BreakmanX.com

Zephyris wrote:I agree that the GeForce's suck ass... I have a GeForce4 MX 440....

My AMD will sometimes slow to a snail's pace... and crash... Where as the P4 wouldn't do that.

Actually, the Geforce4MX series sucks worse than any other and exists only as a devious marketing ploy by Nvidia. The geforce4mx series is a stripped down version of the Geforce4 Ti core. The main feature that was stripped was the InfinateFX II engine, which contained, amoung other things, all Pixel Shader support. As such, these cards are more architecturally comparable to the Geforce2 than a Geforce4 Ti.
Most new games, such as POP, will require programmable Pixel Shader support. The Geforce 3 generation introduced this programable Pixel Shader (coupled with a programable Vertex shader) in what Nvidia called its infinate FX engine. Each new generation of Geforce card has had an upgrade of the same engine (with the exception of the geforce4MX series which had it removed). For the FX series of Geforce, the InfinateFX was renamed to CineFX, it still does the same thing although faster and support more instructions.
But dont take my word for it, look at the graph on Nvidias Geforce4 page and notice what the Ti has that the Mx doesnt - no support for infinateFX means no Pixel shaders means no support for most Dx9 games .

As for your computer slowing to a crawl during memory intensive operations, there is no faults in the AMD XP processor (that Im aware of) that would cause such a problem. The problem is more likely to be a bottleneck in other hardware, most likely your harddrive. Sounds like when windows is writting/reading to your swap file (part of your Harddrive set up to act as virtual ram) it is hitting a bottleneck. For a quick fix, increase your windows swapfile size, and defragment often; or if you have the resources, Format and reinstall windows.

Edit: As for anybody looking to buy a new CPU + Mobo combo in the immediate future (Siege, Deadman, Realm, et all), the strongest words of adivce I can give you is to not buy the absolute top-of-the-line stuff. You'll pay a premium price and it'll be obsolete very soon, this is always the case when buying computers, but never more so than now. This year will change all most all of the computer specs*, so your upgrade path will be cut short, stealing value from your purchase.
If you must have it today (and there is nothing wrong with that) then I reccomend the either the AMD 2.5 Barton for $85, or the 2.4ghz P4 for $164. Both will overclock to the same speed as highest models, of their respective type,with no additional cooling beside standard fan+heatsink. Your only decision is if Hyperthreading is worth an extra $80 to you (probably not) and if you believe the P4 performs better than an XP. Also, if you want to keep on the cheap, try for a refurb Mobo from Newegg? Before you commit cash to anything, post your purchase plan here so we can scrutinize it.

*AMD switching number of pins, BTX form factor, PCI Xpress, etc...

EMP wrote:AMD switching number of pins

Intel is too right? I've heard something about "Socket-T." Supposedly more efficient and holds better, right?

Here, found a link. Socket T is also known as 775-pin. It'll be for the new Prescott CPU coming out soon.

Erg well it's too late, I already bought an AMD 2500+ Barton for $80, and a $53 mobo off Newegg to go with it. And a stick of 512 MB PC2700 DDR RAM. I consulted a number of people before purchasing and based on your post it looks like I made the right choice.

good advice EMP and good research realm. Anyway I won't be buying a new computer soon, I am going to wait atleast until the summer so then I will be making alot more extra cash, I will most likely wait until the mobo transfers and stuff are complete before buying a new computer.

Also I was comparing Vid card

The Radeon 9800 Pro and the Geforce FX 5950 ultra, now which is better

The Radeon has
Chipset/Core Speed: RADEON 9800 PRO/380MHz
Memory/Effective Speed: 256MB DDR/680MHz

The 5950 has
Chipset/Core Speed: GeForce FX 5950 ULTRA/475MHz
Memory/Effective Speed: 256MB DDR/950MHz

So is the 5950 "technically" better then the Radeon?

The numbers really don't mean much, when everything else is different. It's like looking at a Corvette with stock rims and a Jetta with spinners. Ya the Jetta's got nice wheels, but they're different cars. What you would need to look at is the 0-60 time, the top speed, horsepower, etc.-or in the case of VGA cards: the benchmarks. It's all about the benchmarks. From what I've read, the 9800 and it's variations (Pro, SE) scores about evenly with the 5900 and 5950. The 9800 XT benchmarks always seem to be slightly higher though. To most ppl, the 9800 XT is pretty much regarded as the 1337. Then of course there's the shit over DirectX 9 effects, which has hurt nVidia pretty badly. I'm still unconvinced of any of it, but play it safe. No one's questioning Radeon's preformance with DX9. So, if I had to choose one, I'd say 9800 XT. But between 9800 Pro and 5900 Ultra or 5950, I'm not sure if it matters. And if I'm wrong on any part of this, let me know.

Check these links:
http://www.tomshardware.com/graphic/200 ... 36-04.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/graphic/200 ... 00-14.html

But of course there's the bigger issue too, that ATI and nVidia are going to be releasing totally new cards soon. So if you want a 9800 or a 5900, I'd suggest waiting just a few months, 'cause they'll probably drop in price quite a bit.

