Upgrading PC.

[slimmx]

I am ready to upgrade my pc. Currently I am running

Athlon xp 1.8
512 ddr 2700 ram
120gb wd hd, 80gb seagate.
Ti 4600 video card.
Audigy gamer.

I want to upgrade my processor, motherboard and ram.
I want to get Athlon64 3.4.
The problem is that I don't know which motherboard to get. I am also not very sure what kind of ram should I get. I am split between dual channel memory and regular ddr. Does dual chanel make a big difference?
Can anyone reccomend anything to me?

[SLICK RICK]

Check out this motherboard.

http://www.asus.com/prog/spec.asp?m=K8V%20SE%20Deluxe&langs=01

SLICK RICK....

[mujahid7ia]

Right now that MSI NEO line is very popular w/ A64s
http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Hardware/Reviews/msi_k8n_neo_pe/
the platinum edition specifically.

[slimmx]

I see that both motherboards are only to 3200 ram. Is that fast enough? or should I go to more or to dual.

[SLICK RICK]

I see that both motherboards are only to 3200 ram. Is that fast enough? or should I go to more or to dual.

What are you wanting to do with this new PC?

SLICK RICK....

[slimmx]

I play a lot of games. I run everything pretty good with my current machine. The only game i wasn't able to run on high was Doom3(duh), but a had a problem with my pc restarting a lot and I figured out that it was ram. I took out 256 and now only have 1 256 left and I think it is time to upgrade.

[SLICK RICK]

This is the ram that I have in my system. I have no problems with it. And it seems to have some pretty good reviews from others as well.

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?description=20-144-603&DEPA=1



SLICK RICK....

[slimmx]

I need a special mb for dual channel right? Does it make a big difference ?

[studtrooper]

I think pretty much all A64 boards are dual channel capable...

[rallynavvie]

I also think any RAM past 3200 right now is for OCers, not for stock PCs. In fact you'll see very few boards state that they support anything greater than PC3200.

[slimmx]

SLICK RICK
Do you have a special mb for dual channel, or all mbs will work fine with it? Also how many ram slots do you have on your pc? I don't understand how could any mb support dual channel when most mbs have 3 slots.

[slimmx]

I found it. 939 supports dual channel, but which processors are supported by 939. Only fx?

Beyond being home to the high performance end of AMD's CPU line-up, one of the most noteworthy additions to Socket 939 over 754 is the advent of Dual-Channel memory capabilities.

[SLICK RICK]

SLICK RICK
Do you have a special mb for dual channel, or all mbs will work fine with it? Also how many ram slots do you have on your pc? I don't understand how could any mb support dual channel when most mbs have 3 slots.

Yes my mb supports dual channel. Here is a link for info on my mb.

http://www.asus.com/prog/spec.asp?m=P4P800-E%20Deluxe&langs=01

SLICK RICK....

[SLICK RICK]

I found it. 939 supports dual channel, but which processors are supported by 939. Only fx?

Beyond being home to the high performance end of AMD's CPU line-up, one of the most noteworthy additions to Socket 939 over 754 is the advent of Dual-Channel memory capabilities.

Here is some info on that mb:

