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| Thread ID: 78872 | 2007-05-01 02:43:00 | More RAM or better CPU? | ajam (12201) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 545853 | 2007-05-01 02:43:00 | I'm in the processing of putting together components for an upgrade box with a set budget. I've got the choice of either upgrading from 1GB to 2GB of ram or from an Intel Pentium D Dual-Core 935 CPU, 3.2GHz, 800MHz FSB to an Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 CPU, 1.86GHz, 1066MHz FSB. What would be the better option? Will continue to use Windows XP. Thinking Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 Motherboard and Sapphire X1650 Pro Video Card, Radeon X1650 Pro, 512MB, DDR2, PCIe-16 |
ajam (12201) | ||
| 545854 | 2007-05-01 03:02:00 | The first thing I look at is the graphics card for gaming,then the cpu,then the ram. If you cant upgrade the graphics card then I would upgrade the cpu.:) The ram can be upgraded easy later on. |
memphis (2869) | ||
| 545855 | 2007-05-01 03:08:00 | Whats the PC going to used for mainly? Also what screen are you using? One thing I've noticed since upgrading to an LCD is that you can't just drop the resolution to get better FPS like you use to on CRTs. LCD's look best at their native resolution. The reason i mentioned this is it put more emphasis on video card selection, as you need to ensure it can handle your screen size. The X1650 isn't that great and should probably be avoided, post back your entire budget with a clear list of the hardware you already have and we can make some better recommendations! |
Pete O'Neil (6584) | ||
| 545856 | 2007-05-01 03:39:00 | Thanks for that... Here are the specs I'm considering. Budget is around the $1400. Already have a 17" CMV 1280 x 1024. For a teenager who likes to play games do video editing and animations, listen to music and of course homework. Thermaltake Matrix VX ATX Mid Tower Case, 430W PSU, Side Window, Silver - $207.21 Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 Motherboard, Socket 775, 1066MHz FSB, 0xDIMM, DDR, 4xDIMM, DDR2, 2xPCIe-16, 4xPCI, 1xPCIe-1, 3xUSB2, Audio, RAID, ATX - $218.85 Intel Pentium D Dual-Core 935 CPU, 3.2GHz, 800MHz FSB, Socket 775, 32/64-Bit, Retail pack with fan, EM64T - $180.73 Kingston ValueRAM 1GB DDR2-800 Non-ECC Module CL5 - $129.04 Seagate SV35 ST3320620SV Hard Disk Drive, 320GB, 7200rpm, 16384KB Cache, SATA-2 - $165.26 Pioneer 112D DVD Writer, DVD 16R/18W/8RW, CD 40R/40W/32RW, Internal,IDE, Black, OEM, Nero 6 - $89.98 Sapphire X1650 Pro Video Card, Radeon X1650 Pro, 512MB, DDR2, PCIe-16, TV out, DVI, HDTV - $206.13 Microsoft Windows XP Home with SP2, for x86 (32-bit) systems, OEM - $156.36 |
ajam (12201) | ||
| 545857 | 2007-05-01 04:42:00 | Consider downgrading the case, it might be pretty but but thats about all. Buy a case without a PSU and then buy a quality Enermex or Silverstone unit that suits the overall system. The C2D E4300 is only $20 more expensive than the 935 and is a far better CPU, if the budget allows this would be a better choice. Kingston make great memory but it can be a tad expensive, shop around and see if you can get a better deal on a different brand. The harddrive and optical drive are overpriced, 320gb's are going for around $135 and you can get a Lite-On or Asus DVD-RW for around $50 and both brands are quality. Ditch the X1650 and consider either a 7900GS or a 8600GTS, both offer about the same level of performance but the 8600GTS supports DX10. The 8600GTS didn't get rave reviews when it was release but it suits your budget and offer solid performance. |
Pete O'Neil (6584) | ||
| 545858 | 2007-05-01 06:49:00 | I'd go for the C2D E6300 1.86GHz definitely. If you have the money, try upgrading your X1650 Pro to a 7900GS. They're very cheap these days - $240 or something. | qazwsxokmijn (102) | ||
| 545859 | 2007-05-01 07:01:00 | I'd go for the C2D E6300 1.86GHz definitely. If you have the money, try upgrading your X1650 Pro to a 7900GS. They're very cheap these days - $240 or something. The problem with the E6300 is that with a budget of $1400 it eats up a pretty solid chunk of coin. The $100ish you save for downgrading to the E4300 can definitely be used elsewhere where it will actually be noticed e.g RAM or video card. |
Pete O'Neil (6584) | ||
| 545860 | 2007-05-02 23:14:00 | So do you think Transcend JetRam is ok... it's pretty cheap. Is there going to be much difference between the 667 and 800? I've not considered buying a case without a power supply but the Enermax and Silverstones are quite expensive. What's the advantage of buying a better quality PSU... are they just quieter? I'll definitely ditch the X1650 for the 8600. Thanks for that warning... is there much dif between the GT and GTS (besides price!) Really appreciate your comments... |
ajam (12201) | ||
| 545861 | 2007-05-02 23:49:00 | You could also consider AMD X2 processors dual core CPU's in order of performance at the same clock speed from lowest to highest goes like this: Intel pentium D dual core - really not noticeably faster than single core AMD X2 - very good performance Intel core 2 duo - current best performance (not counting quad core too expensive) Although AMD X2 & Core 2 Duo at the same price perform similarly so an intel may be the way to go due to lower power comsumption and less heat. although 1G of RAM is plenty for most things some games need 2G to preventing occasional 'stuttering' as the game is forced to load more data as you move around. Q4 & Doom3 for example won't play smoothly on any system with less than 1.5G of RAM even though you may get high framerates Currently CPU is not the main consideraton with games as any reasonably fast CPU will do but Graphics cards & RAM need to be adequate. Quantity of RAM is more important than speed for the most part. My recommendation for a gaming machine on a budget would be: 1. best video card you can afford 2. 2G of the fastest RAM you can manage, or drop to 1G only if you have to 3. any single core CPU over 3G / 3000+ or core 2 duo over 1.6 or X2 over 3800+ in that order of importance |
dugimodo (138) | ||
| 545862 | 2007-05-03 04:16:00 | As dugimodo suggested it might be a good idea to consider a AMD based system, they offer a fantastic price/performance ration especially if you dont plan to overclock. To keep cost down you could consider a mATX board based on the nForce 430 chipset with integrated 6100 graphics, these can be had for less than $150 and are a very stable platform to build with. Also dont worry about the onboard graphics they can be disabled ;) Definitely get the slower RAM (DDR667 as opposed to DDR800) you wont notice the difference and there nothing wrong with Transcend, i nearly brought some of their DDR500 a few years back. The only difference between the GT and GTS is clock speed of the memory and GPU, both have the same number of steam processors so the performance difference isn't that great. A quality PSU isn't that expensive, theres a 400w Silverstone unit that retails for around $80, otherwise AcBel and Silverstone both do a 500w unit for around $150. Better quality PSU's are much less likely to die and kill all your new components along with providing a cleaner and more stable power supply and to top it off the actually provide more power than the cheaper equivalently rated units. Personally i would never use a generic PSU again, but in saying that the PSU in the Thermaltake case shouldn't be too bad. Ive got a 420w Pure Power in my file server at home, it died once and was replaced about 2 years ago since then its been going strong. If you were to use the Thermaltake unit you wouldn't want to add too much more hardware. The Thermaltake unit could be a good option with your limited budget. |
Pete O'Neil (6584) | ||
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