Deadman wrote:I am going to wait atleast until the summer so then I will be making alot more extra cash,

Good plan.

Deadman also wrote:I will most likely wait until the mobo transfers and stuff are complete before buying a new computer.

Just a word: it'll never be complete. The rapid advancement of PC's won't be slowing for quite a while, so just dive in. Once you have a computer, then you can upgrade individual parts at will. You'll be able to keep up, and it spreads the cost out. Don't wait for everything to be "complete" 'cause that'll never happen.

I meant the transfer to socket T and PCI Xpress and the others that we have been speaking of, which form the links you people have provide should be sometime second quarter 2004(i think)

can you have too much Ram in your system? I mean as in having so much it will make a computer slow.

Example: have 3GB DDR400 ram (and the mobo can support it)
and everything else is not as good.

All you can have is 1 gb (speed is not an issue, it's what ever you mobo's top speed support is)

This is due to the memory system in windows XP. Look for expanded memory support in Longhorn (or possibly SP2, but I have heard nothing to that effect)

Juan wrote:All you can have is 1 gb (speed is not an issue, it's what ever you mobo's top speed support is)

Anything over 1 gig doesn't really do you much good anyway. Having faster ram is just as important as more of it. Example: I have 640 megs of PC2700 DDR. BUT, 512 megs of PC3200 would probably be as good or better. And ya, it depends on what your mobo can handle. They all have a limit as to how much ram and how fast of speeds. Oh and btw, if you have a stick of PC3200 and a stick of PC2700, it will all operate at the slower speed. It always works that way.

DDR400 is PC3200, right? Anyway, The mobo that I looked at could handle up to 3GB of PC3200 and under.

Having faster ram is just as important as more of it.

Well what if you have the fastest RAM possible for the mobo and all the DIMMs are the same

Example: mobo supports up to 3GB PC3200 MAX would having 1GB of PC3200 be much slower then having 3GB of PC3200?

I think my last post wasn't that clear about the 1 GB thing.

When a motherboard lists how much RAM it can support using size restrictions, it uses the highest capactity RAM (1 gb) and multiplies that by the number of DIMM Slots available. Therefore, if a board supports 3 gb or RAM, it has 3 DIMM slots. (presumably though 1 is for dual channel purposes and reduces the effective number to 1 gb anyway.)

On an entirely different note, the Windows XP operating system only supports 1 gb or RAM. That means no matter how much you have, you only will run with 1 gb of actual RAM. (That means lossage of gigabytes) Until Microsoft expands in memory support, we are held at one gig. (which should be plenty for anyone at any one time.)

OOOHHH ok I see now.

I am having conflicting opinions, my family and friends say I should just buy a computer now, but you guys are telling me to wait, And i want to do both.

I have configured a PC anyway to post and see what you guys would think of it:(this is a copy and paste of my newegg cart)

Thermaltake Xaser III V1420A Chassis,12-Bay,( BLACK ),ATX Super Tower,Large Side Windows,With 7 fans and Lock+(W0009)420W Power Supply.
Specifications:
Case Type: Xaser III Super Tower
Color: Black
Material: Chassis:1.0mm SECC Steel,Front Panel:Aluminum
Drive Bays: 5.25'' x4,3.5''(External) x2,3.5''(Internal) x6
Expansion Slots: 7
Front Ports: USB2.0 x2,IEEE1394 x1,Mic x1,Audio x1
Power Supply: 420W Silent Purepower
Cooling System: 80mm Silent Fan:Front x2,Rear x2,Side x2,Top x1
Motherboard Compatibility: Standard ATX,Micro ATX,Extend ATX
Dimensions: 20.9''Hx8.1''Wx20.5''D
Special Features: °C / °F display switch.4 channel adjustable fan speed more info>


CD/DVD ROM Drives
Asus Black 16X DVD-ROM Drive, Model DVD-E616P1 Black, Retail
Specifications:
Read Speed: 48X CD-ROM, 16X DVD-ROM
Interface: E-IDE/ATAPI
Buffer: 256KB
Access Time: DVD-ROM: 90ms, CD-ROM: 85ms
Data Transfer Rate: DVD-ROM: 21640 KB/s (16X), CD-ROM: 7200 KB/s (48X)
Features: Full Accessibility and Playability: Access all CDs, DVD-ROM/ R/ RW, DVD+R/RW, DVD-Video Discs


CPU Thermal Paste / Grease

Arctic Silver's NEW Premium Silver Polysynthetic Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5. 3.5-gram( 1 cc. ) tube.
Specifications:
Thermal Conductance: >350,000W/m2 °C (0.001 inch layer)
Thermal Resistance: <0.0045°C-in2/Watt (0.001 inch layer)
Average Particle Size: <0.49 microns <0.000020 inch
Extended Temperature Limits: Peak: –50°C to >180°C Long-Term: –50°C to 130°C
Performance: 3 to 12 degrees centigrade lower CPU full load core temperatures than standard thermal compounds or thermal pads when measured with a calibrated thermal diode imbedded in the CPU core
Coverage Area: The 3.5 gram tube contains enough compound to cover at least 15 to 25 small CPU cores, or 6 to 10 large CPU cores, or 2 to 5 heat plates. more info>

