To Build, or not to Build!

[inversion]

That is the Question!
Graphics and Gaming are my main interst's, I have also just purchased a Samsung SyncMaster 226BW, I would love to see its full potential.

I need to know whether to:

A: Build an almost new System.
B:Stay with the system I have.
C: Modify the existing system, with the "new build" parts.

Existing System:
Win Xp Pro
Asrock 775dual-VSTA Motherboard (take into account this PCIE slot is limited to 4x)
Intel Core Duo E6400, Coolermaster AquaGate Mini water cooled.
2GB DDR2 5400 OCZ Gold memory
BFG 6800GT 512ddr2 Oc w/ seperate water cooling.
WD 250gb Hard drive, nuttin special... (IDE)

New Parts:
Dual boot, Win Xp Pro, Vista Ultimate (still not sure that Vista is safe yet....lol)
AMD 64 X2 3800+ (w/ mini water cooler)
Asus A8N-SLI Se motherboard
2GB DDR400
E-Geforce 8800 GTS 320MB DDR3 (Stock cooled for now 8)
2 250gb 16mb cash Caviar se's (SATA)


Or:
Wait, for now just install new Graphics card, new hard drives, tune it up etc....
Remembering that the existing mobo's PCIE Slot is 4x...
Maybe wait for the money on a new mobo that will use existing DDR2, etc....

I guess I am mainly wondering the difference in whether new motherboard, cpu and graphics card will make a very noticeable difference, or a combo of changes would be better.... basicaly with all these parts, what would you do? (besides, cry, sell them or cry more...)
PSU's, Case, all that is taken care of already.

This may be confusing, if so I am sorry, new medication these days makes me quite, shall we say, strange? mind wise that is... 8) I may have inadvertently left important info out, if so just ask please.
I used to be able to come here often, even finish some of my ideas I have posted etc.. try designing new Vid card cooling idea's, overclocking fun etc...
but with recent ilness's I have very few "good" days... I hate this, used to love coming here and reading all the great stuff and keeping up with the "jones's"
Nowdays, I can only remember with the help of a large sign above my bed:
First your Sock's
Then your shoes.....
(I will work on the pants later)

I do very much appreciate any and all help from you all.
DaMorbid1

 

[gators1223]

i would say get a new mobo for your existing cpu and get a 8800 gts 320mb, their are a lot of nice p35, mobos out, like the gigabyte ds3r, get one of them leave your current cpu and get the 8800, if you need more hard drive space get that, because the athlon 3800+ x2 isn't as good as the e6400, if you wanted to upgrade your cpu, get a e6420 or an e6600

 

[Onus]

Water cooling implies you're overclocking, perhaps considerably. In that scenario, your existing CPU blows the doors off a 3800+. Also, DDR is slower than DDR2.
What's your budget? I'd be inclined to upgrade the GPU, mobo, and hard drive. Keep your DDR2 (maybe you can push it a little), and stick your old IDE drive in as a backup / storage drive.

 

[jt001]

I don't quite understand the question, most of the "new parts" are older and lower performing than your current setup...did you label them backwards?

 

[inversion]

I guess it was written wrong after all.

All of these parts I have now, the "new" parts are the Asus mobo, (purchased in last 6-9 months, I have many, many boxes of crud here and there lol...) AMD 3800+ and the 8800gts.
I used to overclock alot, as I said I am "sick" feeling alot now and dont do a whole lot like I used too. I have a hard time also thinking that the Asus mobo and the 8800gts (that are still boxed) are lower performing parts?
Mainly that is what I was getting at, is it better to leave it like it is, maybe install the 8800gts (even though that mobos Pcie slot is limited to 4x) or bother with anything alse.
I didnt realize the AMD was such a letdown compared to the Intel. I have been an AMD fan all mes life, but finally wanted to try that e6400, is the Intel and the DDR2 memory so much better that the other combination is not worth the better motherboard and vid card?
Right now the best I could do is maybe another mobo that uses DDR2 and use it, the Intel e6400, 8800gts and the rest.
Bear with me, it is very hard to think sometimes with the meds and all.
Thanks to all.

 

[zenmaster]

The problem with the AMD chips is that the current X2 Chips are based on a design that is quite old. They destroyed the P4 when that is what Intel was shipping against it. However, Intel released the Core2Duo which moved Intel into the solid lead.

That is not to say the new AMD chips when they ship will not move AMD ahead again. At this point, Intel just ships better faster chips, though AMD has seriously slashed prices making many of their chips very affordable.

 

[SuicideSilence]

you have a pretty nice system right now
if i were you, i would upgrade the video card to like a x1950pro or 7950gt and that will get you going and play any game you want for a while.
because the new g90s are coming at the end of this year /beginig of next year. and those are supposed to be 3x faster than the current g80's (according to nvidea) so i would wait till then and then build a new system.

