PAE allows up to 64GB, and it's enabled on pretty much all 32-bit Linux systems. That having been said, you're better off using 64-bit if the CPU supports it. (Windows XP did support PAE for >4GB prior to SP2, but they disabled it due to third-party drivers going bonkers when they encountered a high address. There's unofficial patches, but really, just use a 64-bit OS.)
Yeah, I'm a bit lost with motherboards, everyone has opinions on them. I do know that this time I wanted the M.2 slot with an average size SSD purely for the operating system, (unless I'm getting that wrong)I'd have a large HDD (or two) for all my main data and stuff, installs, games, programs. But yeah, I don't have much interest in overclocking, is this a better choice you think? https://www.overclockers.co.uk/asus-h170-pro-intel-h170-socket-1151-ddr4-atx-motherboard-mb-658-as.html I think /anything/ i make is better than what i have now though Spoiler 5 year old build Intel Core i5-2400 3.10GHz - processor MSI GeForce GTX 460 HAWK - graphics card Asus P8P67-M PRO Intel P67 - motherboard Corsair Enthusiast Series TX 650W - power Kingston HyperX Blu (4 times 2GB) - ram embarassment...
The thing is that some games like sandboxes and Battlefields make a huge difference between SSD and HDD. That's why I would get a 256GB for example, or a second, larger and cheaper SATA SSD for games and maybe some heavy programs. Regarding to the MoBo, it still has the .M2 port, so that's 30 pounds cheaper that you can get without penalty. Moreover, those 30 pounds can help you with the point stated above. Now, you may want to search reviews about it, because I don't know how reliable is each brand so I can not help you with that. Please be sure of choosing a stable PSU as it is a critical component, and if a bad one fails it may screw your whole PC. By the way, if you think your current PC is so bad, you can give it to me, I bougth an A6 for my mom last year :p. I have a Sempron 3400 for myself, THAT is something to be ashamed about. I'm planning to move to Zen when they come, if they are viable.
I am hamming up how bad my current PC is a bit, I know it's passable, it's just wearing down somewhat, as for the power supply, I could get a second one what I'm using now (Corsair Enthusiast Series TX 650W), that's worked flawlessly all the time i have had it in this PC. Well, i would if they still made them haha I'll keep digging around, thanks for the imput
What Gerbil said - if you're doing a new OS install in 2016, you shouldn't be using a 32bit version of said OS unless it's a REALLY low-end netbook that only has a 32bit processor.
Well, that PSU was made by Seasonic, so if you really want to get a new one you can get a M12II Evo (it's the one I have now, you can't hear it running). However, if its not giving you problems, you don't need to change it at all.
@the 32/64-bit discussion: I'd love to switch to 64-bit, but sadly, the only distro I've found with out of the box blind accessibility sufficient for everyday use lacks a proper 64-bit version and the only .deb file I've found of my preferred text-mode screen reader is strictly 32-bit. Hopefully, by the time I'm forced to buy a PC with more than 4GB of ram, the software side will have progressed to the point I have a usable 64-bit option.
So hopefully before the end of the year, I'm gonna give my computer a bit of an upgrade. This is what my current build looks like now. PSU: CORSAIR GS series GS600 600W CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Heatsink: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO with Noctua NF-F12 PWM 120mm Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3 R5 (rev. 1.0) AM3+/AM3 AMD RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) Case Fan (Back): COUGAR CF-V12H Vortex Case: NZXT Apollo Black Mid Tower HDD: WD Blue 1TB SATA 6 Gb/s 7200 RPM GPU: Asus 650 TiBoost 2GB Right now, the main things I want to upgrade is my CPU, RAM, and Fans. I have an extra stick of the G. Skill 4GB from above that's new, so I can just get one more, which should give me up to 16GB of Memory. The CPU, I'm not 100% sure, but it seems like between a 6 core and a 8 core, you're better off getting the 8. Looking around, I'm guessing the AMD FX-8350 Black Edition Vishera 8-Core might be the way to go. When it comes to fans, I'm not sure. I've been hearing some hype around the Corsair AF, SP, and ML fans, but also Noctua as well. Dunno if my current back and heatsink fans are good enough, but I definitely need to replace that side fan since that came with the case and it's not that great. What do you think? Are the heatsink and back fans OK, or should I go ahead and get some better ones? Thanks!
Be aware that an FX will run worse in games that don't use all 8 threads, those Phenoms have more IPC than FXs. And you shouldn't have any problems in overclocking that CPU because you have a good motherboard, so... Now, if you're aiming for games that use 8 cores then the FX wins. Or if you can find a Phenom II x6 (like yours but with 2 extra cores) you are AM3 god. 20:23 EDIT: I've just read that Dishonored 2 is not compatible with Phenom processors due some instructions the game uses that CPU doesn't support. If you want this game, forget about phenoms.
For a fan, yes Noctua are sweetly quiet. For a cooler, the CM 212 are classic and you should be able to overclock on it with either 1 or 2 fans. I'd really recommend you get some SSD, even just 120 or 240GB would be plenty for the OS, programs, games and maybe some more. You are missing a lot.
