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General discussion

Not A Noob, Just Want To Know

Apr 9, 2005 4:39AM PDT

ok, i have the gateway 820gm and it is probably the best gaming pc ever made(its BTX, 2 120mm fans). the only problem i had was the temperature of the cpu, 3.0ghz p4. it was at load, around 57 C. i mean, this pc is quiet, but the fans spin too slow to bring in enough cool air. i installed speedfan, and have the intake at 1500rpm, outtake 1000 and it idles at 35 C, load is 50 C, big difference esp. for a presscott. Now, i plan on adding an ATI x800xl very soon, i already upgraded the ps to an Antec True 480. I wanna know if anyone has modded this type of pc and how. Also, what graphics card u wuld recamend, if the ati i suggested is good enough. Also, i would like to know other owners of this pimp pc and hear their stories.

thanks, "konny"

Discussion is locked

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ATI X800XL
Apr 9, 2005 5:12AM PDT

is a good choice, another good choice is either the nvidia 6600GT or nvidia 6800GT.
Roger

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don't even consider GT's for X800XL replacement
Apr 9, 2005 2:24PM PDT

X800XL is 6800U comparable
that is it's target
and it is about 8% slower than the 6800U
for about $150 less (on PCIE platform)


6600GT is X700XT comparable
which is MUCH slower than X800XL

6800GT gets walked on by X800XL
the 6800GT's comparable is the X800Pro (which afaik did not make it to PCIE, and is basically over)

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a note on 120MM fans
Apr 9, 2005 2:29PM PDT

120MM fans aren't supposed to run much faster than say...2000 RPM
they are slow moving, large fans, that move A LOT OF AIR

only smaller fans (80MM or below) need high RPM

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ok about the fans
Apr 10, 2005 1:32AM PDT

"120MM fans aren't supposed to run much faster than say...2000 RPM
they are slow moving, large fans, that move A LOT OF AIR"
ok... i dunno where that came from but i was saying how the defauilt temp monitor kicked in only like when my cpu go up to near 57c.gateway should have changed the RPM change instead of 800 to 900, to sumthing like 800 to 1200. i want my pc to last a long time, and i dont want my cpu running at 57c while gaming, = bad performance.i know they move alot of air, duh, i was saying to keep a prescott at near 50c load it pretty darn good when i use speed fan, it is ultimately the best program, everyone should download it.

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the temptation...
Apr 10, 2005 12:16PM PDT

the temptation to make a 3 page essay style response
pointint out various errors in your post
on a technical level of course

but i'll just make it quaint:
2 sub topics (mayb 3, depends how compelled I am)


A) Higher temperatures do not increase CPU performance, they just allow the CPU to run stable at lower vcore, which is only beneficial for overclocking, which you won't be doing on a gateway

B) a fan controller is the best option for controlling a fan, and the best software style fan control is not speed fan, it's VL System's Zephyrus, which is a very expensive (Compared to normal fan controllers) hardware fan controller, that interfaces to the PC via USB, and allows software control of the fans

C) the benefit of lower temperatures has to do with vCore, which is what controls vHigh and vLow, which equates to Logic High (a value of 1) and Logic Low (a value of 0) in the CPU, the vCore is the ammount of voltage used to represent a Logic High (or a 1)
the more volts the more stable, because you cannot actually change the architecture (i'm not drawing you a picture, so don't ask for one, but it's easier explained with a graph)


consider an AthlonXP-M, which has a vCore of 1.35v
meaning any gate with 1.35V or higher is Logic High

now if your OC'ing that chip (if you can find a mobo that will run 1.35V....1.45-1.50 is about the lowest a mobo will go) the internal workings are "moving" faster
so it might not hit 1.35v

so you raise the vCore to something like 1.5
and in it's attempt to hit 1.5, it achives 1.35

the AXP-M is an excellent chip for OC'ing, the Pentium M would be if it's architecture wasn't strained for 2GHZ stable (it's Pentium III based, and contrary to what your going to tell me, Pentium III is superior to Pentium 4, Pentium 4 wins because it runs SO MUCH FASTER that it just beats the P-III, but MHZ for MHZ, the Pentium III is about 20% better (a 1.4 Pentium III can whip a 1.8GHZ+ Pentium 4 with ease...if that breaks it down easier)


SO
lowered temperatures are not going to make the CPU faster
only give an advantage in OC'ing
as lower temperatures allow more stable operation (which means lower vCore, as it's not having to try and run as high) and lower vCore for same GHZ, means it can go farther

for example
on AIR cooling with an AXP-M the best you can hope for is around 2.6GHZ
which is done at around 2.0vCore

at -10C it will do 3GHZ @ 1.9-2.1vCore
unstable in some benchmarks

at -20C and below 3.1GHZ and beyond is possible at under 2.3vCore, FULLY STABLE


and believe me
a 3.1GHZ AthlonXP would give even the best Pentium IV's a run for their money (consider, a $95 CPU competing with the $700+ 3.8GHZ, it wouldn't win, but it could sit at the table)

3.1GHZ AthlonXP Barton is roughly a 3.5 or 3.6 Pentium IV

roughly


Gateway's BIOS settings are to keep the noise down
and cooling a Prescott to sub 50C isn't hard
you just use a better HSF

believe me
the hardware in that Gateway is not the best

I tried to not say this first time out, as it would really be raining on your parade
but you seem to be asking for it, so i'm gonna

YOUR GATEWAY IS NOT A GOOD GAMING PC!

reasons why:

A) it's an OEM built PC which means very little can be done to tweak performance

B) it's using a Pentium 4, which is horribly slow in gaming (which can be attributed to it's weakling of an FPU)


good morning, good afternoon and goodnight
i'm out