 

[inversion]

I think people may be missing a point or 2....
Lets do this, I have all these things (and more) in my cp room right now, I would like to know what would be the best combination to go with right now, seeing I already have all this equipment.
I want to utilize my 8800gts now, what combo of parts would be the best, again knowing that the Asrock mobo is limited to 4X, I say the new Asus mobo and AMD cpu should be better even with the lesser 400 memory, considering the jump in graphics that should bring being 16X PCIE.
How about this?

 

[inversion]

Maybe this would be easier.
Which system would be best suited to gaming and graphics at this point:

A:
Dual boot Win XP Pro and Vista
Asus A8N-SLI Se Mobo
AMD 64 X2 3800+
8800GTS 320mb DDR3 16X PCIE (Later to be SLI, 2weeks or so)
2GB DDR400

Or
B:
Win XP Pro
Intel E6400 no OC'ing
Asrock 775Dual-VSTA w/PCIE Slot Limited to 4X
2GB DDR2 5400
PCIE 8800GTS 320mb DDR3 *(on this board limited to 4X PCIE)

OK, Which system would be best A or B?
Thanks to all who are helping, I really appreciate all answers.
DasMorbid1

 

[gators1223]

B by far, and when you get a of $130 yget a gigabyte ds3r, or if you want sli then wait til you have 180 and get a 680i mobo

 

[inversion]

Thank you, this is what I was Looking for, whether to just install vid card for now and get asnother mobo or just whatever....lol
THANKS TO ALL!


BTW Are you sure the limit of 4X PCIE Dosent just shoot the 8800gts out of whack?
Sorry gotta know, 8)

 

[sweetpants]

Not that I'm aware of, but for now you can make a substantiel upgrade, then save up for a motherboard later

My understanding was that there was little to no difference at 8x and 16x on the PCI-e bus because the video card can't saturate the bus anyway. I don't know about 4x though, I think it will be playable and workable until perhaps a motherboard upgrade in the near future.

 

[emp]

Thank you, this is what I was Looking for, whether to just install vid card for now and get asnother mobo or just whatever....lol
THANKS TO ALL!


BTW Are you sure the limit of 4X PCIE Dosent just shoot the 8800gts out of whack?
Sorry gotta know, 8)

Your best bet right now is to buy a new motherboard (doesn't have to be crazy expensive) maybe a GA-P35-DS3R or even a GA-965P-DS3 (a bit older, but cheaper), grab your E6400 and put it on the new mobo, add the 8800GTS, and your 2GB DDR2 667 ram (OCZ gold sticks).

And if you can't spend money right now for the new mobo, that's easy. Find someone that'll buy the other components so you can get enough money. (you can probably get $50-60 for the 6800GT and $50 for the X2 3800+)

 

[inversion]

Thanks to all who are helping!
Well I could get I would think 80-100 for my 6800, it was atualy "wanted" by a few people in the old days, always water cooled, only overclocked for some testing, it was a monster when overclocked and stable as hell. I know it surprised many many people how well it kept up with other peoples systems running much more than mine at the time, amf, I have 2 of them, one of them was actualy quite the monster, there seemed to be a problem at one time, then after that the memory clock would show 2,000 and above when clocking and it ran em all at all settings,I was running Fear at amazing speeds with full settings if I remember right, I will look at my old posts, I was supposed to do some serious tests with these cards because something was going weird with them and we wanted to see why this card was "blowing" the rest away after having the problems, lol......
Anyway, I have always kept the cards in the utmost tip toppy shape, only overclocking for those tests, and always keeping them well below normal temps, I have one "home altered" Koolance water block fitted with a 60mm 80cfm fan even... and holes drilled in the block for maximum air flow etc....
I wish my illness wouldnt make me so frikin "loopy" sometimes, I would have loved to finish those tests....
QWell I am ranting on, anyway, I am going to build some other older pc's with my old parts and sell em locally or on ebay, then buy the mobo I need to get this baby purring like the good ol' days when I could work on my gaming pcs daily, used to be up on most of the latest this and that back then... 8(

Since the begining of this post I have added the 8800gts, revamped the system, did this did that, and I be happy so far!
But running the new Lost World demo in WIN XP pro and I keep getting freezes, God plz tell me its not a bad card... 8(

What would be the best way to test the stability etc.. of this new vid card? these days I am not the "gaming hardware smarty pants" I used to be lol..... But am praying I feel well enough to get back to par...
Again, thank you all for all your input, its places like this that make my fun even funner, and these days I need tis more than ever...
DasMorbid1

By the way
What would be the best 3 MoBo's I could hope to get for this system, best ones for overclocking, upgrading etc...?
8)

 

[inversion]

Anyone 8(

 

[gators1223]

probably the ga-p35c-ds3r is the best for all of those you mentioned

 

[inversion]

I will make a newer post in graphics cards also...