[reberto]

Just as the title asks, do I really need to upgrade my PC? I am a heavy gamer and I can play most games at med-high (f.e.a.r, quake 4 ect) settings. How much longer will my Athlon XP 2700+ and ASUS 6800XT (at ultra spec's) last me? What do you guys reccomend for upgrades? I don't have to much cash to upgrade with (~$400).

 

[stevo1663]

Well I was gonna suggest upgrade your CPU to a XP 3200+ but I have been looking and everywhere I look they are sold out of them

 

[lenzo]

I'm currently waiting for the new AMD socket sets to come out before I upgrade. They are due in a few months. The recent AMD 64 bit cpus are still waiting for games to be built around them (which hasn't really happened yet).
As long as your cpu plays the games you want, you should be fine. Your very best investment should always be your video card, unless your running other programs besides games.
I'd expect the current lines of cpu's to drop in price when the new sockets come out (socket M2 & F).

 

[Smitty099]

Here is a good start for you to think about...use the rest of the components from your old machine

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128307
Gigabyte GA-K8U-939 Socket 939 ULi M1689 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #: GA-K8U-939
Item #: N82E16813128307
$58.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231027
G.SKILL 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model F1-3200PHU2-1GBNS - Retail
Model #: F1-3200PHU2-1GBNS
Item #: N82E16820231027
$77.75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103562
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Manchester 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Dual Core Processor Model ADA3800BVBOX - Retail
Model #: ADA3800BVBOX
Item #: N82E16819103562
$296.00

Total(before tax): $431.75

 

[reberto]

Those all look good but I think I might get a low end Opteron insted. It has btter OC'ing potential and a huge L2 cache.

 

[Chillaxed]

the video card will last for quite a while yet.

just go for mobo and cpu for now to get a nice upgrade

 

[Xeijin]

I'm waiting a while before I go anywhere near M2 and F, they could go the same way 754 did and besides, I want the mobo and chip manufacturers to work out all the kinks before I commit to buying anything. I guess it'll be another year or so after they are released before I make the switch.

 

[Orange]

I think itll last you a little longer, just wait until Vista, and DX10 graphics cards come out, trust me......youll want too....

 

[Kipper]

now, the problem is ur gfx card. u have a VERY nice graphics card but its AGP, meaning u cant carry it with u to S939 UNLESS u get a nF3 S939 mobo, but they do not overclock as nicely...

before, i had the same problem, then i went for the intel route with a 2.4A and a P4P800SE...i gave my XPM and NF7-Sv2 mobo to my dad

 

[reberto]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kipper now, the problem is ur gfx card. u have a VERY nice graphics card but its AGP, meaning u cant carry it with u to S939 UNLESS u get a nF3 S939 mobo, but they do not overclock as nicely... before, i had the same problem, then i went for the intel route with a 2.4A and a P4P800SE...i gave my XPM and NF7-Sv2 mobo to my dad

AGP is far from dead. And yes I can carry it to a s939 WITHOUT a NF3 chipset. There are a lot of ULi, SiS and VIA chipset mobo's with AGP 8x. And also, AGP 8x IS what s939 started with.

 

[burnstudios]

ASUS 6800XT (at ultra spec's) ... how can you get an XT To ultra specs? it has less pipes and lower stock clock speeds than a standard 6800 , i have mine unlocked 16x5 and oc'd 390 870, not trying to flame , just wondering.

 

[reberto]

Quote:

Originally Posted by burnstudios ASUS 6800XT (at ultra spec's) ... how can you get an XT To ultra specs? it has less pipes and lower stock clock speeds than a standard 6800 , i have mine unlocked 16x5 and oc'd 390 870, not trying to flame , just wondering.

I have mine with 16x5 and speeds at 405 1100.

 

[burnstudios]

how in the heck did you go from 700 on the mem to 1100?? . the stock speeds on a xt are 300 700.

 

[reberto]

I used Systool and installed copper ram heatsinks. As for the fan, I swapped it out for a Zalman cooler.

 

[stevo1663]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smitty099 Here is a good start for you to think about...use the rest of the components from your old machine http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128307 Gigabyte GA-K8U-939 Socket 939 ULi M1689 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail Model #: GA-K8U-939 Item #: N82E16813128307 $58.00 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231027 G.SKILL 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model F1-3200PHU2-1GBNS - Retail Model #: F1-3200PHU2-1GBNS Item #: N82E16820231027 $77.75 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103562 AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Manchester 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Dual Core Processor Model ADA3800BVBOX - Retail Model #: ADA3800BVBOX Item #: N82E16819103562 $296.00 Total(before tax): $431.75

He's got a socket A setup so he will also need to buy the socket 939 motherboard

 

[reberto]

He put one in the price list.