almost1148

Hey all, I'm building my second gaming rig and i wanna throw some specs at you to see if 64-bit is a good choice.
I'm using the Biostar NF520-A2 Se nForce 520 AM2 socket MB with an Athlon 64 X2 4600+ 2.40GHz processor 4GB of Corsair TWINX PC5400 DDR2 667MHz, an Apevia 500-watt atx dual 80mm led fan PSU , and a Maxtor diamondMAX 200GB HDD wrapped in a NZXT apollo black mid ATX case.

Is 64-bit a good choice?

SeraphicSorcerer

It's a pretty good choice, Just remember there is no 16 bit support (If you're into legacy support) And I''d Recommend turning off UAC to handle any further issues you might have with games.
As far as performance the OS itself is snappier, but you won't get increased performance in games unless they are coded for 64 bit, and that means not just "compatible".

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kris23

your components are pretty outdated.... unless you already bought them, i think you can do better without spending much more with more recent Core 2 or Phenom parts.

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almost1148

even if the parts are slightly older
I'm not too worried about it
only playing lower end games

I got the big boy for crysis and other graphic intensive games

kris23

the thing is that youll almost always find DDR2 800 for cheaper than DDR2 667 now as the JEDEC standard has shifted to 800 really...... and AM2 is already dead, might as well get an AMD based chipset and go with ATi as they are far more powerful at the bang for buck than nvidia

but x64 should run on any recent CPU, havent seen any that dont support x64

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BlueMak

Why would you want to get Vista 64 with that hardware? For a gaming machine too...it just doesn't make sense to me, add to that what you said about only playing older games on it...it just...does not compute.

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The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis
This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm Sic semper tyrannis.

OldBuzzard

Vista 64 is a VERY good choice. Especially since you are going to be using 4GB RAM. 4GB is where Vista 64 starts 'perks up' and starts showing it's good side. You can also use a 4GB Flash drive in RAMBOOST to help out. It will make a difference. The other option, since DDR2 memory is dirt cheap now is t0 toss in 8GB. If you do that I'd go with DDR2 800 like Kris suggested.

I'd be leery of that PSU tho. "Oklahoma Wolf" who tests PSU with jonnyGURU had this to say about APEVIA PSUs on another forum:
Some other folks weren;t too kind either:
http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=569480

I'd take a good look at something like the Corsair 550VX, just to be safe.

I'm running a 4800+ with Vista 64, and it's not all that shabby for what gaming I so. IL2 1946, FS9, FSX, HL2, EP1, EP2, with the Cinematic Mod, and Halo 2.

Just because it's not the latest and greatest, doesn't mean that it would be a decent gaming machine.

And, socket AM2 isn't "dead". Most of the decent AM2 mainboards also support AM2+ processors. AMD planned it that way, so that you wouldn't have to get a new MB for the AM2+ CPUs.

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almost1148

Thanks for the input, and like I said it will only be used for LIGHT gaming no Crysis on this one. And not only will i be used for gaming but multimedia as well which is why I am going to take the advice given to me and get 8GB of OCZ ram


OH I forgot to menchain that I'm running a PNY XLR8 9800GTX overclocked edition.

almost1148

What processor do you guys think i should get then?

Judas

i wouldn't purchase vista x64 just yet for that machine..

i would however recommend downloading the 64bit ISO from microsoft website to trail for 30 days... see how things go... and if things go smoothly enough, then i'd buy a key and then it's as easy as punching in the key and activating.. without having to reinstall... (well enless you install a copy of x64 vista that doesn't match your purchased version .. aka basic/premium/business or whatever)

this way you aren't money if it goes sour and if it works smoothly, your more confident in your purchase....

btw i don't recommend disabling UAC at all...

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MIG-31

May i just ask why,To me the UAC just gets in the way 99% of the time.To be honest that security system is a pain in the ass.

Even simple stuff like a inserting a DVD movie to play,to get unwanted pop ups gets in the way.

