Upgrading...rock on

>X-Fi

Get an Auzentech card instead. It's the same hardware but with drivers that aren't complete ass.

I'm intrigued by the idea in theory, but not by the 200mb download package for their drivers. And there isn't really anyone putting it out there in the tech sites I visit, so I'm not sure what to think of it.

I never hated CLabs drivers, though it looks like they're due for a new version.

If fairness, sound card reviews in general are almost non-existant. They're in such low demand these days that even Creative doesn't advertise much anymore. If you're using Win XP, Creative drivers are fine. If not, there tend to be problems. Creative's support is infamously non-existant, so if the driver download size (most of it is optional components you can choose not to install) is your only grief against Auzentech I think you're making a mistake.

Well, mistakes made. Worst Buy had the PCI Express X-Fi Fatal1ty board for 100.

Meh, I have an X-Fi platinum, the line is very nice regardless of Directsound problems in Vista. My headphones are a little above par though, so having almost zero noise and excellent reproduction isn't going to be a big deal on the typical junkers.

Amazon has a very nice price on them, Audio-Technica's ATH-EW9's. The wood backing is pointless overkill, but they're ridiculously good headphones for an open ear clip on. You need to get something nice to go with your high fidelity sound card. They have a slightly lower quality version that's a lot cheaper as well, best clip-on's available.

I'm holding out for the next round of AMD chips to upgrade. My my, today's top-of-the-line CPU is an Intel and today's top-of-the-line video card is an AMD. Strange world we live in.

Still, the Phenom 2 CPUs are massively cheaper. I'd have built one of those if it'd been my machine to start with.

I don't like headphones anymore on gaming sessions.

Yeah. What I like on the Intels are the mobos. The high-ends support 6 DDR3 slots and can take up to 2166 GHz DDR3 (2333 overclocked), and they're only maybe $150 bucks more expensive than the high-end socket AM3's. The regular 1333 GHz DDR3's on the Phenom II motherboards are only marginally faster than the 1066 DDR2's, except that they also improved the pipeline-burst part (meaning your best-case performance is better). Thing is, if you're in pipeline-burst mode in the first place, you're probably getting cache hits on those bit 8MB L2 caches, so you would not be accessing the DRAM at all then. Not enough improvement in my book to justify upgrading my box at all.

I'm holding out for the AMD Bulldozers. The high-ends are supposed to be 6-core (I don't plan on getting a 6-core...). I'm counting on AMD to leapfrog Intel again on price/performance around Q2 next year. Also counting on Nvidia to leapfrog ATI (a.k.a. AMD) again on the video.

I have an X-Fi ExtremeGamer and I have had 0 problems with it in Vista and W7 (except that the drivers are not installed by default, but you go to the Creative web site, get them and solved).

I would wait for i7 930 or even better 32nm Westmere quads instead of getting i7 920. They were already listed to come in March 2010, so far Xeon parts only, but i think they fit into 1366 socket.

Personally i am holding out for hexacore Gulftown CPU... it will cost arm and leg, but f*ck it, we live only once I can not wait to see 12 buckets to render in 3dsmax

Yes, I like upgrading too .. I just upgraded my CPU to a new AMD AM3 package .. but still

use DDR2 memory for the mother board. I've gotten the new AMD/ATI graphics GPU ... ATI 5750

It's a mid-range system. Also, installed Win 7 too ... I got 2 of the family packs in Oct. incase

I planned on upgrading my sisters and friends system.

Right now, I'm waiting for AMD to release a 6 core desktop .. or a 4 core desktop that can do 2 or 3

threads per core ... That would be SWEET .. to have 3 processes per core .... only time will tell ...

Of course I'm stuck in a hotel away from home for Christmas. Couldn't bring my new box

Hotels good. You don't have to be your own maid service. Hotels on an expense account even better. Steak and seafood every night.

Well that ain't happenin here but at least I'm not paying for it.

>X-Fi

Get an Auzentech card instead. It's the same hardware but with drivers that aren't complete ass.

I have a X-Fi XtremeGamer Pro and have never had driver issues in XP, Vista or Win 7. Yes, Creative could do to upfate their drivers more frequently, but they're usually well made and efficient, and the Vista drivers work perfectly in Win 7.

Still, the Phenom 2 CPUs are massively cheaper.

That's why I went with a Phenom II x4 920 @ 2.8 instead of an i7 920... well under half the price and the perfomance has been excellent. Would have gone with a 940, 955 or 965, but at the time of upgrading they were as rare as hens teeth and I wasn't willing to pay an extra $170 - $320 AUD again... not when I can get similar speeds with a little overclocking and an after-market cooler for $50.00.

In fact, that's happening on Tuesday. I've not overclocked before, so a techie mate, who's a wiz with anything and everything PC, is bringing up a Zalman cooler and is going to show me how to do it properly... not to mention, safely. I could probably do it myself using the AMD overclocking app, but Darren reckons it's better and safer done directly in the BIOS, which I'm not overly familiar with and (having to match up speeds, voltages and memory, etc), is a bit above my level of expertise at this time.

I've read cases where the 920 has been clocked to 4.6 and above, but we're only planning to go to 3.3 - 3.4 from 2.8ghz. That should give me equivelant to a 955 - 965 or better... and given they're the same architecture there should be no problems... and video creation/editing/conversion should then be even more of a breeze.

I can prove at any time that my education tried to make another person out of me than the one I became. It is for the harm, therefore, that my educators could have done me in accordance with their intentions that I reproach them; I demand from their hands the person I now am, and since they cannot give him to me, I make of my reproach and laughter a drumbeat sounding in the world beyond. --Franz Kafka

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