Intel, AMD, and upgrades

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the Tom's Hardware community: where nearly two million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

ltcommander_data

Distinguished
Dec 16, 2004
997
0
18,980
Since you aren't gaming that should be a good set-up for your needs. The large amount of RAM, especially at those timings and in sync with the FSB should give nice performance.

Since you are running Linux, you do not want any ATI X1xxx series graphics cards. The entire line doesn't have proper Linux drivers right now, which is really too bad, because the cards themselves are great. If you want a bit more graphics performance ASUS does offer a 6600GT Silencer. I'm not a big fan of passive graphics on mid-range graphics cards though since they can be a bit finicky. However, if you don't plan on gaming hours on end the chances of overheating are low. You will need to make sure you have enough air flow though.

Of course, if you really want quiet you could get one of those Antec Hybrid 550W PSUs, but the cost probably isn't worth it. Air flow will be an even bigger concern with Hybrid PSUs.

corvetteguy recommended a 16MB cache hard drive, but that's mainly for your own reassurance. Past 8MB, there is barely any performance benefit of more cache unless it's an extremely large 400GB+ hard drive.
 

corvetteguy

Distinguished
Jan 15, 2006
1,545
0
19,780
well then maybe a 6800gs or minimu a 6600gt, not the le which i've never heard of but is probably crap.

also seriously change that hard drive cause you said that it will be on all the time and that one you picked will crap out on you in a couple months.

the hd i mentioned above is good.
 
That case has a 120mm and 80mm fan in it, so it *should* be cool enough. The 65nm Pentium Ds run at about the same TDP as the X2s (95w vs. 89w) and I hear little about X2s overheating.

Point well taken about the 16MB cache- I kind of overlooked it. Will fix.
 
Yeah, I found a not-passive (a lot of people said they run hot) but decent 6600GT for about $15 more. It will do a lot better for me.

The WD Caviar has a much higher MTBF- thanks for the heads-up. I had a crappy stock Toshiba drive die on my notebook and it was not fun. I don't want to repeat that if I can avoid it!
 

josh_1413

Distinguished
Jun 7, 2005
38
0
18,530
After some looking, here goes:

CPU: Intel Pentium D 930 Presler 65nm ($334.00)
Motherboard: ASUS P5WD2 955X ($156.99)
RAM: Patriot 2x1GB 4-4-4-12 DDR2-800 ($255.99)
HDD: Hitachi Deskstar 7200rpm 250GB 8MB cache SATA-300 ($104.99)
GPU: ASUS 6600LE Silencer 256MB w/DVI ($90.99)
Monitor: Dell 2001FP 20.1" (already bought, $509 with student discount)
Case: Cooler Master Cavalier mid-tower ATX ($59.99)
PSU: Antec SmartPower 500W modular ($63.99)
Opticals: Sony DVD burns-anything-round burner and DVD-ROM/CD-R/RW ($37.99 and $29.99)
Keyboard, mouse, speakers: I have these already.

What do you think? The total is a little under $1650.

Hey, an Athlon 64 X2 4200+ would totally dominate that thing.(IMHO) Get an X2 4200+ and an ASUS mobo NF4, and 2GB of ram, and it will fly.
 

corvetteguy

Distinguished
Jan 15, 2006
1,545
0
19,780
well if you don't want the 16mb cah there is an 8mb version the wd se 250gig.

also, there is a case that i got with mine that is cool in both senses of the word. It has a 140mm fan in the front with led's and a fake jet turbine that is mived by air, mesh drive slots, a 120mm fan in the back, and a clear side panel with space for 2 120mm fans or 2 80mm fans

aerocool engine 2

also check out the new case from aerocool with a 250mm fan on the side instead of the clear panel, and its not noisy like you'd think.

aerocool extremeengine 3t
 

corvetteguy

Distinguished
Jan 15, 2006
1,545
0
19,780
yeah i would also recomend either the 4200 or 4400, cause either will kick the intels. I know you want to upgrade but with conroe you'll have to buy a new mobo anyway so the only thing new you'll need is RAM if you get AMD. Is 2 years of crappier performance from an intel worth the price of new ddr2 ram when you upgrade, and by the the prices will be more reasonable since AMD will also use it.
 

ak47is1337

Distinguished
Jan 30, 2006
1,830
0
19,780
yeah i would also recomend either the 4200 or 4400, cause either will kick the intels. I know you want to upgrade but with conroe you'll have to buy a new mobo anyway so the only thing new you'll need is RAM if you get AMD. Is 2 years of crappier performance from an intel worth the price of new ddr2 ram when you upgrade, and by the the prices will be more reasonable since AMD will also use it.