Detailed Specifications
Model A8V Deluxe
CPU Supports 64-bit AMD K8 Athlon 64/Athlon 64 FX Processor (Socket 939)
Chipset VIA K8T800 Pro + VIA VT8237
Front Side Bus HyperTransport 1000/800/600/400/200MHz
Memory 4 x 184-pin DIMM support 200/266/333/400 DDR SDRAM memory
Max capacity: 4 GB
Expansion Slots 1 x AGP 8X
5 x PCI
Storage 2 x ATA 133 IDE connectors supporting up to 4 IDE devices by VT8237
1 x ATA 133 IDE connectors supporting up to 2 IDE devices by Promise 20378 with RAID 0/1
2 x Serial ATA supports RAID 0/1 by VT8237
2 x Serial ATA supports RAID 0/1/0+1 by Promise 20378
Back Panel I/O Connectors 1 x PS/2 Mouse Port
1 x PS/2 Keyboard Port
1 x Parallel Port
1 x Serial Ports
4 x USB 2.0/1.1 Ports
1 x IEEE1394
1 x RJ45
1 x SPDIF out
Audio Ports
Integrated Video N/A
Integrated Audio Realtek ALC850, 8-channel CODEC
Integrated LAN Marvell 88E8001 GbE Gigabit Lan PCI Controller supporting 10/100/1000 BASE-T Ethernet
Integrated 1394 VIA 1394 Controller supports 2 x 1394 ports
Special Features CrashFree BIOS 2
Q-Fan 2
Post Reporter
ASUS JumperFree
CPU, Memory, and AGP voltage adjustable
SFS (Stepless Frequency Selection) from 200MHz up to 300MHz at 1MHz increment
ASUS C.P.R.(CPU Parameter Recall)
ASUS Wi-Fi@Home
ASUS MyLogo2
ASUS Multi-language BIOS
ASUS Instant Music
ASUS EZ Flash
BIOS Feature 4 Mb Flash ROM, AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.3
Form Factor ATX Form Factor
Dimensions 12.0"x 9.6"

SLICK RICK....

[rallynavvie]

Ah, Asus: the PC modders wet-dream

[slimmx]

I decided to go with K8N Neo Platinum.
http://www.msicomputer.com/product/p_spec.asp?model=K8N_Neo_Platinum&class=mb

like mujahid7ia said, it does seem to be very good and popular.

Now I have to figure out the ram.

[slimmx]

I found this memory, seems to be getting great reviews:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-144-305&depa=0

but I dont know is it alright that it is oem.

[rallynavvie]

That memory looks a bit slow. If you intend to game I'd look for some PC3200 with as near 2-2-2 timings as you can get.

[glockjs]

yeah i would go with asus on the mobo. ive always been a fan of corsair ram. their xms is pretty sweet. as far as processor goes you might wanna hold on a little longer.

[slimmx]

It's funny. When I first switched to ddr about 2 years ago, I went online and found the cheapest ram I could find. It works fine even with games, but now there are all these speeds even for ram. What do those nubmers mean. Since some ram is 2.2.2.5 other is 2.5 6-3-3 and just 3.3.3.
Does each number mean something? I would like to know before I make my decision.

Also does ram need tuning in bios?

[slimmx]

K, I chose the processor and motherboard and ram. Now I am looking for cooling. I want to overclock my processor a little so I will need good cooling. Does anyone have any reccomendations?

[mujahid7ia]

If you are going with the MSI, then check for which RAM will work the best, nForce is picky sometimes: http://forum.msi.com.tw/board.php?boardid=28&sid=249c54c86ca9d38cc5b4f24a4f03306a

For cooling, well are you overclocking??

[slimmx]

Damn man. I already ordered everything and its coming tomorrow.

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=20-145-416&depa=0

I hope it works well.

[rallynavvie]

Swiftech heatsink with your choice of fan depending on processor, how much overclocking you want to do, and how much noise you want to deal with.

[slimmx]

I don't know how much I want to overclock it by. Maybe 200mghz.

I ordered

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=35-106-038&depa=0

and some arctic silver 5. I might need some case fans though right?

[rallynavvie]

Whoa, that thing is loud at max speed, and only 27 CFM at that. Must be because of the 3-blade fan? Hopefully it doesn't need to get up to those speeds alot, which it shouldn't if you aren't overclocking it.

[slimmx]

I am putting it together right now. I have 2 hds and a cdrom and a dvdrom.
Whats the best configuration.
Before I had it at
Primary Master - hd with Xp on it
Secondary slave- 2nd hd
secondary master- dvdrom
Secondary slave - cdrom.

Is that a good config?

[slimmx]

I built in and for some reason, the video card doesn't work. Even the fan on it is not spinning. what could it be?

[ViRaL1]

Does it have its own power connection? Also make sure it's seated properly.

[slimmx]

I figured it out. I needed to connect the 4 pin connector to the mb . Does anyone know any good program to test computer speed. I want to know at what speed my ram runs. Cause when it loads it tells me 200mghz and I don't know if thats normal.