1500+ AMD+Kyro2 or Duron900+gf3?

[firehawk68]

I'm going to buy a new computer. I currently have a p2 350mzh with no 3d card (!) so it's pretty outdated...

I want a PC that performs well in pretty much every area... I'd say I'll use it 80% för work and 20% for gaming... I'm not one of those Counterstrike-fans that sits 24-7 playing (just dont have the time) but I do want to be able to play max payne, rtcf etc every now and then and i want it to run very smooth...

These are the configs that I'm considering (I'm in Europe, knows nothing about over-clocking and won't even end up putting the bits and pieces together myself, so please have that in mind) :

system 1 (the cheapest):
amd duron 900, 256ddr ram, kyro2

system 2 ($100 more or so):
amd duron900, 256ddr ram, daytona gf3 ti

system 3 (same price as system 2):
amd 1500+ xp, 256 ddr ram, kyro2

(i can also change to a Daytona 64Mb GeForce2 Titanium DDR-T card which is in price between kyro and gf3)

so the questions are, will the cheapest system (system 1) be well enough for me, enabling me to run all office type of programs smoothly and games like rtcw, max payne etc or would it be wise to add $100 and get either system 2 or system 3? and if so, which one would be the better one?

many thanks for any help!

 

[ElFenix]

i'm just taking a wild guess here, but rtcw runs like crap on a kyro2.

/me pulls up benchies on the main site

okay... maybe crap isn't the right word. 85 fps at 1024x768x32 is nothing to sneeze at (i remember when half the fps at 640x480 on quake was excellent) but the gf really whips it arse. take a look. and as long as work doens't involve something extremely processor intensive (say, photoshop) then the duron will suit you just fine.

EDIT: okay later in the benchies there max payne is tested and the kyro really blows the big one. if you want any futureproofing at all you'd go with the gf. (of course a lot of people might consider the extra $100 to be future proofing)

 

[firehawk68]

well this is very confusing indeed... i've had a lot of people RECOMMENDING the kyro2 card... it's rougly $100 here... and a gf3 is about $200... let me name the options i have available:

cpu:

duron 900 [about $75]
duron 1000mhz [about $90]
amd 1500+ [about $150]

[there's no t-bird available from this computer store]

graphicscards:

Daytona 64Mb Geforce2 MX 400-T [cheapest]
Hercules 64Mb Kyro2 [about $100]
Daytona 64Mb GeForce2 Titanium DDR-T [about $125]
Daytona 64Mb GeForce3 Titanium 200 DDR [about $200]

 

[majewski9]

system 3! A kyro 2 is a decent vid card. I mean it is no GF3 TI 500 but it gets good scores especially when you consider the fact it uses SDRAM and not DDR. A Radeon or a GF3 Ti200 would be better than a Kyro for a little more $$$. Definately the Athlon 1500 over the Duron 900 mhz. I dont know why you'd even consider the 900mhz Duron when the 1 ghz features the vastly improved morgan core and can be had for 50$.

 

[firehawk68]

i can get a duron 1000mhz instead of a 900mhz... but that link of how kyro2 performec in rtcw wasnt too pleasing rtcw is one of the few games i really look forward in playing...

 

[splice]

I would take a middle route. A GeForce2 Ultra or TI and a 1.0 or 1.2GHz Athlon.

 

[SniperWulf]

My second gaming box has a t-bird 900, 256MB SDRAM, ECS K7S5a and a Kyro2 and it runs RtCW just fine in Single player, of course you can't crank up all the options, but at 1024x768@32 w/ 16-bit source art, it runs good. Framerates rarely dip below 30fps at worst and is usually pegged at 100fps with my refresh rate.

On the other hand, I think it'd be smarter to get like the 1ghz Duron with the Ti200. With the prices of CPUs these days, you can easily upgrade within a few months

 

[BreakApart]

My vote goes for system #3

Highest CPU you can afford, at these prices why go duron unless it's a backup computer.
Kyro2 cards are clean/sharp/great color for 2D work, and they have good 3D performance.

Worse case if you don't like the Kyro2 3D performance you can always get a Geforce3 card in 6 months, it will probably be cheaper by then and would go great with the 1500+ cpu.

 

[firehawk68]

Thanks for the advice!

 

[sandorski]

The Kyro2 is similar to the Voodoo5 5500, in the sense that they keep getting faster as you increase the cpu speed. So definitely, if you go with the Kyro2, make sure to get the fastest cpu you can afford. That said, I'd be really tempted to go with a GeForce 2 and the fastest cpu within my budget. It really seems like a toss up to me, either situation is good.