Hardware dilema - what to do?

[Tengis]

Alright, I dont know what to do. Ive got some money, but dont know what to upgrade.

This is what I have now Im looking to upgrade.


Kingston HyperX pc3200 512mb

17' Dell Trinitron, decent =/, 80hz @ 1024x768

Case, CompUSSR case. Love it, but way too smal. Purchased almost 3 years ago.

PSU - 400W Aluminum Powmax

Windows drive, 80gig IBM Deathstar (also have other storage drive, dont take space into account)

______________________


What Im looking to get is:

1gig Kingston HyperX pc3500+

Nice 19+ inch CRT, or 17inch flatpanel (leaning more toward CRT)

Coolcases.com, Chenbro Genie (I WANT THIS CASE BAD, mine is so fucking small and I have room for nothing)

450W+ Truepower Antec

2 WD Raptors = raid 0


Any input? Im at a loss, Im so torn between each thing, although Im leaning more toward the crt, or the ram... or case... or Raptors...

 

[Tengis]

Forgot...

I have a Radeon 9000 PRO 128mb

and I want a Radeon 9700-9800 PRO 128mb...


Im going to try to buy stuff with monopoly money.

 

[s8n]

depending on your cpu, i'd say vid card.

 

[Tengis]

My complete system right now:

AMD Athlon XP 3200+, SLK900U and Smartfan 2
Abit nf7s 2.0
512mb Kingston HyperX pc3200
ATI Radeon 9000PRO 128mb
80gig IBM Deathstar
160g Maxtor
haxx0r floppy drive
Liteon DVD burner, 4x

Intellimouse Explorer (my fave mouse ever)
Nostromo Speedpad n50
Zboard keyboard
17' Dell Trinitron

 

[tiraides]

This is my opinion on the order you should upgrade:

- Chembro Genie AND Antec TruePower 430/480 (get them both at the same time so you have room--and power--for the other upgrades)

- 1 gig Kingston HyperX PC3500

- Radeon 9800 (get the newer card; it's more easily obtainable)

- Raptors (in RAID 0, they would make excellent boot drives)

- Monitor (I'd stay with the 19 inch CRT unless you can find a good 17 inch gaming LCD)

My preference is towards performance, but since you said your case is too small I say open it up first (especially if you're considering getting the Radeon). But it's just my opinion, so do what you want.

 

[Tengis]

Words of wisdom, I agree... but having performance now would be sweet... lol.

Maybe Ill grab the case and PSU, I really need some room, and I do suspect my PSU is making my system unstable (one reason Im upgrading my ram also).

 

[NleahciM]

No need to get two raptors. One will perform just as well as two in RAID 0 in about 95% of normal usage. That extra 5% doesn't really justify it. The only times when you will see an increase in performance from RAID 0 is when large thoroughput from the hard drives is needed - so when you're copying files, loading windows, and loading maps - you'll have a performance gain. That's it. Not worth the money unless you have a lot of extra cash lying around.

 

[darktiger]

If you play games and on Windows XP get a better videocard and some more memory.

 

[SmokeRngs]

With the setup you already have, I would go with a good 19" CRT. With the monitor you have, it looks like a newer vid card probably won't do a whole lot for you other than maybe give you some more FPS. The new monitor would be a huge improvement overall and it wouldn't just be an improvement for games, but everything else you do. It's also the piece of equipment you will not likely need to upgrade for a few years.

 

[RS3RS]

I'm also going to say the 19" CRT. Plus, you could always keep your old monitor and set it up in a dual-monitor configuration, which is cool.

 

[YoUnAn]

Yep I think Monitor is your best bet.
Also how much do you have to spend? If you let us know that then we might be able to give you some Suggestions on products.

 

[Tengis]

300$+, Im in highschool and I work, so I dont really have much to pay but insurance. Anyways...

I think Im going to grab the case, get the ram with my friends best buy discout (40% off), and grab a nice 19' Viewsonic from best buy (50$ off). Comes out good in the end. =).

Still not sure though, we'll see.