eternal question, should i upgrade?

[s8n]

current specs:

gigabyte 8irxp
1.6a@2.1
512 pc2100
gf4mx 460 [at the time, it was the cheapest card w/ dual out and decent gaming performance]
sb live value [free system pull]
it's hooked up to sony receiver and jbl n28's
120 gig wd
40 gig wd
tekram u2w scsi card
9 gig wd scsi
9 gig ibm scsi
plextor 16x dvd
liteon 40x12x48 cd-rw

that's the main part. the thing is, i want to upgrade the ram to at least 1 gig. but at the moment i'd prolly just buy a 512 stick and have 768 for a while. stupid 845 chipset, i can't use all 3 banks... so i'm limited to 2 usable slots

also upgrade video to a 9600xt

and possibly the soundcard as well.

my roomie has a dvd burner, so i don't really have a need to upgrade that at the moment.

storage i'm pretty much set on.

but i've really been contemplating upgrading to a 2.4c, etc. but then that would make the whole buying ram thing a waste... cause i'd have to buy new ram, mobo, cpu :|

i mean i <3 my comp, but it's 2 years old now... and it's almost time to upgrade. am i crazy?

 

[Qveon]

im still using my 1.8a@2.5 with 512mgs ram and i recently put a 9600XT in and it seems to work just fine. i mean i really don't see a worth to go top of the line unless you really like having an empty pocketbook.

 

[g4m3r]

Well if I were you I'd look around at I'd save up some money and search around on www.newegg.com for a good deal on a mobo/cpu. Then get ram and a videocard accordly. Dont get me wrong, you could upgrade your current system, but it sounds like it might be bottlenecked in certain spots.

 

[HvyMtl]

ok, the 9600 Pro may be the better value as you can prolly clock it to XT levels for less $$$
another thing is to look for 9700's or the rare 9500 pro as they perform better -
From what I gather the 9800SE may actually out perform the 9600xt and is proced close...
check on newegg.com - their search engine rocks and they have good price/selection