Intel pounds AMD ass in content creation.
 

ak47is1337

Distinguished
Jan 30, 2006
1,830
0
19,780
well then maybe a 6800gs or minimu a 6600gt, not the le which i've never heard of but is probably crap.

also seriously change that hard drive cause you said that it will be on all the time and that one you picked will crap out on you in a couple months.

the hd i mentioned above is good.

My hitachi "deathstar" has functioned properly for over 5 months, even under the extreme amount of pressure and reformatting my crap motherboard has put it through. I can almost gurantee Hitachi's have fixed the darkstar series.
 

endyen

Splendid
Check the CPU sticky. It says the A64s are much better for comiling.
In two years, Intel will be well into DDR# use, so your ram will not be good.
BTW, Intel and Amd do not figure TDP the same way. For Amd, it is the max power the chip group could ever use. For Intel, it is based on UL definition, which is basicly 2/3rds load.
You can compare output @ this review They dont look very close to me.
 

bront

Distinguished
Oct 16, 2001
2,122
0
19,780
The 7800s are a little rich for my tastes as they are about $300 on up. I could go for half of that, but all I really need in a graphics card is something that will allow me to run Xgl (hardware-accleerated OpenGL) on my computer without eating up a lot of CPU time and RAM.
They're getting close to $250 on the 7800 GTs (Mine will be about that net once I get my rebate).

However, that's not what he's looking for. I think you should look around at something like a 6600 GT might do you a bit better, and the fans on these are fairly quiet.

I'd recomend going with a Athlon 3800+ X2. With the M2 platform coming soon, processor upgrades will eventualy drop in price for the 939 platform. Meanwhile, it will probably get what you need to get done for quite a while, and a 4800+ X2 can probably be had on the cheap in a year or two if you realy need more. I certaintly don't see a 2+ year life span being a dead end, and the M2 platform won't see dramatic performance benifits till they break out the .065 process, which isn't happening this year most likely.

And, as many have said, Intel likes to make you buy new stuff, so you'll likely have to replace the motherboard, and probably upgrade the memory for higher speed as well (which is what AMD is waiting for in the first place).
 
Okay, once I thought things over:

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ ($356.00)
Motherboard: Abit K8N-SLi nF4 ($117.99- HIGHLY recommended by one of the guys in my LUG)
RAM: G.Skill 2x1GB 2.5-3-3-6 DDR400 ($150.99)
Monitor: Dell 2001FP ($509.00 w/discount)
Graphics: Leadtek PX6600 256MB w/DVI OpenGL 2.0 ($109.00)
HDD: WD2500YD 250GB 16MB cache 7200rpm SATA-300 ($105.00)
Case: Cooler Master Cavalier mid-tower ATX 120mm & 80mm fans ($59.99)
PSU: Antec SmartPower 500W ATX12v x2 modular ($63.99)
Opticals: Sony DVD burner, DVD-ROM/CD-RW

How does this look now? I made sure my GPU could do OpenGL 2.0 so that Xgl would work well.
 

ak47is1337

Distinguished
Jan 30, 2006
1,830
0
19,780
The 7800s are a little rich for my tastes as they are about $300 on up. I could go for half of that, but all I really need in a graphics card is something that will allow me to run Xgl (hardware-accleerated OpenGL) on my computer without eating up a lot of CPU time and RAM.
They're getting close to $250 on the 7800 GTs (Mine will be about that net once I get my rebate).

However, that's not what he's looking for. I think you should look around at something like a 6600 GT might do you a bit better, and the fans on these are fairly quiet.

