Herbert
Aug 18 2007, 03:00 AM
I'm looking into upgrading my motherboard and graphics card, but am not sure of the brands out there or what to look for. I'm a regular gamer, so I want something that will handle the upcoming games (Bioshock, Alan Wake, and the like). I currently have a 2.4 ghz Pentium 4, with an ATI Radeon x800 pro (256 meg). It's playing Half-Life 2 well enough, but some of the newer games are lagging, and it annoys me I was looking into getting AMD Athlon 64 X2, with a GeForce video card. I had a GeForce 4 Ti4200 and it aged very well (It could still play Doom III, despite its age). I was having problems with it overheating, though. The fan started making noise and eventually stopped one day. By the time I realized that my computer was 50% quieter, it had pretty much heated up over 200 degrees (F) and decided to go try the ATI Radeon card. Also, when looking for a motherboard, what would you all recommend for brand. I have no idea which brands out there are any good.. The last mobo I bought (which I think might have been a ECS) sucked something terrible. I had to send it back because it kept blue-screening Windows ( I later found out it was partially the CPU's fault). So here's basically my questions: For gaming purposes..... ATI or nVidia? AMD or Intel? Amount of ram? *(would 2 gigs be enough nowadays?)* Opinions? I have about $800 to spend just for those two parts, so money's not really a problem. I'm trying not to spend a crazy amount of money, because I don't have as much time to play games as I used to, but I also want something that will be good for at least a couple more years... I'm thinking $300-350 for a graphics card, and $250 or so for a mobo and cpu. Possibilities I've been looking at: http://www.smksuperstore.com/763/Catalog/C...Socket_AM2).htm^Motherboards ? I have no idea which brand to go with. Graphics cards? I'm leaning towards the nVidias... anyone have experiences to share? http://www.smksuperstore.com/665/Catalog/P...Video_Cards.htmCurrent rig: 2.4 ghz P4 1 gig ddr ram 160 gig hd Soundblaster 24bit internal soundcard 600 watt power supply
Reply
xboxrulz
Aug 18 2007, 03:49 AM
I would get an AMD Athlon X2 4000+ and pack it with an ATI Radeon X2600 (w/ 256MB). This would be the true AMD machine ... lol. xboxrulz
Reply
faulty.lee
Aug 18 2007, 04:42 AM
I would recommend a X2 5200+ and above, since it has a cache of 1MB x2, anything lower is 512K x2. ECS is mid tier manufacturer. If you want better one, you can try ASUS, Abit, MSI and Gigabyte
Reply
Herbert
Aug 18 2007, 05:14 AM
Thanks for the tips so far guys.
Reply
xboxrulz
Aug 18 2007, 06:11 AM
I don't really recommend 5200+ since it's going to be expensive as they're not produced as much as the other boards and they have a higher electricity consumption. If money isn't a problem, go crazy with a Radeon X2900XT (w/ 512MB GDDR3). xboxrulz
Reply
Grafitti
Aug 19 2007, 05:25 AM
Far as I know, the corporate partnerships are AMD+ATI and INTEL+NVIDIA, so you buy ones that combine well, and you might get a bit better performance. For motherboards, I like MSI, ASUS, or GIGABYTE. Haven't much liked Intel ones, and never tried ECS. 2 GB is well enough for almost everything. But if you're buying for the future, why not get a motherboard that has 4 memory slots. So you put in 2x1GB chips now, and if you want to upgrade later, just pop in a couple more.
