New motherboard and processors

Jim Brennan

Jim Brennan

VHS Member Old Skool
Instead of buying a new PC I was thinking of upgrading the one I have. The past few years I have added a second hard drive, DVD burner, etc. I have a 1.4 gig processor. I'm thinking that I need to replace the motherboard and the processor (maybe 3 gigs). I'll probably need new RAM as well since my Dell has that DDR RAM which is kind of particular to what it works with. It's also really expensive.

Anybody have any tips or insight into this? AM I just deluding myself? Would it be better to just buy new?
 
Re: New motherboard and processors

It's going to cost you time and heartache not to mention more money than a new system. Buy a new system and get a warranty.
 
Re: New motherboard and processors

Everytime I upgraded my Processor, I also had to upgrade the Motherboard and Memory. You can probably get away with using your other components if they aren't too old.

Just remember, if you have an old graphics card or hard disk, you might not actually see the performance boost as you would like. I've seen systems with slower processors that were well balanced, outperform faster computers that had old components.

Of course the nice thing about upgrading piece by piece, is that you can pay as you go. Even that is getting nearly pointless with some of the great PC deals out there..

If you have one of those systems from a major manufacturer (like Dell) you might find that you need to upgrade more than you originally wanted as they often use non-standard cases, and motherboards that sometimes contain features that not all motherboards have (i.e. video card, audio card, network card).

hope that helps..
 
Re: New motherboard and processors

Upgrade. Check dell for comparrison, but use www.newegg.com for great prices and fast shipping

go with an athlon 64 package with 1gb RAM minimum. They scream! DVD burner and other stuff won't go to waste on this system.
 
Re: New motherboard and processors

Jim, here's one thing you can look at doing...

Check into Dell's small business servers. They offer servers that are barebones and OS free for a significant reduction in cost. You could take both your drives in your current machine and turn them both into media drives (depending on their buss). If your current machine has a sound card, you can swap that out to the server. You can take your existing WindowsOS and install it on the server and drop in your dvd burner as well.

All you'd need to add would be ram upgrades and a video card (depending on the capabilities of the card in your current machine).

It's a really cheap way to buy a powerful machine that's pre-configured, tested, and under warranty.
 
Re: New motherboard and processors

here's a link to the barebones dual-capable xeon server:

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=04&kc=6W300&l=en&oc=sc1420&s=bsd

for $534, you can have a barebones single Xeon 3.0. An additional $300 will upgrade your ram to 1 gig.

You can then just drop your components in as needed (or capable). The nice thing about going with this kind of system is that you can add a second Xeon later and two more sticks of ram when you need them.
 
Re: New motherboard and processors

Wow, that's something I never thought of. I'll look into it. Thanks.

As far as the video card, mine works okay, but I'd probably buy a new one (At some point anyway). What would you recommend?
 
Re: New motherboard and processors

Jim, that Dell is a great deal. Don't pass it up. Maybe you can sell your current system (minus some components you want to keep) or use it as a back-up. Good luck!
 
Re: New motherboard and processors

I know very little about computers jimbo...I couldn't even tell you what to look at (other then to say dual monitor support can be sweet for a large editing timeline).

What is your current card? Maybe you don't need to change it.
 
Re: New motherboard and processors

I don't remember, but I bought it (a dell, coincidentally) about 4 years ago when the P4 first came out. I'm sure there's something better that's reasonably priced. I need to do some homework. OF course, I'm just musing at the moment. It'll be a few months before I can buy. Unless of course I encounter an unexpected windfall.
 
XeonRe: New motherboard and processors

XeonRe: New motherboard and processors

I don't know why you guys are so hooked on dell computers ?
there crap ! If you really want a screamer built it yourself with quality parts. Look into the new boards with the 800 fsb
and DDR2 memory. And why would anybody want to get a dual Xeon processer with one cpu is beyond me.
 
