CGTalk - recomended suitable upgrade path

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orion 77

01-26-2005, 08:20 PM

i have a limited knowledge of hardware and after searching through the forum i dont have any idea what i want so i'll ask you all.

i want to upgrade my current machine which is a pentium 3 with the following:
new faster processor
new mobo (as my processor wont work lol)
a gig of ram

i have the following parts in my current system that i dont want to replace at the moment:
deskstar hd
radeon graphics card
soundblaster sound card
monitor
network card
dvd/cd writer

basically i just want better performance but dont want to spend a bomb as i need a cheapish system as im intending to move abroad in the summer and spending 2k on a new comp will limit my savings this system will be a stopgap until i get myself sorted next year and can afford something better like a boxx (i hope :)). i lean towards modelling and texturing over animation therefore i suppose the system should cater for this than hours of rendering. nontheless i would like it to be decent for rendering as im good enough at 3d to freelance now as a supplement to my income and i wouldnt want to budget too much time for hours of rendering. my current app is lightwave 7 and im gonna be getting messiah studio over the next few weeks.

i have around 700gbp to spend and could go to 1000 but id rather not, i have looked at dual setups but im not quite sure i could get a competent upgrade for my budget, i have considered two 240 opterons or 2.4 xeons but i dont think i could get a reasonable bang for my buck with them. also my case is a cheap mid tower and i will need a new one for a decent airflow.

can anybody suggest any setups or specific hardware that would be satisfactory??
cheers for reading and any replies in advance.

Ed Caracappa

01-27-2005, 12:41 PM

Any dual processor machine is going to give you significantly better performance than the PIII system you have now. You need to make sure you get a dual processor motherboard that will fit in your current case (unless you plan to buy a new case). With the money you have to spend I'd go for two Intel Xeon processors as the lower end Opterons just don't perform as well. I'd also suggest you try to squeeze 2GB of memory into your budget. For an Intel based motherboard, I'd look at Supermicro. Ed

orion 77

01-27-2005, 07:02 PM

cheers ed. boxx dont do payment plans do they??:)

Ed Caracappa

01-27-2005, 07:04 PM

unfortunately not. Ed

orion 77

01-27-2005, 09:31 PM

so far i have come across this config, id like some advice, warning or any guidance.

for the cpu: dual xeons 2.8 (800mhz) socket 604 l2 1mb box
link (http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=126593)

mobo and its a cheap one (ed): asus pch-dl atx i875p link (http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=137276)
or
asus ncch-dl i875p link (http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=150694)

memory: from crucial 2x ddrpc3200 cl=3 ecc unbuffered

then on next pay day i will go to 2gig and a nice new video card

enermax 400 watt psu (prob go to 450 though) just found out 500w is best lol

what fans and specifics would i need in addition?

opteron would be nice but its new technology and expensive. i dont care much about game performance.

Ed Caracappa

01-28-2005, 01:15 PM

I'd go with the asus ncch-dl i875p motherboard. 450W power supply should be fine. You should purchase your processors boxed with heatsinks and fans. It might not be the quietest solution but, it will get you up and running safely at the lowest cost. You can always upgrade later if you decide they are too loud for you.

Ed

orion 77

01-28-2005, 08:12 PM

thanks for the replies ed. you have my buisness in the future.

i have found this processor link (http://uk.insight.com/apps/productpresentation/index.php?product_id=ITOA03V9B) but it only has a heatsink, what fan can you recommend?

Ed Caracappa

01-28-2005, 08:18 PM

that box to be the same as what we get when we're forced to buy "boxed" product from Intel and it should have a heatsink and fan in it.

orion 77

01-28-2005, 11:15 PM

what heatsink is best bet? active or passive?

orion 77

01-28-2005, 11:20 PM

sorted. go with active.

Ed Caracappa

01-28-2005, 11:23 PM

The basic difference is that an active heat sink has a fan. A passive heatsink does not. We only use active sinks as we feel you need the additional cooling from the fan. Going a step further, there are active heatsinks which can respond to the temperature of the cpu and vary the speed of the fan. This can help with power consumption and noise.

Hope that helps!

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