Comments on my upgrade plans?

[imported_powdahound]

Planning on upgrading in about a month before TribalWars LAN. Was going to go with an x800 and 64bit cpu and all that but I've decided to wait until next spring or early summer so PCI-X and all that other good stuff is around. Anyway, any comments on these parts here? I have a gig of Corsair XMS pc3200 RAM already. Still debating between the 5900XT and the 9800 Pro... Always been an nVidia guy but I'm open to suggestions. Also looking for suggestions on the mobos... (Prices are from newegg)


AMD Athlon XP 3200+ "Barton", 400 FSB, OEM - $179.00

Sapphire 9800 Pro - $207.00
OR
Gainward 5900XT - $192.00

ASUS "A7N8X" nForce2 Ultra 400 - $84.00
OR
MSI "K7N2 Delta-L" nForce2 Ultra 400 Chipset - $68.00
OR
???

Zalman CNPS7000-Cu - $40.00

 

[Varun]

I think the A64 3000+ for $211 and a motherboard for around $90 would be a much better investment. It will be a lot faster than the Barton.

If you really want to stick with the much slower Barton, then you may as well get the 2500+ Mobile and overclock it to 3200+

 

[jdogg707]

Originally posted by: powdahound
Planning on upgrading in about a month before TribalWars LAN. Was going to go with an x800 and 64bit cpu and all that but I've decided to wait until next spring or early summer so PCI-X and all that other good stuff is around. Anyway, any comments on these parts here? I have a gig of Corsair XMS pc3200 RAM already. Still debating between the 5900XT and the 9800 Pro... Always been an nVidia guy but I'm open to suggestions. Also looking for suggestions on the mobos... (Prices are from newegg)


AMD Athlon XP 3200+ "Barton", 400 FSB, OEM - $179.00

Sapphire 9800 Pro - $207.00
OR
Gainward 5900XT - $192.00

ASUS "A7N8X" nForce2 Ultra 400 - $84.00
OR
MSI "K7N2 Delta-L" nForce2 Ultra 400 Chipset - $68.00
OR
???

Zalman CNPS7000-Cu - $40.00

Do not buy the 3200+, get a mobile barton 2500+ and overclock it to a 3200+ with little to no effort, and possibly the ability to get there with less voltage. Definitely get the 9800 Pro if you are wanting to game, for $15.00 you'll get a lot more performance. Check the Abit NF7-S out, it is a little bit more expensive at $89 I believe, but it is an awesome board with great features, also one of the best overclockers out there. The heatsink is great, but if you get the NF7-S I am not sure whether it will fit. You could also spend a little more, get an A64 2800+ or 3000+, and the Chaintech VNF-250 motherboard for $89.00.

 

[imported_powdahound]

Really think going to 64 would make that big of a difference? Getting the 3000+ 64 isn't that much more, but what would be the best mobo for it? I'm not too current on all the motherboards coming out for the 64 bit chips.

 

[jdogg707]

Originally posted by: powdahound
Really think going to 64 would make that big of a difference?

If you are gaming you'll see a pretty big difference since the A64 chips rock the gaming world, but for everyday tasks the difference will be smaller.

 

[imported_powdahound]

Well I am mainly a gamer so I guess it would be a good idea. Now I just need to decide on a mobo and the graphics card.

Love your sig by the way.

 

[jdogg707]

Originally posted by: powdahound
Well I am mainly a gamer so I guess it would be a good idea. Now I just need to decide on a mobo and the graphics card.

Love your sig by the way.

Thanks! No love for George Dubya at all...haha. For an A64 mobo, look at the Chaintech with the nForce3 250 chipset, it is pretty nice for the price. You could also look at grabbing the Abit KV8 Pro for a little more, or the Aopen AK89-L (Not sure if that is correct or not). Definitely go for the 9800 Pro, as said above, it will wipe the floor with the 5900XT, even when it;s overclocked. Go to Tom's Hardware's VGA Charts, they show the performance difference between different video cards, all the way from the high end to the low end, testing about 30 cards in all. I think both the 9800 PRo and 5900XT were in the last one he did.

 

[imported_powdahound]

Yea I was leaning towards the 9800 even though I've had nVidia for years (except my laptop). Chaintech mobo looks good, the other ones are quite a bit more expensive. Have a nice upgrade for about $565 on newegg, now to go find lowest prices elsewhere if possible.

 

[jdogg707]

Originally posted by: powdahound
Yea I was leaning towards the 9800 even though I've had nVidia for years (except my laptop). Chaintech mobo looks good, the other ones are quite a bit more expensive. Have a nice upgrade for about $565 on newegg, now to go find lowest prices elsewhere if possible.

Good Luck! :beer:

 

[Mik3y]

the xp3200+ is nearly the same speed as the athlon 64 2800+ (the xp still slower). since the a64 2800+ is the same price as the xp3200+, then the 2800+ is the way to go since it has much more potential.