Trying again with new thread title as there wasn't any response...
I'm looking to replace my ageing AMD Athlon XP2200 system. I'm not a gamer/overclocker - I'm just looking to build a solid system that'll give me good mileage for at least 3yrs. Sorry if this is a rambling post but I'm not really up on the latest PC hardware technology and have all kinds of considerations on my mind. I do want quad-core though as I've got some specific software in mind (chess engines) that'll take advantage of it.
Here's my initial thoughts on mobo/cpu/ram based on what's available at a local supplier:
■Gigabyte GA-EP45C-DS3R, iP45 Express, S775, PCI-E 2.0 x16, DDR2/3 1066/1333/1600, SATA II/RAID, ATX
■Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 (might consider Q9400/Q9550 depending on bang/buck if the rumoured price falls happen. Q9450 is currently about $400 in the UK including tax)
■4GB(2x2GB) Corsair Value Select, DDR2 PC2-5300(667), 240 Pin, Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 5-5-5-15
Now here's the kind of thoughts/questions I'm asking myself:
1. With the old AMD system I got some extra mileage by upgrading the CPU/RAM. I'm thinking that if my system needs a boost in a couple of years I can track down a (hopefully) cheap 1600MHz FSB Yorkfield core and swap in some DDR3 RAM. Is this naive thinking?
2. How valueable is the motherboard's DDR3 support for someone like me? If it's a distraction then maybe I should just stick with a DDR2 based board and see what else is on the market.
3. Are dual DDR2/DDR3 boards likely to have any problems compared to straight DDR2 boards?
4. If I'm just sticking with DDR2 then maybe I should go with 800 MHz ram now in case I want to chuck in the 1600Mhz FSB Yorkfield later.
5. How strictly should one observe the motherboard manufacturers' lists of approved RAM modules if your not overclocking? The Corsair parts weren't listed under Gigabyte's QVL.
6. There's a lot of excitement about the upcoming Nehalem platform. From what I read the stuff being released in Q3 2008 is aimed more for enthusiasts/early adopters. More consumer-oriented parts (probably what I'd be wanting) are still some 12 months off. Am I reading the situation correctly? I'm not so desperate to upgrade that I couldn't wait a couple of months to upgrade if it was really worth it but I'm not sure I can hold out a year.
Thanks if you've read this far! Any input welcome.
I'm looking to replace my ageing AMD Athlon XP2200 system. I'm not a gamer/overclocker - I'm just looking to build a solid system that'll give me good mileage for at least 3yrs. Sorry if this is a rambling post but I'm not really up on the latest PC hardware technology and have all kinds of considerations on my mind. I do want quad-core though as I've got some specific software in mind (chess engines) that'll take advantage of it.
Here's my initial thoughts on mobo/cpu/ram based on what's available at a local supplier:
■Gigabyte GA-EP45C-DS3R, iP45 Express, S775, PCI-E 2.0 x16, DDR2/3 1066/1333/1600, SATA II/RAID, ATX
■Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 (might consider Q9400/Q9550 depending on bang/buck if the rumoured price falls happen. Q9450 is currently about $400 in the UK including tax)
■4GB(2x2GB) Corsair Value Select, DDR2 PC2-5300(667), 240 Pin, Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 5-5-5-15
Now here's the kind of thoughts/questions I'm asking myself:
1. With the old AMD system I got some extra mileage by upgrading the CPU/RAM. I'm thinking that if my system needs a boost in a couple of years I can track down a (hopefully) cheap 1600MHz FSB Yorkfield core and swap in some DDR3 RAM. Is this naive thinking?
2. How valueable is the motherboard's DDR3 support for someone like me? If it's a distraction then maybe I should just stick with a DDR2 based board and see what else is on the market.
3. Are dual DDR2/DDR3 boards likely to have any problems compared to straight DDR2 boards?
4. If I'm just sticking with DDR2 then maybe I should go with 800 MHz ram now in case I want to chuck in the 1600Mhz FSB Yorkfield later.
5. How strictly should one observe the motherboard manufacturers' lists of approved RAM modules if your not overclocking? The Corsair parts weren't listed under Gigabyte's QVL.
6. There's a lot of excitement about the upcoming Nehalem platform. From what I read the stuff being released in Q3 2008 is aimed more for enthusiasts/early adopters. More consumer-oriented parts (probably what I'd be wanting) are still some 12 months off. Am I reading the situation correctly? I'm not so desperate to upgrade that I couldn't wait a couple of months to upgrade if it was really worth it but I'm not sure I can hold out a year.
Thanks if you've read this far! Any input welcome.