GF3 + 700MHz Slot A vs. nForce + 1500+XP?

[Rogue]

I have a dilemma. I have about $300.00 to spend on a system upgrade. I currently have a 700MHz Slot-A Athlon on a KX-133 chipset with a TNT2U card. Simply put, I want more graphics power. To get what I want, I have to decide whether or not I should purchase a faster video card with the processor and PC133 memory being a potential bottleneck, or to get an nForce board (probably the MSI) and a 1500+ Athlon XP. To add to the dilemma, I already have purchased 512MB of PC2100 memory when it was cheap and it's still sitting here sealed from Crucial. What would be my best route? Please advise.

Also, I currently use the onboard sound with my KX133 chipset and have everything else I need. The video card swap would be just that. Everything else would remain the same.

 

[bjc112]

hmm....that nforce would be better...u at least have a mx... not a huge upgrade... but will help, especially with the Processing boost you will get ...

Good Luck

 

[nortexoid]

if you want graphics power, you'll clearly get better results going GF3.

sure, an XP and GF2 MX integrated graphics will be better than what u currently have, but not as good as what u have + a GF3...

then agian, it depends on what games u play...if u're just playing half-life (or mods) and quake 3, etc., u'll probably be fine w/ an MX200
u can always upgrade the video later if need be...

but likewise, u could always just upgrade the mobo/cpu later if u wanted too - if u got the vidoe card.

w/ that memory sitting around, i'd be way too tempted to drop it in a mobo w/ a fast proc.

edit:

on a final note, u could grab an ECS K7S6A (70), Athlon XP 1700+ (122), Hercules Prophet 4500 64MB Kyro II (76), and Cooler Master DP5-6I31C-A1 HSF (7) for a total of $275
from newegg
and u don't really have to compromise at all..

 

[bluemax]

Is your 512MB ONE stick or TWO sticks? If two, the nForce will perform as an MX-400 which isn't that bad at all... if it's only one stick of DDR, you'll only get MX-200. Definately factor that into your decision.

 

[Rogue]

I was wise enough at the time to purchase two 256MB sticks. Now I'm leaning toward the nForce setup, but my next question is, will a 700MHz Slot-A Athlon bottleneck a GF3 card that much?

 

[Def]

I feel my P3@980 is the big bottleneck for my GF3 Ti200 at even stock speeds. I get pretty much the same FPS from 640x480 all the way up to at least 1024x768 on not really complicated games(Q3 etc.). It just can't keep up with the graphics card.

I'd say that an Athlon 700 would be choking a regular GF3.

That brings me to my next point, why $300 on a graphics card? Why don't you buy a Gainward GF3 Ti200 from newegg.com for about $160. Mine overclocks to a bit past stock GF3 Ti500 speeds, which should be more than enough. Then you could put a little bit towards getting a faster Slot-A processor if you don't think that's a waste. A GF3 Ti200 plus a 900+Mhz Slot-A Athlon would be a pretty good upgrade at a nice price.

While an nForce is definitely a cool platform(I plan to get one as my next MoBo), the graphics performance leaves something to be desired for true gamers IMO. I think the only way to get "decent" performance from it would be to run a FSB of 150+Mhz to really up the bandwidth going to the Northbridge.

Just an idea.

 

[DaejangNim]

the geforce3 would be your best bet for better graphics... even on a slow CPU. Last week at a LAN I used the gainward gf3 (borrowed for the night) on my duron 600 which was OC'ed to 800 at the time. It ran every game at 1280x1024 great that I played... q3a.. ut.. and medal of honor. my friend with a 1.4 and an MX had a lot less graphic quality.