Quick upgrade recomendations

[ayeayre]

Hi, not sure if i am in the right section, i haven't been keeping up with everything since my last build so i am looking for some help to get me on the right track.

At first all i wanted to do is upgrade my cpu to one that has virtualization support (or hardware virtualization whatever it's called) because i wanted to setup linux with windows that way.
Anyway, i found out that my board wont take any cpu that has this feature so i am now looking for a new cpu and a new board..
i don't know where to start.
I was planning a complete system build this year (towards the end i would say) and i have a lot on my plate at the moment in terms on finances so I'm not after a beast, as long as it is better than what I have now (don't want to downgrade) but is the cheapest option all up.

I wouldn't mind something that could have reasonable overclock speeds if i do decide to in the future.

I would love to put in together this week as it is my last week of holidays and i have the time now..

any help will be much appreciated.
thank you.

 

[ayeayre]

sorry my signature didn't come up and it wouldn't let me edit..
my current system:
MB: DFI LANPARTY UT NF4 SLI-DR Expert...CPU: AMD Opteron 170 (stock cooling & not OC)...RAM: OCZ 2x1gb Gold edition GX XTC PC4000 3-4-3-8...GRAPHICS: EVGA GeFORCE 7900GT...HDD: OS;2x80gb Seagate drives (stripe), Storeage;1x300gb Seagate, 1x500gb SATA external drive (USB)...PSU: ZALMAN 750w...OS: Windows XP Pro sp3


and i live in Melbourne Australia..
cheers..

 

[Proximon]

Ooops sorry, that's what happens when you step away from the computer while posting...

Looks like the only thing I still need to know is quad core or dual? You can check the guide in my signature to help you decide.

 

[ayeayre]

i don't get the first thing..

 

[ayeayre]

sorry i ment to add:
quad i guess but if the price is way too high in the end i will settle for dual atm..

 

[Proximon]

Well, set a budget I don't know what "way too high" is in your case.

In my last post, I had asked you a bunch of questions that you pretty much answered while I was still posting... so then I edited it.

Here are a few different ideas...
Q6600
E7300

P45 motherboard

 

[Guest]

I use vmware on a very similar machine. There is no NEED to upgrade. But if you really want to upgrade you might find multitasking performance with vmware is improved with a processor with and integrated memory controller. IE amd 9950 (or phenom II out in two days) or a core i7.

 

[ayeayre]

under $1000AUS would be ideal.. as soon as i get some kind of base ill be happy (like what you have just given me)
atm i could say i could go with the more expensive option, the Q6600..

what you think?

 

[Proximon]

I doubt you would go near that much to start. You just need MB/CPU/RAM today... unless you are having stability issues with that Zalman PSU.

I'll post a quick list:
Gigabyte UD3P
P45 motherboard, crossfire enabled. Well built, excellent OCs. You may never need the crossfire feature, but at this price it's good to have in case.

Q6600

Xigmatek cooler
VERY good CPU cooler. Didn't realize you guys had them down there.
Xig backplate
Paste

G.skill 4GB 800Mhz

 

[Proximon]

There you go, I picked some sites I had, but you might find better prices. I think Umart is good.

 

[ayeayre]

your a legend thanks a lot
try www.msy.com.au if you need to assist anyone from here they usually have the best prices or a search on www.staticice.com.au

thanks a lot once again..

 

[ayeayre]

hey could you please do me a favor and check to see if these ram are the same (at the top, they are $58) pccasegear says $105..

 

[ayeayre]

http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=G.Skill++DDR2+4gb+5-5-5-15

 

[Proximon]

Nice!

These guys even list the stepping:
http://www.netplus.com.au/products-detail.asp?code=CP1&cat=CPU&subcat=Intel%20LGA775%20Core%202%20Duo%20/%20Quad%20Processors&pcode=CPINPC4D-Q6600
That's the one you want.

 

[Proximon]

I can't tell on the RAM. You'll need to call them and verify that the voltage is either 1.8V or 1.8-1.9V, then I would say it's OK.

 

[ayeayre]

beautiful ill order it now..thanks

does msy have the right ram?

 

[ayeayre]

sweet

 

[ayeayre]

sorry about these double posts, it wont let me edit, but is 1.9v better? or doesn't matter?

also i heard the thermalrite coolers are really good..or you think the xigmatek is the best choice?

 

[ayeayre]

its 6.20am here i think i better get to bed, ill leave it with you.
one last question will this board support my 7900gt gfx card?
oh and the stepping on the Q6600 is G0 yes?

ill check back when i get back, i haven't ordered anything so if you decide to change something, your free to do so...lol..thank a lot by the way much appreciated. take care!

 

[Proximon]

Yes the board will support any single PCI-E card, or two ATI cards in crossfire should you get the urge.

1.8V is better than 1.9V, by a bit. It's mostly because of compatibility issues first, and possible overclocking room second.

Yes the Q6600 they list is labeled as a G0, that's the stepping. It's important in overclocking.

 

[ayeayre]

i am going to get these parts local instead so i might have to settle for a different cooler because i can't find it in any of the local shops..

 

[ayeayre]

i am about to walk out the door to go shopping
in another forum i was recommended a e8400 because "it will give better gaming performance in the short term and better oc"

so now im tossing up between the e8400 and the q6600

 

[Proximon]

I thought you read my guide and had decided based on that. It's pretty clear on that sort of thing.

I don't know Linux that well, but would assume any virtual machine could be assigned a separate core to run on? If that's not what is important to you, and you want optimal gaming performance today, the the E400 is probably the better choice.

 

[ayeayre]

think i might go with e8400
now its down to cooler

 

[ayeayre]

ok i pretty much got every thing i grabbed the E8400 E0 stepping and the cooler (xig) is on order (2 days eta)
My friend also just got his hardware but he got a e8500 instead it was only an extra 20 something bucks more and is over 3.16ghz instead of 3ghz.. should i try and exchange for that extra couple of bucks? or is there some other reason why i should stick with this?

if i should get the E8500 what stepping should i get? still E0?
thanks