2010 seems like a good year to finally upgrade... but I've been out so long!

[Formula350]

So I need some help. My biggest issue I forsee being a problem is the PSU. I've had it since early 2000 and tests show it's struggling. I do have a thread started for it, but after seeing where I posted it, I think here would be a much better section. So here that is

I plan on having a system that'll give me upgrade options for a few years and I don't plan on having something that is at it's EOL where I'm stuck with only limited options to upgrade to which are only what were released before it's phase out. The thread above touches on that with my S939 system, as I didn't know it was being replaced by AM2 :\

In case you don't feel like reading the PSU thread (hell I don't blame ya haha), here are my initial plans:
-Start with a PhII X2 555 BE, either unlock to 3 or 4 cores, and/or OC the hell out of it
-That RD890+SB850 board that Gigabyte previewed last month, preferably with SATA6 and USB3 to aid in future proofing.
-Got my DDR3 already, OCZ Reaper HTC 2gb x2 Cas7.

That, paired with my x1950 Pro and 5 HDDs with a DVD-RW DL will need to be powered by the PSU. So that's what I plan to get hopefully soon, but it all is dependent on RD890's release and price :\

Future upgrade plan is:
-6-Core CPU, or at the least a quad if they are quite expensive initially.
-an HD 5770 and then plans for a second 5770.
-MAYBE, if I can get my hands on another set of C7 Reaper, run 8gb total.

So that's my future outlook.

Now... Does anyone have a better estimate on the RD890 street date? Most sites were saying early 2010, which is pretty vague :\ I was going to get a 790GX+SB750, but I'm a bit leery on it supporting the 6-Core CPUs. Just don't want to be stuck in the same boat as I was with this S939, as well at it's treated me

My other thread has some Qs about PSU brands, but I suppose I can copy and paste that bit over to here... No idea if "Active PFC" is a marketing gimmick or actually something beneficial, but my understanding is North America doesn't really need it. At the same time though I'm at the end of the power line and when AC unit kicks on (and probably the dryer or microwave if I paid attention) the lights dim quite dramatically. So who it may be of some benefit *shug* Anyhow...

Are AZZA PSUs any good? This one is $39.99 after MIR

How is Coolmax? This one 700W Active PFC 80+ Cert is perfectly price @ $43.99 after MIR! Also $31.99 for this 650W or 700W for $34.99, both after MIR. Not all too sure what the difference between the CU and CL is, or NW and CUL, in regards to the $43.99 and $31.99 vs this 700W & 650W. I mean, aside from the obvious being modular

I know Enermax was a big OEM PSU maker back in the day, yet they offer quite a few "enthusiast" marketed models, anyone heard good or bad things about them?

OCZ I'm also unawair of in terms of their PSU quality. My friend has I believe an 800W from a year or so ago, but as with most PSUs and people, if their computer is working fine they have no reason to bother checking it Hell I'd not even have bothered with mine if the computer powered up fine after pulling it from storage! There is this Modular 600W for $49.99 after MIR. That is probably the most I'd be able to afford :\ This 700W is $49.99 after MIR and -$5 promo code. While I'd like modular, I'd easily settle for 100 more watts to help with future proofing...

Sorry for such a long ass post. Just imagine how it'd be if I didn't do any research first That research just doesn't reflect user experience though which is why I ask. And for that I thank you!

 

[Fourstaff]

I would go for a better processor, because the gamble is quite big here. If you fail to unlock, you will be stuck with a underpowered processor.

Only go for the best PSUs, if it goes boom it can take your entire system down in a bang! I think this is a good guide:http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=39758

 

[Formula350]

I would go for a better processor, because the gamble is quite big here. If you fail to unlock, you will be stuck with a underpowered processor.

