-

[Xzaver]

-=-

 

[Prodigy^]

first of all, get an extra 128 Mb RAM

second, get a large monitor

then a GTS or Voodoo5

 

[Mem]

IF you want to upgrade cpu/motherboard, size wise the Asus CUSL2 with a Pentium3 FGPA will be smaller then the Asus K7V or their SocketA board(they are on the large size)so go with Asus CUSL2 or a SocketA board from someone else like MSI,remember also if you go the Athlon route you will need a Athlon approved PSU,unless you buy a Duron CPU.

 

[Livin4Real]

Go with a PIII and new mobo. Check out pricewatch.com for some good deals.

 

[LarryJoe]

Yeah, the first thing that jumped out at me on your list was the 15 inch monitor. I would spend some dough on that and keep in mind that a monitor is one of those upgrades that you take from computer to computer is a really not obsolete until it dies. A decent 19 incher can be had for under $400. By the time you yearn for a new monitor, the flat panels will be up to snuff in terms of price and quality. Your CPU is not that bad and if you can crank it to 558, go for it. 96MB of RAM is OK and you can get by. I don't know if I would add 128MB like prodigy says, but at least top it off with 128. You probably have a 64 and a 32 stick. Hawk the 32 and buy another 64 stick. Too bad you have a V3 3500 and not a V3 3000 as I would also say to just hang on to the V3 3000, but the V3 3500 is a notorious P.O.S.. The GTS would be overkill if you stayed with the PIII 450, so just get a GF1 DDR and you will be good to go. Here is the $$$ breakdown:

19 Monitor(Samsung Synchmaster is decent and a good buy) $375
64MB PC100 - $50 (tops, net of hawking the 32MB stick)
DDR - $170 (I just sold mine on fleabay for $177

What the above will get you is an awesome improvement to your current gaming experience. I assume you are a gamer.

LJ

 

[BA]

1. New monitor
2. More memory. I think the 128mb more is probably overkill, but 128-196 would do you pretty well.
3. Video(DDR? not really my department)
3. Check if your MB will support a P3. If you can drop in a P3, I'd consider it, otherwise, I'd wait for more Duron/Tbird boards.

 

[LarryJoe]

He has a PIII now, so I assume it supports it.

 

[PowerJoe]

*Sigh*
What are you trying to achieve with this upgrade? Are you a gamer?



I'll join the "bigger monitor" crowd: This is probably the best investment you can do right now. IMO, blowing >300$ on a processor/MB upgrade that will (might) get you 20% more performance is not worth it.

As always, if you just have money burning a hole in your pocket, I'll be happy to relieve you of it

-PJ

 

[duragezic]

Yup monitor. I'm in a similar situation (I have a 366@550, 128mb ram, voodoo banshee) and also have a 15in monitor. I am a gamer so I want a video card but I'll just wait for next gen ones (or maybe Geforce MX cause it is so cheap and fast!). So I'm going with a 19in monitor. Though the Samsung's are nice the 955df doesnt have a very high refresh rate at 1600x1200 so I'm going with the Hitachi Superscan 715.

Here's my thoughts though:
1)New monitor (19in?)
2)More ram. Maybe add a 64mb stick like the others said.

If you still have money to spend I dunno!

eagle

 

[OneEng]

Monitor!!! Yup. Thats my 2 cents.

When and If you upgrade your mb and processor, go ahead and splurge the $60.00 for a new case with a better power supply.

On the subject of AMD vs. Intel upgrade:

Since you are obveously willing to do it yourself (DIY), the AMD SocketA system is the only smart way to go (I can hear the Intel supporters beginning to rev up already). The reason is simple. Intel will not be supporting Socket 370 much longer. Anything you get in that form factor will be un-upgradeable next year (is that a word?). The AMD SocketA platform will support a minimum of 3 lines of AMD processors (Duron, Thunderbird, and Mustang). A cheep Duron system upgrade this year will leave you in the perfect position in 6 months to upgrade cheeply (~150.00) to a 900Mhz + TBird. Next year when the Mustang is released, you will again have another cheep upgrade.

Even Intel's next gen processor the Willamette will be a bad purchase IMHO. Already there are rumors that many mb manufacturers are refusing to support it since Intel has plans to abandon the original release form factor immeadiatly and release the second pass Willamette on a different form factor.

I just don't like all the form factor changes. AMD did a wonderful job with the Socket7 platform. I can only hope they show the same longevity with SocketA.

The guy with the Banshe....time to upgrade! You will really see massive improvement in games with any of the newer video cards.

 

[Xzaver]

-=-

 

[LarryJoe]

Xzaver,

Go with the 770U, it is a much better card. I can't help but read your last post and wonder what compels you to want to upgrade? I am not saying you shouldn't, just that you don't seem to have that "I want" fever.(which is a good thing) You couldn't care if your monitor was 5 inches, but you declare your love for gaming?

I guess the important question here is:

What is your computer not doing now that you would like it to do?

Oh, and there is a lot more to overall system speed than having the fastest bus available. Yes, the RAM is one limiting factor.

LJ