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I made a similar post a couple days ago but my mindset has changed a bit. I appreciate all responses and consider this board to be one of the best: both in maturity and knowledge..
First, a quick background. I am more of a "classic" gamer. I mostly play World of Warcraft, Guild Wars, Warcraft III and Diablo II. Other than Spore on the horizon, I don't see many high end gaming in front of me because I do not care for first person shooters and I own an Xbox 360 for my Mass Effect/Fable 2 interests.
Here is my current setup:
Opteron 165 @ 2.32 Ghz
2GB DDR4000 Memory
ASRock 939 Board
Geforce 7900 GT
19" LCD
Now, I am definitely going to purchase a Geforce 9600 GT. I am in love with this card, and feel that with my setup I should be able to get Spore, and any other high end games I can get for the 360.
I now have two upgrade paths I am thinking of. Please keep in mind I do not have money to burn and cash is a factor. Therefore please dont respond with "get an Intel". Thanks.
Path 1: Full System Upgrade
I am a little bit worried about my 939 but if it never stops working should I really be concerned? I would need to get new DDR2 memory, a new AM2 board, I am am thinking of the Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Brisbane 2.7GHz, which can be had for only $120. However, there is a pain in the butt issue of putting together a new system, which can also be fun. But is it worth it? Is DDR800 THAT much better than DDR400? Is a 2.7 going to be THAT much of an upgrade to an Opteron 2.3 server chip?
Path 2: LCD Monitor upgrade
This path is actually more expensive because I would not be able to sell my Opty, board, memory, etc on Ebay. I am a visual person and really think this Samsung 22" LCD is a home run: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001268
It has 1:1 scaling so my older games wont stretch at all. I am also a nut for contrast ratio, a part time freelance graphic designer and it is 8000:1 which is amazing for an LCD.
So, based on everything you now about me, what path should I choose?
Thanks
First, a quick background. I am more of a "classic" gamer. I mostly play World of Warcraft, Guild Wars, Warcraft III and Diablo II. Other than Spore on the horizon, I don't see many high end gaming in front of me because I do not care for first person shooters and I own an Xbox 360 for my Mass Effect/Fable 2 interests.
Here is my current setup:
Opteron 165 @ 2.32 Ghz
2GB DDR4000 Memory
ASRock 939 Board
Geforce 7900 GT
19" LCD
Now, I am definitely going to purchase a Geforce 9600 GT. I am in love with this card, and feel that with my setup I should be able to get Spore, and any other high end games I can get for the 360.
I now have two upgrade paths I am thinking of. Please keep in mind I do not have money to burn and cash is a factor. Therefore please dont respond with "get an Intel". Thanks.
Path 1: Full System Upgrade
I am a little bit worried about my 939 but if it never stops working should I really be concerned? I would need to get new DDR2 memory, a new AM2 board, I am am thinking of the Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Brisbane 2.7GHz, which can be had for only $120. However, there is a pain in the butt issue of putting together a new system, which can also be fun. But is it worth it? Is DDR800 THAT much better than DDR400? Is a 2.7 going to be THAT much of an upgrade to an Opteron 2.3 server chip?
Path 2: LCD Monitor upgrade
This path is actually more expensive because I would not be able to sell my Opty, board, memory, etc on Ebay. I am a visual person and really think this Samsung 22" LCD is a home run: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001268
It has 1:1 scaling so my older games wont stretch at all. I am also a nut for contrast ratio, a part time freelance graphic designer and it is 8000:1 which is amazing for an LCD.
So, based on everything you now about me, what path should I choose?
Thanks