upgrading

halem111 · Jul 11, 2003

Ok so i am upgrading my computer but means im a student i dont have that much money so i am doing it abit slowly.
I want to overclock.
The things i am gonna get are:-
amd 2500+ £70
abit nf7-s £80
pc 2700 512 ddr (major brand) memory £50

My question is:
is this good prices for what im getting, also how compatable are all these and also any suggestions that you can think of. I am eventually planning on gettin a second stick of 512 ddr ram to make use of dual memory thing and also a radeon 9700 pro graphics card but that wont be for abit because i have to save up for it.

slvr_phoenix · Jul 11, 2003

If you plan on overclocking than I would get PC3200 or better.

It'll cost more of course, but you'll probably want to raise your FSB and memory performs better when in sync with the FSB...

"Yeah, if you treat them like equals, it'll only encourage them to think they ARE your equals." - Thief from <A HREF="http://www.nuklearpower.com/daily.php?date=030603" target="_new">8-Bit Theater</A>

halem111 · Jul 13, 2003

yeah i think i will get 3200 have you got any suggestions i was thinking maybe get twinmos 3200, what you think of that memory. Also if im gettin 9700 pro with athlon 2500 and 512 ram and all that what kind of psu will i need i have a 300 watt one now. What psu's wud you recommend

Scout · Jul 13, 2003

That depends on the quality of your current 300 watt PSU... If it's a good one, it should be adequate, but if it's a cheapie, forget it! Poor power supplies can cause an awful lot of stability issues. I'd recommend Enermax or Antec if you buy a new one.

As for memory, my only advice is I would stay away from generic no-name stuff... Get a brand name. And I know evryone wants to recommend memroy with fast timings for maximum performance; my opinion is the real world performance gain of going with something like a Corsair CAS 2 stick versus something like a Kingston CAS 2.5 is very small. But I would agree with the other poster, get DDR400 for your overclocking aspirations.

Scout
700 Mflops in SETI!

dwellman · Jul 13, 2003

(lemme convert for the dollars crowd: NF7-s: $130, AMD 2500+: $115, PC2700: $81)

Ok, compared to what one pays in the US, the mobo is right in line. The processor better be a retail (3 year warranty, HSF combo). One should be able to get a good 512MB PC3200 for that price.

Always buy the best motherboard you can afford. 1) Prices are not as volatile, and 2)it is the most difficult to upgrade.

RAM prices will (90% likely) continue to rise until the end of the year. It would be a good idea to buy early and often.

CPU prices only fall. Wait as long as you feel comfortable.

So, buy in this order:
RAM
Motherboard
CPU

The boxed heatsink and fan will work fine. However, using a good silver based thermal compound make a significant difference.

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Three great virtues of a programmer are: laziness, impatience, and hubris.

RCPilot · Jul 14, 2003

Agreed!!!! That's the way to go.

Honey, what's that smell? Don't bother me now I'm working on my computer! OOPS!

kinney · Jul 14, 2003

your logic is true, i'd recommend to the poster that he get quality PSU and good ram.
I use an enermax 350 watt myself and crucial memory

Athlon 1700+, Epox 8RDA (NForce2), Maxtor Diamondmax Plus 9 80GB 8MB cache, 2x256mb Crucial PC2100 in Dual DDR, Geforce 3, Audigy, Z560s, MX500

endyen · Jul 14, 2003

Here is a trick you are suposed to be able to do with the nforce boards. Buy two sticks of 256 ram, and put them in slots 1 & 3 now. When you can afford a 512, put it in slot three, and the 256s in slots 1 & 2. You are supposed to be able to have dual mem rate with these configs.

dwellman · Jul 14, 2003

For system performance the motherboard is the crucial component.

For system stability and robustness, quality PSU and cooling apparatus are critical.

RAM. . . For most people, its not worth quibbling.

