If I should buy an AM2 mobo, with an nForce 570 chipset that supports SLi, will I be able to use two ATI cards in Crossfire mode on that?
Or is it only compatible with NVidia cards?

if you want to do Crossfire (which i don't recommend at this point since ATI's best offerings are extremely power hungry), you'll need a Crossfire board. it would be nice if somebody would create a mobo that supports both SLI and Crossfire, but i doubt that would happen since both setups are very different in how they work (not to mention that ATI and Nvidia would not support such a decision lightly).

right now, its actually better just to stick with a single card anyways. SLI and Crossfire don't offer that much more performance over a single card solution for the average user. unless you're just craving to beat your best friend at having the best FPS rating on your favorite game, its really not worth all the extra time and money it will take to get either setup working.

just my two pennies. ;)

Hmmm, good point...

I'm looking at that mobo, but I want to stick with AMD and ATI since I've been using them since forever and yes I am a bit biased lol

But I'll probably stick with a single card then, I'm not too bothered about playing the latest games at max settings anyways, I haven't even seen KotOR on max settings yet lmao...

Thanks stingerhs!

dang.... I had a perfect analogy all lined up too !!

"If two chinese twins went to scotland, would they speak English with a perfect scottish accent" :D

NegSun... you can still tear it up in most games even on a 7950GT, a single card solution. This card might not be doing this in 12 months, but it's still doing well enough now :D and wont cost you as much as the dual slot cards

I got one for my sister and I have to admit - its pretty impressive....ddr3 and hdcp too :D (if blurayin is in your plans)

Im sure there is an ATI equivalent, but I can tell you the 7950GT is very popular lan gamers GPU, and has been for a while... stick two together on an SLI board and you really fly :D

mtfbwya

^^^^
well, if you're going to stick with the previous generation with video cards, the Radeon X1950 XT is the choice outside of Nvidia's GX2. other than the XTX version of the same card, the XT beats out all of Nvidia's other offerings, and it has a reasonable $200+ USD price tag to boot.

about the only other card that can match the X1950 XT in performance per dollar is the GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB card, and that card belongs in the current generation of DX 10 based cards. still, you can expect to pay about $50 and probably more for the 8800 GTS vs the X1950 XT.

its really going to come down to this: if you're planning on upgrading to Vista, then it would be prudent to go for the 8800 GTS for the DX 10 support. if you're sticking with XP, the X1950 XT is the better choice if you're on a budget.

hope that helps. :)

XP is the way, and I've already picked the card, not as advanced as you guys recommend though, but the X1650Pro will suit my needs just fine for the time being, I made this thread cause it says the card is Crossfire ready, which is why I'm asking...But I think I'll stick to a single card.

I'll probably make do with this one and upgrade to a DX10 Ati card when I upgrade to Vista (in the mid to long distant future)

Here's another quicky to keep it in the same thread:

I'm looking at 2GB (2x1GB) of Ati certified RAM DDR2 800MHz (PC2-6400), but the processor I want to go for (AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+) only seems to support up to PC-3200, or at least that's what it says here (http://www.cclonline.com/product-info.asp?product_id=13747&category_id=341&manufacturer_id=0&tid=ado4800ddbox)

But I've been looking around and I'm getting a different story on this site (http://balusc.xs4all.nl/srv/har-cpu-amd-k8d.php#Athlon64DCSocketAM2DualChannelDDR2), which says that it does support PC2-6400...

Needless to say, I'm a bit confused, if anyone could shed some light on this I'd be most grateful...

the processor you're looking at supports 240-pin DDR2-800 memory. as long as the memory states that it is 240-pin DDR2-800 memory, then go ahead and get it. it shouldn't have any problems running with that processor.

anyways, good luck with everything. :)

Well I'm pretty sure it does, it's this (http://www.cclonline.com/product-info.asp?product_id=9028&category_id=482&manufacturer_id=0&tid=ocz2a8002gk) memory here if you want to double check, but it does say 240 pin DIMM, whatever that means...

yeah, that should to the trick.

a bit of an ATI fan, ehh??? :p

Just a wee bit ;)

Thanks for the help guys...

