Member Avatar for hsik

has any one used these parts and what do you think of them?

Mach Speed Venom MSA2-6100V Motherboard CPU Bundle - AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+ Processor 2.80GHz OEM

XFX GeForce 8600 GT Video Card - 512MB DDR3, PCI Express, SLI Ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, HDTV, Video Card

thx

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by jbennet

Dani AI

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A concise expert addendum that builds on the good points from and : for mid-2000s-era builds the deciding factors are GPU architecture and sustained processing throughput, not headline video‑memory numbers, and a motherboard chipset does not force one GPU vendor to behave better in a single‑card setup.

Practical checklist to decide between cards and to pair one with the bundle discussed here:

  • Pick a target resolution and visual settings first. VRAM becomes important mainly at higher resolutions or when using high‑res textures and heavy anti‑aliasing. For typical desktop/resolution play of Source‑engine games, raw shader/fill rate and memory bandwidth matter more.
  • Compare real‑world game benchmarks (look at minimum/frame‑time numbers, not just averages) for the titles you care about. Benchmarks truer to the same CPU and resolution give the best guidance.
  • Confirm system power and connectors. Check the card TDP and whether the PSU has the required 6‑pin/8‑pin PCIe connectors and sufficient headroom for peak load.
  • Verify physical fit and cooling: dual‑slot cards, heatsink height, and exhaust flow matter for stable long sessions.
  • For multi‑GPU configurations: expect less-than-linear scaling, game/driver dependence, added heat and power draw. As observed, a single higher‑performance card usually gives better, more consistent results than two mid‑range cards.

Practical checks and cautions for used/older hardware:

  • Update motherboard BIOS and chipset drivers before troubleshooting oddities; older boards sometimes need BIOS updates for newer GPUs or CPUs.
  • Inspect capacitors, fans, and heatsinks on used parts. Run a GPU stress test and monitor temperatures and artifacting to confirm stability.
  • For Source games specifically, moderate GPUs of the era are often sufficient; prioritize single‑card performance and driver maturity over raw VRAM.

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for jbennet

you would be better getting a 256mb 8800 then a 512mb 8600

dont know about the motherboard bundle

Member Avatar for madoverclocker

i don't know about that mobo, but the processor is a good one. what do you plan on doing with the system? if gaming is involved (on any level) i would echo jbennet's recomendation of an 8800 series vga card.

Member Avatar for jbennet

either the 8600 or 8800 will do.

The 8600 runs cod4 on medium, far cry on max, bf2 on max

Member Avatar for hsik

thanks all i'll check out the 8800.
i play hl2 and tf2 the most. should i stay with an ati VC? will nvidia VC work more smoothly since the mobo has nvidia chipsets?

Member Avatar for madoverclocker

the chipset will only come into play when overclocking or when running multiple video cards. i foolishly bought an 8600 about six months ago, two weeks ago i bought an 8800gts (g92) and the difference is unbelievable. even an 8800gt will perform 4x better than any 8600.

Member Avatar for jbennet

yes. 512mb is a waste. My 256mb x1950 totally owns my 512mb x1650 pro by like 800% in benchmarks

Member Avatar for hsik

sold. thanks, thats exactly what i wanted to know.

Member Avatar for jbennet

yeah, its generally the clock/memory speeds that matter the most.

Its the same with SLI. 2 cards does not = double performance. In fact, you are better getting 1 very good card than 2 medium/good cards

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