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Alexdude777
Limp Gawd
- Joined
- Oct 17, 2004
- Messages
- 148
Hello, this is my first post on the forums. :] This seems like one of the better computer boards out there, so I'll try to settle some of my questions here.
First off, my specs:
Athlon XP 2000 @ ~1.67Ghz(I overclock it and change the speed sometimes)
ATi Radeon 8500LE 128MB
768 DDR266 RAM(256 DDR266, 512 DDR333)
WD 80GB HDD
I like to play a lot of video games when I have the time, so as you can guess this system isn't doing it for me. I built this thing 3 years ago for ~$600 (when I was 12, lol wtf) and so far it has been a great deal and has lasted me well. I've been able to game comfortably in the past few years, but now the age of my system is starting to show. I need to upgrade.
The problem is I don't know anything about computers anymore. I built mine 3 years ago and since stopped looking at tech-sites. So I have no idea what is going on anymore. I tried visiting Anandtech, Tomshardware, and this site to try to learn more but it really is quite a bit to take in :x
So basically, I'm wondering if anyone could give me a hand? I need to be able to play games comfortably for awhile. To give you an idea of my budget, I'm 15 1/2 years old and make about ~$150 that I can spend each month. It sucks having to put this towards your comp at this point when all of the good video games are being released, but I have to do it.
I'm assuming that my processor/ram is somewhat irrelevant when it comes to games, and that a new video card would probably do the trick. However, I don't know what the hell to buy.
One of my friends bought a Radeon 9800 for $150 and said he can "self-mod" it to a Pro. I'm wondering if I should do the same thing. $150 is quite a bit of money to spend on a new card, but damn that would be sweet to play Doom 3 and UT2K4 on that.
However, all of this new technology is what is really giving me trouble. I've been reading about Athlon 64s - which are apparently powerhouse processors. How much would it cost me for an A64 and a motherboard? Would the difference in performance be worth it?
I also keep hearing about "PCI-Xpress" technology, which I assume is just a new slot for the video card to go in. Could someone explain this? I saw some cards that had pci express on it and I assume I would need a new motherboard for that too. If I got a new motherboard and a new video card with pci express, would that help quite a bit?
What about DDR-II ram? They were talking about that a LONG time ago and I assume that it has came out now. What type of processor do I want to go with DDR-II ram?
As you can see, I have no clue about anything. If someone could just give me some good advice, or at least explain this new technology, I would be grateful.
Oh yeah, and would I possibly be able to overclock my 8500LE or XP 2000+ a sizable amount to make a difference? That way I wouldn't have to spend money at all.
First off, my specs:
Athlon XP 2000 @ ~1.67Ghz(I overclock it and change the speed sometimes)
ATi Radeon 8500LE 128MB
768 DDR266 RAM(256 DDR266, 512 DDR333)
WD 80GB HDD
I like to play a lot of video games when I have the time, so as you can guess this system isn't doing it for me. I built this thing 3 years ago for ~$600 (when I was 12, lol wtf) and so far it has been a great deal and has lasted me well. I've been able to game comfortably in the past few years, but now the age of my system is starting to show. I need to upgrade.
The problem is I don't know anything about computers anymore. I built mine 3 years ago and since stopped looking at tech-sites. So I have no idea what is going on anymore. I tried visiting Anandtech, Tomshardware, and this site to try to learn more but it really is quite a bit to take in :x
So basically, I'm wondering if anyone could give me a hand? I need to be able to play games comfortably for awhile. To give you an idea of my budget, I'm 15 1/2 years old and make about ~$150 that I can spend each month. It sucks having to put this towards your comp at this point when all of the good video games are being released, but I have to do it.
I'm assuming that my processor/ram is somewhat irrelevant when it comes to games, and that a new video card would probably do the trick. However, I don't know what the hell to buy.
One of my friends bought a Radeon 9800 for $150 and said he can "self-mod" it to a Pro. I'm wondering if I should do the same thing. $150 is quite a bit of money to spend on a new card, but damn that would be sweet to play Doom 3 and UT2K4 on that.
However, all of this new technology is what is really giving me trouble. I've been reading about Athlon 64s - which are apparently powerhouse processors. How much would it cost me for an A64 and a motherboard? Would the difference in performance be worth it?
I also keep hearing about "PCI-Xpress" technology, which I assume is just a new slot for the video card to go in. Could someone explain this? I saw some cards that had pci express on it and I assume I would need a new motherboard for that too. If I got a new motherboard and a new video card with pci express, would that help quite a bit?
What about DDR-II ram? They were talking about that a LONG time ago and I assume that it has came out now. What type of processor do I want to go with DDR-II ram?
As you can see, I have no clue about anything. If someone could just give me some good advice, or at least explain this new technology, I would be grateful.
Oh yeah, and would I possibly be able to overclock my 8500LE or XP 2000+ a sizable amount to make a difference? That way I wouldn't have to spend money at all.