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OldBuzzard

If you already have the 4600+ just use it, you might want to do a light OC, but it should do just fine for light gaming. If not, right now Newegg has a 5000+ that's cheaper than the 4600+ :
Newegg.com - AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Brisbane 2.6GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops

Definately turn off UAC. It's a pain in the ass.

"Do you want to do this?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure want to do this?"
"Yes."
"Do you reallywant to do this?"
"Yes, dammit!."
"Last chance. Do you really, really want to do this?"
"AAAARRRRGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!."

8GB is definately a wise move. You will notice that Vista 64 will start feeling faster after you use it for a couple of weeks or so, and SuperFetch optimises the pre-fetched applications based on your habits. With Vista, the LESS "free memory" you see, the better. It's not "hogging" RAM, it's using it more efficently.

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CJLMTLCA

I think you missed one, after "Last chance. Do you really, really want to do this?" isn't there a "Look, I can't tell you what to do, it's your life but I must ask : Do you REALLY want to proceed??? ie. I-made-up-my-mind really???"

Do you still use a readyboost key with 8GB?

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OldBuzzard

I did for awhile, and it did seem to help a little. I just felt that it wasn't enough to tie up a USB port tho.

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Zelig

I've got a bunch of unused USB headers on my mobo, and I've toyed with the idea of wiring up a port internally, and leaving a USB drive for readyboost on the inside of my case.

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CJLMTLCA

That's a good idea.

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HAF932 X3[1000] P5WDHDeluxe Core2QuadQ6600[3.06] Dominator[8192]
RadeonHD4870X2 SoundBlasterX-Fi[Fatal1ty] TVWonderHD650
DiamondMax10[300|SATA](x2) iHAS220[SATA] MyBookHomeEdition[1000|USB]
GP120 G5 XBox360Controller
Reserator1[WB5] 2408WFP 2407WFP PixmaMP600 WRT610N VistaUltimate[64]
AVR525 N38 N38 NCENTER N24II N24II SUB125

Judas

i really REALLY don't understand why this is happening to so many people.

i've never gotten a UAC popup for any dvd movie i've popped in..

i don't get UAC popups when i start up my computer for the first time in the day.... i don't get uac popups throughout my browsing..



the only UAC popups i get is when i initially setup the computers.. installing drivers and whatnot...

I get 1 UAC popup when installing SOME programs that require admin rights to do some installs.. be it modifying the registry or whatnot.. but after the install i still never get a popup agian.

UAC pops up for any games that are old and require far to many rights....

The only time i ever had a UAC freak out is when i installed JAVA on a few windows vista machines...... every single time IE or Firefox was started, every time i went to a new website... or sometimes clicked a link, UAC would fire up and complain about java requesting more rights. And with Java installed, every time the computer restarted or fired up, OR randomly through the course of the computer running, uac would be fired up for no apparently reason (which would be obviously due to java updater running).....

this just proves how much of a hunk of crap java is and a reason why i never install it on any of the computers i build and sell.... Frankly Sun's Java is so unused here, majority of people here never use anything that requires java.

UAC is a fairly good line of protection in a host of layers of protections..

i just don't recommend any generic user to up and disable it... it's not a good recommendation....

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SeraphicSorcerer

I can run Crysis just fine on my Toledo, 4400+ I've got it Oced to 2.6 Ghz. Also have a 4870 which helps, granted I dont play at 1600x1200. but it plays nice at 1280x1024

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OldBuzzard

(emphasis added)

That is a valid argument for UAC, and it's not always a "bad thing" for the "barely computer literate". It's there to save people from themselves.

However, we are supposed to know what we are doing, and for an enthusiast/power user, UAC is a PITA.

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Mousey

Exactly, and since there's an option to disable it; It keeps those that aren't quite so tech savvy safe from screwing up their OS and it keeps enthusiasts happy because they aren't bothered by it.

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Judas

true...

but even as cautious and tech savy as i may be.... i leave uac on because seriously, something that takes less then a 1/4 second to occur and click allow isn't going to annoy me... specially when it occurs once in a blue moon.


what baffles me is people will "tolerate" norton, mcafee or other anti-virus/firewall system that are constantly nagging the user and slowing down thier systems considerably...... and a considerable number of these people are the ones complaining about uac.

