Possible Upgrade…

**dj_stick** · Oct 16, 2007, 05:59 AM

First off my current specs are:

Asus P5LD2 Mobo (945 chipset)
Pentium 4 640 @ 3.2 Ghz
2 Gb DDR2 Ram at 533Mhz
Geforce 6600 or 7200 (i have both, not sure which would be more useful to me in the next build)

And here's what i'm thinking of upgrading to, keeping the more powerful of my GPUs for the new rig:

Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R Motherboard Rev2
Corsair TWIN2X2048-6400 C4 (2x1GB) 4-4-4-12
Intel Core2 Duo E6750

Any thoughts? Mind that I'm more focused on audio production than I am gaming

jp306 · Oct 16, 2007, 07:11 AM

Is your GeForce 6600 PCIe? If so, than it's the better card to use.

PangingJr · Oct 16, 2007, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dj_stick

First off my current specs are:

Asus P5LD2 Mobo (945 chipset)
Pentium 4 640 @ 3.2 Ghz
2 Gb DDR2 Ram at 533Mhz
Geforce 6600 or 7200 (i have both, not sure which would be more useful to me in the next build)

And here's what i'm thinking of upgrading to, keeping the more powerful of my GPUs for the new rig:

Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R Motherboard Rev2
Corsair TWIN2X2048-6400 C4 (2x1GB) 4-4-4-12
Intel Core2 Duo E6750

Any thoughts? Mind that I'm more focused on audio production than I am gaming

do you plan to overclock the CPU and the RAM, at all?
if so, how much you plan to overclock?
my thoughts on choosing the computer parts would be concerning about this.
especially, the DDR2's voltage that will be used when the module overclocked to a certain amount, that RAM may use too much voltage for just not too much overclock.

**temeteus82** · Oct 16, 2007, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PangingJr

do you plan to overclock the CPU and the RAM, at all?

I think that dj is just going to use it to make music so he don't need to oc the rig.

Looks nice to me.

PangingJr · Oct 16, 2007, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by temeteus82

I think that dj is just going to use it to make music so he don't need to oc the rig.

Looks nice to me.

hmm lol when i want to know can i even ask that in my first comment?

**temeteus82** · Oct 16, 2007, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PangingJr

hmm lol when i want to know can i even ask that in my first comment?

Sorry. Yes you can.

**dj_stick** · Oct 16, 2007, 12:21 PM

jp: both my cards are PCIe, thanks for your advice i'll keep the 6600, and use the 7200 to build a second machine out of the remnants of this one

panjing: i don't really plan on overclocking at all, as teme picked up earlier I'm using it for audio production, so I'd rather have a stable system, than one a little faster

PangingJr · Oct 16, 2007, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dj_stick

panjing: i don't really plan on overclocking at all, as teme picked up earlier I'm using it for audio production, so I'd rather have a stable system, than one a little faster

i kinda slow like that sometimes i didn't pick much up from your post but the memory module name. and i'll be damned. i didn't know that.
anyways, based on my past experience with the specific RAM, it requires quite a bit more volts than many and also good DDR2-800's just to overclock at same speed. but things can be different and vary from motherboard to motherboard and from module itself to other modules. but since you will not overclock the system, then it's fine to use it as the system memory.

**dj_stick** · Oct 17, 2007, 01:26 AM

hanks for your input though, it's definately something worth thinking about

H3X4D3C1M4L · Nov 4, 2007, 03:12 AM

For the money why not go quad core? That would be a bigger boon methinks, so if you went with a Q6600 you might find it to work alot better. IIRC most good audio processing tools are multithreaded. At the very least you wouldn't have your recording programs interrupted by background things

**dj_stick** · Nov 6, 2007, 11:23 PM

that's definately something to think about too… might wait until the new year, aussie dollar is doing well so prices should come down a fair bit, as atm there's a full AU$100 difference between the E6750 and the Q6600

ChaosMinionX · Nov 7, 2007, 02:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dj_stick

that's definately something to think about too… might wait until the new year, aussie dollar is doing well so prices should come down a fair bit, as atm there's a full AU$100 difference between the E6750 and the Q6600

Or even wait till Jan '08 for Penryn based dual and quad cores (some of which will have a 200-350$ price tag) I would say wait at this stage of the game.

**kris23** · Nov 7, 2007, 03:08 AM

Q6600
7200.11
X38
DDR2 1066mhz
8800GT

i have spoken

PangingJr · Nov 7, 2007, 03:34 AM

wait until next year if you can. we should see DDR3 price improve, DDR2 should get even better, new Intel 45nm Dual-/Quad-Core at a midrange price, new improved chipsets or version of motherboards.

ChaosMinionX · Nov 7, 2007, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PangingJr

wait until next year if you can. we should see DDR3 price improve, DDR2 should get even better, new Intel 45nm Dual-/Quad-Core at a midrange price, new improved chipsets or version of motherboards.

Yep, however its not looking to good for DDR3 yet, its still got a long ways to go DDR3-1800 7-7-7-20 is the start of high performance DDR3 ram IMO.

PangingJr · Nov 7, 2007, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChaosMinionX

Yep, however its not looking to good for DDR3 yet, its still got a long ways to go DDR3-1800 7-7-7-20 is the start of high performance DDR3 ram IMO.

personally, i don't need any more DDR2 modules around this time either, i still get another G.Skill DDR2-800 GA kits under a wait-list, and as of now i don't see the need to use 4GB system for my overclock and play around system. so, for me, as of now (thing may change when time comes), i think DDR3 1800 – 1866MHz is quite okay for me, but if their prices, latency and voltages won't improve any more than they are now then i probably won't buy DDR3 yet. but keep using/buying DDR2 boards when i want to buy an Intel 45nm next year.

