for me (which came in a box in what seemed like 1000 peices ), and switching all hardware over into my new case. I couldn't have done it without his help

[|DRC| Wartex]

Thanks for the credit.


How about you resize images to 640x480 so I don't need to buy a second monitor to see entire image on 1 screen.

[|DRC| Iceman]

|DRC| Wartex wrote:

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Thanks for the credit.


How about you resize images to 640x480 so I don't need to buy a second monitor to see entire image on 1 screen.

Done!

[Jaguar]

Nice case

Whoever recommended that was a genius.

Oh, the water cooling is nice too

[|DRC| Iceman]

|DRC| Jaguar wrote:

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Nice case

Whoever recommended that was a genius.

Thx! hmmm....I wonder who that Jaguar fellow was anyways Thanks for the advice Keep it coming!

[|DRC| SLIM]

He's even got a fan behind his chair for those intense games. Can't be having sweaty pits.

Your setup looks goood.

[|DRC| Iceman]

Yeah your right about the pits thats fo sho! Its an "Ok" setup right now, but I hope to improve it with time. Eventually, I want to get some decent 7.1 Surround Sound speakers which will cost a fair amount of quid no doubt, so that will have to wait awhile I think...heh

[|DRC| SLIM]

Do you have anything that supports 7.1? Isn't that the same as 5.1 with another speaker added directly to each side of you? That would be the way to watch movies.

[|DRC| Iceman]

It is but I was hoping to buy the speakers as a full set, rather than buy a 5.1 system and stick another 2 speakers on it...heh

[|DRC| Iceman]

My next Video card/s

http://www.planetamd64.com/index.php?showtopic=9487

[|DRC| Iceman]

Ok guys here's the deal........I'm selling my Video card tommorrow so for the next couple days I'm going to be Quakeless until I buy the parts for my upgrade.

I'll keep you posted on the progress.

Wartex are you available on the weekend by any chance If you are let me know, because I think I'll need your help if you can squeeze me in your busy schedule

[|DRC| Iceman]

My video card has been sold, so I'm on my gf's computer right now. I just got back from Greenlyph (local computer store) and bought/ordered the following:

1. OCZ 2X 512DDR PC4000 Gold Edition 2-3-2-8 1GB Kit - Bought

2. ASUS A8N-SLi Premium PCIe S939 8 STATA MoBo - Bought

3. AMD X2 939 4200 + 2.2GHz 2X512 L2 Dual Core Processor - Ordered

4. Western Digital Raptor 74Gb 10000 Rpm X 2 - 1 bought and 1 on order

5. Leadtek WinFast 7800GTX THD 256MB SLi - Bought

The processor and other Raptor will be in on Monday or Tuesday

[OLDie]

When you bought all of that were you wearing a mask and holding a weapon of choice? j/k GL and have some fun building!
_________________
The Harder You Work The Luckier You Get!

[|DRC| Wartex]

|DRC| OLDie wrote:

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and have some fun building!

That part was really intended for me. Unless you want him to fry $3k worth of equipment.

[|DRC| Iceman]

|DRC| OLDie wrote:

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When you bought all of that were you wearing a mask and holding a weapon of choice? j/k GL and have some fun building!

How did you know?

I really only need one more 7800 GTX video card for SLi, then my upgrade will be complete..........and I won't have to think about it again for the next 2 years with any luck!

Wartex, I'll drop you a line when I get the rest of the stuff, and try to arrange a drive if i can

[|DRC| Strawberry]

I hope your computer may crash and burn.... "jealous"...

[Mykro]

Now when strawberry isn't online for 7 days, we know Karma kicked in
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[|DRC| Iceman]

|DRC| MyKr0 wrote:

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Now when strawberry isn't online for 7 days, we know Karma kicked in

Why do you think he is having trouble with his CD key? ummm.... I mean I had nothing to do with it

[|DRC| Iceman]

Just curious......Is a 420 Watt Enermax power supply enough to run this gear?? The guy that sold it to me said it would be fine because the power supply was made by a "Legit power supply company" <------- His words but it seems to me it shouldn't really matter who it is made by.......you have to have enough power to run it regardless.

Correct me if I'm wrong

[|DRC| Strawberry]

|DRC| Iceman wrote:

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|DRC| MyKr0 wrote:

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Now when strawberry isn't online for 7 days, we know Karma kicked in

Why do you think he is having trouble with his CD key? ummm.... I mean I had nothing to do with it

I knew it was you... BASTID....

[|DRC| Iceman]

Did I give myself away?

[|DRC| Iceman]

The rain from Hurricane Wilma is delaying me from picking up my componets a bit.....

Wartex are you going to be around on the weekend?? I left a message on your voicemail saying that I wouldn't be picking up the parts today and bringing them over.

I'm hoping that the rain and crappy weather will be over by the weekend. Besides, I'm off on the weekend so it would also be easier to bring everything over, and we can kick back eat some pizza, and run some benchmarks (if you want ) after she's up and running

So try and keep your appointment book open on Saturday/Friday night if you can ok If you not working on Saturday, and have no plans Friday night I'll see if I can arrange a drive to come over Friday night after work if thats ok with you.

[|DRC| Iceman]

I've decided that my current 420 WATT PSU is not going to cut the mustard with everything I plan on running, and since I plan on buying another video card down the road for SLi, I thought I better upgrade my PSU.

I'm getting the Enermax EG701AX-VE SFMA, NoiseTaker (600W) SLi Certified, (+12v1 18a, +12v2 18a) which should hopefully be enough juice.