Dual vs Single channel
 

Ok here's the deal, I got a sick system for basically a steal - Athlon 3200+, gigabyte mobo, 1gb ram in dual channel

I happen to work at Best Buy and became eligable to buy an Asus K8V SE Deluxe mobo and Athlon 64 3200+ for $179 through a retail training program. Unfortunately, I don't think it supports dual channel, just single channel DDR400. Of course, I got it, but I'm wondering if I should just sell it off? Is losing the dual channel worth using the Athlon 64? Please note I could potentially sell the mobo and CPU and make like $400 and get a sick video card or something.

Hmm...

I can't stand it when people use the term "sick," but I'll just pretend that the computer components have cancer!

If it's choosing between an Athlon XP 3200+ and a damn good videocard or an Athlon 64 and an "ok" videocard, I'd choose option A. Sell the Athlon 64 setup and get a better videocard. Videocards are what powers today's games. Processors are definitely a contender, but a nice videocard is where it's at.

What videocard do you have now? If you already have a good one, I'd upgrade your processor. If you have a crappy videocard, I'd go for the Athlon XP + new videocard combo.

-Lasereth

well im on a cheapo 128mb radeon 9200 right now, but my main concern was dual vs single channel on the memory? I think my best bet is to sell the package and get a better vid card

Single vs dual channel doesn't matter much at all. That's the reason I said it's all down to the videocard. With a Radeon 9200, I'd sell the Athlon 64 setup and get a better videocard. The 9200 with an Athlon XP is like driving around an 18-wheeler with a Honda Civic 4-cylinder engine. Bottlenecked!! Ditch the Athlon 64 and buy a Radeon 9800 Pro for $200.

-Lasereth

Thanks Lasereth... I was wondering the same thing.
I just got an AMD 64 3400+ and the ASUS K8V SE Deluxe mobo and 1 gb memory and I was concerned about that dual channel thing also.
And I just ordered a Sapphire x800 Pro :D

yea I posted it up for auction...if anyone wants to buy it :D

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...e=STRK:MESE:IT

what do you guys of 256mb vs 128mb vid cards?

The amount of memory on videocards means precisely dick. A 64 MB GeForce 4 TI4200 will rip a new asshole in a 256 MB GeForce FX 5200. It's the clock speed, memory speed, and memory bandwidth that counts, not the megabytes of memory. If you're looking for a new videocard, give us a price range and I'll tell ya the best bet. I can say with full confidence that the best videocard deal on the market right now is the ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128 MB 256-bit for $200. If you want to spend more or less on a card than $200, just state your price range!

-Lasereth

herc.. whyd you get a pro. it only has 12 pipelines. i think the 6800 ultra has 16 pipelines for around the same price. lasereth correct me if im wrong. i know you know your stuff.

Because the pro has 16 pipelines, but 4 of them are disabled.
With some minor modding you can make them usable.
Sure beats spending $100 more on an XT

A few of my friends just got 6800 GT's and overclocked them to Ultra's, so that saved them money also.
Another friend is pulling 12,000+ 3dmarks with his O/C'ed x800 Pro

Really? where can I find this tweak? And do you know if it does substantial damage to the card?

Yes there are at least two ways to open the 4 disabled pipes on x800 pro's. They are not always successful though and there are risks in attempting them. Here is the forum with all the info...

http://www.rage3d.com/board/forumdis...?s=&forumid=22

ooo i see... ill keep that in mind when i make my next video card purchase. thanks bro

hmm, I would have sold my old setup to buy a new video card. If your current setup isnt that bad you could probably get $200 dollars for it and get a nice vid-card aswell as keeping the nice 64 bit system.