Would like opinions on choosing new hardware

Mordacain

Here's the basic crux of things. I picked up a PentiumD805 a couple of months ago, wishing to switch over to dual-core as cheaply as possible. This was right before Conroe hit and processor prices dropped through the floor.

Now, the PD805 has not been a great choice for me. My main computer is used chiefly for gaming and saldy, even when overclocked to 3.7, this rig lags behind my old Socket 754 3000+ rig in the bulk majority of games I play. Even WoW ran a good 15 FPS slower than it did. The only game that's received a noticeable boost was FEAR. Quake 4 actually ran slower which is odd, since I thought it was optomized for Dual-Core procs.

Anyway, here's my dilemma, this Biostar motherboard was an open-box special from Newegg, so I'm not sure if it's just this board or the series, but it has grown highly unstable. I hate this rig to be honest....it's unstable, the mosfets are noisy as all get out (can hear crunching whenever I open a new webpage) and I worry the power regulation may go out of whack soon (though onboard diagnostics say voltage is fine).

With all that in mind, I've been drooling over this combo:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813136165
&
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103626

I can't resist a good overclocking configuration, and I love the DFI boards, good options and good looks (as long as you can make them stable). Also, I already have a rock solid, very fast set of corsair XMS PC3200 that runs at 2-2-2-5 (2x 1G sticks). Crossfire is a must, since grabbing another x1900XT will provide far more gaming bang for buck than an upgraded processor (and sadly cost less too it seems).

Going with the old tech should provide pretty rocking performance for the next year or so and will also be a pretty fun overclocking project. Though this rig obviously has no future upgradeability, I'm not too concerned since I usually upgrade a rig totally when I do upgrade.

I just did a quick search on newegg and found a comparable Abit 975X motherboard, but factoring in 2 gigs of DDR2 800 and an E6300, my total comes to $510.

Between the two, performance should be roughly equivalent. Guess what it boils down to with me is $510 vs $340. So, what are your thoughts everyone?
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sickofsoyo · Posted: Sun Sep 03, 2006 9:03 am Post subject:

I would get the 6300, they overclock well and can get to 6600+ in speed...
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Xal · Posted: Sun Sep 03, 2006 9:39 am Post subject:

Get a good board for your d805 before you spend a load of cash on another CPU/Mobo combo. You are using a shody make of mobo and its old gen on top of that.

Get a good baord with conroe support and use your D805 for a while. OC the sucker to hell and if performance is still lacking then fork out for a conroe.

This is what I want to get once I have work and a cashflow again. (just moved country)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128323
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Mordacain · Posted: Sun Sep 03, 2006 10:10 am Post subject:

The only problem with overclocking the D805 is the insane voltage required. That and my memory is crippling me on certain games.

One of the shining points of using the older gen DFI board is being able to fully tap the potential of my good DDR ram. in Fact, the DFI can run 4x1Gb at 1T timings! That's insane! Previous benchmarks have born out that for gaming applications, tighter timings provide more bang than bandwidth. Now I realize DDR2 -800 is on keel gaming performance wise, but I can't afford a comparative upgrade for that.

Back on the conroe thing, this is the cheapest decent board I could find:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813127235

The main problem with this board though is both PCI-E slots are blocked...unless I watercool my vidcard(s) and chop the bracket in half.

Therein lies the problem....The DFI board fits all other specifications I have with my current rig. Layout, ram, etc. Based on all of my results (I keep very accurate XLS spreads of my overclcocking ventures) I would have to clock the 805 up to around 3.9 to even hit an even keel with the comparative AMD set at stock. Based on my research, I should be able to hit 3.1 or higher with some creative overclocking on the AMD (and still retain 1T timings).

On an unrelated note, DFI board just looks cooler

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Mordacain · Posted: Sun Sep 03, 2006 1:54 pm Post subject:

Well I think I can live that board....guess I'll google it and see how it overclcocks. There's just not much in the way of enthusiast boards for the Intel platform right now...

Oh well, any other suggestions guys?
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Where are all the stupid people from and how'd they get to be so dumb? - NOFX, "The Decline"

Xal · Posted: Sun Sep 03, 2006 3:29 pm Post subject:

The board I posted may be expensive but its the latest intel chipset and has great features. It supports both the conroe and the d805 so you can save some $$ and get a conroe later when the price comes down. I also really like the heatpipe tech on the gigabyte board. The OCing on gigabyte boards is usually good.

just my 2c
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Mordacain · Posted: Sun Sep 03, 2006 8:09 pm Post subject:

It certainly looks to be a very nice board. I really li ke the potential for overclocking based on the PWM design.

