Which AMD proc for 7800 GPU

[jazznsoccer]

I'm trying to figure out how to balance which AMD processor to get with budget.

I'm helping my son build a PC (encouraging his budding interest in technology and kicking in some bucks to learn as we go).

He likes Battlefield 2 so we're looking for a gaming rig.

I've settled on the Asus A8n-32 SLI deluxe mobo for the overclocking and SLI capabiities and the AMD socket 939 for future "growth". And I plan on 1G of DDR PC3200 RAM.

Since I found a good deal on the Antec P-180 case that's on order.

Also found a great deal on a PNY GeForce 7800 bundle (with Ultra X-Finity 600 watt PSU and COD2 game) for $299 (after rebate) so that's on order too. Due to budget constraints we're planning to run a single GPU (not using the SLI which requires two identical bords).

My questions is: what AMD processor to pair that with?

Of course the answer is the AMD FX-57 but $1100 is way out of the budget.

How do I figure out when the CPU becomes the botttleneck of the system? Will the AMD 64 3700+ have enough power to drive the system? Or could I go to the 3000+ without too much drop in performance? I'm having trouble figuring out the sweet spot here. Except that the dual core is unlikely to have much impact on game performance for the next year. We have a budget target of around $250 but would go with what makes sense even if it meant a few more odd jobs to earn the extra cash.

We still have to settle on the HDD and CD/DVD but will be patient and look for sales.

Thanks for the help!

[aud19]

If you're not going to use dual vid cards (SLI) why get an SLI board? :scratchhead:

I say just get the Asus A8N-E mobo with a single PCI-E slot. That way you can put some extra $$ towards a processor As for he processor here's the order I'd buy if you have the budget:

(Prices in Canadian)
AMD ATHLON 64 X2 4400+ (2.2GHZ), 2X 1MB L2 CACHE ~$600CA
Then a toss up between the:
AMD ATHLON 64 X2 3800+ (2.0GHZ), 2X 512K L2 CACHE ~$400CA
and:
AMD ATHLON 64 3700+, 2000HTB, 1MB L2 CACHE ~$300CA

Also make sure you get some low Cas latency Ram (Cas 2), I like OCZ

[aud19]

FWIW I ordered the 3200+ myself as I'm planning to upgrade to the dual cores when their prices come down and didn't want to spend a huge amount now. I'm shooting for the 4400+ myself but not until it's around half it's current price. Of course I don't play games so my priorities are different than your sons Maybe someone can confirm if something faster than the 3000+/3200+ will be required for hardcore gaming? Still unless you plan to upgrade pretty soon, the 3700+ should last you a long while :T

As for HD's, Western Digital's Raptor's are likely the fastest but myself I'd recommend Samsung or Seagate SATA II drives. Not quite as fast but still good performers, much quiter and arguably more reliable.

For optical drives, I like LiteOn DVD-RAM/RW drives, Samsung, LG, NEC, Aopen etc are also good brands :T

[wildfire99]

I'm not a big gamer right now (sinking cash into theater instead of games), but I would definately feel just fine with a 3200+ in my box. You'll be video limited way before the CPU starts to choke. That's not even a 7800GTX, and I see mid 3000's processors running SLI 7800GTX rigs, and they still choke on video.

I would prefer to go 3200+ or better simply because of HiDef video decoding requirements. Don't forget that using an add-on sound card will help your CPU usage in games a lot also, as software sound takes up CPU (~10%).

1GB of RAM is a very good idea. Try to find the best price/performance point for the CPU. When I buy processors, I don't fret the exact core speed. There's usually a place where the speed differentials start to get very expensive. For instance, going from a 3000 to a 3100 might be a $5 difference, then 3100 to 3200 is $7, and so forth, until going from a 3500 to a 3600 is a $40 difference or more. At that point, I get a 3500.

Looking at NewEgg, the 3200+ X64 is the sweet spot. I'd rather put that extra $50 between 3200 and 3700 into the video card, for a gaming rig.

Dual core for games is a waste for a little while, but it's leagues ahead in terms of regular sysem usability. I'd skip it for now, if this is really primarily a game box.

I kind of tend to agree with Jason a bit on the SLI part. Think about when you might buy an upgrade board. If that's more than a year away, it may be better to just replace the existing graphics board with a new one, rather than try to find a matching old one, and go through the contortions required for SLI operation (which still feels uncomfortably like a hack, instead of a feature).

For a gaming rig, get a decent HDD but not a speed demon like a raptor. The video card is the heart of it, and modern HDDs have enough throughput to do their job without being terribly exotic. Plus, it's very easy to add another one later. For optical, my cheap Pioneer burner (+R-DL, $35) is great.

[aud19]

Looking at NewEgg, the 3200+ X64 is the sweet spot. I'd rather put that extra $50 between 3200 and 3700 into the video card, for a gaming rig.

The 3700+ has 1MB L2 Cache vs the 3200+'s 512KB though

[wildfire99]

Good point. I'd still rather bump up the video card than the processor though, since the system will be GPU limited, even with the 5-10% possible boost from the extra cache.

[aud19]

Good point. I'd still rather bump up the video card than the processor though, since the system will be GPU limited, even with the 5-10% possible boost from the extra cache.

About the only thing he could go up to from the 7800GT is the 7800GTX Ultra...

[jazznsoccer]

Thanks for the good comments!

We're getting the SLI board for future proofin even thoug we don't plan to do SLI today. But you raise a good point about tryign to find a match later. I suppose I could sell the current GPU if I had to (A 7800 should have some value even a year from now).

Of course I could replace the mobo then too but was trying to avoid that (even though a tear down and rebuild is half the fun!). :B I'll have to think about that option some more!

What did catch my eye was this quote: "While we can't fully explain why it is faster, we did find the Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe to be as much as 8% faster on the newest games that we tested in SLI mode, and up to a whopping 17% faster in single video mode with single/dual 7800GTX video cards.

see here for link:

http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2589&p=13

Still don't know how to tell when CPU becomes the bottleneck. I guess I'll just order at the sweet spot price wise. So thinking about the 3700+ with 1M cache for $250.

[aud19]

I still say SLI is largely a waste of time for the money. IMO you're better off saving the money on the mobo and second card and just getting a better single card. That 3700+ is nice! :P

DO NOT forget to get some good quality, matched pair, low latency dual channel memory too. If you're considering over-clocking or want to future proof even more, you could even get some faster than 400MHZ RAM too

[wildfire99]

About the only thing he could go up to from the 7800GT is the 7800GTX Ultra...

What, you mean there's not GTX Super Ultra Golden Sample? I thought there was some new thing coming out. Are the new 'overclocked' X1800's any better?

All I know is that I've never maxed the CPU out. Memory yes (ditto the suggestion on super-fast, high quality ram and overclocking it if possible), video card always yes, hard drive yes, but CPU no, unless I'm rendering (includes real-time rendering for DVD upscaling) or something is broken.

[Shane Martin]

My theory on CPU's is this:

Look at the various prices on Pricewatch and when the price goes up substantially, then go with the top one before the price leaps. I did that and came out with a 3500+ 939. It plays BF2 with my BFG6800GTOC w/o a hitch.

I would not focus on newegg either. I looked at newegg and a semi local place http://www.pcclub.com had their processors CHEAPER by almost $80 including tax because I bought locally. I would go that route.

[aud19]

Yes definitely shop around. Internet based computer "wharehouses" aren't always the cheapest