Summer 2004 hardware...

As with many others i am looking to make a computer this summer and upgrade my current one. While the gfx card and other stuff will be an obvious choice what mobo/cpu features will be around by then.

I have heard about the Fx-53 and the socket 939 vs the 940's. Also about the PCI-e or whatever. What stuff along these lines will be out this summer?

**In a nutshell.... What will the hot motherboard/cpu combos be this summer?

thx
(sry for rambling)

Potentially this summer, we'll see the following:

130-nanometer Athlon 64s for Socket 939
The new nForce 3 A64 chipset
PCI-Express (new PCI and AGP )
Quicker Athlon64s.

For the athlon 64's/ Fx's...and different socket types

what models will be out? and what will be good/bad about them?

personally i was interested in the Fx-53's or 55's. but i don't know if the new sockets will apply to them.

Wait for Socket 939.

Socket 940 requires Registered ram, which is more expensive and slower... bottom line is 939 systems will be cheaper.

I'm working on building a new comp this summer too, I'd like to have it be compatible with all this new technology, how long will I have to wait to build it if I do?

As i have been reading lately, althought the 939 socket will be the next line of technology, the hardware stabilty that everyone desires probably won't be here too soon. This leaves the major choice for socket at the 754. Will this socket support the newest line of athon fx's ? Also will they use the nForce 3 chipsets?

thx

IceWilly said:

As i have been reading lately, althought the 939 socket will be the next line of technology, the hardware stabilty that everyone desires probably won't be here too soon. This leaves the major choice for socket at the 754. Will this socket support the newest line of athon fx's ? Also will they use the nForce 3 chipsets?

thx

Click to expand...

Everything 64-bit from nVidia will mos'def use the nF3 chipsets. It's the best way to go at the moment even though they are removing SoundStorm. So get an Audigy

At the moment hardware stability will be a tossup, so just live with it...for now. Save your $$ until the second generation PCI-E is up, though, or you may be disappointed.

Ahhhh i hate waiting for stuff...

Heres my situation: I game alot and i like a fast gaming rig, i only use one pci card and thats my audigy

I was planning on making a badass rig with the best Fx chip and the newest nvidia card. (hopefully they can keep ahead of ATI)

Should i wait for the pci-e stuff? doesn't seem like my needs/wants will be effected much by this.

and for those needs, will the socket 939's even boost my performance that much.

thx

I just wrote a 15 page paper on PCI-Express for my CS class and I can tell you that it will probably not be a huge improvement right away jsut because current hardware/software is designed to not kill the regular PCI, let alone stressing a PCI-Express setup. But when hardware (like Video cards, hard drives, and ethernet/sound cards) speed up and get better after PCI-Express has taken over, there will definately be a HUGE improvement in speeds, options, and even cost (cheaper actually) over traditional PCI.

Basically, PCI-Express IS infact going to be the next standard for I/O but its still gonna be a bit so just remember that PCI-Express devices will be coming out in the next year and PCI-Express mobos will probably be available (fist from intel) by the end of this year (making PCI as old as ISA )

So what would y'all suggest I do? I, like willy, wanted to set up a sleek gaming machine. I'm not sure what my monetary situation will be in the future... I'm entering college in the fall and I kind of wanted to build a top-of-the-line computer so if I don't have the $$$ later on for upgrades, I'll still be ok for a while.

Right now I'm thinking, screw BTX, I can adapt a BTX powersupply to ATX, right, so later on I won't have to buy a new one?

I'll buy a current gen ATX case, Socket 939 ATX motherboard, FX CPU, AGP 8x Vid card (lets see what ATI comes out with, heh)... etc... and later on I can use most of my same rig if I need to, right? I'll just need a new Mobo and Case if I want to get a 2nd generation PCI-x graphics card?

That'd run, tops... $900?

It becomes clear that

- A64 939 platform has close to four time the max system bandwidth of an XP platform (two from max memory bandwidth and two from max HT bus bandwidth)

- A64 939 platform has close to two time the max memory bandwidth of an A64 754 platfom


We can live with slower CPU, slower system with less system bandwidth, we have been there before from Thunderbird, Palomino, Tbred A, Tbred B, Barton, mobile Barton, .... We know how to tradeoff price and performance, pick and choose whatever we feel comfortable in terms of cost and performance. There had not been a problem since these CPU's and motherboards are all COMPATIBLE, from PC 100, PC 133, DDR 266, DDR 400, over 6+ years (if I remember the time right).

The problem that has been created for us is the multiple platforms for the new A64, three of them, 754, 939 and 940. They are not compatible and if we commit to one, we have to completely get a new set of CPU and motherboard to change over. Let say CPU+mobo $400 each time, it would take $800 total to change over if making a wrong choice, a big concern for most of us. Imagine we have to get (not we choose to) a different motherboard for each Palomino, Tbred, Barton upgrade !!!!

So I think unless I don't have any hardware/computer now and needed to build one yesterday, I would wait until at least May or June, hopefully, the picture for 939 CPU, nforce3 250 gb motherboards, .... become clearer for making a decison for either 754 or 939.

If we can wait, I think best time to upgrade seems to be towards end of this year or even next spring, the dust and price for the 64-bit OS, 130/90 nm 939 CPU (yield and price), video card, motherboards, HT devices, ... will settle more to our favor.

Good call hitechjb1^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I know it'd be better to wait until spring, but I'm going to college, I can't take the one I'm on right now with me. I need SOMETHING that I can do my work on, research, surf the web, and do a little gaming in the spare time.... I really want a top of the line rig, but if I can't do it until spring, what do I use in the meantime?

MiNdWaRp said:

I know it'd be better to wait until spring, but I'm going to college, I can't take the one I'm on right now with me. I need SOMETHING that I can do my work on, research, surf the web, and do a little gaming in the spare time.... I really want a top of the line rig, but if I can't do it until spring, what do I use in the meantime?

Click to expand...

If you cannot wait till end of year/next spring. Hopefully by June, the market about 939/754 CPU and motherboards (w/ nforce3 250) will become clearer for you to make a decision. Definitely should not be now, since new A64 CPU's and motherboards are anticipated in a month or two.

If we can wait, I think best time to upgrade seems to be towards end of this year or even next spring, the dust and price for the 64-bit OS, 130/90 nm 939 CPU (yield and price), video card, motherboards, HT devices, ... will settle more to our favor.

Click to expand...

As much as this makes so much sense to me, and how much i wish i had that will power, the fact that i cannot run new games at high settings eats away at my heart.

On the topic of the 64 bit OS, whats the deal with that nowadays. Is it far along in development, and/or have any recent versions been benchmarked? My original plan was to wait for the 64 bit OS, but i guess it depends on how far off it is. I think i could wait until 2005, but winter break from school is going to be hard if i don't have a plan for my money yet....

There are some versions of Linux and a beta version of 64-bit Windows that can be downloaded for free to run on the A64 platform. I do not have personal experience with them with regard to stability, bugs, drivers availablity, .... From past experience, unless just for evaluation and software development, a beta version OS is not recommended for routine usage due to bugs, lack of drivers, features, .... But the 32-bit WinXP and applications run perfectly fine w/ the A64 platform today.

News about prices of 939 CPUs is 1 month away (at most).

If they are sky high, as in over $400 and that makes you look at below $200 Socket 754 CPUs, then combine the 754 CPU with PCI locked VIA K8T800 Pro (not K8T800) chipset or the PCI locked nForce3 250 (not 150) chipset.

I don't think you'll see a socket 939 CPU below $350-$400 for many months to come but OC Detective disagrees (and he's been on target about the CPU roadmap thus far...)