Upgrading PC - Need advice and estimation.

unc0nscious · 06-29-2008, 04:41 AM

I wasn't too sure where to post this -but considering I'm updating in order to play games, I figured I'd post it here.

I've got quite old machine...

Motherboard: Asus P4C800
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 (3 GHz)
Video Card: X1650 Sapphire (512 MB)
RAM: PC3200U DDR200
Audio: Creative Labs SB0240 Audigy 2 Platinum 6.1

I want to update to a motherboard that allows 3 way SLI, and get one or two 9800s in SLI. I also want to be able to have surround sound - and a decent quad core PC.

I'm looking for a 3GHz (or higher) quad Core.

Anyone know of anything I can add to my machine to make it better? I'm aware I need to go PCI-E, so that involves throwing away the motherboard and the CPU, and probably the RAM too.

Any tips would be lovely.

**manic** · 06-29-2008, 06:33 AM

A rock solid power supply. Not a cheapy, I would be looking for
a 700watt plus. Corsair, ocz, antec, there are others. You didnt list
the power supply you are running now, it may be ok, post specs..

unc0nscious · 06-29-2008, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by manic

A rock solid power supply. Not a cheapy, I would be looking for
a 700watt plus. Corsair, ocz, antec, there are others. You didnt list
the power supply you are running now, it may be ok, post specs..

I've got Belarc Advisor, and Sandra-Lite. Is there any way to tell my current power supply using these tools? It's a pain to have to open up the case.

**Mcninjaguy** · 06-29-2008, 09:24 PM

I'd go for a 1000 watt or higher PSU if you want 3 way SLI

lazareth1 · 06-29-2008, 11:39 PM

Before you go with the 9800gtx take a look at the new 200 series from nvidia. the GTX260 is twice as fast as the 9800GTX in high resolution gaming and its only a little bit dearer.

unc0nscious · 06-30-2008, 05:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lazareth1

Before you go with the 9800gtx take a look at the new 200 series from nvidia. the GTX260 is twice as fast as the 9800GTX in high resolution gaming and its only a little bit dearer.

Ah! Cheers for that. I'll bare that in mind.

Does anyone know of a motherboard that supports 3 way (or 2 way) SLI?

Does the GTX260 support SLI?

**manic** · 06-30-2008, 09:04 AM

From what ive read it does not support sli yet, but the drivers are
being written for it, it will happen very soon if not now. Go to
toms hardware and read the review of both of the new cards. Im not
to impressed with them for that kind of money. Your money may be
better spent on a 9800gx2, imho...

**Mcninjaguy** · 06-30-2008, 05:58 PM

the 780i series motherboards supports 3 way sli
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&sa...boards&spell=1

**Mcninjaguy** · 06-30-2008, 05:59 PM

I also agree with manic the 9800gx2 is faster than the 280
correct me if I'm wrong

unc0nscious · 06-30-2008, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mcninjaguy

I also agree with manic the 9800gx2 is faster than the 280
correct me if I'm wrong

Does the 9800GX2 require one PCI-E slot, or two?

Quote:

the 780i series motherboards supports 3 way sli
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&sa...boards&spell=1

Thank you very much. I'll keep that in mind. I'll assuming it's purchasable from sites such as NewEgg?

EDIT:
Yes, they are sold there - two PCI-E2 slots, and one PCI-E 16x slots - I guess that means it supports 3 way SLI, right?

I'm now looking for a 3GHz LGA 775 Quad Core - are there any available?

Budget is not an issue - I will be earning soon, and I'll be raking in about £800 a month, if all goes well.

patriothntr · 06-30-2008, 08:09 PM

The 9800gx2 requires only one slot...but it does need to have SLI enabled to use both cores, games that do not enable it as well will have better performance with the gtx series cards. It is possible to put two 9800gx2 in for quad SLI, but if you read the writeup at Toms hardware about their $4000 build, they find the drivers are lacking for it.

To get a 3ghz stock chip, you need to look at intel's extreme lineup...or you could take a q9450 and plan to OC it to 3.2ghz or so.

If you give a budget, I can probably get a fairly complete list together for you...though I won't have exact prices...as I'll be sourcing from US sites and converting to pounds.