__________________________________________________
Three great virtues of a programmer are: laziness, impatience, and hubris.

kinney · Jul 14, 2003

Some motherboards take generic ram easily while others are very picky. Intel generally take generic ram very well but AMD (not necessarily AMD chipsets) haven't in the past.

Ive heard some issues with ram that is not paired alike in nforce2 chipsets to offer problems in dual ddr mode, hence the dual ddr ram packaging from kingston and the like.

Athlon 1700+, Epox 8RDA (NForce2), Maxtor Diamondmax Plus 9 80GB 8MB cache, 2x256mb Crucial PC2100 in Dual DDR, Geforce 3, Audigy, Z560s, MX500

tombance · Jul 14, 2003

Since Enermax and Antec PSU's are rather expensive in the UK I reccomend getting the Fortron 350watt PSU from <A HREF="http://www.theoverclockingstore.co.uk" target="_new">http://www.theoverclockingstore.co.uk</A>. And yes, those prices are good for the UK.

<A HREF="http://service.futuremark.com/compare?2k1=6752830" target="_new">Yay, I Finally broke the 12k barrier!!</A>

dwellman · Jul 14, 2003

Vendors package RAM in pairs as more of a convenience measure (read also, "marketing gimmick") than to address timing or compatibility problems. Dual channel DRR is much like RAID (a cookie to anyone that know what the "I" really means), Ideally, one would want HDD of the same size. One would hope the HDD would be of the same spindle speed. Finally, the optimum is that the HDD would be the same model. Hence, the most important criterion for dual channel DDR is that both modules be the same size, followed by CAS, followed by manufacturer, followed by model, followed by batch. (For my own part, I think insiting on DRAM modules from the same batch is a silly waste of time. The reasoning for such an endeavor is based more on rumor and conjecture than actual fact. If the DRAM manufacturer srtictly aderes to JEDEC standards, then there's no reason to insits on anything other than two modules of the same size from that manufacturer).

__________________________________________________
Three great virtues of a programmer are: laziness, impatience, and hubris.

dwellman · Jul 14, 2003

Agreed!!!! That's the way to go.

I do this for a living (or semblance, thereof)-- I better be right.

__________________________________________________
Three great virtues of a programmer are: laziness, impatience, and hubris.

RCPilot · Jul 14, 2003

I do about the same, but I'm self employed, so I need to be pretty careful as well.

Honey, what's that smell? Don't bother me now I'm working on my computer! OOPS!

ad_rach · Jul 14, 2003

I have done A LOT of research into where the cheapest places to buy components in the UK are and i have found that <A HREF="http://www.ebuyer.com" target="_new">Ebuyer</A> and <A HREF="http://www.komplett.co.uk" target="_new">Komplett</A> are the best.Komplett tends to be cheaper for cpus and memory (I agree with others that Twinmos is a great value option) but Ebuyer has a massive range and is cheaper for other components.As for your power supply, check out <A HREF="http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=34825" target="_new">this QTec 550w one</A> from Ebuyer.I have one and it is an absolute bargain-you couldn't need more power than that and it is very quiet too.

no matter how hard you try, you can't polish a turd. :]

dwellman · Jul 14, 2003

I have a question for you, then:

Have you any experience with RC simulators? One of my clients was using a simulator, but it was very buggy (was from a British company-- can't remember the name.). He is now using Top Flight.

Want to know if you have any recommendations/preferences.

__________________________________________________
Three great virtues of a programmer are: laziness, impatience, and hubris.

RCPilot · Jul 14, 2003

Have you any experience with RC simulators?

No I'm sorry I don't. I fly Radio Controlled Sail Planes. No motors & just thermals to fly them. Haven't had a lot of time to do it lately. 98 to 01 I flew the Nationals. Haven't done a lot of competing lately because of time constraints.

Honey, what's that smell? Don't bother me now I'm working on my computer! OOPS!

dwellman · Jul 14, 2003

Fair enough.

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Three great virtues of a programmer are: laziness, impatience, and hubris.

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