Only go for the best PSUs, if it goes boom it can take your entire system down in a bang! I think this is a good guide:http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=39758

Well the reason I plan on a x2 is because I don't quite have the money for anything more. If I get an X3, I'd be stuck with having to run DDR3 at 1066 if I fill every slot. It's a decent bet though being able to at least run the 555 as an x3. There is also the option of an x4 with 2 cores running at a much lower speed via multipliers The only reason I'm willing to shell out on the motherboard is because it's the main component on the rig which everything is centered around heh I mean I suppose I could grab a Athlon II X4... Since nothing is going to be upgraded right now with the possible exception of the PSU, I'll worry about that when those RD890 boards finally come out.

And I appreciate that link! Was about to go digging around the site, but I didn't know you meant the forums heh I'll have to read over it all tomorrow as it's 3AM now :S Again, thanks for the help

 

[aCid888*]

Avoid Coolmax, go with the OCZ unit...from the items linked.

 

[richardbel]

Avoid Coolmax, go with the OCZ unit...from the items linked.

+1 i agree on that one..

 

[Melvis]

I hear ya man, i think this year would be a good time to upgrade, as im also running a S939 system and its starting to show its age.

Thing is with my system i have upgraded it to the max just about and i can still use some of the parts from this system and use it in the next build, so it wont be a very expensive upgrade.
If i would upgrade this yr id get a AM3 system, Phenom II 975 when it comes out and DDR3 ram, etc and that be it. I think id go the full hog (Phenom II 975) as there so dam cheap anyway and fast enough for ages to come that i wont need to upgrade again for awhile.

Even though Bulldozer will be out in the next yr it be nice to hold off one more year just to jump on the new arch

 

[kurosagi01]

this seems like a good deal to me:

 

[Fourstaff]

Looks like a good deal for me too, powerful enough graphics card, and a near unbeatable proc+mobo combo.

 

[Formula350]

I hear ya man, i think this year would be a good time to upgrade, as im also running a S939 system and its starting to show its age.

Thing is with my system i have upgraded it to the max just about and i can still use some of the parts from this system and use it in the next build, so it wont be a very expensive upgrade.
If i would upgrade this yr id get a AM3 system, Phenom II 975 when it comes out and DDR3 ram, etc and that be it. I think id go the full hog (Phenom II 975) as there so dam cheap anyway and fast enough for ages to come that i wont need to upgrade again for awhile.

Even though Bulldozer will be out in the next yr it be nice to hold off one more year just to jump on the new arch

Well if AMD keeps AM3 alive for the Heka core, that'll give me a MUCH longer upgrade time frame than the S939 did for me :\ And at least I'd be able to go from 2, to 4, to 6 if I can't afford one to the next right away. My only real option with this S939 would be finding the fastest 939 Opteron and still I'd probably only get another 200-300mhz ontop of where I currently am, so not exactly worth it. While I know games are making much much better use of 4 cores, I'd still be content for the meanwhile with a ~4ghz 555 BE even if I can't unlock ANY more cores. My biggest hold back will sadly still be my x1950 :\ So if I do get new stuff that won't really help all that much for say NFS-SHIFT, which only runs at 15-20fps @ x720 resolution and low graphics settings

this seems like a good deal to me:

Well I've only got 2 problems with that haha Aside from the fact I already have the memory that is. The main one is, if I was going to upgrade right this moment, is the NB 770 chipset. Might be a decent one, but since I"m going for the long haul it'd not be my cup of tea. Second is more of a personal preference of how things work, not that I think it's a crappy product, is ASUS. I've tinkered with my friend's S775 board and I am NOT a fan of how ASUS runs their BIOS and overclocking. The failsafe for if the OC fails is, for me who has used Gigabyte for so long now, horrendous! My first actual enthusiast board other than Gigabyte, is this other S939 DFI LP UT NF4 SLi-D Expert (damn mouth full!) which has a slightly different take on failsafe, but is executed as good as or better than the GB method. Where it apparently loads default settings during POST, but displays what will be executed for settings and then proceeds from there. If it doesn't pass a CMOS checkpoint, it'll reboot, otherwise it'll continue on and save those settings as "Good". What I like about the GB is it allows a grace period between loading BIOS settings and POST, so if it isn't stable it'll go into a reboot loop but you can still enter the BIOS. Then also it has dual BIOS. Only thing ASUS had I liked, was their fancy alternative OS you can access. Though I really don't see much use for it other than novelty or diagnostics if you can't load and OS or install one. But unless there is a modified version available, I wasn't able to download anything off the net while in that mini-OS. So that kinda makes fixing a PC problem with downloaded items, improbably. I appreciate your opinion though and taking the time to actually piece together a rig It's just not my ideal setup :\ Oh and I forgot the 770 either doesn't do Crossfire period, or just 16x-4x, which is pretty worthless as far as Crossfire goes lol The rest is a solid build though! Sadly over my current budget ATM though

