Code 43: Urban Warfare

[milkydeathgrind]

I DESPERATELY need to upgrade my motherboard and CPU but I know very little about what is good and what will suit my needs. I obviously need something that is great for gaming but I also need something that is good for multimedia production (or more specifically multi-track audio recording which I have a special PCI soundcard for). Does getting a new motherboard mean I would also need to get a new case too? I also would need to find something which isn't outrageously expensive. Any information or advice that anyone could give me would be GREATLY appreciated. Thank you in advance.

-Milky

Would this be a good Mobo and CPU to get?
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications ... etailspecs

[sxy]

Core i5 750 - ~200$
GIGABYTE GA-P55-US3L P55 - for ~100$
SUPER TALENT 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000) - ~160$
RADEON HD5770 1GB - for 165-200$
Hard drive - something SATA300 that is cheap. - for ~50-100$

Probably you will need a standalone sound card. I'm not experienced here - maybe Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium series? from 100-200$ depending on the model. Be aware of what slot those sound cards need. Most newer have PCIExpress x1 (not all motherboards have this slot!).

[Damien]

It seems that he already has the audio card. May I ask which one, Milky?

Also, will you be using a 64 or 32 bit OS?

[milkydeathgrind]

Yes I already have the sound card which is an M-audio Delta 1010Lt. I was also just planning on using my current hard drives and OS so it would be windows XP 32bit.

[milkydeathgrind]

I'm torn between these 2 mobo's and CPU's. Someone help me out pleeeeze.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5202423&csid=_22&body=MAIN#detailspecs

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5202477&csid=_21

I'm leaning more towards the MSI K9N2 SLI Platinum Motherboard & AMD Phenom II X2 545 Dual Core Processor w/Fan Bundle cause it has 2 IDE headers and an sli bridge and it also seems like it has more I\O options than the nForce. What do you guys think?

[Rang3r1]

You might have some issues with reusing your hard drives. XP has this little quirk where it makes a record of your hardware setup, and wont boot if you change "x" amount of things. That is why when you have to activate it, the key is generated based on your machine.

So more likely than not, you will have to re-install XP after you build it, because it won't boot with a new motherboard, etc. And make sure that you can get 32bit drivers for your new hardware before you buy it.

[dekki]

The Intel combo produces less heat and will most likely be quieter then the AMD combo. Looking at different benchmarks I also think it will be marginally (~15%) faster. However, I could not find any 3d render or software benchmarks and the AMD combo might be better at that.

The AMD combo has a better cache setup and will therefore work faster when performing repetitive tasks, like rendering.

But you wanted to reuse your old memory sticks and for that you have to know what type you already have.
The Intel combo supports at worse Dual Channel DDR2 800MHz
The AMD combo support at worse DDR2 667MHz

So your current ram maybe restricts your options.

[Marty]

I'd say, buy something faster so u wont haveto upgrade again in couple months :p