Uh... upgrades

[graaaeme10]

Im hoping to get a new mobo and Cpu...
I want to get an athlon 64 3000+ as well as a gigabyte GA-K8U ULI... would this upgrade be worth the money as I have a P4 2.5 and some crappy mobo with only agp 4x and only supports up to pc2700 ram?

And no, I dont want to upgrade to PCI-E

If you think I could get better for the same price... or you have any other recommendations... tell me

[graaaeme10]

Re: Uh... upgrades

bump!!!

[bisley]

Re: Uh... upgrades

Deffo go AMD mate , if your getting the AMD64 3000 get pin 939 then you have scope to improve your cpu later . As for gfx , you can stick with your AGP card or get a new card and a mobo that supports PCI E .

[graaaeme10]

Re: Uh... upgrades

As for the pin 939 3000, it is 0.2 ghz less, will this make a difference?
Also any reccomendations on a good mobo for 939, that costs about the same as the GA-K8U ULI?

[whofriggincares]

Re: Uh... upgrades

As always, tell us your budget. It's hard recommending things when we don't know how much you're willing to spend.

[Berrern]

Re: Uh... upgrades

You should save up some more money, and go for a PCI-e motherboard (even though you say you don't want to).

The reason for saying this is that it's a complete waste of money to buy a brand new AGP motherboard for the AMD64 CPUs. In a years time the AGP technology will be phased out (it's already starting), and you'll have trouble selling the stuff next time you need to upgrade.

Instead, save up some more money, sell off your stuff (while it's still worth something) and upgrade to a PCI-e solution; that way you're set for the future and wont lose (too) much money on it :)

[graaaeme10]

Re: Uh... upgrades

the 3000+ 939, it is more expensive, yet it is 1.8... is this because a socket 939 is faster? explain please

[Sir. S.A.S]

Re: Uh... upgrades

i spent all day trying to convince my mate why my 3500 is quicker than his 3.2 ghz P4 when mines only clocked at 2.2ghz. Im not totally sure but it has something to do with the cache and 64bit technology.

But any AMD 64 will out do Intel and i actualy found it very hard to find a 939 socket mobo that has AGP thats uptodate. So save up and get PCI-E it will be well worth it!

[Flanker]

Re: Uh... upgrades

Im not totally sure but it has something to do with the cache and 64bit technology.

But any AMD 64 will out do Intel.

Ugh, that was so wrong. Actually, it has to do with Processor Pipelines and an Integrated Memory Controller (Intel has larger cache then AMD, and also has 64-bit technology). And any AMD won't out-do any Intel. Usually an AMD processor comparable to another Intel processor has a huge lead on the Intel processor as far as games go. Similarly, Intels beat AMDs in videoencoding and multimedia, and thats about all. Anything in between is a free-for-all though AMD usually gets ahead because of its Integrated Memory Controller. Though now with Athlon 64 X2s, AMDs beat Intels in *everything* literally.

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ = Pentium 4 3.2GHz in normal tasks.

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ = Pentium 4 3.2GHz-3.6GHz in games, depending on the game.

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ = Pentium 4 3.8GHz in Battlefield 2.

[graaaeme10]

Re: Uh... upgrades

Ok, ive decided to go with the pci-e mobo and gfx, and the socket 939 3000+
thanks for the help guys

oh, and 1 last question
is pci-e actually better (i.e. with the pipelines etc)? then agp? in terms of performance, not future-looking ahead stuff.

[whofriggincares]

Re: Uh... upgrades

The reason AMD clocks so much lower than Intel is because it has less steps per execution to perform the same task. AMD is a lot more efficient than Intel.

PCI-E in itself isn't any better than AGP right now. Vid cards aren't maxing out on AGP, but PCI-E has the better cards and the future. Plus with PCI-E you have SLI which AGP can't do. And since Crossfire is still not showing that much potential, PCI-E is the way to go.

[Umi.Ryuuzaki]

Re: Uh... upgrades

A 3000+ on 939 will do you fine. The ram might hold it back a bit, but I am not sure. The AGP 939's do exist in a number of companies, mainly from VIA, ULI and nvidia NF3's. They're good if one still has a high end 6800-series or X800/850's and are willing to wait until the next series (nvidia's 8 and Ati's ? cards).

PCI-E is the future, considering both ATI and nVidia are really pushing for it after Intel's introduction of it 2 years back. I like the idea that a 6600GT doesnt require a power plug at all...less wires to deal with =)

[Flanker]

Re: Uh... upgrades

Abit AV8 / Socket 939 / K8T800Pro Chipset

Second best AGP motherboard out there. Don't get it >_< Just skip AGP altogether. Go PCI-E, its much less of a hassle.

[MWHRowdee]

Re: Uh... upgrades

Better look to the future. AGP technology is running out fast. You can build a screaming system yourself. Look up the October issue of MaximumPC. They have an article on how to build a bangin machine for about $1300. That can do anything you want. I know lots of folks dont have the cash, BUT, this is an expensive hobby here. People who hold on to older slower technology will find themselves unable to get the performance they want. But, if its all you can do, shop around and get the best you can. Try Googlegear or New Egg. I use both and they have a huge variety in parts AND pricing.

[Sir. abjam77]

Re: Uh... upgrades

Im pretty sure i saw VIA mobo with both agp and pci e slots on it for exactally this reason. Notsure if its amd of intel or the socket number, but you might want to check it out. However i do have to say that i havn't had a perfect experiance with VIA chipsets.....