Slowly Upgrading

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JeffK91

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I am in the middle of slowly upgrading my computer of two years. The full specs are listed in my sig. I was thinking of starting off with the CPU but I'm not sure what the highest compatible CPU is for my motherboard as Biostar's website does not show for my particular model. Does anyone know?

I know it's not anything higher than a 6000, but I've had my eye on the 6000 or 6400. My current CPU is a 4200+ at stock 2.2GHz. Could someone recommend a good and rather cheap SLI motherboard (only reason SLI because of my current 7800GTs) that could easily upgraded on later on such as with a new video card, ram, or whatever. I've had my eye on the 8800GT but I would have nowhere to put my 7800GTs so I think I'll be hanging on to those for now.

edit: Found out max is 4800+ Biostar USA so I definitely would like to upgrade the motherboard.

edit2: I picked out some parts on Newegg that I've had my eye on. Let me know what you guys think.

Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-M57SLI-S4 AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Newegg.com - AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+ Windsor 3.2GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM2 125W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
Newegg.com - ZALMAN 9500A 92mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler - Retail
 
switch those parts for:

a 680i mobo (sLGA775)
e8400 if you want to spend alot more, if not get the 6400+ and switch back to your origional parts.
artic cooling freezer 7
 
I am in the middle of slowly upgrading my computer of two years. The full specs are listed in my sig. I was thinking of starting off with the CPU but I'm not sure what the highest compatible CPU is for my motherboard as Biostar's website does not show for my particular model. Does anyone know?

I know it's not anything higher than a 6000, but I've had my eye on the 6000 or 6400. My current CPU is a 4200+ at stock 2.2GHz. Could someone recommend a good and rather cheap SLI motherboard (only reason SLI because of my current 7800GTs) that could easily upgraded on later on such as with a new video card, ram, or whatever. I've had my eye on the 8800GT but I would have nowhere to put my 7800GTs so I think I'll be hanging on to those for now.

edit: Found out max is 4800+ Biostar USA so I definitely would like to upgrade the motherboard.

edit2: I picked out some parts on Newegg that I've had my eye on. Let me know what you guys think.

Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-M57SLI-S4 AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Newegg.com - AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+ Windsor 3.2GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM2 125W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
Newegg.com - ZALMAN 9500A 92mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler - Retail

I'm going to disagree

get the X2 5000+ BE, because it also has the unlocked multiplier, so increase it by 1 and its at 6400+ BE speeds, plus it runs cooler and consumes less power

umm get the Biostar TA770 instead of the Gigabyte 570 and get an Arctic Freezer Pro64 over that Zalman cooler

or go Intel if your budget allows it, because they are the best CPU's for the money currently
 
I should point out that budget is a concern here. I have about $500 but I would prefer not to spend it all on the CPU and motherboard as I am looking to upgrade to an 8800 card later on if the price goes down or perhaps wait for the 9800 series.

So far I've made these replacements:
Newegg.com - ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail
Newegg.com - AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Brisbane 2.6GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Black Edition Processor - Retail

Is the TA770 really the way to go over the Gigabyte? My current Biostar TForce4SLI which I've had for two years just recently has been dieing out. I am looking for a noob friendly OC motherboard and I guess Biostar had a pretty nice automatic one.

Sorry for sounding noobish here but what do you mean the 5000+ BE has an unlocked multiplier and that I can increase it by 1 to give it 6400+ speeds?

edit: I will also consider going Intel if you can suggest a motherboard and CPU with great value and performance. Ideally, I'd like to spend no more than $200-300.
 
Hmm... is that motherboard any good? Newegg doesn't even have a 680i from XFX. What are the main difference between the 680i and something like the Gigabyte that I suggested in my first post? I never quite understood how some motherboards are better and much more expensive than others.
 
better ocing, more features, sli,tri sli,1066mhz support, those are the main reasons why some mobos are better and more exspensive then others.
 
Ah, I see. So I watched the video on the motherboard on the Tigerdirect site and it seems like a great bundle deal. However, will the rest of my hardware be compatible with the motherboard? Specifically my memory Newegg.com - CORSAIR XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

Is it difficult to overclock? It was pretty easily done on my Biostar because of its easy BIOS auto-OC functionality. I'm also worried that the CPU might bottleneck my two 7800GTs. Could this be an issue?
 
aa q6600 won't bottleneck, and no you ddr 400 ram will not be compatible. you can pick up 2 gigs of ram for next to nothing these days (around$40)
 
I think I may have been getting ahead of myself. I'm not looking to upgrade everything, just the CPU and motherboard for now. I still have my eye on Newegg.com - AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Brisbane 2.6GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Black Edition Processor - Retail but can someone please elaborate
get the X2 5000+ BE, because it also has the unlocked multiplier, so increase it by 1 and its at 6400+ BE speeds, plus it runs cooler and consumes less power

How exactly would I get the same performance as a 6400 with the 5000? What is a good (not too expensive) motherboard that would go nicely with the CPU and would my ram be compatible with it? Sorry I know I'm a huge noob.
 
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