**manic** · 06-30-2008, 08:23 PM

You can pack three of these cards on one board. That would be like
6 gpu's, because there are 2 gpu's per card. On a sli ready
board. It uses one pci-e slot, but will cover the one underneath it.
Not sure if you could really get all of the potential out of 3 cards that
way, but if nvidia ever works the bugs out it would have to be a
screamer. And there would be no need for a heater in the winter time,

patriothntr · 06-30-2008, 08:26 PM

Right now the 3 way SLI works better than 4 way...so think about lookin at the 8800gtx cards if for some reason you want to blow that much cash...

unc0nscious · 06-30-2008, 09:48 PM

My budget will be around £1600 ($2200) to custom build. I will reuse as many components from my current PC as possible - hopefully including my 5:1 surround sound card.
I am aware I will need new:
Cooling - I was thinking watercooling, as it is the most effective.
Motherboard - Already decided on it. NForce 780i for £125
RAM - DDR2 800 MHz is the requirement. I was thinking two gigs to start with.
Graphics - 9800 or better, I might start with one card, and then update to two at a later date.
CPU - Undecided. Needs to be LGA775, and I'd like to get my hands on a 3 GHz Quad Core.
Power Supply - 1000Watts, probably, is the best option.

I'm looking for the best I can. Budget won't be an issue - it just means it'll be a little longer before I can afford my PC. I want to have something to aim for, first, before I worry about how long it'll take to earn the money. I could always make sacrifices - EG, 8800GTX, instead of 9800, as long as the PC has update potential (High enough power supply, decent amount of RAM slots, PCIE graphics slots, etcetera).

lazareth1 · 07-01-2008, 01:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by manic

You can pack three of these cards on one board. That would be like
6 gpu's, because there are 2 gpu's per card. On a sli ready
board. It uses one pci-e slot, but will cover the one underneath it.
Not sure if you could really get all of the potential out of 3 cards that
way, but if nvidia ever works the bugs out it would have to be a
screamer. And there would be no need for a heater in the winter time,

The 9800GTX can only have 2 cards in SLI so only max of 4 cores.

I know the HTX280 is a POS compared to the 9800GTX and the money there asking for it, but read toms hardware review again and the GTX260 is definetly the better choice for your money. Hence why i got one

So I would say go with 260 instead of 9800GTX BUT if you want more power (bout 15-20%) then go for 9800GX2.

**manic** · 07-01-2008, 03:18 AM

The qx9450 2.66ghz is a good choice. For the money. Should ramp
up to 3.ghz no problem..

unc0nscious · 07-01-2008, 04:51 AM

Quote:

The 9 is a POS compared to the 9800GTX and the money there asking for it, but r800GTX can only have 2 cards in SLI so only max of 4 cores.

I know the HTX280ead toms hardware review again and the GTX260 is definetly the better choice for your money. Hence why i got one

So I would say go with 260 instead of 9800GTX BUT if you want more power (bout 15-20%) then go for 9800GX2.

I'm hoping to use it as my gaming rig - so does that mean I should go for the 9800GX2, as it gives off more power?

lazareth1 · 07-01-2008, 05:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unc0nscious

I'm hoping to use it as my gaming rig - so does that mean I should go for the 9800GX2, as it gives off more power?

Well yeah you get that much performance. Defenitly get it over the new 280. The 280 might improve with new drivers but shouldn't be that much. Bear in mind that the 9800GX2 is a dual card so it uses more power.

9800GX2 = Best performer out there. Uses SLI so games have to be optimised to take advantage of it with drivers. (which almost all are anyway. Only 1 game on tom's hardware review didn't like the 9800GX2 SLI)

GTX260 = Best value for m

06-29-2008, 04:41 AM	#1 (permalink)
unc0nscious Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 11 OS: XP SP2	Upgrading PC - Need advice and estimation. I wasn't too sure where to post this -but considering I'm updating in order to play games, I figured I'd post it here. I've got quite old machine... Motherboard: Asus P4C800 CPU: Intel Pentium 4 (3 GHz) Video Card: X1650 Sapphire (512 MB) RAM: PC3200U DDR200 Audio: Creative Labs SB0240 Audigy 2 Platinum 6.1 I want to update to a motherboard that allows 3 way SLI, and get one or two 9800s in SLI. I also want to be able to have surround sound - and a decent quad core PC. I'm looking for a 3GHz (or higher) quad Core. Anyone know of anything I can add to my machine to make it better? I'm aware I need to go PCI-E, so that involves throwing away the motherboard and the CPU, and probably the RAM too. Any tips would be lovely.

06-29-2008, 06:33 AM	#2 (permalink)
manic Mentor Hardware Team Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Florida Posts: 3,225 OS: xp	Re: Upgrading PC - Need advice and estimation. A rock solid power supply. Not a cheapy, I would be looking for a 700watt plus. Corsair, ocz, antec, there are others. You didnt list the power supply you are running now, it may be ok, post specs.. __________________

06-29-2008, 09:24 PM	#4 (permalink)
Mcninjaguy TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Ontario Posts: 740 OS: Vista Home Premium 64bit SP1, Ubuntu 64bit My System	Re: Upgrading PC - Need advice and estimation. I'd go for a 1000 watt or higher PSU if you want 3 way SLI __________________ ------------------------------------------ Whoever said the pen is mightier, has never encountered automatic weapons

06-29-2008, 11:39 PM	#5 (permalink)
lazareth1 Tech Hardware Team Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Hong Kong, previously Fife in Bonnie Scotland Posts: 1,060 OS: Vista SP1, Ultimate My System	Re: Upgrading PC - Need advice and estimation. Before you go with the 9800gtx take a look at the new 200 series from nvidia. the GTX260 is twice as fast as the 9800GTX in high resolution gaming and its only a little bit dearer. __________________ "Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted" JAFFA KREE!! Peace Through Power!!

