John wrote on Wednesday, April 05, 2006 5:42 AM::
I would appreciate some advice on moving up....
I've only just had chance to read this, but since nobody else has responded, I thought I'd chip in.
Wife's machine is used for the usual email, OpenOffice functions, surfing, card games etc. but she also wants to be able to work with her photo's. Presently she uses Digikam and is learning Gimp. So the graphics are important.
I would appreciate any comments on the following to assist me with deciding the final configuration..
1. I would like to move to an AMD 64 processor and gather that I can use the 64 bit version without any issues and that 32 bit programs will still run OK. is that correct?
Yes. Building applications can sometimes be tricky, but running them is fine.
2. I am going with a 939 socket m/b, my initial preference is Giga-Byte (eg GA-K8N Pro-SLI, GA-K8N-SLI) as I have had reliable service from three GB boards for over 5 years. . Tyan are out of my price range but I would be interested in other mid range suggestions that work reliably with SuSE.
I'm happy with my ASUS A8N SLI Premium, but others on this list have questioned the quality control and customer support at ASUS, whereas I can't recall hearing a bad word about Gigabyte.
3. The CPU I am considering is the AMD Athlon 64 3200+ or 3700+ San Diego, there is a reasonable price difference between these and a cache of 512 or 1mb. Would there be a significant difference with the 3700+ given the nature of the usage mentioned (photos).
Most image processing algorithms are CPU & memory intensive, so you probably want the best you can afford.
4. I would install a minimum of 1Gb ram or should we look at 2Gb.
I'd definitely recommend 2G (at least). Both Gimp and Firefox eat memory. If it's down to a choice between the better CPU or more memory, I'd go for the memory every time. Just one unnecessary disk access can easily wipe out any gains made by having a faster CPU. You want to aim for keeping 100% of your active apps and their data in RAM so that only idle apps are swapped out.
5. Where I would appreciate some advice is on the graphics side, graphic cards to date have only been an early Nvidea PCI with 64kb, and a later upgrade to an AGP ATI Radeon 9200 with 128Kb. What would be a reasonable choice for a graphics card to give her a real benefit in handling photos? I can't see the need for two SLI x16 cards, however given only a small difference in m/b pricing If there is scope for two Nvidea cards it wouldn't matter.
For photo processing, you don't need a fast card. The work is usually done by the CPU. It would be possible to use graphics hardware to speed up some 2D operations, but AFAIK Gimp doesn't do this. Unless you plan to run 3D software such as games, Blender, or perhaps an XGL desktop, you should be fine with just about any PCI-X card.
6. I am also looking at cases, we are in australia and our summers here can get quite warm so I am looking at effective cooling and quiet (no water systems thanks) with reasonable styling and installation with minimum screws. I am considering the Thermaltake Soprano, Silverstone TJ06 or an Antec case (without the side windows).
I'm happy with my Jeantech Apollo. There are lots of fans but it's quieter than my previous box that had just one. Because the airflow is so efficient, each fan can run slower. The case is a mostly screwless design. One of the nicest features for me is that the hard-drive bay runs across the case, so it's really easy to swap drives in & out. Also, there is a nice big case fan blowing right into the drive bay. Another good feature that's not obvious from the photo on their website is an extra pop-up fan on the top which is great if you're gaming and need to get rid of a lot more heat than normal. Being at the top, it's particularly good at extracting the hot air. Phil -- Please ignore the following hogwash added by my employers... ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the H.E Information Systems Ltd. Tel: 0161 866 9066 Web: www.heis.co.uk This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. www.clearswift.com **********************************************************************