 

[Melvis]

Well if AMD keeps AM3 alive for the Heka core, that'll give me a MUCH longer upgrade time frame than the S939 did for me :\ And at least I'd be able to go from 2, to 4, to 6 if I can't afford one to the next right away. My only real option with this S939 would be finding the fastest 939 Opteron and still I'd probably only get another 200-300mhz ontop of where I currently am, so not exactly worth it. While I know games are making much much better use of 4 cores, I'd still be content for the meanwhile with a ~4ghz 555 BE even if I can't unlock ANY more cores. My biggest hold back will sadly still be my x1950 :\ So if I do get new stuff that won't really help all that much for say NFS-SHIFT, which only runs at 15-20fps @ x720 resolution and low graphics settings

I agree and i think they will keep support for Heka core, but at least it will have support for the Phenom X6 which is going to be plenty of raw power, not that it be much good for gaming as a higher clocked Quad would be. Yea the 939 didn't last very long at all, compared to lots of people thought at the time that the S939 would be around for ages, gezzz wasn't we wrong =/ and yes a opteron or the FX-60 is as far as you can go and isn't worth the $$$ to upgrade to at all. True even going with a high clocked Dual core would be a very good CPU even for today for gaming, even i was thinking about going to a Athlon II 255 first and then later on update to a Quad, or have both With ya GPU yes its the biggest bottleneck of your system, and i would build your system around a new GPU, one that you can afford and your happy with. The rest of the system is cheap compared to the GPU.

 

[Formula350]

I agree and i think they will keep support for Heka core, but at least it will have support for the Phenom X6 which is going to be plenty of raw power, not that it be much good for gaming as a higher clocked Quad would be. Yea the 939 didn't last very long at all, compared to lots of people thought at the time that the S939 would be around for ages, gezzz wasn't we wrong =/ and yes a opteron or the FX-60 is as far as you can go and isn't worth the $$$ to upgrade to at all. True even going with a high clocked Dual core would be a very good CPU even for today for gaming, even i was thinking about going to a Athlon II 255 first and then later on update to a Quad, or have both With ya GPU yes its the biggest bottleneck of your system, and i would build your system around a new GPU, one that you can afford and your happy with. The rest of the system is cheap compared to the GPU.

I would upgrade my stuff right now if it weren't for two things: No clue if the 780 NB supports 6-core CPUs and then the more recent issue of my power supply seeming to be struggling. Otherwise I'd have been all over the MA790GPT-UD3H! Alas, here I sit, waiting

I've been juggling a GPU upgrade before the rest, and I'm just not sure what I'd rather have more right now :\ I don't really have money to buy any new games anyways and only have what I've got, so the x1950 will suffice there. What I would gain from upgrading the main system bits is having lots of my time being consumed by tweaking The passed few months, I've actually not been gaming since I got my PC working again, but trying to squeeze more performance out of it! I've actually come to learn more now than I did before, and that's sad since I forgot quite a lot about my system so basically had to figure everything back out. Been trying to get every bit I can from that 939 lol Even had fun with timings and somehow managed to run these Corsair sticks @ 1-2-0-8 1T 7-9-0-2-2-1-1 at stock voltage. Also (and I still question this) they pull off DDR560 o_0 So all that I get a lot of enjoyment out of, and a new system would give me hours of that