Edit
Oh one more thing:
Is it worth upgrading from an X1650Pro (512Mb DDR2) to an X1950Pro or X1950GT (256Mb GDDR3) for about $30 more? Or should I stop being a stubborn fanboy and go for an Nvidia 7600GT or 7600GS (256Mb GDDR3 again) in that same price range, or are those two equally matched (X1950 vs 7600)?

Does GDDR3 make a lot of difference compared to DDR2?

lolz... I know this one!!

there are two types of x2 4800, thus the confusion :D

the socket 939 version can only do DDR(1) PC 3200, as on s939 mainboards

whereas the socket AM2 has the DDR2 support that comes with AM2 mainboards.

I have both types of mainbaords and even used to have the 939 version of the x2 4800. I now have the x2 5000 in the AM2.

I have to admit, Im not a fan of boutique RAM. Unless you are a mad overclocker and fiddle with timings and whatnot, stick with your plain old 1.8V RAM. I use corsair value select if I get it cheap, but have had no problems with generic stuff too.

I laugh when I hear people say they installed 'bad/faulty RAM' on a board. What's usually faulty is their ability to properly research what type of RAM the mainboard they are using actually supports. Im getting this alot recently, with people buying new boards for their vista rig, and then trying to mount incompatble DIMMs on it.... silly!

All RAM has a lifetime warranty if youve noticed. The components of ALL of them come from 2 factories in china. They might get assembled onto PCBs, mounted in heat spreaders and branded by different manufacturers but, the guts of them are all the same. RAM is RAM! GOD-DAMN!

mtfbwya

I have to admit, Im not a fan of boutique RAM. Unless you are a mad overclocker and fiddle with timings and whatnot, stick with your plain old 1.8V RAM. I use corsair value select if I get it cheap, but have had no problems with generic stuff too.
I think that RAM is quite a sweet deal, it would cost me just as much to get 2 1Gb Corsair value select sticks from the same site...And since I'm getting everything else there I'm just gonna go for that.

Is there any adjustments to be made to the motherboard to be able to run RAM at 2.1V? Or does it adjust itself?

you can change the settings on the BIOS with most aftermarket mobos, although they'll be set from the factory at the correct voltage setting. if you're using a mobo from a manufacturer like Dell or Gateway, then you can pretty much forget about it. occasionally, you can flash the BIOS on those mobos to enable features like that, but they usually lock them out to prevent n00bs from playing around with it and clogging their tech support lines after they fry everything.

however, the only time you'd want to change the voltage settings is if you're wanting to overclock the memory. and to be honest, i don't even bother with overclocking memory to begin with. it shortens the life of the RAM, and it usually doesn't boost performance very much. you'll get better performance results from overclocking the CPU and the graphics card.

@NegSun.... can I ask why you want to go for high end RAM on a rig with a mid end CPU and videocard ?? and dont just say 'coz it was cheap'

the performance differences made are going to be 'here and there', and thats only if your mainboard is happy to play with high end RAM.

Alot of budget/entry level and preconfigs will spit it out. Upmarket gaming boards play best...and allow you to mess with timings. So if you are using the n570 SLI board you mentioned above, you should be able to get away with it :)

Seriously, for me the clincher for a great gaming setup always was the video card. Thats where I focus the guts of my $$$.

anyway ... good luck with your build man !

mtfbwya

Well I've decided to go for an even better mobo, the MSI K9A PLatinum, with the Crossfire Xpress 3200 chipset...The processor is gonna be an X2 4800+ and the GPU an X1950 (GT or Pro, XT is a bit too much on my wallet I'm afraid), I'm a bit confused as to which brand to trust more for a GPU (Sapphire, Connect3D, etc...), or is there no difference really?

The RAM will do me fine because I intend to make it last a while, and maybe buy another 2Gb at some point when I upgrade to Vista eventually...I've had a lot of bottlenecks because of RAM and I would just like to get the best value RAM that gives the best performance and durability...I know you said all RAM has a lifetime warranty, but some sticks I've seen say otherwise (Like "1 year return to base")

One last thing about RAM, is it best to have all the RAM on one stick (ie: 1x2Gb), or does it not matter if it's separated (ie: 2x1Gb)?

It's a hard thing to do here because I've looked pretty much everywhere online to find the best deals, but I also don't want to pay too much for deliveries...
Not many UK suppliers seem to have the 7950GT or the X1950XT for example, I don't know why.