Re: XeonRe: New motherboard and processors

Re: XeonRe: New motherboard and processors

[quote author=Rob link=board=Links;num=1105501094;start=0#10 date=01/14/05 at 22:31:59]I don't know why you guys are so hooked on dell computers ?
there crap ! If you really want a screamer built it yourself with quality parts. Look into the new boards with the 800 fsb
and DDR2 memory. And why would anybody want to get a dual Xeon processer with one cpu is beyond me. [/quote]

Umm... i'm not "hooked" on Dell computers.  I bought it because it was the best PC I could buy for what I needed at the time.  I also don't think it's "Crap".  I 've used it for 4 years to edit hours and hours of MIDI compositions, multitrack record and edit tons of video.  It has worked well for me.  The only thing I've done was add some RAM and hard drive space.

Besides, not all of us know how to build computers, which is why I asked about this in the first place.

Sheesh
 
Re: New motherboard and processors

Jim, I was faced with a similar decision a few months ago, when my 2gig mother board died. I use Canopus Edius 2.5 to edit & down here they recommend only using genuine Intel Mother Boards. For about AUS$1100 I had a 3.2 gig board with 1gig ram fitted. I also fitted a G Force FX 5700 card to run a second monitor. www.leadtek.com
I already had my second hard drive mounted in caddys, so I can pull it out & slip another in. I only use this drive for video. With the DVStorm2 firewire card fitted, the machine flyes. I could not have bought this machine over the counter, I think eventually you will outgrow most 'Standard' computers. Good luck.
 
Re: New motherboard and processors

The hardest thing I find in building my own systems is making sure all the parts play well together and getting the best prices. That takes time to research.
The best thing is I know I'm getting top quality stuff that has some headroom for later upgrades. This saves a little cash now and also later when those megabuck CPUs and RAM chips become minibucks in 6 months.
Actually building these things is the easiest part - as long as your not doing one of those small form factor jobs.
As for Dell, well, hell, I've got three of their laptops. I use them because they're tough, but performance is nothin' to brag about.
 
Re: New motherboard and processors

Before using macs I bult my PCs to my taste from scratch. It was something I liked doing, and in Brazil, the price difference is outrageous. I still have a Pentium III 800MHZ that runs windows XP that is one of the most stable computers I have ever seen. On the other hand, I researched part by part and took a long time to decide what should te computer have. I don't use it anymore, but I still respect that machine. Maybe it was a lucky accident, who knows.

What I can say is that building your own system can be a very good deal, but you need to know what you are doing and have the time to do it properly.
 
Re: New motherboard and processors

I don't particularly agree with some of the opinions posted here that you really need to know what you are doing to piece your own system together. All you really need to know is what components you have to have for it to work. For the most part, if you are buying components from a place like Newegg.com everything should come with full instructions for installation. I recently pieced a new system together in this manner, buying all my parts through newegg which is THE BEST in service and price you will find, guaranteed. I got a screaming computer that would have cost in the area of $3k through Dell and the like, and I only payed around $1400 or so. The price difference is obvious, but more importantly I only used the best, highest quality components available and I STILL beat out Dell's price!

If you want a new, good performing system I would recommend the following:

AMD 64 3500+ processor (which is rated at 2.2 Ghz, but AMD doesn't use the Ghz rating like Intel does - it is actually comparable to Intel's 3Ghz chip). The 3500+ uses the 939 socket type, which is good because this is the socket AMD plans to use for years to come. Buying a 939 socket chip ensures you will be able to upgrade WITHOUT having to switch out your MB and RAM in the future. These chips also use their own version of hyperthreading which is just as efficient as Intel's.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-463&depa=1

A good quality motherboard (don't cheap out here) such as the Asus a8v or the new Nforce4 boards. The added features, reliability and great RAID features make these more expensive boards worth every penny. You will still beat out Dell's price buying the best.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-131-510&depa=1

good RAM - cheaper RAM has higher latency (i.e. is slower) and is usually less reliable. Corsair has paired, DDR chips that work great in systems like this. I got the 1GB (dual 512MB) pair with Platinum heat spreaders built in, cost me like 200 bux but I STILL beat Dell's price!