It falls short for my needs...no Xfire support. Found this review that was pretty helpful, explained a good number of the differnces between the 965 and 975x chipsets that I had never bothered to look at before.

http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/gigabyte_ga-965p-dq6_review/
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Xal · Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 1:47 am Post subject:

crossfire and SLI are overrated and a dying breed. With dual GPU graphics cards comming out you don't need them. Both are buggy and both only offer marginal performance increases unless you buy expensive cards. Your money would be better spent on getting 1 good card. No games today need more than an X1950XT or a 7950XT and by the time a game does we will be well into the era of DX10.

Just a tip

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fussnfeathers · Lord of the Tweak Joined: 14 Dec 2004 Posts: 2763

I agree there. With most games, SLI or CrossFire will only give you a 15% max boost, which, IMO, doesn't justify the cost of two vid cards. Adding another X1900XT isn't really going to fix your problem, and you're just tossing money down the crapper.

I would look into replacing the mobo with a good, high quality model, and running as-is. If you're really only looking to get a year out of the rig, then upgrade again to a faster proc and DX10 compatible hardware, don't waste the money on a vid card..........once Vista hits, you won't be able to get a tarnished nickel for your vid cards (if you decided to sell).

Sounds to me more like your mobo is bottlenecking you, not the proc or vid cards. Start there, and see how it goes.
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Xal · Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 3:23 am Post subject:

Agreed, never underestimate the importance of a good mobo and chipset. I ran my old P4 2.4 on a shoddy SIS mobo and it was slow as hell, then I bought an ASUS with and 845 chipset (with plans of upgrading the CPU later) and was amazed at the difference in performance, that added to the MASSIVE OC I got out of the sucker kept my system up to speed with all but the fastest CPUs available.
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Phenom II x4 955 @ Stock
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4gb Corsair XMS2 DDR2 667 @ 800
1gb Powercolor Radeon HD 5850 @ Stock
X-fi Extreme Audio PCI E
Nexus 600W Silent PSU
Nexus Fans
Custom case

Mordacain · Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 8:58 am Post subject:

Well, I agree with both of you on some parts. However, I probably did not stress the fact I will be using a dual display of 2 20" inch monitors for this rig.

This is really the only area that SLi and Crossfire excel in is the High Definition gaming arena. Not to mention that both companies are moving towards the goal of using graphics cards as physics processors in the coming era.

Based on previous generations though, I think just grabbing an additional x1900 will be more cost effective than outlaying for a new DX10 flagship card off the bat. Especially in light of the recent price cuts ATI has been making to their line.

This is all really a moot point until the cards are actually released, but one of the reasons I went with the x1900xt in the first place was it seemed a more forward thinking card. DX10 is placing a much larger emphasis on shaders, which the x1900XT is already equipped for.

We shall see. From an upgrade point of view, you are both absolutely correct and I should probably be looking for the platform where I will have to upgrade the least in the future.

I did some checking I think I am going to wait for this one:

http://www.abit-usa.com/products/mb/products.php?categories=1&model=326

I've always had good luck with Abit in the past, and have achieved my best overclcocks on those boards. Beside, this thing just looks burly!!
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Xal · Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 9:43 am Post subject:

Looks like a nice board but bare in mind that the 965 is actually the newer chipset and as a result better suited to the conroes

It is kinda burly tho.....

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Mordacain · Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 9:48 am Post subject:

Yeah, I researched that as well. This one is just a bit more suited for my needs. Plus, the Abit uGuru front panel makes overclocking a bit easier all around

-It moves a Bios rest jumper to the panel, also displays all the critical system information. Very useful for overclocking.

But mainly it just looks burly.

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Where are all the stupid people from and how'd they get to be so dumb? - NOFX, "The Decline"

ToggleHead · TWEAKGURU Joined: 03 Mar 2004 Posts: 4360 Location: Jersey

strange layout for an ATX....that a breakout plug for all the audio stuff to go in front panel?
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Mordacain · Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 4:19 pm Post subject:

Possibly, but I only saw the board from that one angle, so I'm not sure. There are a ton of heatsinks on the board though.
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