2nd SLI card or better CPU?

[NewAMDUser]

Hi all -- seeking opinions:

I'm building a new system with an Asus M2N32-SLI Deluxe (AM2 socket). I'm currently waiting for the 7/24 AMD price drop, planning on picking up either an X2 3800+ or an X2 4600+. I currently have an eVGA 7900 GT KO card.

So, what would you do:

1. Buy a 4600, or
2. Buy a 3800 and apply the savings to a 2nd eVGA 7900 GT KO?

I'm not currently a heavy duty gamer, but may be heading that way In the meantime, I do plan on doing a fair amount of TV recording/DVD writing/etc.

Thanks for your suggestions!
Mark

 

[prozac26]

Since you're planning on SLI, you're going to be gaming. In this case, two 7900GTs is better. In gaming, the CPU isn't as important, and with the dual core to go along with two 7900GTs is very nice, and will perform well.

HOWEVER,
I suggest you get a Conroe, and one 7900GT. And invest that money for a next-gen video card.

 

[angry_ducky]

Get a Conroe, and an X1300 to hold you over until the DX10 cards come out later this year. The DX10 cards won't have a problem with any DX9 game, even Oblivion.

 

[sweetpants]

Since you're planning on SLI, you're going to be gaming. In this case, two 7900GTs is better. In gaming, the CPU isn't as important, and with the dual core to go along with two 7900GTs is very nice, and will perform well.

HOWEVER,
I suggest you get a Conroe, and one 7900GT. And invest that money for a next-gen video card.

What about money lost in a new motherboard supporting Conroe?

Personally, I would stick it out until Conroe's readily available, buy that + new motherboard, and any extra money you have from saving at that point may or may not go into a second video card, if not enough money at that point maybe buy a beefier Conroe or better motherboard?

 

[Heyyou27]

That's a bit extreme, even the Conroe won't make the X1300 a good gaming machine.

 

[IcY18]

Since you're planning on SLI, you're going to be gaming. In this case, two 7900GTs is better. In gaming, the CPU isn't as important, and with the dual core to go along with two 7900GTs is very nice, and will perform well.

HOWEVER,
I suggest you get a Conroe, and one 7900GT. And invest that money for a next-gen video card.

What about money lost in a new motherboard supporting Conroe?

Personally, I would stick it out until Conroe's readily available, buy that + new motherboard, and any extra money you have from saving at that point may or may not go into a second video card, if not enough money at that point maybe buy a beefier Conroe or better motherboard?

he stated in the first post that he was planning on getting a *new* Asus M2N32-SLI Deluxe, it wouldnt be very much of a price difference to get a conroe supported mobo and the performance he would get with the conroe for its price/performance would be better, in the end its just if he wants to wait until he can get a conroe or not

my recommendation would be either one of two things

1) wait until conroe comes out and setup a nice conroe system with a 6600 , maye the 6700,

2) get the 3800+ and maybe upgrade that cpu later or just get the 4600+ and have it last you for longer

in both these options i don't recommend going with an SLi setup, i say this because you said yourself your not a heavy gamer and also the 7900 is a great card right now, and unless you have a crt or lcd that runs at 1600x1200 res's you won't get great performance benefits and it would be a waste of money...

so i would say dont get a second 7900, stick with your GT KO for now and wait till the DX10 cards come out b/c one DX10 card may offer better performance than 2 7900s

 

[NewAMDUser]

he stated in the first post that he was planning on getting a *new* Asus M2N32-SLI Deluxe, it wouldnt be very much of a price difference to get a conroe supported mobo and the performance he would get with the conroe for its price/performance would be better, in the end its just if he wants to wait until he can get a conroe or not

my recommendation would be either one of two things

1) wait until conroe comes out and setup a nice conroe system with a 6600 , maye the 6700,

2) get the 3800+ and maybe upgrade that cpu later or just get the 4600+ and have it last you for longer

in both these options i don't recommend going with an SLi setup, i say this because you said yourself your not a heavy gamer and also the 7900 is a great card right now, and unless you have a crt or lcd that runs at 1600x1200 res's you won't get great performance benefits and it would be a waste of money...

so i would say dont get a second 7900, stick with your GT KO for now and wait till the DX10 cards come out b/c one DX10 card may offer better performance than 2 7900s

Thanks to everyone for the input -- I believe this is the way I will go. The feedback on the 7900 confirms what I suspected about its pretty strong capabilities, and given my expectation that the 4600+ will have sufficient power for my needs for some time, I don't see the price premium of the Conroe (at least after AMD's 7/24 price drop) being worth it. So, 4600+ and one 7900GT KO it is.

Now off to go think about putting an ATI 650-based card in the other PCI-E slot