Reply
Herbert
Aug 20 2007, 07:26 AM
Well, here are the specs I decided on going with so far: Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 (3 ghz) $364.99 ECS e-GeForce 8800GTS 320MB $299 - ($20 mail in rebate) 2x1 gig Kingston PC2-4200 533mhz ddr2 $88 for 2 sticks ($44 each at Circuit City) CoolIT Eliminator Thermoelectric CPU Cooler $164.99 Total (Not including shipping and tax): ~$917 I have a Soundblaster 24 bit Live card, hard drive, 550 watt power supply (not 600 like I thought), Logitech optical mouse, eMachines keyboard (that's been like new since 1998!), and dvd/cd-r/cd-rw burner, so I don't need to buy any of that stuff. Hopefully now I won't have to upgrade ever again, hahaha, right
Reply
xboxrulz
Aug 20 2007, 06:16 PM
You'll eventually have to. Like my desktop lasted 5/6 years, and it's due for an upgrade, which I haven't yet. The reason I need the upgrade is that it still runs AGP 4X and doesn't even have AGP 8X capability. xboxrulz
Reply
Chesso
Aug 22 2007, 12:35 AM
I think Asus and Asrock are also very good brands, though I have had some beef with MSI graphics cards and motherboards. Never a complaint so far about Asus or Asrock though  .
Reply
xboxrulz
Aug 22 2007, 06:10 AM
Ya, usually ASUS has the best boards on the markets, so just use them instead of MSI or some other brands. xboxrulz
Reply
Latest Entries
rockarolla
Feb 5 2008, 07:30 AM
First what is your OS? And do you want a gamer PC or you want to process large video files? Everything depends on your budget. I would suggest AMD/Athlon because the productivity/price ratio cannot be beaten by Intel.
Reply
xboxrulz
Aug 26 2007, 04:03 AM
I seriously recommend ATi, since NVIDIA usually just makes renderers but no co-processor to take the load off your CPU. xboxrulz
Reply
Herbert
Aug 25 2007, 05:55 PM
I had a Xbox360 at one point, but I hate playing shooters on consoles (with the exception of the N64 games, Perfect Dark, and Goldeneye  ) Here's another lil fun screwup on my end haha. I was junking some old computer parts from circa 1997 and when I came back home, I'd realized that I accidentally threw away the side to my current computer case that was taken off earlier when I was dusting it out! Ach, so I went online and purchased this one:  Then I checked the requirements for power supplies for my GeForce 8800 GTS, and realized it needed a special PCI Express power cable, so damnit I had to buy a new power supply too, on a recommendation: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16817189014So now I'm probably going to have all the parts I need by Wednesday or so...
Reply
xboxrulz
Aug 23 2007, 02:56 AM
Oh well ... that's why my gaming platform is the X360. Simple, just plug and play! I can play many PC games on my X360 without any hiccups (as long as they are also released on the console). xboxrulz
Reply
Recent Queries:--
winfast a6600gt on 4x motherboard - 70.77 hr back. (1)
-
graphics card 235 degrees f - 519.37 hr back. (1)
Similar Topics
Keywords : motherboard graphics opinions- Need Help On Compatiblity Motherboard/ram
- need some help on RAM compatiblity (9)
- How Do I Check What Graphics Card I Have?
- (25)
I'm not sure what graphics card I have, it doesn't say on the maker's site so I need
another way to find out, can anybody help me figure out what type of GFX card I am using?...
Buying New Graphics Card ... Need Advice On Compatibility
- Nvidia for sure ... but which one for my M/B (17)
I'm going to buy a new graphics card for my ASUS A7N8X-VM 400 Motherboard. It has an integrated
nVidia GeForce 4mx GPU, but I've decided it's time to upgrade cause I'm learning Maya
these days (also, all the new games need pixel shader support). What I'm worried about is which
graphics card is supported on my Motherboard. My motherboard supports 8x graphics 1.5V. Here are
some pics from the motherboard manual: Photos Gallery - PicTiger Does this mean
ABSOLUTELY ANY 8x graphics card will work with my motherboard? Does that include 2.0 ...
Barebone Kit Completion- Need Second Opinions
- made barebone kit - is it compatible? (3)
hers what i came up with let me know if its okay- ricker Case ( Xion Dazl Gaming Tower Case w/420W
Power Supply ) Case Lighting ( None ) Power Supply ( 750 Watt -- Corsair CMPSU-750TX Power Supply
Quad SLI Ready ) Processor ( Intel Core 2 Quad Processor Q6600 (4x 2.4GHz/8MB L2 Cache/1066FSB) )
Free Software/Game ( Free Game - must purchase with Microsoft Windows Vista operation system )
Processor Cooling ( Thermaltake V1 CPU Cooling Fan System Kit Silent & Overclocking Proof =
Maximum cooling efficiency for quietness and performance ) Motherboard ( eVGA Nvidi...