It looks like the only way to get a Phenom II X6 is getting a refurbished one. Not a ton of info about the FX-CPUs, but it seems mixed. Some love it, some don't, but there's definitely a lot of talk of the Intel Processors, for obvious reasons. Hearing something about those AMD Zen processors, which seems interesting. Never tried overclocking anything before. Maybe my PC will be cooler if the side fan is replaced. Since the side fan has LED (and the only source of it inside), I'm considering getting this since it's Cougar brand, like the back fan, it's nice looking, and from the sounds of it, does its job pretty well. I did wonder if the Noctua needs replacing, but well, right now, my PC does idle at 35-40C, so that's good (though I usually try to keep my room at a decent temperature, so that helps). I might change up the case later on though. Not sure. I'll check into getting an SSD, but right now I want to be sure I have plenty of money left over after I get my parts, so later on. Thanks for telling me though.
Bad news is that Zen will use AM4 socket not to mention DDR4 memory, so you would have to get a new mobo and memory. Same happens with Intel, new gererations run on DDR4; or if you can find a good priced Haswell you can keep the memory. At least I wouldn't spend much money on old generations when speaking of PC parts. Summarizing your options: 1) Stay with your Phenom that will run better than FXs when only 4 threads are used. Also some games use instructions not supported by the CPU and won't run. 2) Get the cheapest 8 core FX*. May run a bit worse than your Phenom unless more than 4 threads are used, and it has more support from games. 3) Change mobo and CPU to a haswell i5, it will run better than your phenom but also its more expensive. 4) Wait for Zen or Kaby Lake, or get a Skylake and make a full upgrade. Kaby Lake is just a slighty improved Skylake, so get the better price/performance ratio. Regarding to fans, Nidec GT are the best fans, although they are more expensive. *All 8xxx CPUs are the same but clocked at different frecuencies, which you can do yourself with some patience. It's stupid paying overprice for more frecuency in my opinion (and that's why I don't like Intel but that's another story).
Despite AMD being very strange with their updates and their weird unstanderd socket I've had very good luck with my Phenom II X4 and I've had it in my computer for a very long time. It only now is starting to show signs of being worn out and is now bottlenecking me since I upgraded to a 970 GTX. Give them a shot if your on a bit of a tight budget, they last if you treat them well.
He already has a x4 PhII. Read some guides and how-to and start overclocking that black edition for god's sake, before spending any money; then if you're not happy with the results you can start searching for prices/keep waiting.
Upgrading my PC in 2/3 months time, Here's my current parts list. The CPU and Motherboard come from my current system, combined with keeping my OEM Windows I'd be saving close to £400. I just have this fear of keeping a CPU and motherboard around for so long, by the time I upgrade again both those parts could be getting close to 8-9 years old. Should I be ok or is it too much of a risk? I have another parts list that includes a new CPU and motherboard but my budget would force me to downgrade both the GPU and monitor.
404'ed me, can you write down the list, please? Also knowing your current setup would be great. So hey, funny thing: my immediate boss asked me if I could check some mobos and cpus because he thought he screwed them up while playing in the bios. What did I find? Thoothpaste instead of thermal compound and a bended pin. I'll tell him tomorrow that next time he give me something like that I'll trash the fuck out of them.
Waiting until CES is over, should give me a better idea exactly what kind of hardware I'm getting. Gonna be all new though, getting a new room in my house after renovations but I'm anticipating severely reduced space so I'm gonna build into a HTPC case. Challenging but I think I'll find it fun, plus temps where I live (never usually above 20c inside) will help counter the less effective cooling the challenge will bring. Really hoping Silverstone update their line of HTPC cases, the RVZ02 and ML08 are great in size (same internals) but have too much plastic for my liking on the outside. Also hoping some more quantum dot monitors get announced, only one I can find at my usual retailer is a curved Samsung model, 24 and 27 inch at 1080p. Having curve on a monitor in either of those sizes is questionable but can't deny the quality of the display otherwise.
What about Lian Li? It's also great quality as Silverstone and it has very small cases too. I can't remember it right now, but there was one case that was crowdfounded and build by Lian Li, it manages well with a 980ti if my memoro doesn't fail.
I'm relatively hardware-illiterate, and while I would like to upgrade my PC, I have no real idea which component to swap out and for what. Mind helping me out? CPU - Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E6850 @ 3.00GHz Video Card - AMD Radeon R7 200 Series Not entirely sure what the motherboard is, but I know I have 8 GB of RAM on my computer. I'm pretty sure that I just need to swap out the CPU, but I don't know what I should get since I read that if it's too much faster than my video card, it'll just be going to waste and I'd rather save money where I can by just balancing the two parts out.
Well that CPU uses PLGA775 (same than LGA775) and has no support since a couple of years. Best you could get is a Core2Quad CPU, IF you can find one. If you want to get a newer CPU you have to change also your MoBo. It would be useful also if you say how much are you willing to spend and what are you aiming for. EDIT: you can use MAConfig (now called Driverscloud) to get the exact model of your MoBo, it would be great to knowing if it can deal with a quad core CPU or not.