Fans, Heatsinks (Case, CPU, Chipset)
Thermaltake Volcano 11+ Xaser Edition,Opti-fin technology, made of All Copper.
Specification:
Compatibility: AthlonXP up to 3400+
Dimensions: 80x80x55 mm
Bearing Type: 2 Ball
Nominal Speed(RPM): 1300~4800
Max Air Flow:(CFM): 20.55~75.70
Max Pressure: 1.45~8.43 mm H2O
Heat Sink Material: Copper
Rated Voltage: 12 VDC
Noise(dBA): 17~48
Special Features: Temp.control fan speed auto control setting.Temp. sensor attaches to heat sink. more info>


Floppy Drives
PANASONIC JU-256A-198P Black 3.5inch Floppy Disk Drive, OEM Drive only
Specifications:
Capacity: 1.44MB
Average Access Time: 94 ms
Interface: 34 Pin Standard Floppy Connector
Form: 3.5 inch
Media Type: All Standard 1.44MB & 720KB 3.5 Floppy Diskettes
Features: High reliability with aluminium diecast base,Long life with direct drive spindle motor

Hard Drives
Hitachi 80GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive, Model HDS722580VLSA80, OEM
Specifications:
Capacity: 80GB
Average Seek Time: 8.5 ms
Buffer: 8MB
Rotational Speed: 7200 RPM
Interface: Serial ATA
Features: Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB) motor technology
Manufacturer Warranty: 1 year


Memory (System Memory) x4
Geil Value Series 184 Pin 256MB DDR PC-3200 - OEM
Specification
Manufacturer: Geil
Speed: DDR400(PC3200)
Type: 184 Pin DDR SDRAM
Error Checking: Non-ECC
Registered/Unbuffered: Unbuffered
Cas Latency: 2.5 7-4-4
Support Voltage: 2.55V-2.85V
Bandwidth: 4.0GB/s
Organization: 32M x 64 -Bit
Special Features: Ultra Low Noise shielded PCB(heatspreader)


Motherboards - AMD
GIGABYTE nForce2 Ultra 400 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU, Model "GA-7N400 PRO2" -RETAIL
Specifications:
Supported CPU: Socket A AMD AthlonXP/Athlon/Duron Processors
Chipset: NVIDIA nForce2 Ultra 400 + MCP
FSB: 400/333/266/200MHz
RAM: 4x DIMM support Dual Channel DDR400/333/266 Max 3GB
IDE: 4x UltraDMA 66/100/133 up to 8 Devices
Slots: 1x AGP 8X/4X, 5x PCI(PCI 2.2)
Ports: 2xPS2,2xCOM,1xLPT,1xLAN,6xUSB2.0(Rear 4),3xIEEE1394,Audio Ports
Onboard Audio: Realtek ALC650 6-Channel Codec
Onboard LAN: Realtek 8110S GbE
Onboard SATA/RAID: Silicon Image sil3112A, 2x SATA/GiagRAID controller
Onboard 1394: T.I. IEEE1394 Controller

Processors
AMD Athlon XP 2500+ "Barton", 333 FSB, 512K Cache Processor - OEM
Specification [EDIT I will overclock this.]
Model: AMD Athlon XP 2500+
Core: Barton
Operating Frequency: 1.83GHz
FSB: 333MHz
Cache: L1/64K+64K; L2/512K
Voltage: 1.65V
Process: 0.13Micron
Socket: Socket A
Multimedia Instruction: MMX, SSE, 3DNOW!, 3DNOW!+
Packaging: OEM(Processor Only) more info>

Software - Operating Systems
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack SP1a - OEM Designed exclusively for home computing. From digital photos, music, and video to building a home network, Windows XP Home Edition brings you into the digital age with ease. Built on the solid foundation of Windows 2000, Windows XP Home Edition also sets the new standard in efficient and dependable computing.


Video Cards
SAPPHIRE RADEON 9800PRO Video Card, 256MB DDR, 256-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP -OEM
Specifications:
Chipset/Core Speed: RADEON 9800PRO/380MHz
Memory/Effective Speed: 256MB DDR/680MHz
BUS: AGP 1X/2X/4X/8X
Ports: VGA Out(15 Pin D-Sub)+TV-Out(S-Video Out)+DVI Connector
Support 3D API: DirectX®9, OpenGL®2.0
Cable/Accessories: 3 Cables, VGA via DVI Adapter, PowerDVD, Driver CD
Max Resolution@32bit Color: 2048X1536@85Hz

just buy the damn thing and get it over with. What you want will satasfy you, even if it isn't the most expensive top of the line best you can buy. Do research and build YOUR system, not somebody else's. That will make you happier in the long run, and you won't have as many regrets or second thoughts (what ifs).