Ram or processor speed...

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Pettitman

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I'm in the market for a new computer, and I've been working for a LONG time to optimize it.

I have $80 left to spare, and I'm torn between upping my ram from 1 gig to 2, or changing my CPU from an Athlon 64 x2 3800 to a Athlon 64 x2 4200. I am looking for pure gaming, with the possibility of music recording as well.

One thing to consider is the overclocking ability of my processor with only a Coolermaster Aquagate Mini R80 and 2 extra case fans. I have heard that the x2 processors are GREAT to overclock, and since I'll have this computer for possibly more than 3 years, the dual core was chosen in foresight. The computer will have a 7800GT, as an extra heat concern. I already have a 500W expansion power source, as the case only comes standard with 420W.

I'm buying from Cyber Power, and my system so far looks like this:

CASE : HOT NEW! Xplorer Mid-Tower Case 420W W/ WINDOW & LCD Temperature Display (Black Case w/Black Face)
CPU : (939-pin) AMD ATHLON64 X2 3800 CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology
MOTHERBOARD : (Sckt939)ASUS A8N-SLI nForce4 SLI Chipset SATA RAID Dual PCIE MB w/Gb-LAN,USB2.0,IEEE-1394,&7.1Audio
MEMORY : 2048 MB (512MBx4) PC3200 400MHz Dual Channel DDR MEMORY (Corsair Value Select)
VIDEO CARD : NVIDIA Geforce 7800 GT 256MB 16X PCI Express Video Card
VIDEO CARD 2 : NONE
MONITOR & LCD : NONE
HARD DRIVE : 200GB Hard Drive (SATA150 - Maxtor 200GB 7200RPM 8MB Cache Hard Drive)
Hard Drive 2 : NONE
Optical Drive : 16X DVD ROM (BLACK COLOR)
Optical Drive 2 : (Special Price) LG GWA-4161 16X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (BLACK COLOR)
SOUND : Creative Labs SB Audigy-2 ZS 7.1

Thanks for any help!!!!
 
MEMORY : 2048 MB (512MBx4) PC3200 400MHz Dual Channel DDR MEMORY (Corsair Value Select)
You already have 2 gigs of RAM right there, though. If you just added that in with the $80, stick with the RAM, try going for 2x1GB sticks, though.

X2 aren't GREAT to overclock, they're not horrible or anything.. The problem is sometimes you'll have one core that'll get stuck a certain speed, and the other core ready for another 200 Mhz overclock.

How's pricing on these items?
 
Yeah, I just had the ram selected as default for the computer I picked.

Cyber Power has an irritating way of not breaking down prices, and all I know is that the 1 gig ram to 2 gig ram jump is $80, and the 4x512 2 gig to 2x1gig 2 gig is another $15. I can manage that, and I've seen it suggested, but what is the real difference?

Also, the Athlon 64 4000+ is $16 more expensive (which is great on single-thread games, but this computer has to last for a looong time...) and the Athlon 64 x2 4200 is $70 more expensive. I chose the dual-core after much deliberation, and I'm leaning towards that, but I COULD be convinced to go with the Athlon 64 4000+

Thanks for the response!
 
With 512x4, you'd fill up all the slots in the motherboard, have to run the RAM at 2T

Stick with the 3800 dual core, The extra 200 mhz really isn't worth it. A 4000+ would rock, but a dual core would make you more prepared for the future and if you multitask often, it's definately worth running slower than a 4000+, but without hicups.
 
well personnaly I would go with the processor and then upgrade the memory later on. Memory is something that is easy to add for 70$ and a new processor will cost u 400$ more... just something to take into cosideration.
 
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