New Gaming Hardware Sets Ideas?

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Okay currently here's what im running


Amd Athlon 64 Processor 3800+ (Venice) - Clock Frequency: 2400mhz
Abit AV8
Radeon 9550 AGP 128 DAC 400mhz
1.5 Gigs ddr ram

its not quite cutting it

any ideas for what to get next?
 
You just need an Athlon 64 X2 processor and a new graphics card to be able to run games smoothly. How much is your budget and where are you located? Based on that, I'll give you some recommendations.
 
You can certainly upgrade the processor but you'll certainly notice a big difference if you upgrade your graphics card first.
 
Im in LA california my budget i dont know i dont want to spend too much lets say a couple hundred?

but if i want to upgrade my processor dont i need to change my motherboard?
 
there's really only one thing to worry about with replacing the CPU. and that's static frying the components. i'm too chicken to wanna replace my cpu by myself for the first time on the only machine i own. not to mention there are too many hassles involved like the heat resistant paste or whatever.

and personally, i would go with an AMD Athlon 64 x2 6000. $184.99 on tiger direct, and it's rated at a mighty 3.0 ghz.

as for the graphics chip, that ATI card recommended sounds like a good bet. ATI cards are cheaper, and have more stable drivers, and they have a mighty reputation. but if you want a better gaming experience, i'd go with an 8 series nvidia card like say, the geforce 8600 512mb? i saw one on tigerdirect.com for 209.99. And considering ATI is having trouble competing with Nvidia's new cards, it'd be every bit as good if not better than the x1950. For only a couple hundred, that'd make your machine rock solid for a few years.

your choice really if you want a cheaper alternative than mine.

again, i stress being careful with that processor.
 
The X1950pro still rocks. Personally i'd go for the X2 5000+. It actually beats the 6000 in most benchtests (for some reason?).
 
link590o and K. Jacko he can't get an AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ or 6000+. Those are AM2 processors only while he runs 939, note that his current CPU is a Venice.

Rage_3K_Moiz knows what he is talking about.
 
Sorry, yes you're right! i was responding to lnk590o's post.
Yeah, actually some benchtests reports 939's are faster that the AM2's anyway.
 
link590o said:
ATI cards are cheaper, and have more stable drivers, and they have a mighty reputation. but if you want a better gaming experience, i'd go with an 8 series nvidia card like say, the geforce 8600 512mb? i saw one on tigerdirect.com for 209.99. And considering ATI is having trouble competing with Nvidia's new cards, it'd be every bit as good if not better than the x1950. For only a couple hundred, that'd make your machine rock solid for a few years.
Nope. The 8600 is bested by the older 7600GT in many games. So there's no comparison between it and the X1950PRO. Also, DX10 games right now are not optimized for DX10 hardware, so there's no point ATM in getting them. And I believe that NVIDIA's 79xx series and ATI's 19xx series will still be able to play Crysis and other DX10 titles quite well. Not as well as a top-of-the-range DX10 chip I agree, but then you get what you pay for at least.
 
So it seems im going to have to go with just the video card if im going to do an upgrade.

But now i have two more questions sorry guys!


beef_jerky4104 said:
link590o and K. Jacko he can't get an AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ or 6000+. Those are AM2 processors only while he runs 939, note that his current CPU is a Venice.

Rage_3K_Moiz knows what he is talking about.


So if i DID want to do a processor upgrade like to a AM 2 or something what would the processes be?


and


Would it be better to get a new graphic card and wait a couple years or upgrade everything now OR just wait and get a whole new system?


man... i should have kept watching tech tv...
 
to my knowledge, the process is to get the comp onto a surface where you can, if not cancel out, minimize the chances of static electricity. in other words, ground yourself. also wear something protective on your hands like latex gloves just so you can avoid discharging into the processor at all.

from there you have to free and remove the old processor. then insert the new one and make sure that there is enough thermal paste on there. it helps reduce heat drastically so it won't fry. typically the manufacturers put enough of this gray substance on the chip before installation. just check to make sure. as beef jerky pointed out, make sure the processor you got fits. then place it in, seal it up and power it on.

correct me if my procedure is wrong guys. but i think thats the way its done.
 
If you did want to upgrade to an AM2 processor, you would have to get a new motherboard. Motherboards are processor specific so your 939 motherboard won't take an AM2. New AM2 motherboards take different RAM than 939 motherboards, 240 pin DDR2 instead of 184 pin DDR RAM. Most, although not all, AM2 boards have PCI-E graphics card slots instead of AGP (but some do) but you wanted a new graphics card anyway. These new components would probably require a better power supply too. So you see by switching processors you are basically going down the path to a whole new PC. If you have the money, that's what I would recommend too.

BTW, the processors discussed in this thread do not come with thermal compound applied directly to them. It is the heatsink that usually has thermal paste already applied, particularly with those that come with the retail packages. I recently bought an aftermarket CPU heatsink/fan, an Arctic Cooler Freeze 7 (for an Intel socket 775), and it also had thermal paste already applied to the heatsink.
 
Couldn't have said it better myself mailpup. :)
So it's up to you now ybahman. Either get a new PC or upgrade your current one. Personally, Socket 939 is still a great platform, so just get the X2 3800+ and the new card and forget about it for a year or two.
 
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