lisabob2

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I just want some opinions.
I have a duron 600@750, microstar k7t pro2-a mb, soundblaster live sc,ibm 20gb hd, 256 mb memory,guillemott sdr geforce/32mb vc.
I was thinking of getting a tbird 850 with a microstar 815 geforce gts/32mb of ddr.
Or a Duron 800 with same video card above.
I will overclock with a alpha heatsink & fan.
Just wanted some pros & cons on either upgrade.
I am happy with what I have, but the prices are so low, its hard not to upgrade:)
thanks in advance Bob
 

phsstpok

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Your Duron @750 might be fast enough to do an adequate job driving a new graphics card. I'd start with this and see how much improvement you get before going for a new CPU. Also, I would wait on the Tbird until you can afford a little higher increase than 800 or 850. You might even want to wait just a little longer and see how low the Geforce GTS/PRO/Ultras get when the Geforce 3s hit the streets.

Here are my thoughts about the above cards. GTS good/excellent for 1024X768, PRO adequate/good for 1280x1024, Ultra almost adequate for 1600x1200. Things do improve the faster the processor is and improve considerably if the video card is overclocked. (You already mentioned CPU overclocking so I added the latter comment).

Just my opinion :smile:
 

HolyGrenade

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Don't upgrade. Lave it as it is. at least for another six odd months. The markets a bit volatile right now. Go, for something that will give you a notable performance increase some time later, rather than taking a baby step now.


<i><b><font color=red>"2 is not equal to 3, not even for large values of 2"</font color=red></b></i>
 

lisabob2

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I can actually afford more but I wanted to overclock a 800 or 850 to something over a gig.(tbird or duron)
I have a alpha heatsink and some artic silver just waiting for my next cpu. My duron will do 850, but not as stable as I like. It has a global heatsink(32 not the 38)temps stay between 31C and 36C.
I was thinking of overclocking my sdr geforce, especially since I got a enermax 431 watt power supply and a blue orb on it. My geforce does 1028x1024 fairly well at least with half-life and Quake III.
Thanks for the good advice
Bob
 

lisabob2

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Good advise, but prices are so low right now that I am actually drooling:).
Maybe I'll experiment with some fsb increases, and try overclocking my video card.
Thanks again,
Bob
 

phsstpok

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Bob, I know what you mean.

I'm becoming obsessed with getting the most out of my meager Geforce SDR and my Duron 600. However, I am not one of those people who spends big bucks doing it. Just doesn't make sense to me to buy an expensive cooling rig just to get a few extra mhz when I could put that money toward my next upgrade. Still, I don't mind tweaking and low cost "enhancements".

My Duron is overclocked to 1007 mhz on a KT7 motherboard and it is rock solid. I'm considering doing a new voltage mod but that may entail more risk than I am willing to take. My video card is overclocked pretty far but works well. I also have a Geforce256 SDR. It's a VisionTek DVI model and it's overclocked to 150/210. I stuck a 486 fan on the GPU and some heatsinks on the DRAMs. This gained me 5 mhz on the core and nothing for increased memory speed. What I did gain is stability, where I could formerly only run the card at those speeds for 15 or so minutes I can now run for hours.

If you choose to overclock your video card get a copy of GeforceTweak. It has more options than the display driver with the coolbits trick and is easier to use and make speed changes. It's available at <A HREF="http://www.guru3d.com" target="_new">www.guru3d.com</A>. Also get the nVidia 10.80 drivers. They are very fast, not that I have tried them all. The 10.80 drivers are faster than, 5.33, 6.31, 6.47, 6.50, 6.67, 6.72, 7.17, 7.52, 7.58, 8.33, 10.50 and few others that I can't recall. My <A HREF="http://gamershq.madonion.com/compare.shtml?1377235" target="_new">3DMark2000 score</A> of 5644 and my <A HREF="http://gamershq.madonion.com/compare2k1.shtml?648959" target="_new">3DMark2001 score</A> of 2379 bear me out on this. Good scores for the combination of a Duron and Geforce256 SDR.

Good luck on whatever you decide to do.

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by phsstpok on 04/07/01 03:12 AM.</EM></FONT></P>
 

lisabob2

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phsstpok,
by the way, what are your overclocking settings for your Duron.
I mean the multiplier, the fsb, the voltage.
I am at 7.5 x 100 and 1.625 volts.
I use 1.650 to get to 850. but wasn't stable enough, 750 is rock solid.
Bob
 

phsstpok

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9.5 x 106 = 1007 mhz at 1.92 volts as measured. The BIOS setting is 1.85 volts.

If you have a good cooler you can increase your voltage a lot more to make your Duron stable at 850. They all seem to take 1.85 volts without any problems provided they are kept cool.