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Zardon

UAC is a poor microsoft implementation of a UNIX based security protocol that has worked well on Mac OS X.

It is poor because it throws messages up for things which actually don't always need user input. There have been so many complaints about this that microsoft are actually meant to be patching the OS to lower the user interaction for those who need (or want) it on.

It is there Judas for general, joe public users to help keep rogue programs from changing kernel based settings which could ruin or maliciously affect the operating system.

90% of people who are regulars on DriverHeaven don't need it, because a: they run good anti virus software b: have a hardware firewall in their router and dont c: click yes to "we would like to scan your computer" when they are on their favourite porn site they found from google.

UAC is not needed. I have been beta testing vista since it was in earlier alpha stages for Microsoft, it has a purpose, but the implementation of the layer of protection is flawed because it is too intrusive.

Its easily turned off. and anyone with any kind of enthusiast level ability is much better installing something like AVAST, being aware of what they are doing in future and disabling it.

Spyre

UAC is the first thing I turn off when reinstalling Vista, not only is it annoying but it can cause problems with a variety of software with no way to tell in advance that its causing the issue.

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Judas

i'm well aware that the majority of the active members of dh probably don't need it at all.. that isn't what i'm talking about specifically..

to other members or non members that may not be active but reading.... it's not a good recommendation to disable UAC.....

that's mostly all i wanted to make sure of.

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SeraphicSorcerer

Readyboost is meh, I mean its over a USB port so its really not exceptionally going to speed things up, More ram is always better. and hell it's almost as cheap as some drives (flash these days)

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OldBuzzard

Actually depending on how much RAM you have, READYBOOST can give you a noticable increase in performance in Vista.

I've used it with this same computer with 2, 4, and 8GB Ram, and I could see a significate boost with 2GB, a bit less with 4GB, and not so much with 8GB. This was using an ElCheapo Generic 4GB frash drive that MicroCenter sells with their name on it.

With 8GB I've stopped using it, because I don't feel that it gives enough boost to justify tieing up a USB port.

If you have 4GB or less RAM, and a USP port you don't mind dedicating to it, then it's worth using READYBOOST.

I also tried it with a 2GB SD FLASH card in my card reader and saw an improvement, so if you have a card reader, a 4GB Flash card will do the same thing, and not tie up a USB port. I may do this just to get that "little bit" extra.

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When looking for a reason as to why things go wrong, never rule out sheer STUPIDITY

SeraphicSorcerer

Which is what I meant in my post, memory is going to give you the most performance boost, however readyboost is a cheap fix, for a possible problem I will agree there, but it still goes over the USB bus, which has to go through another

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Syndicate2083

Well the main point about it is that now you can utilize three different bus's instead of tying up just one or two with information.

Potentially your computer is drawing information concurrently from 3 sources (HDD-VMem, RAM, ReadyBoost). As opposed to 2 or 1. So, while it may go over a "slower" memdium, however USB 2.0 isnt really 'that' slow, your still spreading out the prefetch and data locations to ease the overall transit bottlenecks.

I definitely have seen some great jumps in performance with it, some games, when using the ready boost, if I am repeating a level or loading up a map in Sins for instance load instantly or near instantly. Its pretty sweet.

Ultimately, I know, it all goes to the proc, and your bridges, but it still in theory improves the overall data performance by basically expanding your backend 'bus'.

-Syn

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BiGBrOwNPimpsta

best way to have a hassle free experience with vista, unlock the full administrator account. this allows access to all files and permissions. UAC won't ever interfere with you nor will file permissions. windows defender takes care of me really well. its been smooth for me with vista. I have 64bit, I don't see a big diff cept it can handle 4 gigs of ram (not that I really needed it with a quad core). Just install SP1 and you should be good.

UAC is for users that really don't know what the hell they are doing with their computer. If you do know, then use the full admin account and rename it. here is the trick
Unlock the supersecret Administrator account for vista | Tips

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BlueMak

I believe that is a bad idea for 99.99% of the users.

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The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis
This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm Sic semper tyrannis.