Gaming Upgrades?

Jun 14, 2005
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i have a gateway 820gm, its specs are:

intel pentium 4 3GHz
1 gig (2 x 512) ddr 400MHz
250 sata
ati x300 (i overclocked it to 351/236
antec true power 480

its used only for gaming, yeah i know i didnt go amd, but i like intel :)
i would like to know what i can upgrade to get better gaming performance <$500
i upgraded my power supply because i wanted to get an ati x800xl, but i read that the new nvidia cards are coming out. should i upgrade my ram to corsair or something? new hdd? new cpu? (i asked gateway and it will accept any LGA 775 cpu which i think is pretty pimp)

thanks for replies

peace
 

SirBrass

Member
Jun 8, 2005
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get the x800xl. ATI is still on top of the game ahead of nVidial also, your RAM is fine, it's just the GPU that needs updating.
 

nick1985

Lifer
Dec 29, 2002
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yeah an AMD would have been nice...but that video card you have just flat out sucks. invest in a new video card
 

MobiusPizza

Platinum Member
Apr 23, 2004
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Upgrade to crossair? That do you no benefits. You definitely need a new graphic card. X800XL is the best bang on bucks for now.
250GB HDD is good enough, you not even satisfied by 250GB? oO
 

MobiusPizza

Platinum Member
Apr 23, 2004
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You have only $500 to spend, so you can't get any new CPU. Dual cores would be ultra expensive anyway. (>$500)
 
Jun 14, 2005
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oh and i was thinking about going in RAID 0, with me buying another western digital 250 hdd, is it worth the money in gaming?
 

MobiusPizza

Platinum Member
Apr 23, 2004
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No. RAID 0 yields you virtually no gain. MAximum 1-2 seconds of loading the game.
And going to RAID 0 means twice risky your data is, and you have to reformat your current PC. Definitely not worth it
 

Appledrop

Platinum Member
Aug 25, 2004
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well, it wont improve your framerates or anything (obviously) so i think the money is much better spent on a higher end graphics card (unless you really use >250gb.. i personally have yet to fill over my 80gb drive :l
 
Jun 14, 2005
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ok im considering the nvidia 6600gt or ati x800xl. obviously the ati is more powerful, but which would be best for bf2. the demo kicks ass btw

intel 640 for the cpu?
 

MobiusPizza

Platinum Member
Apr 23, 2004
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What you still got money left for Intel 640?
Isn't your budget just $500?
3Ghz is fast enough. Keep your CPU!
 

KoolDrew

Lifer
Jun 30, 2004
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Originally posted by: NitrouseXpress60
alright i will just upgrade the gpu, kooldrew, where did u find it for 275? the lowest i saw was $297 er sumthing at newegg


The lowest price at newegg right now is $279 :confused:
 

Muscles

Senior member
Jul 16, 2003
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dont upgrade the graphics card when the nextgen nvidia cards (g70) are coming out in 2 weeks. You'll regret not waiting.
 
Jun 14, 2005
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Originally posted by: SirBrass
get the x800xl. ATI is still on top of the game ahead of nVidial also, your RAM is fine, it's just the GPU that needs updating.


he said not to wait, so should i wait for nvidia er not

thanks
 
Jun 14, 2005
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how much do u think the new cards will cost, because i guess i could find more money:)

also, arent they making lower end version of that card?
 

MobiusPizza

Platinum Member
Apr 23, 2004
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The lower end G70s which will fit your budget would not come out till much later. Maybe Christmas or so
So no point waiting

The top-end G70 costs around $600
 

eXx08

Banned
May 28, 2005
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Originally posted by: Muscles
dont upgrade the graphics card when the nextgen nvidia cards (g70) are coming out in 2 weeks. You'll regret not waiting.

Are they really, how much are they gonna be do you think?
 

Shlong

Diamond Member
Mar 14, 2002
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Ahh you missed out on the X800XL $250 shipped deal @ monarch a few weeks ago. Yeah, I would get X800XL and get some cooling to replace your stock gateway cooling for cpu to overclock it. You might have some crap ram so you might have to run a divider & looser timings.
 
Jun 14, 2005
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o snap thats alot for the high end, but this will mean that nvidia 6800 series prices will fall to the 6600 series, and generally lower the video card market?
 
Jun 14, 2005
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Originally posted by: Shlong
Ahh you missed out on the X800XL $250 shipped deal @ monarch a few weeks ago. Yeah, I would get X800XL and get some cooling to replace your stock gateway cooling for cpu to overclock it. You might have some crap ram so you might have to run a divider & looser timings.



i oc my x300 right now, i know any high end card would run hotter, but i bought gateway for a reason - BTX = 2 120mm fans intake and outtake, including fresh air right over muh vid card
 

Shlong

Diamond Member
Mar 14, 2002
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I didn't mean cooling for the X800XL, I meant cooling for the cpu. It's just a stock cooler in over your p4 right?