Worth an upgrade

[sturulez2k06]

hi, i think have made this post before, but that was on a previous profile that has not been workin for a while.
my current specs are

AMD Athlon XP 2400+ (running at 2.gig)
Gigabyte 7N400E-L SKT A Nforce2 Ultra ATX 400FSB Sound LAN USB 2.0
2 GIG DDR RAM
Radeon 9800pro 128mb
Win XP Pro

I am thinkin about updating my current system. my main use is games. if i was to purchase a AMD VENICE Athlon 64Bit 3200 with an appropriate m/b, would i notice a speed diffence, in the way programs and applications run. for instance with running hl2 at the momment it can stutter and certain points, like big explosions. would i still get this problem if i was to update. what speed would the amd venice run at? also if i was to overclock it?

thanks again

[rmanet]

anymore 2.0 P4 or AMD equivalent a minimum - your problem with games is likely making sure you go to a 3.0 or better P4 or similar AMD, then use latest video drivers for your 128 meg card or go to a 256 meg newer video card. I've found some that run just fine for less than $100 bucks. O'clocking is something you should try at the very last and only when when you have a stable system with the new mobo.

check to see the max cpu your mobo supports, see if it's using agp 1,2,4 or 8x, etc. If it doesn't support the above and run at 4x, or better yet 8x you'll have even more problems when the newer games come out.

hope this helps - if you do find another, try to stay closest to manufacturer and chipset - ie via to via, intel to intel, sis to sis, whatever so likelihood you can just try to plug in your HDD and get XP to run on the new mobo stands a better chance when it boots for the first time

hope this helps....

[sturulez2k06]

thanks for the reply. does anyone know how to work out the speed of that sort of AMD processor because i am abit confused. AMD VENICE Athlon 64Bit 3200 (does that means it runs at a speed at 3.2gig?? i dont know)
I am quite a newbie at this.

1. I have noticed that alot of AMD Athlon 64bit processors have certian names in them like venice and newcastle, what does this mean?

2. Also i would be interested in purchasing a gigabyte motherboard. there are so many to choose. Does anyone recommend a good one, I am looking for one that would be able to take AGP.

3. Would there be any point in changing my graphics card for a PCI express? is AGP dying out? would AGP be more suitable for games rather that PCI express?

any ideas would be great

thanks

[naptownman]

1. The names refer to the cores in those various processors. They differ b y the feature geometry of the die ie 90nm vs 130nm, etc. and also by the L1/L2 cache that the processors have. Some take more or less power, etc. If you google them you'll find references to sites wwhere you can get info on which models overclock better.

2. Can't help you there. Have only used GB boards with XP's.

3. AGP will be around for awhile and the manufacturers are still putting modey into developing new products but the long term future is PCI express. If you want to go to a 256 or 512mb card I'd go PCIe. The future will be PCIe - no doubt about it.

As far as the 3200 rating goes, it's a relative speed rating. The processor itself runs around 1.8 or 1.9ghz (I didn't bother to look it up).

[sturulez2k06]

ive recently done abit of looking around at what to buy if i built a better pc,
here is what i am thinking of getting

Asus A8N-E SKT 939 NFORCE 4 AUDIO LAN PCI-Express

AMD Venice Athlon 64Bit +3200

Connect 3D X800GTO 256MB PCI Express ( if this is not a good choice graphics card, does any know which are the best ATI cards out?)

Any comments or ideas would be great

thanks

[sturulez2k06]

anyone got any ideas on this then?

[mobo57]

While that is an upgrade over your old system, I'd suggest you look at the X2 3800. Though not that much more in speed, you'll notice a difference when multitasking, i.e. when your virus scan runs etc. As to the difference in speed, well I'd guess you're looking at about 20 to 25% increase in performance. I went from a 3200XP with the 9800 Pro to a X2 3800 and the X850XT (AGP version). Got about 25% more performance. IMO unless you absolutely need the fastest processor, there is no reason not to buy a dual.

[sturulez2k06]

would a Sapphire X800GTO² 256mb GDDR3 PCI-E graphic card be a better choice than a Connect 3D X800GTO 256MB PCI Express ?

[sturulez2k06]

if i was to build this system with either graphic card, would i be able 2 run call of duty 2 in direct x9 with no problems?

[TomT]

Yes the card you picked can even be unlock adding 4 more graphic pipes by flashing the bios. That card got great reviews. As for the games you wish to run that system will run them fine.

[Rabbitrunner51]

shoot... the X2 3800 is alot better processor.... two CPU's on one chip... How could you compare that to a lowest 3200... if he went that route then get the 3700 at least.

The video card is fine and that is always one of the bigest choices because there are like a ton out there offered in many price ranges...I was looking at a X1600XT that goes for less than $200.00 or a 7600GS. both a supreior performance for the budget.

Mobos are another thing...dpending upon what features you want... but it should be PCI express... have sata onboard... use a 939 socket and have NF 4 chipset preferred.

I would imagine your ram would suffice...if its at least DDR 3200.. If not then that might be a big bottleneck... with a more current CPU. LOL