go conroe or go card

[shbullets]

i'm planning to upgrade this week. Should i buy a E6300 with some new mobo and ram or get a x1900xt since from the price drops. I play games and do a lot of video editing, so i'm kind of stuck on a hard decision here. I'm using a x800xl right now and my cpu is a s939 amd athlon 3500+ (venice). So what should i upgrade to? CPU or GPU.

*Note: If i were to upgrade to x1900xt, i would have to get myself a good psu and a accelero x2

games i play u ask? hl2 ep 1, fear, bf2, doom 3, farcry, oblivion, etc. most current gen games that demand graphics.

 

[o29]

In general, a new video card will give you a larger performance boost than a new CPU will. Core 2 Duo will help your gaming performance, but probably not as much as a new video card will.

I guess it depends on how much you really want that game performance increase. Or if you play games at really low resolutions.

Oh, and don't forget about the upcoming DX10 video cards and Vista.

Maybe spending so much money on a video card now might not be worth it if you're just going to have to upgrade again in a few months.

Core 2 Duo would probably be more future-proof, provided that you'll be able to afford a DX10 video card too when those finally come out.

 

[Vinny]

I'd get the Core 2 Duo... those cards will drop in price even more as soon as DX10 cards hit.

 

[weilin]

that depends, do you render your video during the day (when u could otherwise be using your pc) or overnight? Do you play more games or edit more videos. If you play more games and you dont mind the wait of video rendering then i would get a new graphics card. If you do a lot more video editing then you should invest in conroe. Your choice.

 

[Heyyou27]

An Athlon 3500+ with an X1900XT will outperform a Core 2 Duo E6300 with an X800XL in literally every current game.

 

[ElMoIsEviL]

i'm planning to upgrade this week. Should i buy a E6300 with some new mobo and ram or get a x1900xt since from the price drops. I play games and do a lot of video editing, so i'm kind of stuck on a hard decision here. I'm using a x800xl right now and my cpu is a s939 amd athlon 3500+ (venice). So what should i upgrade to? CPU or GPU.

*Note: If i were to upgrade to x1900xt, i would have to get myself a good psu and a accelero x2

games i play u ask? hl2 ep 1, fear, bf2, doom 3, farcry, oblivion, etc. most current gen games that demand graphics.

If I were in your shoe's I wouldn't buy a Graphics card until the G80 and R600 are released.

DX10 calls for more parallel processing as well.. therefore a Dual Core (Core 2 Duo) in this case would be wise to pair up with a DX10 card. I'm pretty sure you don't want to invest $300-400 into a graphics card which will be missing important features come this fall 2006/spring 2007. Just doesn't make sense. You already have a DX9 capable GPU.. keep it until the arrival of DX10.

That's what I would do.

So if you were asking me which one was a better buy between the two... easy.. Core 2 Duo.

 

[shbullets]

i'm planning to upgrade this week. Should i buy a E6300 with some new mobo and ram or get a x1900xt since from the price drops. I play games and do a lot of video editing, so i'm kind of stuck on a hard decision here. I'm using a x800xl right now and my cpu is a s939 amd athlon 3500+ (venice). So what should i upgrade to? CPU or GPU.

*Note: If i were to upgrade to x1900xt, i would have to get myself a good psu and a accelero x2

games i play u ask? hl2 ep 1, fear, bf2, doom 3, farcry, oblivion, etc. most current gen games that demand graphics.

If I were in your shoe's I wouldn't buy a Graphics card until the G80 and R600 are released.

DX10 calls for more parallel processing as well.. therefore a Dual Core (Core 2 Duo) in this case would be wise to pair up with a DX10 card. I'm pretty sure you don't want to invest $300-400 into a graphics card which will be missing important features come this fall 2006/spring 2007. Just doesn't make sense. You already have a DX9 capable GPU.. keep it until the arrival of DX10.

That's what I would do.

