OK fellas, Im taking the SLI/PCIe route for my next upgrade. Ive been using the holiday system guide as a reference so I may end up with something that looks similar to the $1000 upgrade. The editors note points out that for @ $166 more you can get the dual core 64 X2 42+, however, he says if you primarily game, its not necessary. I do a lot of gaming but I also do other memory/process intensive tasks so I will be getting the dual core. Anyone here think the X2 is overkill for gaming and most routine tasks? Also, when going with SLI, is it worth it to shell out the extra jack for 2 top-of the-line 7800s or would 2 7800GTs be good to go? Thanks for any opinions.
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dual core/SLI plunge - opinions wanted
- Thread starter Sharkzf6
- Start date
Another question. Does SLI work well with XP Pro 64 bit edition? I'm looking at the AMD X2 42+ or higher as a CPU. Sorry about all the questions recently, putting my "cart" together and realized it's been awhile since I built a new system, especially one with an AMD processor. Damn, there's so many to choose from...
Make sure there are 64-bit drivers for all of the devices you intend to use before moving to a 64-bit OS. Given the relative scarcity of 64-bit executables, you can probably get by with 32-bit Windows for now.
If you are replacing your sig system, I don't think you want to give up the rich creamy SMP like goodness that HT gave your past system, and you'll miss it if you get a single core K8 CPU. Yes the dual core chip won't clock as high, so it won't be such a great gamer chip in terms of benchies. However, NV and ATI are both working on dual core optimized drivers (NV has a head start here), and dual core will help everything you do.
As for the video cards, how big is your monitor? If you are running in 1600x1200 or above, you will probably want to go for the GTX. If you're limited to a 19" LCD or below, GTs in SLI would probably be a reasonable cost cutting measure.
If you are replacing your sig system, I don't think you want to give up the rich creamy SMP like goodness that HT gave your past system, and you'll miss it if you get a single core K8 CPU. Yes the dual core chip won't clock as high, so it won't be such a great gamer chip in terms of benchies. However, NV and ATI are both working on dual core optimized drivers (NV has a head start here), and dual core will help everything you do.
As for the video cards, how big is your monitor? If you are running in 1600x1200 or above, you will probably want to go for the GTX. If you're limited to a 19" LCD or below, GTs in SLI would probably be a reasonable cost cutting measure.
Thanks for your input. I do a lot of 3D gaming but also like having the power to run photoshop, etc without running into slowdowns/memory issues so I figured the dual core AMD was the way to go and since it's 64 bit compatible, why not get the 64 bit version of XP. I probably will install 4 GB of RAM as well so, again, XP 64 issue comes into play...more research may be necessary.DougLite said:Make sure there are 64-bit drivers for all of the devices you intend to use before moving to a 64-bit OS. Given the relative scarcity of 64-bit executables, you can probably get by with 32-bit Windows for now.
If you are replacing your sig system, I don't think you want to give up the rich creamy SMP like goodness that HT gave your past system, and you'll miss it if you get a single core K8 CPU. Yes the dual core chip won't clock as high, so it won't be such a great gamer chip in terms of benchies. However, NV and ATI are both working on dual core optimized drivers (NV has a head start here), and dual core will help everything you do.
As for the video cards, how big is your monitor? If you are running in 1600x1200 or above, you will probably want to go for the GTX. If you're limited to a 19" LCD or below, GTs in SLI would probably be a reasonable cost cutting measure.
I'll be passing my sig rig onto my 17 year-old son, except for the Sony F520 21-inch CRT. I must be able to run everything in 16x12 or higher.
Sharkzf6 said:OK fellas, Im taking the SLI/PCIe route for my next upgrade. Ive been using the holiday system guide as a reference so I may end up with something that looks similar to the $1000 upgrade. The editors note points out that for @ $166 more you can get the dual core 64 X2 42+, however, he says if you primarily game, its not necessary. I do a lot of gaming but I also do other memory/process intensive tasks so I will be getting the dual core. Anyone here think the X2 is overkill for gaming and most routine tasks? Also, when going with SLI, is it worth it to shell out the extra jack for 2 top-of the-line 7800s or would 2 7800GTs be good to go? Thanks for any opinions.
If money is no object by all means buy 2 7800 GTX, I'd recoomend the BFG or eVGA. But if you'd like to save about $250 I would go with 2x 7800 GT from BFG and/or eVGA. I have one of each running in an SLI config, I also have an X2 4400+, and without OC get a 3dMark05 of 11092.