Help Upgrading Pleasee

[addy]

well basically i need a upgrade this comp is long dead just need a couple of questions answering before i buy the parts and make a newb for my self

GFX : 9700pro or 9800np ( was thinking about the 9800np so i cud over clock it but.. not wanna blow it up is it easy? )

CPU : P4 2.8 Ghz or AMD 2800+ (Barton)

RAM : well i think all ddr 512 ram is the same lol :S

MOBO : ah dont really know this kind of stuff but i suppose u need right mobo for the prcoesser any1 recommenda good one pls

Harddrive: 120gb Sata one .. i heard sata was faster ;p

any other recommendations wud be kewl thx in advance

 

[Willber123]

hi, illt ry and help u as much as i can seeing as no one else is answering but i dont know too much.

if i were u i would get the p4, ive got the 2.8 800fsb and its very fast and reliable. im not too sure about ram but if i were u i would try and get 1 gig so wen all the new games come out u woint need to upgrade. i dont know anything really about mobos so i cant really answer that one. as for grahpics cards i would go for the 9800np because its obviously higher clocked than the 9700pro ( i think :s ).

i tried to help

 

[Asus]

I'd go for the 9800NP retail (not OEM, not SE).
9700pro is also a good card though.

Looking to performance rather than price from those choices, go with P4 2.8ghz.
If price is more of a consideration, go with Athlon XP 2800+.

For ram look at specs rather than brand.
e.g. Kingston Value Ram...bad
You want lower timings and I would get PC3200 DDR 200mhz (400)
Kingston,Corsair,Mushkin or Crucial. Corsairs XMS series is good for good performance at a good price. Mushkin has some awesome DDR. Kingston and Crucial have good solid products as well.
I would stick with 512mb DIMMs. I would not buy them in 256 sticks.
I would buy 2 sticks of 512mb to use Dual Channel memory as well.

 

[Sgt.Igneri]

Originally posted by addy
well basically i need a upgrade this comp is long dead just need a couple of questions answering before i buy the parts and make a newb for my self

GFX : 9700pro or 9800np ( was thinking about the 9800np so i cud over clock it but.. not wanna blow it up is it easy? )

CPU : P4 2.8 Ghz or AMD 2800+ (Barton)

RAM : well i think all ddr 512 ram is the same lol :S

MOBO : ah dont really know this kind of stuff but i suppose u need right mobo for the prcoesser any1 recommenda good one pls

Harddrive: 120gb Sata one .. i heard sata was faster ;p

any other recommendations wud be kewl thx in advance

Get the 9800np, there are flashes for it to run as a 9800pro, and it can be OCed to 9800 pro speeds easier.

I would go for the 2.8, as it will give you more performance. If you did go with the 2.8, you would need some good RAM. RAM is not the same. There are speeds and timings you need to worry about. If your not OCing, grab some corsair XMS PC3200. If you will be OCing, corsair XMS PC3500 or mushkin level 2 PC3500 will be good. Buy the RAM in 2 sticks (2x256) so you can run in dual channel. If you want best bang for the buck with your 2.8, get a abit IS7-G. If you want max performance and the best OC, get a abit IC7-G Max II or max III.

If you did go the 2800+ way, which will obviously be cheaper, about the price of a 2.4C. DDR333 will be ok RAM for this setup. Preferably crucial DDR333, hyperX DDR333 or mushkin DDR333. Mobo for this setup would have to be either a abit NF7-S or an asus A7N8X deluxe. Either will give you excellent results, but the NF7-S is just a bit more stable.

HDD is cool. If you want quiet, get seagate. I have a 80gb maxtor SATA drive, its quiet and good performance.

ANother note, get a good HSF for either of the setups. Zalman 7000-Cu is extremely quiet, and when it needs to cool, it COOLS. Its probably the #1 HSF for a P4. If you got the 2800, i would get a vantec aeroflow, or if you intend on OCing a SLK800A-947U with a panasonic panaflow fan.

Another note, even after all this i would tell you to wait. Wait until the end of this year/early 04 because theres alot of stuff coming then. BTX mobos, PCI-X and 64 bit willstart going more mainstream.

 

[Asus]

And prices will drop.
Always a nice idea to get todays technology tomarrow at great prices and have it still be top performers.
Sure technology is always advancing so why wait?
Right now or I guess a few months down the road is sort of a sweet spot, the optimal time.

 

[addy]

omg thx guys lol ! u own lol

one thing for a newb to overclocking (willing to learn) will overclocking or flashing the BIOS be hard to get pro speed from the np
.. im scared of ****ing it up just wonderd if it was possible for a noob like me 2 do it

and one more thing.. about Dual Channel Ram do i buy 2 sticks of 256 to make it run Dual channel? or is there special RAM that is actually already 2 sticks lol im a noob

thx for ya help

 

[Sgt.Igneri]

Read my guide stickied for help on OCing. Yes, there are packs that have 2x256 of matched pairs. You can just get that.

 

[addy]

can guys thx for help, any ideas why dual channeling RAM is faster? and how much faster is it