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-145-492&depa=1

Hard drives - For media use such as editing, I would recommend a pair of 120GB (or larger) Western Digital or comparable drives in a RAID 0 configuration. Dollar for dollar, this is the best upgrade you can do for your editing system in my opinion, and it is one of the most often overlooked performance killers. For optimum performance, they should be SATA drives, and the previously mentioned motherboards make setting up RAID systems so painfully easy you won't believe it. The performance you will get from this setup will exceed a 10,000RPM drive if set up correctly, and will cost you way less than half. AVOID Maxtor drives, their access times are shite (even though they gloss over that fact) and they have very high failure rates. Try to find a pair of drives with a lower seek time (Hitachi has 8.5ms seek times which is great) and higher cache (8MB or more, anything less will not do). Both drives must be the same size or the RAID setup will assume they are both the smaller size of the two, i.e. if one drive is 200GB and the other is 100GB, your RAID setup will assume both drives are 100GB and you will lose all that extra space.

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?description=22-144-152&DEPA=1

A decent case/fans - Don't overlook the cooling aspect of your system, because at higher processing levels these things get cooking. It's my opinion that a bigger aluminum or comparable case is better for airflow and cooling than the small plastic cases Dell tends to use. You will also want no less than 4 case fans, 2 in the front 2 in the rear, to keep your system cool. To help with airflow, I also use round IDE cables for my IDE drives instead of those flat ribbon types, they are much better for airflow and make accessing your components 1,000,000 times easier. This is one of the huge advantages of SATA drives, the cables are tiny and improve airflow dramatically. Here's a decent case manufacturer that uses aluminum and includes the fans etc..

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-119-035&depa=0

Good Power Supply. You can cheap out here, as Dell does, or you can buy a modular power supply that will allow your system to grow and provide plenty of power to your components. Mystery power downs and other failures usually get traced back to a weak or inadequate power supply. The better ones allow you to only plug in the power cables you need which keeps your case airflow at its peak. The money you spend here will pay dividends later. Here's what I use:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-103-924&depa=0

Video Card - This is not as important as some seem to think for video editing purposes. Your RAM and processor speed are much more important, but a good video card never hurt. Definitely get one that supports dual monitors, the s-video out on most cards is so useless that it shouldn't even be a factor in your choice. The best card for the money and performance is probably the Radeon 9800Pro. It is solid, fast and new enough that it supports all software and hardware pretty well.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-164-025&depa=0


I would highly recommend putting your own system together, it usually takes less than an hour to install all the components and get it up and running. You will know it inside and out by the time you are done, and should anything ever go wrong you will be in a much better position to troubleshoot it yourself.
 
Re: New motherboard and processors

[quote author=beenyweenies link=board=Links;num=1105501094;start=15#16 date=01/24/05 at 11:52:27]I don't particularly agree with some of the opinions posted here that you really need to know what you are doing to piece your own system together. All you really need to know is what components you have to have for it to work. [/quote]

But you really know what you are doing.

It's important to research wich parts you really need and why so you can put up a great performing system to work in. Choose a processor, not skimp on a motherboard and read a lot of anandtech.com

It's more than choosing the latest intel crippled home user processor (because it's cheaper and it's a lot of GHz) and any motherboard that fit's it. It's much more trouble for the buyer, but it definately pays off. That's all.
 
Re: New motherboard and processors

Good post; however, some points of disagreement.

Maxtor Diamonds have faster access than WD Caviars with no higher of a failure rate.  This comes from lots of experience with both.  I’m actually running both.  You’ll be fine with either.

Also, a RAID is overkill for DV work.  You only double your chances of losing your data due to drive failure.  And if you have two drives striped in a RAID 0, where’s your operating system?   Are you suggesting a third drive for that, or are you running that from the RAID?  That kind of defeats the purpose if you are, because you want your operating system/software on one channel and your data on another. Any speed advantage could be negated by the OS and the software trying to access the drive at the same time.

I’d much rather have my data on a large single drive, separate from the OS.

For price and fast service, you might also want to check www.zipzoomfly.com.  Good selection, great prices, and free two-day delivery on almost everything.
 
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