So if you were asking me which one was a better buy between the two... easy.. Core 2 Duo.

hmm interesting, yeah i might do that, to make my pc mroe future-proof. my card can play current gen games now, just not with eye candy on thats all. No biggie, i'll probably would go for conroe, cuz i dont wanna end up in the same boat again like last year. Got a x800xl for 400$, now its worth 140$ CAD.. If i get a x1900xt for 400$, might as well price drop taht 2. THxs for info guys.

 

[49ers540]

i'm planning to upgrade this week. Should i buy a E6300 with some new mobo and ram or get a x1900xt since from the price drops. I play games and do a lot of video editing, so i'm kind of stuck on a hard decision here. I'm using a x800xl right now and my cpu is a s939 amd athlon 3500+ (venice). So what should i upgrade to? CPU or GPU.

*Note: If i were to upgrade to x1900xt, i would have to get myself a good psu and a accelero x2

games i play u ask? hl2 ep 1, fear, bf2, doom 3, farcry, oblivion, etc. most current gen games that demand graphics.

Fork it out and get the E6800, you waste way less time editing.

 

[Anoobis]

The E6800?? 8O That's a huge jump from the E6300.

 

[weilin]

nahhh e6400 or a e6600.. anything else really isnt worth considering.. unless you're really short on cash... then go with a e6300.. the 6700 and the 6800 (like any ohter top of the line models) r way over priced for the performance increase

 

[49ers540]

The E6800?? 8O That's a huge jump from the E6300.

Time is precious. I like to get things done. Video editing would be more enjoyable and done very quickly instead of sitting and staring at your screen. More productive.

 

[corvetteguy]

I can't belive this is even an issue. If your a gamer, that cpu will be fine, although newer games will benefit from dual core. However the performance increase from getting a new GPU is much greater. And even when you do upgrade your platform, its not like your x1900xt won't be usuable, it will be very good for a long time, even without DX!0 support.


And however suggested a 6800 for a gamer is too focused on video editing.

 

[ElMoIsEviL]

I can't belive this is even an issue. If your a gamer, that cpu will be fine, although newer games will benefit from dual core. However the performance increase from getting a new GPU is much greater. And even when you do upgrade your platform, its not like your x1900xt won't be usuable, it will be very good for a long time, even without DX!0 support.


And however suggested a 6800 for a gamer is too focused on video editing.

Crysis, it's just an example of how much more horsepower we need for future titles.

This far in the game.. why spend the money when the same about of money in a month will net you a FAR better graphics card?!

 

[dozer63]

Have you taken in account that you will need ddr2 memory for your new motherboard. I feel that you'll should have a good psu with either choice you make. Go with your instinct and buget if that is an issue.
(Core 2 duo+motherboard+memory+psu?) or (x1900xl+psu+amdX2?)

 

[exit2dos]

I wouldn't buy either yet. If you wait a few months - the Core 2 Duo prices will stabilize, and motherboard prices will drop dramatically as more models appear. DDR2 prices should drop as both AMD & Intel's new platforms require it. You may even be able to get a E6400 or even a E6600 with a motherboard & DDR2 for around the same price you would pay for an E6300 with a performance Mobo & DDR2 now. (I doubt you will need higher than an E6300 for gaming, but for video editing it would be nice.)

The x1950xt is just coming out - should push the price of the x1900xt lower. The big influence here is if you do a lot of video encoding, then ATI's Avivo encoder is the fastest out there, but it requires a x1xxx card.

If you are getting decent frame rates with respectable detail with your current system, then I recommend holding off for a little while.

 

[ElMoIsEviL]

I wouldn't buy either yet. If you wait a few months - the Core 2 Duo prices will stabilize, and motherboard prices will drop dramatically as more models appear. DDR2 prices should drop as both AMD & Intel's new platforms require it. You may even be able to get a E6400 or even a E6600 with a motherboard & DDR2 for around the same price you would pay for an E6300 with a performance Mobo & DDR2 now. (I doubt you will need higher than an E6300 for gaming, but for video editing it would be nice.)

