Moving to A64 (from xp-m) Few questions

[Rpg_pro]

I have decided to upgrade to a64 939 And i have a few questions:
Im thinking of getting a DFI LANPARTY nF4 SLI-DR. If theres something better please tell me.

1: With an sli motherboard, can i still use just a single GFX card?
2: Should i get a 3200+ (10x multi) or a 3500+ (11x multi) Air overclocking?
3: Will my 2x512mb Geil PC4400 ram be good in this setup?
4: When buying online for cpus, How do i know if the chip is a Venice, Winchester etc.
5: Going from my setup (sig) to lets say the same speed chip in a64 with a single GFX card Be worth the upgrade? Or shall i wait longer for price drop or then new socket in about 8 - 10months time (if its not just rumors)

Thanks

 

[elec999]

4: When buying online for cpus, How do i know if the chip is a Venice, Winchester etc.
Most website will tell you what core is it, ex Newegg.
5: Going from my setup (sig) to lets say the same speed chip in a64 with a single GFX card Be worth the upgrade? Or shall i wait longer for price drop or then new socket in about 8 - 10months time (if its not just rumors)
If you can wait, do it. Your current system seem perfect, window xp x64 needs some time. Amd dual core will be released.
Thanks

 

[Gnerma]

1. Yes you can run just one card.

2. Depends on what your memory can handle although either would be fine.

3. I'm sure they'd be great, but do you know what chips they have?

4. Good resellers post what core the chip is. Currently Newegg and Monarch are both indicating if its a Venice.

5. I say heck yes although whether something is "worth the upgrade" is totally dependent on what you use your rig for. I'll tell you what though, if you get a Venice and clock it up to 2.5+ you will certainly notice the difference.

I think now is a great time for Socket A holdovers to go s939/PCI-e. It's not really going to get any better until the new DDR2 cpus and socket come out and that would be a long & painful wait for you guys. In fact, I'm surprised Ed hasn't posted one of his jawdroppingly rare "buy now" articles on the front page

 

[Rpg_pro]

Im quite tight with my money, but also don't like being behind in my gaming. ATM my pc handles the games out now quite fine. Just im a bit worried that it might not handle the games coming out in the next 6 - 12months Since the difference benchmarks from my pc to socket 939 setups is up to 50% higher, is it just that the 939 pc setups are an overkill in game proformance? or is it what is needed to play these new games due out soon?

 

[Gnerma]

What you're asking is a highly abstract concept based on individual tastes. You say that your system handles current games fine but what is fine? Your definition might be totally different than mine, or elec999's or every other member on these boards. For me, I like to run with moderate AA and high AF while getting a smooth 50+ FPS at all times.

Here is how I look at it. There is always room for more performance. When your games run smoothly you can always crank up the resolution, AA & AF to make them look better. Only on the fastest of today's systems will you be able to turn everything up, in just about every game. So no, today's high end systems aren't overkill. It all comes down to what kind of framerates you want and how good you want your games to look. Your current system will probably be able to run every game that comes out for a few years but they are going to get rather ugly eventually, it's only a matter of time.

Nobody except you knows if a big upgrade right now would be right for you. If possible, try gaming on a nice A64 & X800/6800 system to see how it feels. You might be impressed, and you might not be very impressed.

 

[SteveLord]

get the DFI NF4 Ultra - D model. cheaper and you can use the extra money saved toward a faster cpu or better ram.

SLI is overrated and overmarketted.