06-30-2008, 09:04 AM	#7 (permalink)
manic Mentor Hardware Team Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Florida Posts: 3,225 OS: xp	Re: Upgrading PC - Need advice and estimation. From what ive read it does not support sli yet, but the drivers are being written for it, it will happen very soon if not now. Go to toms hardware and read the review of both of the new cards. Im not to impressed with them for that kind of money. Your money may be better spent on a 9800gx2, imho... __________________

06-30-2008, 05:58 PM	#8 (permalink)
Mcninjaguy TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Ontario Posts: 740 OS: Vista Home Premium 64bit SP1, Ubuntu 64bit My System	Re: Upgrading PC - Need advice and estimation. the 780i series motherboards supports 3 way sli http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&sa...boards&spell=1 __________________ ------------------------------------------ Whoever said the pen is mightier, has never encountered automatic weapons

06-30-2008, 05:59 PM	#9 (permalink)
Mcninjaguy TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Ontario Posts: 740 OS: Vista Home Premium 64bit SP1, Ubuntu 64bit My System	Re: Upgrading PC - Need advice and estimation. I also agree with manic the 9800gx2 is faster than the 280 correct me if I'm wrong __________________ ------------------------------------------ Whoever said the pen is mightier, has never encountered automatic weapons

06-30-2008, 08:09 PM	#11 (permalink)
patriothntr Registered User Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 321 OS: XPsp3, PCLOS, other	Re: Upgrading PC - Need advice and estimation. The 9800gx2 requires only one slot...but it does need to have SLI enabled to use both cores, games that do not enable it as well will have better performance with the gtx series cards. It is possible to put two 9800gx2 in for quad SLI, but if you read the writeup at Toms hardware about their $4000 build, they find the drivers are lacking for it. To get a 3ghz stock chip, you need to look at intel's extreme lineup...or you could take a q9450 and plan to OC it to 3.2ghz or so. If you give a budget, I can probably get a fairly complete list together for you...though I won't have exact prices...as I'll be sourcing from US sites and converting to pounds.

06-30-2008, 08:23 PM	#12 (permalink)
manic Mentor Hardware Team Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Florida Posts: 3,225 OS: xp	Re: Upgrading PC - Need advice and estimation. You can pack three of these cards on one board. That would be like 6 gpu's, because there are 2 gpu's per card. On a sli ready board. It uses one pci-e slot, but will cover the one underneath it. Not sure if you could really get all of the potential out of 3 cards that way, but if nvidia ever works the bugs out it would have to be a screamer. And there would be no need for a heater in the winter time, __________________

06-30-2008, 08:26 PM	#13 (permalink)
patriothntr Registered User Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 321 OS: XPsp3, PCLOS, other	Re: Upgrading PC - Need advice and estimation. Right now the 3 way SLI works better than 4 way...so think about lookin at the 8800gtx cards if for some reason you want to blow that much cash...

06-30-2008, 09:48 PM	#14 (permalink)
unc0nscious Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 11 OS: XP SP2	Re: Upgrading PC - Need advice and estimation. My budget will be around £1600 ($2200) to custom build. I will reuse as many components from my current PC as possible - hopefully including my 5:1 surround sound card. I am aware I will need new: Cooling - I was thinking watercooling, as it is the most effective. Motherboard - Already decided on it. NForce 780i for £125 RAM - DDR2 800 MHz is the requirement. I was thinking two gigs to start with. Graphics - 9800 or better, I might start with one card, and then update to two at a later date. CPU - Undecided. Needs to be LGA775, and I'd like to get my hands on a 3 GHz Quad Core. Power Supply - 1000Watts, probably, is the best option. I'm looking for the best I can. Budget won't be an issue - it just means it'll be a little longer before I can afford my PC. I want to have something to aim for, first, before I worry about how long it'll take to earn the money. I could always make sacrifices - EG, 8800GTX, instead of 9800, as long as the PC has update potential (High enough power supply, decent amount of RAM slots, PCIE graphics slots, etcetera). Last edited by unc0nscious : 06-30-2008 at 09:50 PM.

07-01-2008, 03:18 AM	#16 (permalink)
manic Mentor Hardware Team Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Florida Posts: 3,225 OS: xp	Re: Upgrading PC - Need advice and estimation. The qx9450 2.66ghz is a good choice. For the money. Should ramp up to 3.ghz no problem.. __________________