Quote:

Conclusion

X-bit labs - DDR3 Accelerates: DDR3-1800 SDRAM Roundup (page 12)

Summing up everything we have just discussed, I would like to say that overclocker system memory such as DDR3 SDRAM managed to make a tremendous jump forward in terms of clock frequencies within a very short period of time. It is true, since early summer and until the end of this fall its speeds grew from 1333MHz to 1800MHz – the first time new memory frequencies have been conquered so rapidly. Of course, Micron is the one who deserves most of the praise for that, as they successfully mastered the production of D9 DDR3 chips that could be so easily overclocked by raising the voltage. These are exactly the chips that are used in most overclocker DDR3 memory modules. Moreover, our tests show that Micron D9 chips keep improving their potential, which will most likely result into even faster solutions than the current performance leaders – DDR3-1800 and DDR3-1866.

However, unfortunately, the dramatic lead forward DDR3 for enthusiasts made this time failed to find adequate support on the chipset side. The currently existing Intel chipsets officially support only DDR3-1333 SDRAM, which means that you can really enjoy all the benefits from the high-speed memory solutions by overclocking your system quite substantially. Of course, this is no problem for overclockers, but at the same time it limits the current application for the DDR3-1800 kits.

So, overclockers should become the main users of high-speed DDR3 modules. This memory is not only nominally the today’s fastest, it does ensure faster speed in applications sensitive to the memory subsystem performance, which we have just seen in our tests. Unfortunately, the currently available DDR3-1800 is not reasonably priced yet. However, we expect the situation to change soon enough, because of cut-throat competition between the overclocker DDR3 memory makers these days.

I would also like to warn you that the conclusions we make today about the application and prospects for overclocker DDR3 SDRAM shouldn’t be applied to regular non-overclocker memory of the same type. As you probably remember, our previous tests revealed that standard DDR3-1066 and DDR3-1333 cannot compete with fast DDR2 SDRAM because of their much higher latency.

So, despite everything we have pointed out here, it definitely makes a lot of sense to equip overclocker systems with DDR3-1800 memory kits we have reviewed today. However, it would be true only if you make sure that the following conditions are met. First, the system bus in these platforms should be overclocked at least to 450MHz. and second, the owners of such systems should be ready to invest quite substantial money into this not very dramatic performance boost.

As for the particular solutions we talked about today, I have to say that although they use the same components, their practical characteristics are still pretty different in the end. Nevertheless, your preference of this or that product from a particular manufacturer will be purely individual and will be based on the price, availability in your area and your liking of a certain brand. Xbit Labs chooses Corsair Dominator TWIN3X2048-1800C7DF G: this memory worked with more aggressive timings than the competitors’ solutions, and besides, it comes with an active cooling system that will fit great into any overclocker system.

ChaosMinionX · Nov 7, 2007, 08:27 PM

Yep, I will use highend DDR2 until they get a highend DDR3, good thing the Mobo companies still see DDR2 as an option.

PangingJr · Nov 7, 2007, 08:46 PM

good thing Intel allows itself, and the chipsets and motherboard makers to still have support for DDR2.
otherwise many computer builders will be disappointed.

**dj_stick** · Nov 11, 2007, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PangingJr

wait until next year if you can. we should see DDR3 price improve, DDR2 should get even better, new Intel 45nm Dual-/Quad-Core at a midrange price, new improved chipsets or version of motherboards.

i probably will wait, considering i've got quite a bit of studio gear/software i have my eye on, not to mention my gf's birthday and christmas coming up

Oct 16, 2007, 07:11 AM	#2
jp306 DriverHeaven Addict Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 309 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Is your GeForce 6600 PCIe? If so, than it's the better card to use. __________________ "I told my psychiatrist that everyone hates me. He said I was being ridiculous - everyone hasn't met me yet." Rodney Dangerfield.

Nov 7, 2007, 03:08 AM	#13
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 5,990 Rep Power: 121 System Specs	Q6600 7200.11 X38 DDR2 1066mhz 8800GT i have spoken __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Nov 7, 2007, 08:27 PM	#17
ChaosMinionX USB 3 dot oh Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 1,910 Rep Power: 45 System Specs	Yep, I will use highend DDR2 until they get a highend DDR3, good thing the Mobo companies still see DDR2 as an option. __________________ ::Heatware:: How you can help DriverHeaven by using Digg!

Nov 4, 2007, 03:12 AM	#10
H3X4D3C1M4L DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 6,794 Rep Power: 0	For the money why not go quad core? That would be a bigger boon methinks, so if you went with a Q6600 you might find it to work alot better. IIRC most good audio processing tools are multithreaded. At the very least you wouldn't have your recording programs interrupted by background things

Nov 7, 2007, 03:34 AM	#14
PangingJr Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 5,989 Rep Power: 69	wait until next year if you can. we should see DDR3 price improve, DDR2 should get even better, new Intel 45nm Dual-/Quad-Core at a midrange price, new improved chipsets or version of motherboards.

Nov 7, 2007, 08:46 PM	#18
PangingJr Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 5,989 Rep Power: 69	good thing Intel allows itself, and the chipsets and motherboard makers to still have support for DDR2. otherwise many computer builders will be disappointed.