Is it worth getting an A64 with this rig?

Is it worth upgrading to an A64 or P4 from this rig?

Hey folks, this is my first post, so I hope this is the right subforum. I'm interested in upgrading this fall/winter and have been reading OverClockers.com for the past month along with Anandtech, Toms Hardware, etc. And while I've been thinking about getting a 939 Hammer when prices come down, this article on the main overclockers site gave me some pause about the A64.

Here is my current system spec:
AMD Barton 2500+ @2.2 GHz (11.5x191)
Asus A7V8X-X
512MB Crucial DDR400
Radeon 9700 Pro
Antec 430W PSU

I'm mainly looking for a system that will be good for running games and I'm planning on waiting until after HL2 comes out so I can see how well that runs. Do you think it will be worth going to A64 this year? Would a P4 be a better buy? Or should I just go for a better video card? I also want to have 1024MB of RAM, should I get another stick of crucial or should I go for something like 2x512 Corsair XL? Consider a budget of about $800 and purchasing in the fall or winter.

Any advice would be much appreciated!

I actually dont see anything wrong with your system, I'd be happy with it.

If your looking forward to upcoming games though, I think your right about upgrading the RAM. Yes, try getting 512x2 in dual channel if you can.

I dont think that getting an A64 would be worth the money since you already have a fairly nice system.

Welcome To The Forums.

kolath

the 2500 xp is great little processor, got one in my gig ga-7n400 pro running at 3200 speeds. raising the fsb speed was all needed, and with my 9800 pro, madonion is 17,333. not bad.

got me a amd 754 msi k8n neo plat- based on great reviews and matured nforce 3 chipset. this board has a learning curve somewhat, but i,m getting to like it a lot. with my pc3200 xms and 6800gt, get some nice numbers. i just lowered the cpu multiplier from stock 11 to 10, and then raised my fsb from 200 to 225-giving me a 2250mhz rig. with my bfg 6800gt, i just ran a madonion 1024 x768 32bit -amd 64 3400- and got a score of 23, 466. i know that this rig can run faster.

i had thought of the new 939 boards, but going to wait. the first releases may be buggy. never a good idea to buy first release boards in my opinion, but some folks can,t wait.

got my amd 64 +3400-$305
bfg 6800gt-----------$425
msi k8n neo plat------$126
total-$856

better than spending thousands at some place like voodoo computers, or dell xps gen 3 seriers

Thanks for the feedback!

For more RAM, would it really matter if I got more vanilla Crucial DRR400 or some fancy Corsair memory? I've read that timings don't matter too much, but I get like 3-5-6 (or something like that, would have to check CPU-Z again when I get home from work).

And a quick question about OCing the 2500+. I runs solid as a rock at 2.2 GHz at 11.5x191, but if I try 11x200 it fails Prime95 almost instantly. I think it is a relatively early stepping of the 2500+ (I got it about a year and a half ago). Any idea what the problem could be?

That's a KT400 motherboard, its not really meant to run at such high FSB, you're pretty lucky to get where you are. Your boards doesn't have dual channel memory actually. I think that you should just get a matching stick of RAM to what you already have.

So your saying its most likely the board and not the precessor? Would it be worth getting a better Socket A board that does have dual channel and better FSB support?

to be honest I don't know.
When I had a Kt266A at 133MHz FSB with 2-2-2 timings, I went to my NF7 and a CPU that was 700MHz slower but an FSB of 200 @ 2.5-3-3-11. I noticed a huge improvement. But I never had a KT400 so I can't really tell you how much of an increase you'll see.

Anyone else know how much performance increase would be gained from switching from the KT400 chipset to a newer one?

*bump*

I doubt you would get much of an upgrade at this point unless you went 64 bit. Sure, an nForce2 would probably let you raise your FSB at least to 200mhz (probably even higher if you wanted) - but is 100mhz-300mhz to your CPU really going to help you out that much? I honestly would sit tight and wait until spring when the 754 chipsets should be lowering in price even further.

i'd say only upgrade when u can't play the games at decent fps.

If you want to compare some performance between various systems, this link may help:
On performance between various CPU variants and platforms

If you need to build today for whatever reason, possible choice
- 3000+ NewCastle or 3200+ CG ClawHammer with 754 board
- 3500+ with 939 board ($150-200 more)

If you are not in a hurry to build, hold on to your current rig which is OK, towards end of this year will open up lots of different options such as
- more mature motherboards, including PCI-e boards
- cheaper, faster 939 CPU, including 90 nm CPU
- newer video card

This thread may give you an idea of what other members are saying:
How would you upgrade to Athlon 64? (Poll Thread)

Some interim analysis of the poll:

hitechjb1 said:

Interim analysis (poll will end Aug 31, 2004).

After 5 days, 86 members voted, total 121 choices.
Average choices per member = 1.4 (since max choice per member = 2).

From the result, based on my interpretation,
14.0% (12 out of 86) choose to stay with 754 only
25.6% (22 out of 86) build a 754 first and rebuild a "better" 939
22.1% (19 out of 86) keep existing system and build a "better" 939
8.1% (7 out of 86) want any 939
26.7% (the rest 23) wait for some kind of "better" systems (probably non 754, non 939)
3.5% (3 out of 86) do not plan to build an A64
Total = 100%

So 82.5% (= 25.6%+22.1%+8.1%+26.7%) total are planning for a 939 or "better" systems (non 754).
Out of them who give reasons,
32.8% (19 out of 58) want a 90 nm 939
34.5% (20 out of 58) want a 939 with PCI-e support
15.5% (9 out of 58) want a dual core
17.2% (10 out of 58) want DDR2
Total = 100%

Keep voting, have fun

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