The x1950xt is just coming out - should push the price of the x1900xt lower. The big influence here is if you do a lot of video encoding, then ATI's Avivo encoder is the fastest out there, but it requires a x1xxx card.

If you are getting decent frame rates with respectable detail with your current system, then I recommend holding off for a little while.

The x1950XTX will be priced at $399USD for those who care.. but it's still a DX9 card.

It's priced soo low because for a few months it will be the highest available ATi card and will face a superior G80. 2 Months later the R600 will be released.. it will be faster then the G80.

 

[exit2dos]

The x1950XTX will be priced at $399USD for those who care.. but it's still a DX9 card.

It's priced soo low because for a few months it will be the highest available ATi card and will face a superior G80. 2 Months later the R600 will be released.. it will be faster then the G80.

Wow, killer price for a top-of-the-line (for now) card. I will definitely give this one some consideration.

I'm not worried about the next gen or DX10 as PCIe 2.0 is coming and they are already planning DX10.1 before DX10 cards even appear.

 

[Slyfoxman7]

I don't see what good waiting for a DX10 card will do. DX10 doesn't come out until January at the earliest and the first games to actually take advantage of DX10 won't be coming out for longer. You seem to be someone who upgrages their cards yearly so I suggest by a DX10 card next year when they are perfected.

 

[ArbY]

If I were in your shoe's I wouldn't buy a Graphics card until the G80 and R600 are released.

DX10 calls for more parallel processing as well.. therefore a Dual Core (Core 2 Duo) in this case would be wise to pair up with a DX10 card. I'm pretty sure you don't want to invest $300-400 into a graphics card which will be missing important features come this fall 2006/spring 2007. Just doesn't make sense. You already have a DX9 capable GPU.. keep it until the arrival of DX10.

That's what I would do.

Errr ... let's be realistic here:

While the shift from DirectX 9 to 10 isn't going to be as large as that from 8.1 to 9, it's still enough to get the 3D hardware geek juices flowing at least somewhat, and is another incremental step on the way to truly realistic and immersive in-game 3D environments. As ever, the biggest question is when we'll be seeing the new functionality of DirectX 10 put to good use? These things take time for developers to get to grips with and integrate into games, so doubtless it'll be a year after the APIs release at least before we start to see what could be called 'true' DirectX 10 content. The uptake of new functionality, the use of geometry shaders in particular, will also be dependant on the speed of first-generation hardware at processing these effects of course - In the aforementioned example, I've already heard rumours of poor performance from one IHVs DirectX 10 part, which suggests that we might not see geometry shaders used 'in anger' for quite some time. As ever, time will tell.

Source: here - page 5

Vista has been expected to be released January 2007, but there have been whispers of further delays. Buy at your own risk, but don't make these decisions uninformed.

 

[ElMoIsEviL]

If I were in your shoe's I wouldn't buy a Graphics card until the G80 and R600 are released.

DX10 calls for more parallel processing as well.. therefore a Dual Core (Core 2 Duo) in this case would be wise to pair up with a DX10 card. I'm pretty sure you don't want to invest $300-400 into a graphics card which will be missing important features come this fall 2006/spring 2007. Just doesn't make sense. You already have a DX9 capable GPU.. keep it until the arrival of DX10.

That's what I would do.

Errr ... let's be realistic here:

While the shift from DirectX 9 to 10 isn't going to be as large as that from 8.1 to 9, it's still enough to get the 3D hardware geek juices flowing at least somewhat, and is another incremental step on the way to truly realistic and immersive in-game 3D environments. As ever, the biggest question is when we'll be seeing the new functionality of DirectX 10 put to good use? These things take time for developers to get to grips with and integrate into games, so doubtless it'll be a year after the APIs release at least before we start to see what could be called 'true' DirectX 10 content. The uptake of new functionality, the use of geometry shaders in particular, will also be dependant on the speed of first-generation hardware at processing these effects of course - In the aforementioned example, I've already heard rumours of poor performance from one IHVs DirectX 10 part, which suggests that we might not see geometry shaders used 'in anger' for quite some time. As ever, time will tell.

