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Noob level upgrade advice
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04-08-2004 12:55pm#1
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As a small aside, you haven't a choice with regards to keeping the RAM - the KT133 chipset doesn't support DDR, the new boards (such as the one you mentioned) don't support SDR (such as what's in your PC already - probably PC133, possibly PC100, but definitely SDR)
Sorry chief, that's money you're going to have to spend...
Gadget
P.S.> Most people prefer nForce-based motherboards to Via KT-based boards these days - better stability and overclocking potential (especially with a properly working PCI/AGP lock in the "Ultra" revisions). If you don't need SATA, a board like this one ( http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=300520&cks=PRL ) should give you more bang for buck, especially if you want to overclock it - if you're buying a 2500+ Barton, you'd be mad not to
Either way, try to rise to an nForce2 Ultra 400-based board if you can.0 -
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Thanks for the replies folks! Well maybe I might just spend the few bob and get the 9800 pro then. I dont really want to have to spend mad money on the hard drives though, cos I dont need much storage space (yet).
I'm drifting towards the Sapphire 9800 PRO, XP 2500+ (I'll be back to ask how to overclock it
) and some new RAM. Will 512 RAM be enough to get me running those games ok?
The bit I'm most confused about about is the motherboard differences. The one that you posted, Gadget, is that ok for the above config? If so, I'll just go ahead and get that one. Are all these motherboards the same size, will they all fit into the case I have, replacing the motherboard detailed in my first post above?
Cheers,
Robbie0 -
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Let's see if I can answer this:
There's a standard set of designs for PC motherboards (at least for those sold as components, in the last, oh six plus years, with a few exceptions); this is part of a larger standard called ATX which concerns itself with everything from power requirements to where the screwholes in the motherboard should be, so everything is (more or less) interchangeable - the important bits are all in the same places - so no problem there. There are actually three different sizes - ATX, Flex-ATX and Micro-ATX (I think that's all of 'em) - but they're interchangeable as long as the board is big enough (the only real difference is that the Flex- and Micro- variants have fewer expansion slots due to being smaller - all of the important parts are the same size and in the same place)
As regards the chipsets, the KT400 chipset is actually a generation behind VIA's own top-of-the-line product for the socket A platform, the KT600, and without going into excessive detail the nForce2 Ultra 400 chipset is newer again, but old enough to have been proven reliable (and indeed fast). (There's rarely any economy in buying out-of-date hardware)
Also, the KT400 is at the limit of its operational capabilities (in terms of FSB speeds) when running that Barton - the KT600 and nForce2 Ultra 400's, on the other hand, have plenty of headroom left, which you'll need to overclock them.
In a nutshell, either board will work; the difference is that one has the potential to work faster and more reliably than the other
Hope this helps,
Gadget0 -
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Will it be possible to get good fps in Doom3/HL2 with the likes of a 2500+ if you have decent RAM and a good gfx card? Would a 6800 GT be too much for such a processor, as in would the processor bottleneck it?
Sorry to throw it in here, but its someway relevant, and saves creating another thread 0 -
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