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Should I even upgrade my comp

K

Kazu

n00b
Joined
Aug 8, 2004
Messages
28
I've been waiting to upgrade for the longest time, lol I just reformatted and while i was installing a couple of program I just checked my comps specs and I just realized something my Comp is a load of crap, My grandmother bought it a while back because my other one was just dead and now after almost a year I have been wanting to upgrade but I have been wondering is it even worth it to upgrade or should i just start from scratch
Here are my comps specs please don't make fun I know it bad lol :( :( :( :(


Field Value
Computer
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
OS Service Pack Service Pack 1
Internet Explorer 6.0.2800.1106 (IE 6.0 SP1)
DirectX 4.08.01.0810 (DirectX 8.1)
Computer Name FAMILYCOMPUTER
User Name Darren

Motherboard
CPU Type AMD Athlon-PECM, 1111 MHz (11 x 101)
Motherboard Name Gigabyte GA-7VKML(-P) (3 PCI, 1 AGP, 1 CNR, 2 DIMM, Audio, Video, LAN)
Motherboard Chipset VIA VT8375 ProSavageDDR KM266
BIOS Type AMI (08/14/02)
Communication Port Communications Port (COM1)
Communication Port Communications Port (COM2)
Communication Port ECP Printer Port (LPT1)

Display
Video Adapter S3 ProSavageDDR (86c420)
3D Accelerator S3 SuperSavageDDR

Multimedia
Audio Adapter VIA AC'97 Enhanced Audio Controller

Storage
IDE Controller VIA Bus Master IDE Controller
Floppy Drive Floppy disk drive
Disk Drive Maxtor 6E030L0 (30 GB, 7200 RPM, Ultra-ATA/133)
Optical Drive 56X CD-ROM (56x CD-ROM)
SMART Hard Disks Status OK

Partitions
C: (NTFS) 29313 MB (28021 MB free)

Input
Keyboard Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard
Mouse Microsoft PS/2 Mouse

Network
Network Adapter Realtek RTL8139 Family PCI Fast Ethernet NIC (68.70.59.212)
Modem Generic SoftK56

Peripherals
USB1 Controller VIA VT83C572 PCI-USB Controller
USB1 Controller VIA VT83C572 PCI-USB Controller
USB Device USB Device

Now that thats over The comp I want to get is something among the lines of the Sharky Extreme's October Value Gaming PC Buyer's Guide

Case: Aspire X-Dreamer II (with 350W PSU) - $52
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Retail - $160
Motherboard: MSI K8T Neo-FSR - $82
Memory: 512-MB Corsair Value PC3200 DDR - $82
Hard Drive: 80GB Western Digital SE (8-MB) - $63
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce FX 5900XT 128-MB- $170
Speakers: Creative SBS330 2.1 Speajer -25.99
CD/DVD-ROM: AOpen COM5232 Combo Drive - $35
Keyboard: Lite-on sk-72 60 Black/ Silver Rf Wireless keyboard and Optical mouse

Well any one care to help me our please.
 
well first of all it depends on what you wanna do. Are you going to be doing a lot of gaming or just normal things like browsing, e-mail,etc. If you just plan on doing these things then you'll be fine with what you got as these things require no real comp. power. However if you wanna spend a little cash and play some new games like far cry, doom3, hl2 etc then it's time to upgrade. The parts you've put togather don't seem to bad. However i do have a few suggestions. I would reccomend dropping the 5900xt in place of a radeon 9600xt. the reason I say this is because (as most know) nvidia's FX line really sucked and was incapable of doing well in certain dx9 games. Now im not a atidroit or any of that crap, i buy whatever is best. I think you'll be better served with the radeon. Also you can finagle on other parts like keyboard, mouse, speakers. If you already have a functional keyboard just keep that. if your mouse is like a two button with scroll than yeah buy something better. I'm not sure about the speakers, just check reviews. well I guess I'll let you go at that. If you wanna find good prices go to www.pricewatch.com
 
quite possibly the most thorough post by a "n00bie" i have ever seen.

As stated, if you are just doing simple stuff like email and surfing, bit of office work then no, dont bother to upgrade. But if you want to play games etc then yea now is the time.

I agree with the 9600XT comment. It will be a better card i believe. As for speakers, also look into the Logitech 2.1 systems. They are supposed to be pretty damn good.
 
I conquere with the previous 2 posts. Also, for 30 more you can get a 9800 pro (199). Yeah if you only use your computer for word/internet then don't upgrade.
 