I'd recomend going with a Athlon 3800+ X2. With the M2 platform coming soon, processor upgrades will eventualy drop in price for the 939 platform. Meanwhile, it will probably get what you need to get done for quite a while, and a 4800+ X2 can probably be had on the cheap in a year or two if you realy need more. I certaintly don't see a 2+ year life span being a dead end, and the M2 platform won't see dramatic performance benifits till they break out the .065 process, which isn't happening this year most likely.

And, as many have said, Intel likes to make you buy new stuff, so you'll likely have to replace the motherboard, and probably upgrade the memory for higher speed as well (which is what AMD is waiting for in the first place).

Intel has guaranteed the new 975 i think it is chipset to be conroe capable.
 

josh_1413

Distinguished
Jun 7, 2005
38
0
18,530
Okay, once I thought things over:

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ ($356.00)
Motherboard: Abit K8N-SLi nF4 ($117.99- HIGHLY recommended by one of the guys in my LUG)
RAM: G.Skill 2x1GB 2.5-3-3-6 DDR400 ($150.99)
Monitor: Dell 2001FP ($509.00 w/discount)
Graphics: Leadtek PX6600 256MB w/DVI OpenGL 2.0 ($109.00)
HDD: WD2500YD 250GB 16MB cache 7200rpm SATA-300 ($105.00)
Case: Cooler Master Cavalier mid-tower ATX 120mm & 80mm fans ($59.99)
PSU: Antec SmartPower 500W ATX12v x2 modular ($63.99)
Opticals: Sony DVD burner, DVD-ROM/CD-RW

How does this look now? I made sure my GPU could do OpenGL 2.0 so that Xgl would work well.

That is much better. Much more bang for the buck.
 

bront

Distinguished
Oct 16, 2001
2,122
0
19,780
Okay, once I thought things over:

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ ($356.00)
Motherboard: Abit K8N-SLi nF4 ($117.99- HIGHLY recommended by one of the guys in my LUG)
RAM: G.Skill 2x1GB 2.5-3-3-6 DDR400 ($150.99)
Monitor: Dell 2001FP ($509.00 w/discount)
Graphics: Leadtek PX6600 256MB w/DVI OpenGL 2.0 ($109.00)
HDD: WD2500YD 250GB 16MB cache 7200rpm SATA-300 ($105.00)
Case: Cooler Master Cavalier mid-tower ATX 120mm & 80mm fans ($59.99)
PSU: Antec SmartPower 500W ATX12v x2 modular ($63.99)
Opticals: Sony DVD burner, DVD-ROM/CD-RW

How does this look now? I made sure my GPU could do OpenGL 2.0 so that Xgl would work well.
Looks pretty good. I might recomend the Hyundai L90D+ as a good LCD gaming monitor for under $300 and save a bit if money, but monitors can be personal things.

I'd poke around a bit on the video card thing, I think Newegg had a few good deals on 6600GTs and 6800GSs for around that price range, which might be a bit better, but that certaintly isn't a bad setup.

Off handed question, what's the difference between the 2500YD and the 2500KS? I have the KS and it's a 250GB SATA II with 16 MB, I thought the YD wasn't SATA II when I looked (It's the special eddition RAID version I think). Either way, WD is a great HD (All the WD HDs I've ever owned over the past 10 years still work to this day)
 

corvetteguy

Distinguished
Jan 15, 2006
1,545
0
19,780
5 mmonths isn't long at all, my seagate has been working for 8 years, and had lots of longs durations, and thats in a crappy case with no fan except the psu fan, and with the overwhelming evidence against it, i wouldn't chance getting one.
 

thebunny

Distinguished
Feb 14, 2006
88
0
18,630
if u are not in a hurry I also would recomend to wait for the new AMD socket :wink:
it's going to be more upgradable and as I always say, patience is gold 8)
 

ak47is1337

Distinguished
Jan 30, 2006
1,830
0
19,780
5 mmonths isn't long at all, my seagate has been working for 8 years, and had lots of longs durations, and thats in a crappy case with no fan except the psu fan, and with the overwhelming evidence against it, i wouldn't chance getting one.
He said it would die in a few months.
 

ak47is1337

Distinguished
Jan 30, 2006
1,830
0
19,780
my 6800gt runs fear at max 1280x1024. he will do fine.
You have to be more specific when you say "Max" because I can't play F.E.A.R. at the "Max" on my setup with desirable framerates.

