New computer or upgrade?

E

eLus1ve

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 19, 2004
Messages
294
Currently I got a computer at home with these specs:
3.0 northwood p4 cpu
HT agp8x dual channel sata capable soyo mobo
really crappy 2100 ram
really crappy gf4mx
really crappy generic case
decent 450psu

I was wondering instead of buying a new computer, I decided to just buy ugrades for this computer that I can eventually carry over to the new computer. Based on newegg product reviews I decided to buy

1. 512x2 1gb corsair xms 3200 ram (it's only $100 and it's corsair :>)
2. eVGA Geforce 6600GT 128MB GDDR3 AGP 4X/8X ($119 after rebates. seems to be the best bang for buck agp video card out there.)
3. cooler master centurion case no psu($50 also seems like another best bang for buck item based on quanity and quality of reviews)
4. zalman p4 heatsink ($31 p4 stock fan is loud as a vacuum)

the dilemma is if my upgrade is worth it or better off waiting until I get some money to buy a new comp. The upgrades will cost me mabe around 340 with s&h whereas a brand new computer is questionable(maybe nearly 1000). If I do wait for a brand new computer, should I still go ahead and buy the case and ram anyways since amd64 doesnt support anything over 3200? I won't be playing much high end games nor do I play on high settings. Also is there any other better alternatives to the items I'll be buying? Lastly I need suggestions on monitors. I don't know whether getting a dell 2001fpw is a must or just getting a cheaper 8ms lcd monitors on newegg won't be much difference.
 
First, you have to realize if that's a socket 478, it's a dead upgrade. With that in mind, seeing how you don't play the latest and greatest games, and admittingly play on low settings, what's the itch to upgrade? If you have decided to start playing the latest games at high settings, you'll need a new rig. If you just want a boost in overall speed and aren't all that concerned with graphic goodness, I say:

1. Overclock
2. Get some ram with tight timings (XMS is a good choice)
3. The 6800u can be found fairly cheap, so I'm told
4. Newegg is currently having some good deals on LCD's.
5. Get a 74 gig Raptor or a good 8mb (minimun) buffered SATA drive

You will notice a snappier system from #'s 2 and 5. That PC2100 is really a bottleneck. verclocking should satisfy the desire to upgrade the cpu (dude, a 3.0 Northwood CAN get some great o'clocks). What chipset do you have?
 
I believe the chipset is a i865PE Springfield if I remember correctly. I'll definitely be purchasing the ram but a raptor seems a little unncessary at the moment. Furthermore I want to at LEAST play some game since my gf4 won't even allow me to play any games released post to 2003 and beyond.
 
The only wrinkle I see is that AMD will be switching over to DDR2 in early June, but there may be a price drop for the plain DDR stuff. And that could make upgrading the rest of the way easier. So that may be good anyways.

If you're planning on overclocking get Corsair XMS memory, but otherwise save some cash and get Corsair's value-select. In normal programs and games you'll never notice the difference the tight timings give you (the speed increase will show up in benchmarks.)

The 6600GT is probably an ideal video card for what you need right now. It's going to get harder as time goes on to carry this one with you into another upgrade.

If you have a resonably new 7200rpm drive, then there's little need to change that. The raptor is a nice drive but maybe not worth the price for you. If you have a 5400rpm drive, I'd strongly reccommend getting something faster.

As for the monitor, I'd just find one that looks good on newegg.
 
http://www.pcdirect.com//product.asp?promo=pricewatch&PID=1&Sku=VIBFGR6800OC

Good card right there. Couple that with the ram you have listed, and call it a day. You'd have around $225 in a system that could play the latest games. Now, the LCD thing is up to you, I'd browse that section of the [H] to see what the peeps there think, and head over to the Intel forum to get some advice on overclocking that chip! The Northwood "C" is a monster overclocker.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top