Arkanian said:
I conquere with the previous 2 posts. Also, for 30 more you can get a 9800 pro (199). Yeah if you only use your computer for word/internet then don't upgrade.
Click to expand...

yep, i would go for that one, check out new egg for the oem 9800pro's the best bang for the buck, and it will rip the 9600xt a new one :D
 
Looks pretty good. That's gotta be one of the better "noob" build plans I've seen. I'd agree on swapping out the vid card. I'd get a 9800pro for just a little more. It's worth it. 9600XT vs. 5900XT is kind of a toss-up. The 5900XT is generally a little slower to a lot faster vs. the 9600XT. Basically they bouce around the same ballpark in DX games but the 5900XT can hang with the 9800 series in OpenGL stuff. The 9800pro would maybe be a tad slower once in a blue moon (and only in OpenGL), and normally smokes the 5900XT.

I'd also consider a different power supply. I'm not sure what's included with that "X-Dreamer" case, but usually PSUs that come w/ a case aren't very good. Get a 350W+ Fortron Source. That should take care of you. Maybe spring for a 400W if you're thinking you'll get a high end NVidia vid card sometime or several HDs.

If you can swing the additional cost (<$100), I'd also get 1GB of ram (2x512MB). Otherwise 512 is ok, particularly since ram is so easy to upgrade. Just get another stick of the same kind & pop it in.

Oh, and there seems to be some sort of habit around here of always buying Lite-On optical drives unless you want to spring for a Plextor. That said, I don't know anything about Lite-On or AOpen except that Lite-On is apparently the official [H] optical drive brand. I just buy Plextors. Or at least I used to. I'm waiting for a SCSI DVD+/-RW.
 
I'd definately get a better PSU...Like stated above, it's better to plan ahead for the PSU than have to upgrade after the old one fails to run once you get a better vid card or more HDD's or Opticals. Also, I haven't been able to find a reliable or stable <200 price for the 9800pro (at least for the more reliable brands).

For the speakers...logitec>creative...my experience with creative speakers is that they are made from cheaper materials and the assembly personel have too much fun with their hot glue guns (lots of mess on the circuit boards). Lite-on opticals are good, but I'm a samsung man...can't go wrong with the samsung!!
 
dont be cheap, just spend the extra 30-40 bux and grab a 9800 pro, make sure its 256 bit, not the 128 bit crippled version, make sure its 256 bit
 
Also, most of those Saphire Radeon 9800 pros at newegg.com have R360 cores, so you can flash in a 9800xt bios to create a 128mb Radeon 9800xt. I have done it with three cards from them and it all came out nicely. Granted it isn't as good as the 256mb in most new games like Doom3, however you will get a performance increase by enabling the enhanced shaders of the R360 core.

Hope that helps.

Edit: The 9800 pro I am referring to is the OEM part, not the retail.
 
You're gonna need better cooling if you softmod/oc it to an xt though...the pro already runs pretty hot...and stock xt's are even hotter...modding the pro->xt you'll need something to keep that puppy cool.
 
I got a Sapphire Radeon 9800 pro from newegg.com for about 201 dollars. If you are planning to get a video card, get it from Newegg. The 5900XT that you have listed is 170 dollars. Does the $31 delta between those two cards really justify getting the 5900? I think that although the 9800 is more expensive now, it's still a better buy because the 9800 is much better than the 5900 in dx9 titles and is (correct me if im wrong) only marginally slower than the 5900 in open gl games.
 
jubei said:
You're gonna need better cooling if you softmod/oc it to an xt though...the pro already runs pretty hot...and stock xt's are even hotter...modding the pro->xt you'll need something to keep that puppy cool.
Click to expand...

Mine is fine with stock cooling.
 
Warmonkey said:
Also, most of those Saphire Radeon 9800 pros at newegg.com have R360 cores, so you can flash in a 9800xt bios to create a 128mb Radeon 9800xt. I have done it with three cards from them and it all came out nicely. Granted it isn't as good as the 256mb in most new games like Doom3, however you will get a performance increase by enabling the enhanced shaders of the R360 core.

Hope that helps.

Edit: The 9800 pro I am referring to is the OEM part, not the retail.
Click to expand...

Thats interesting, because im bought my 9800pro from newegg, and its a oem saphire, and ive got the R350 core...hmm, oh well, i guess i wasnt lucky enough to get one :(

still running at xt speeds hehe :D
 
Just chuck that thing out in the middle of the road and save for a new one.
 
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