Updating Graphics Card Problems
- (11)
hi, i am trying to upgrade my graphcs card for the following motherboard p4sd-vx but can not find
out what type of grapics card it supports, can any one please help?...
Choosing A Graphics Card
- (11)
I have finally decided to get a dedicated Graphics card for my PC. My budget is around 300 USD. I
have been going through the models at nVidia's website and found the models (8600 GT & 9600 GT)
to my liking. My friend suggests that I should go for 8800 because it provides greater performance
than 9600 GT. To me, perfomance is not as big a factor as compatibility, in terms of being able to
play the latest games, is. In that respect is it better to go for the chip which offers higher
memory? My motherboard is Intel 915GAG which supports PCI Express. Will a model stated...
Dream Computer -motherboard Suggestion
- (3)
Hi guys, I just want to build a dream pc, it will be very fast and powerful. I am very particular
about mother boards. "EVGA 132-CK-NF78-A1 nForce 780i SLI“ seems to very nice, I find it in
newegg but later on it showed up even better price 275.99
http://www.motherboardpro.com/EVGA-nForce-780i-NVIDIA-nForce-780i-SLI-Chipset-Socket-775-Motherboard
-p-468.html ://http://www.motherboardpro.com/EVGA-...ard-p-468.html where can I find the product
review?...
Which Is The Best Gaming Graphics Card?
- Which one? (15)
i am a serious gamer, and i want to upgrade my computer in time for christmas. So i wanted to know
your opinion on which of the following graphics cards would be best for the job i want to do:
Sapphire Radeon X1300 256MB (PCI) Sparkle GF 6600 512MB (PCI) Gigabyte GF 6600 Turbo SLI 128MB (PCI)
Any other graphics cards within the price range of £0-£100 Also, does the memory of the card only
effect the preformance, or is there other things that matter? Thanks /biggrin.gif' border='0'
style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /> ...
New Computer?
- Need opinions (24)
For those who don't know, it's been 5 years since I got a desktop, and now I'm pondering
if I should overhaul my rig (getting a new one is NOT an option). I'm going to fuse both old and
new parts together to overhaul my current rig. My main concerns are: speed, durability,
extendability and cheap. My budget is approxiately $500 max. My current rig: Intel Pentium 4
2533 MHz Northwood 512KB L2 Cache 130nm process 61.5W (pre-HT) ASUSTek P4B533-VM Socket 478 120 GB
Maxtor ATA-133 (8MB Cache), 7200 RPM 80 GB WDD ATA-100 (8 MB Cache), 7200 RPM 1 GB Kingst...
New Graphics Card. Suggestions?
- (7)
I'm thinking about upgrading my graphics card sometime soon. I currently have a 256mb nvidia
geforce 6600. The main question is buy a 7900gs or an 8800 series card I'm looking at the
gigabyte 7900gs, because i have a gigabyte motherboard i'm guessing this would be better for
compatibility. Anyways out of the 4 brands of 7900 my local store sells, the gigabyte is the most
overclocked and feature packed. I can pick this one up for $235 australian dollars. Now, the
8800 has the cheapest prices as follows for each different mb version QUOTE 256MB 860...
Purchasing A Graphics Tablet
- (4)
Hi all, I am currently in the market for a graphics tablet. And, i am looking for your help!
Suggestions would be great, but also what should I be looking for (i.e what 'features' are
better). What size graphics tablet should I get also? And of cause, how much would i be looking at
for one of these! Thanks -jimmy...
Help With Find A New Motherboard/memory
- (26)
my computer(I think) is slow and I want it to be faster. I'm a newbie at this and I was
wondering if you could help out System Specs:
http://www.docs.sony.com/release/specs/PCVRS410_mksp.pdf Plz help, Tall...
