6800 GT really necessary?

[imported_oneiros]

Some of my system specs:

Athlon XP 2400+
1 gig ram PC3200
Antec TruePower 430watt
Geforce 4 Ti4600 128mg

How much of an impact would a 6800 GT be on my system? I can play Doom 3 moderately well at medium quality(1024x768 and i get 20-25fps) but I really want to be able to run the game smoother at higher quality. I do plan on upgrading my CPU and mobo in the near future (prob a Athlon64) so would I be satisfied with my gaming performance if I got a 6800 GT now. After watching the new half-life 2 videos, I think it would be a crime to play the game at low or medium quality...

 

[SynthDude2001]

If you are in fact going to upgrade to an Athlon 64 in the near future (next few months), then I'd go ahead and get the 6800GT in your situation. Otherwise I'd probably just throw a 9700 Pro or 9800 Pro in there.

 

[moonboy403]

i'm running doom3 at an average of 60fps with 1600 * 1200, no aa/8af

 

[Acanthus]

while you would be cpu limited in almost every possible situation, you would see an enormous performance increase across the board... especially in DX9-class games.

 

[RussianSensation]

Originally posted by: SynthDude2001
If you are in fact going to upgrade to an Athlon 64 in the near future (next few months), then I'd go ahead and get the 6800GT in your situation.

I agree. Even with a 2400+ it will be an awesome boost in games because you could really turn up the resolution and AA/AF all the way since you'll be CPU limited at all resolutions 🙂

But a faster CPU will help you down the line.

 

[JBT]

You would surely see a speed increase even with a 2400+ and another big increase once you got an A64.

 

[DefRef]

The speed boost from updating 2 generations will blow your hair back! Do it!

 

[caz67]

I agree get the GT and the 64..You will be pleasantly suprised..

 

[BFG10K]

How much of an impact would a 6800 GT be on my system?

Massive.

I went from a Ti4600 to a 9700 Pro to a 6800U and each jump was huge. Going from a 4600 to a GT will blow your mind.

 

[jim1976]

Originally posted by: Acanthus
while you would be cpu limited in almost every possible situation, you would see an enormous performance increase across the board... especially in DX9-class games.

 

[reallyscrued]

if ur mobo supports the 200fsb and changing multipliers, get an athlon mobile, they are factory unlocked so u can pick the speed u want it to run at, and most of these chips run at around 2.5ghz, not PR rating, REAL 2.5ghz, and can blow fx-51's outta the water. plus, they are like, 80 bucks. then get a GT, u wont be bottlenecked anymore. keep this setup until the 939's become less expensive.

 

[Marsumane]

Originally posted by: reallyscrued
if ur mobo supports the 200fsb and changing multipliers, get an athlon mobile, they are factory unlocked so u can pick the speed u want it to run at, and most of these chips run at around 2.5ghz, not PR rating, REAL 2.5ghz, and can blow fx-51's outta the water. plus, they are like, 80 bucks. then get a GT, u wont be bottlenecked anymore. keep this setup until the 939's become less expensive.

Or better yet, keep it till dual core A64's and multithreaded games 😉

 

[Poulsonator]

I upgraded from a 9700 Pro to a 6800 GT and the difference is amazing. I also have an XP 2400+, so I was kind of in the same boat as you. However, I also unlocked my 2400+ this past weekend (finally), so I'm running it at 2200 MHz (200 x 11) and that also made a big difference.

I can't wait to upgrade to an A64, but that won't be for a little bit.

 

[imported_oneiros]

Thanks for all the help, looks like I'm going to get the GT and maybe if prices dip down hopefully by the winter holidays I will end up with an A64 as well. It has been 2 years since I last made upgrades to my comp, so I think I can justify the amount of cash I have to spend on this upgrade 🙂