0 AA, Full x16AS Filter, No Soft Shadows, all models/textures/sound on highest.
 

powerbaselx

Distinguished
Feb 23, 2006
327
0
18,780
Okay, once I thought things over:
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ ($356.00)

Are you sure you want a state-of-the-art CPU whose technology in actual motherboard architecture isn't yet proved to worth that money spent?
Personally i'd go for a single core cpu for a max $250.00.

Motherboard: Abit K8N-SLi nF4 ($117.99- HIGHLY recommended by one of the guys in my LUG)

If you're not going to play much (or do 'top playing') why to buy a SLI ready motherboard? Anyway the stated price is ok so this shouldn't be an issue.

RAM: G.Skill 2x1GB 2.5-3-3-6 DDR400 ($150.99)
Monitor: Dell 2001FP ($509.00 w/discount)

Isn't this a bit expensive for a monitor? Do you really need a 21" monitor or can it be a 17" for half the price?

Graphics: Leadtek PX6600 256MB w/DVI OpenGL 2.0 ($109.00)
HDD: WD2500YD 250GB 16MB cache 7200rpm SATA-300 ($105.00)
Case: Cooler Master Cavalier mid-tower ATX 120mm & 80mm fans ($59.99)
PSU: Antec SmartPower 500W ATX12v x2 modular ($63.99)
Opticals: Sony DVD burner, DVD-ROM/CD-RW

Please think again about those coolers. If the CPU isn't an hot Intel 3.8GHz or so, and if the PC is located in a cold room with A/C maybe these fans are not so necessary.
A 500W PSU is a good thing to support 4 or 5 hard drives, a really hi power consuming Intel CPU and/or "lots" of OC over 4GHz!
Personally i have a 300W with 2 hard drives (stripped), a 6600GT and an Intel 530 OC'ed to 3.75GHz. I have the CPU fan and a small 80x80 extra quite fan that i bought for $15.00.

Just my 2 cents...
.- Luis Duarte
 

ak47is1337

Distinguished
Jan 30, 2006
1,830
0
19,780
Okay, once I thought things over:
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ ($356.00)

Are you sure you want a state-of-the-art CPU whose technology in actual motherboard architecture isn't yet proved to worth that money spent?
Personally i'd go for a single core cpu for a max $250.00.

Motherboard: Abit K8N-SLi nF4 ($117.99- HIGHLY recommended by one of the guys in my LUG)

If you're not going to play much (or do 'top playing') why to buy a SLI ready motherboard? Anyway the stated price is ok so this shouldn't be an issue.

RAM: G.Skill 2x1GB 2.5-3-3-6 DDR400 ($150.99)
Monitor: Dell 2001FP ($509.00 w/discount)

Isn't this a bit expensive for a monitor? Do you really need a 21" monitor or can it be a 17" for half the price?

Graphics: Leadtek PX6600 256MB w/DVI OpenGL 2.0 ($109.00)
HDD: WD2500YD 250GB 16MB cache 7200rpm SATA-300 ($105.00)
Case: Cooler Master Cavalier mid-tower ATX 120mm & 80mm fans ($59.99)
PSU: Antec SmartPower 500W ATX12v x2 modular ($63.99)
Opticals: Sony DVD burner, DVD-ROM/CD-RW

Please think again about those coolers. If the CPU isn't an hot Intel 3.8GHz or so, and if the PC is located in a cold room with A/C maybe these fans are not so necessary.
A 500W PSU is a good thing to support 4 or 5 hard drives, a really hi power consuming Intel CPU and/or "lots" of OC over 4GHz!
Personally i have a 300W with 2 hard drives (stripped), a 6600GT and an Intel 530 OC'ed to 3.75GHz. I have the CPU fan and a small 80x80 extra quite fan that i bought for $15.00.

Just my 2 cents...
.- Luis Duarte

X2's are relatively proven, although not many multithreaded apps have arrived. SLi boards are higher quaity and have more features than other boards. Considering he is doing some serious work, it makes sense he might need 1600x1200 resolutions on a 21 inch monitor. Also, he might want a new CPU cooler to keep things quiet.