Source: here - page 5

Vista has been expected to be released January 2007, but there have been whispers of further delays. Buy at your own risk, but don't make these decisions uninformed.

G80 is being released in September/Obtober 2006. That's 1-1/2months away man. Why should he spend $300USD right now, when in such little time $300USD will get him MUCH more.

 

[mpjesse]

FFS. people around here could confuse Einstein. the man asked if he should get a new processor or new video card. he didn't ask for your advice on whether he should WAIT for prices to drop or for new GPU's to be intro'd.

Buy the frikin video card... ignore all these other asshats. you cannot beat the price of the x1900xt. it's phenomenial and WILL give you more FPS than upgrading to a C2D.

 

[49ers540]

I can't belive this is even an issue. If your a gamer, that cpu will be fine, although newer games will benefit from dual core. However the performance increase from getting a new GPU is much greater. And even when you do upgrade your platform, its not like your x1900xt won't be usuable, it will be very good for a long time, even without DX!0 support.


And however suggested a 6800 for a gamer is too focused on video editing.

He said he does a lot of video editing. Read his post. I repeat, he said "I do a lot of video editing". He does some gaming. If you edited video before, you need all the horse power you can get. Unless you have a lot of time on your hand to sit there and pick your nose.

 

[corvetteguy]

I can't belive this is even an issue. If your a gamer, that cpu will be fine, although newer games will benefit from dual core. However the performance increase from getting a new GPU is much greater. And even when you do upgrade your platform, its not like your x1900xt won't be usuable, it will be very good for a long time, even without DX!0 support.


And however suggested a 6800 for a gamer is too focused on video editing.

He said he does a lot of video editing. Read his post. I repeat, he said "I do a lot of video editing". He does some gaming. If you edited video before, you need all the horse power you can get. Unless you have a lot of time on your hand to sit there and pick your nose.

OOOPS, sorry missed that line.

Even so i would still say get the new card because i think ati's Avivo accelerates video editing a lot. Plus it would be much better at games. Anyway, if he really wants to save time don't get the x6800 cuz its way too expensive. Maybe a 6300 or 6400 overclocked or not should do well.

 

[DaveUK]

An Athlon 3500+ with an X1900XT will outperform a Core 2 Duo E6300 with an X800XL in literally every current game.

yup, definitely...

You'll find that, whilst performance will scale with CPU speed, a new top-line graphics card will be a more important factor in the FPS you get in games - especially if you are playing GPU-intensive games like Oblivion and FEAR.

My recommendation would be to plan your upgrade in two stages. Get the X1900XT now, then when Conroe pricing has settled in about 6m upgrade your platform (motherboard/CPU/RAM) in one go and just transfer your card into the new platform. That way you will notice a good speed boost from the new components and you will get the best benefit of the X1900XT; but you will also get a nice boost in games right now.

Then, when you have a good Conroe system w/X1900XT, you can plan your next major upgrade around the DX10 cards and Vista.

Oh, and given the way technology progresses, please don't be a noob and buy a 6300. Looking at the benchmarks, I'd get a 6400/6600 and a decent cooler for some good overclocking headroom.

PS. The above is exactly the way I've done it. Athlon 64 3700+ O/C to FX-57 speeds, with X1900XT. Then I'll get a Conroe CPU/MB/RAM in 6 months or so. Then a DX10 card. Or, I may get the GPU before the CPU etc, depending on whether the new graphics hardware is that good or just an incremental upgrade. Whichever will make the most difference in games.

 

[Mizerie]

yeah I would go with the better CPU right now and plan for the next upgrade to be along the lines of DX10/Vista and the next gen vid cards.

Check my sig...that's what I am planning.