Advice on new system

[Peter H]

Hi Guys

i am currently looking at upgrading my system and have been looking at the following

MSI K8TM-ILSR motherboard
AMD Athlon64 (754 pin) 2800+ CPU
512Mb Ram
128mb 5200 video CARD

i am on a real budget here so this is the best system that i can afford.

compared to my current setup will i notice a difference in performance?

What are AMD like. i havent had a AMD system before. someone told me they arent as stable as the P4?

thanks for your help.

[lumis]

sounds like a pretty solid system.. unless you're a gaming freak.. you might consider bumping the ram to 1GB.

as far as intel vs amd stability, i dont think there is a difference.. i believe amd cpu's run a bit hotter than intel cpu's, but if you get a decent fan it shouldnt be an issue.

although it may not be a powerhouse system, and it does have a 2.4ghz celeron, dell is offering an outstanding deal on a complete system.

http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/compare.aspx/desktops?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

intel celeron @ 2.4ghz (400mhz fsb)
256mb ddr (400mhz), i'd bump it to atleast 512mb
80gb hdd, 48x cd burner, no floppy
keyboard, mouse, speakers
17'' CRT
xp home
and a printer (no usb cable)

you can get an extra 256mb of ddrram from newegg for $20.. and a usb cable is like $10 from wal-mart.

[Peter H]

Thanks for the reply.

Thats good to hear. i will be playing a few games but i wouldnt call me a freak. i will get more ram later.

As said i am on a very tight budget and can get all of the gear i listed for AU$370.

i will take all the rest from my existing rig.

[redwudz]

Don't think you will have many heat issues with AMD 64s. I prefer the 939 models of CPU, but you are on a budget. Memory should be sufficient, and as you said, you can upgrade later. It would be nice to bump up the CPU specs, but it should be faster than your old box without breaking a sweat. Two HDs would help, if you don't have them already.

[Peter H]

I might be able to stretch the budget and get the 3000+ CPU but that would be as far as i go.

i just bought a 160gig HDD which i will be using for the moment. i might invest in a second HDD later as well.

with the video card is the Nvidia the better ooption or should i go with ATI Radeon or are the about the same in the entry level range.

[redwudz]

Just my opinion, but the performance of either the Nvidia or the ATI chipset cards seems about the same in that price range. I find the ATI cards a little easier to configure, but the Nvidia cards have a few more adjustments. I use a Sapphire 9550 ATI chipset card in one computer and a MSI FX5200 Nvidia chipset in another and outside of setup options they seem to perform about the same.

[Soopafresh]

The AMD 64 is a great chip. Your new system will be much faster than the one you currently have. The chip runs VERY cool, so heating isn't really an issue - even the stock CPU heatsink is quite good.

Make sure you have at least a 350W power supply.

If you can afford a few extra $ for the 3000, get that one. You won't regret it.


Dunno if the MSI mobo has an NVIDIA chipset. Hopefully, it does.

[Peter H]

Hi Guys

I ended up getting the following-

Asus Mother board
AMD Athlon 64 2800+
512mb ram
MSI Radeon 9250 128mb video card.

Everything is up and running after a little bit of trouble getting windows to recognise the 160gig HDD.

My only problem now is that when i try to install the drivers for my leadtek tv2000xp delux capture card an error comes up.

does anyone know of any problem with it and like service pack 2 or something.

I have downloaded the current drivers and will be trying them tonight.

[redwudz]

Don't know if this is your problem, but this website has some info. Look around there for more. They seem to be well informed: http://www.tv-cards.com/messageboard/viewtopic.php?t=2808

EDIT: Other than that, looks like a nice system. Good Luck.

[Peter H]

Thanks for the link

I downloaded a patch that was listed.

Im hoping that will fix it.

[Peter H]

Just want to say thanks Redwudz for the link.

Ever since i got my capture card i have had troubles with it.

I returned it once and got another and it still had the same problems that they describe on the forum you gave a link to.

i though i would have to chuck it and get another but since reading it and downloading a patch that they talked about it is fixed and working again.

Thanks again

[redwudz]

You are welcome.