Well I've decided to go for an even better mobo, the MSI K9A PLatinum, with the Crossfire Xpress 3200 chipset...The processor is gonna be an X2 4800+ and the GPU an X1950 (GT or Pro, XT is a bit too much on my wallet I'm afraid), I'm a bit confused as to which brand to trust more for a GPU (Sapphire, Connect3D, etc...), or is there no difference really?well, there's usually not too much of a difference with the ATI manufacturers. however, i do tend to stick with Sapphire, Asus, and Powercolor if i'm building a rig with an ATI card because they tend to be slightly more reliable.One last thing about RAM, is it best to have all the RAM on one stick (ie: 1x2Gb), or does it not matter if it's separated (ie: 2x1Gb)?it does matter if its separated. always go for two sticks of RAM as it enables duel-channel mode for the RAM, and that gives you a much better performance advantage over a single stick.It's a hard thing to do here because I've looked pretty much everywhere online to find the best deals, but I also don't want to pay too much for deliveries...
Not many UK suppliers seem to have the 7950GT or the X1950XT for example, I don't know why.that's likely due to suppliers switching to the new 8000 series of cards from Nvidia since its in higher demand at the moment. that's all. ;)

well, there's usually not too much of a difference with the ATI manufacturers. however, i do tend to stick with Sapphire, Asus, and Powercolor if i'm building a rig with an ATI card because they tend to be slightly more reliable.
Cool, well Sapphire is the one I'm looking at...I assume their bundles come with all the necessary cables included?

it does matter if its separated. always go for two sticks of RAM as it enables duel-channel mode for the RAM, and that gives you a much better performance advantage over a single stick.
I didn't know that, thanks stingerhs!

that's likely due to suppliers switching to the new 8000 series of cards from Nvidia since its in higher demand at the moment. that's all. ;)
Hmm, good point, it still sucks though.

Well this thread went on for longer than I intended, sorry guys...

I'm curious about a new screen as well, since this is the first part I'm gonna buy, since it will plug in to my old compy as well (I think)

I'm looking at a 19" widescreen (1440x900) with a D-Sub (15 pin) interface, which will connect to my old GPU (GeForce 4 MX 4k) I hope, as well as my new GPU...Is it worth forking out more cash for a screen that supports DVI (which my new GPU will more than likely support as well)? or will D-Sub 15 do just fine?

Since this is to be a 21st Bday prez (but I'm picking it ha!), I'd like to make it count :)

Edit
This (http://www.cclonline.com/product-info.asp?product_id=12907&category_id=335&manufacturer_id=0&tid=dml-419w210#) is the screen I'm looking at btw...

unless youre venturing over 1600x1200 DVI vs vga is much if a muchness :)

DVI is a digital interface, and can handle the higher bandwidth for1080p and beyond. The monitor Im hoping to get can achieve 2560x1600 but only with two dvi inputs(dual dvi) to handle output at that rez

build looks to be shaping up well !!

mtfbwya

lolz well the rez I'm going for is 1440x900 so I'll be ok with VGA I think...

Yeah it is, now all I need is the moolah to back it up, I'm gonna see about getting some credit somewhere for it, since I'm so geeky that this is what I dream about owning lolz

since I'm so geeky that this is what I dream about owning lolzwelcome to my world. :D

welcome to my world. :D

It sucks, as it seems i have developed this affliction too :( Ive been eating crackers for lunch for the last 2 weeks just to round up the cash to pay for my shuttle rig :( I used to have really nice lunches !! And heck, I havent bought any new clothes for months....and I used to be quite dapper :)

Still, even though Im doing more of this geeky stuff - mine is still functional... Ive spent alot of money and effort setting up a networked media center in the lounge and bedroom, and a media server. It's enjoyed by the whole family, not just for me playing games(which I left for last)

once its all finished(when I finish my gaming PC and get my 30" monitor), I dread to think of what I will dream up to squander money on next !

I know a 360 is on the cards once Mass Effect comes out, same goes for a PS3...eventually :(

*sigh*

mtfbwya

I look forward to and dread the day someone gives me credit lol

Next on my list is a Wii and a nice tv for our room...