Help! What Are The Signs Of A Bad Graphics Card?
- (8)
My linux box's graphics card must be going... the thing will randomly reboot (even during
boot-up) and the picture on the monitor is all screwed up... Sometimes the picture will be perfectly
normal too... is it overheating or going bad? Thanks! F...
Graphics Card: The Difference
- Is there really a difference? (19)
Well I was looking online a graphics cards recently and I had noticed something. Two different
companies had the same graphics card. This is where I got confused. Is it the same card, or is it
different because another company makes them. It has me thinking that that little difference could
be bad in the end. I know I should have asked before I bought my card, but I just remembered that I
was going to ask someone. My real question that got me to make this post is: Is the ATI Radeon
9250 and the Visiontek Radeon 9250 the same card? Did I make a mistake by buying the Vis...
Would You Recommend Alienware For Graphics Intensive Appz ?
- Looking to buy a new Game/3D Modeling/Web Design machine (14)
Hello everyone, at this point in time I am looking into a new computer. And I have stumbled and
grown attached to Alienware. Whether its the name or its sleek design I dont know. But I was
hoping if any of you that own one recommend that I get one? or you have personal opinions on it. So
far this is the current system Im looking into buying and would like to know what you think about
it. Alienware Area-51® 5500 PRICE 2,275.35 SHIPPED Processor: Intel® Pentium® D Processor 930
w/ Dual Core Technology 3.0GHz 800MHz FSB Operating System (Office software not includ...
Problems With Motherboard - Can Anyone Help?
- (11)
So, I shuted down my PC. Then in the morning I tried to turn it on but nothing happend. I cleared
case and tried to turn on againg. But nothing happend again! :-( I went to Service Center. They
change my cooler on CPU. I got home and turned on my PC. All was OK. At the next morning when I
turn it on on the screen was printed some about CPU and FSB. I shuted it down and wanted turn it on.
But nothing happend. I went to Service Center... They said that my MB crashed. I bought new MB,
but I want know why after cooler change it worked. ...
MSI Launches Updating Graphics Board
- (0)
MSI has been offering amasing solutions in his new lines "Geminium" and the new "Geminium-Go"
doesn't run from this rule. Using a MXM technologie laptop models , MSI developed the PC100%
Solution With update ability. the schematic shows a graphics card with two slots MXM, where you can
place 2 graphics cards compatible with MXM in a laptop. She offers SLI support, and the limit is
setted by 4 graphics processors that work at same time. /biggrin.gif' border='0'
style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /> ...
Motherboard/Graphix Card Compatability Help
- (2)
I just bought a gigabyte K8N pro SLI mother board for a friend at a computer swap meet. At the meet
(rather than take the 2 seconds to look myself /rolleyes.gif' border='0'
style='vertical-align:middle' alt='rolleyes.gif' /> ) i asked the man i was buying it from whether
the board took PCIE or AGP graphix cards, he told me they took AGP, of course i then went and bought
an AGP card (Winfast A6600GT 128m). Is there no way that i can use my AGP card (short of buying a
new motherboard)? Thanks in advance for any help....
Discussion: Finding The Best Sli Motherboard
- (2)
Well I was hoping to get some help from a few of you that have experience a range of SLI
motherboards, I currently have a ASUS A8N-SLI Motherboard 2x 6600GT's Well funnily enough I
am wanting to setup another computer (i'm greedy) but I'm not wanting the ASUS board again
(stoopid chipset fun was stuffed when I got it so replaced with northbridge heatsink much
quiter).Plus I want to try sumthing different. following boards are available for me to buy here in
Australia, WA ABIT-AN8-SLI Series DFI LanParty Series Gigiabyte A8N Series Epox EP-9NPA Now from ...
