Please, some advice from you brilliant overclockers out there!
Current Rig:
ALIENWARE AREA-51
ABIT AA8XE 925XE MOBO
P4 3.4GHZ 1MB 800FSB LGA775
1.5 GB PDP DDR2 PC4200
WD RAPTOR 74GB SATA 10K RPM 8MB HD (os and games)
MAXTOR DIAMONDMAX PLUS9 7200 RPM 160GB 8MB HD (storage)
NEC ND-3500 16X DUAL LAYER DVD±R/W RECORDER
CREATIVE SOUND BLASTER AUDIGY 2 ZS 7.1
MSI GEFORCE 7900GT 256MB PCI-E
MICROSOFT XP
THERMALTAKE BIG TYPHOON
The motherboard fried after over a couple years of use. So I need to replace it. I have about 800ish to spend. Then I can get more in Fall. I'm writing a dissertation right now and not doing a WHOLE bunch of gaming etc... Plus what's out there hasn't captured my eye. What I do play doesn't push the current rig that much (Eve Online, Company of Heroes, Civ IV, Empire Earth, Age of Empires 3,). ALot of my gaming is tending toward the Xbox 360 right now. I do alot of multitasking, multiple programs open. I work with video for my dissertation (observing and coding teacher videotapes).
I figure to get this right now:
1) eVGA 680i Board (not sure AR or TR. TR is 215, AR 250, but AR has supposedly more things in the box and has a lifetime warranty, TR only a 2 year warranty???)
2) Core 2 Duo 6600 320ish
3) A couple more Maxtors in Raid 5 array for storage capacity (50.00 each)
That gets me to around 650ish. I have room for maybe another 200, more given some of these choices:
1) Newegg has my 7900 GT at 197 after a rebate. That would make Sli.
2) I could get another Raptor and put it in a Raid 0 array for the OS/Games (110ish)
3) I could upgrade the ram to Corsair ram (is Sli ram available??.. not sure what RAM to get)
4) I could load Windows Media Center which I have on my laptop.
5) I could get a cheaper motherboard ... if so which one?
6) I could get a slower CPU... if so which one?
7) I could use my current CPU and get a new CPU in fall, get ram etc now. If I use my current CPU I could get an Asus Striker Extreme?
I'll have to wait on 8800s (or whatever else comes out by fall). I can swap other stuff in in fall. The drives should be swapped now, because that's the trickiest to upgrade. What is the best choice to improve speed etc... knowing that more upgrades will come in Octoberish?
It would be nice to have at least the power/speed I had, but maybe push it a little plus leave alot of room for upgrades during the year as money allows.
Current Rig:
ALIENWARE AREA-51
ABIT AA8XE 925XE MOBO
P4 3.4GHZ 1MB 800FSB LGA775
1.5 GB PDP DDR2 PC4200
WD RAPTOR 74GB SATA 10K RPM 8MB HD (os and games)
MAXTOR DIAMONDMAX PLUS9 7200 RPM 160GB 8MB HD (storage)
NEC ND-3500 16X DUAL LAYER DVD±R/W RECORDER
CREATIVE SOUND BLASTER AUDIGY 2 ZS 7.1
MSI GEFORCE 7900GT 256MB PCI-E
MICROSOFT XP
THERMALTAKE BIG TYPHOON
The motherboard fried after over a couple years of use. So I need to replace it. I have about 800ish to spend. Then I can get more in Fall. I'm writing a dissertation right now and not doing a WHOLE bunch of gaming etc... Plus what's out there hasn't captured my eye. What I do play doesn't push the current rig that much (Eve Online, Company of Heroes, Civ IV, Empire Earth, Age of Empires 3,). ALot of my gaming is tending toward the Xbox 360 right now. I do alot of multitasking, multiple programs open. I work with video for my dissertation (observing and coding teacher videotapes).
I figure to get this right now:
1) eVGA 680i Board (not sure AR or TR. TR is 215, AR 250, but AR has supposedly more things in the box and has a lifetime warranty, TR only a 2 year warranty???)
2) Core 2 Duo 6600 320ish
3) A couple more Maxtors in Raid 5 array for storage capacity (50.00 each)
That gets me to around 650ish. I have room for maybe another 200, more given some of these choices:
1) Newegg has my 7900 GT at 197 after a rebate. That would make Sli.
2) I could get another Raptor and put it in a Raid 0 array for the OS/Games (110ish)
3) I could upgrade the ram to Corsair ram (is Sli ram available??.. not sure what RAM to get)
4) I could load Windows Media Center which I have on my laptop.
5) I could get a cheaper motherboard ... if so which one?
6) I could get a slower CPU... if so which one?
7) I could use my current CPU and get a new CPU in fall, get ram etc now. If I use my current CPU I could get an Asus Striker Extreme?
I'll have to wait on 8800s (or whatever else comes out by fall). I can swap other stuff in in fall. The drives should be swapped now, because that's the trickiest to upgrade. What is the best choice to improve speed etc... knowing that more upgrades will come in Octoberish?
It would be nice to have at least the power/speed I had, but maybe push it a little plus leave alot of room for upgrades during the year as money allows.