Dual Core G5's Works Wonders On 3D Graphics Render
- (4)
We just added six new Dual Core G5 Macs at our office. Each system is like having 4x2.3Ghz chips
and the systems scream. Three went to our 3D animation (lightwave 3d Users) and the other three to
video editing/rendering tasks. These things scream and the price tag wasn't too bad either
(3500 each). Light wave folks picked up 55% performance boost rendering their output and the FCP
editors love the systems. They don't have to send their smaller tasks to the Grid anymore, they
can render in their booth while taking a long lunch, or midnight snack in some cas...
Motherboard Basics
- (1)
A recent Tech Tip covered the basics of selecting a computer case and made mention of the various
sizes that correspond to motherboards of different form factors. A few people wrote in expressing
interest in understanding more about the basics of motherboards, and that’s exactly what this Tech
Tip intends to address. A motherboard, also known as a main board, is the primary circuit board
inside of a computer, and is where the central processing unit (CPU), memory, expansion slots,
drives, and other peripheral devices are connected. The circuitry on a motherboard facilit...
MSI Motherboard
- (2)
ok i have a MSI mb with an AMD Athlon 3200 64 and i would like to upgrade it. What is the highest i
can go with the processor?...
Graphics Cards Under £100
- (3)
I am looking to replace my out of date 64mb graphics card (on my spare machine) with a new one of at
least 128mb and have seen a few cards that might be ok. Can anyone tell me or know of a good place
that compares the 3dClub radeon and the saphire radeon cards as these are 2 that i have seen. Both
are Radeon 9800SE although if I can find somewhere that does the 9800Pro for the same price I may
be tempted. Any help would be appreciated or if anyone knows of a good card at this sort of price
please let me know....
Media Vision Pro Graphics 1024
- Need PG1024 drivers & utilities (1)
Hi, I have a Media Vision Pro Graphics 1024 VLB Video card. I need the latest drivers &
utilities for this card. I have been searching everywhere that I can think of, but I can't find
both the drivers & utilities. I have the original driver disk ver. 1.2, but I don't have the
utility disk that opens up all the fancy features of this card. I know it's an old card based
on Cirrus Logic. It has a VGA port, Video in/out ports, and svid in/out ports. Without the
utilities disk, I can't use anything but the VGA port. Please help me out!!! ...
Hardware Monitoring Software
- Users' choice and opinions (1)
Hi ! I've been having some problems with my PC : It's powered by a P4 - 2.4C GHz
processor with 512 MB DDR RAM on an Intel 865 GBF motherboard. Of late, I've been getting
warnings regarding temperature going into the red zones. That prompted me to open up the cabinet and
perform maintenance and cleaning etc. Intel's Active Monitor which was installed from the
accompanying Driver CD notified me about this. This led me to a search for similar software and
I'd like opinions from users here. The most widely talked about monitoring software that I c...
512MB Graphics Cards
- Buy one now or later? (16)
Recently I have been seing some 512mb GPU's, and they look pretty nice... but on the downside
they carry a hefty price tag. On newegg.com I found this one (there are only three on the site right
now), for under 800 bucks. But for less than that I can two chaintech SE6600G's for 390 bucks,
and run them in SLI configuration, but the only problem with that is I would have to buy a
motherboard that is SLI compatible wich would cost 300 dollars, like the ASUS A8N-SLI DELUXE. So I
would end up spending around the same for both. As you can see I need some help deciding,...
Want A Faster Game Graphics?
- Do you have a slow nvidia gpu? (2)
Ever heard of coolbits? if you knew that very good... but if not, coolbits is a good tweaking stuff
for nvidia gpus. Registry modification required. try searching the net coolbits 2... enjoy playing
faster......
Cleaning Dusk From Motherboard + Ram + Cards ?
- (3)
How can i safely remove dust from static sencitive parts of the computer ??? mainly A#Graphics
card, Ram, and motherboard ???...
ASRock > Cheap And Good Motherboard
- motherboards (4)
Asrock > cheap and good motherboard http://www.asrock.com/ ashrock ...
Looking for motherboard, graphics, card, opinions,
|
*RANDOM STUFF*
*SIMILAR VIDEOS*
Searching Video's for motherboard, graphics, card, opinions,
|
advertisement
|
|