Hardware Upgrades For Doom 3/HL 2?

[MonstaThrilla]

Hey yall,

I'm planning to do a computer upgrade within the next month or so, as my present comp is two years old. I'm basically upgrading to be able to play Doom 3, Half-Life 2, and maybe SimCity 4. I originally built my rig to play Wolfenstein, and I haven't been playing any games since.

Here's my current specs:

1.4 Ghz Athlon Thunderbird
Epox 8K7A mobo (AMD 761 chipset)
512MB PC2100 DDR RAM
GeForce2 Pro


First off, I want to try and avoid upgrading the CPU and mobo (and save up for a 64-bit solution a few years down the road). Furthermore, I think I'll need to get more RAM, will 768MB be enough to play those games or will I have to go with the 1GB (the max for my mobo)? And finally my video card: I'm looking for an ATI All-In-Wonder solution (since I'll be using the computer for TV also). Is the 9700 AIW enough? The 9800 AIW version just came out, so is it worth the $55 more? I would think so but I'm not sure. I've read that the newer ATI cards don't play well with "older" systems, I just hope my system isn't that old. Is a 350W PSU enough to power the ATI AIW cards?

Also, I've been waiting for the Samsung 192T LCD monitor to come out, but it hasn't yet. AT did a review of it, but the reviewer could only tell me that it was coming "soon", and that was over a month ago. Anyone know when?

 

[brettjrob]

Thanks for posting those specs, till now I thought I was the only Athlon user still on an AMD760 board

I'd say it's too early to tell what those games will require. I doubt a Prescott/Athlon64 will be necessary for a satisfying experience, though. Buying 1GB of memory is an option, but it's doubtful that PC2100 is going to provide a good platform for those games, not to mention that that's a lot of money to spend on RAM that has no chance of surviving your next upgrade. On the other hand, if you're really willing to wait a few years to upgrade the core components, you may as well get all the memory you can.

My personal decision right now, having a similar platform to you, is to get a Springdale board and a 2.4C with some nice PC3200, and keep my fingers crossed that the mobo will be Prescott compatible. If I can pop in a 3.4 or 3.6GHz S478 Prescott towards the end of next year, I figure my Springdale board and 1GB PC3200 will last me a good two and a half years.

As far as video card, it looks like you're making a good decision looking at the 9700's and 9800's since they will probably give you a great experience with all three of the games you mentioned. I have no experience with the AIW cards so I couldn't tell you if the 9800AIW is worth the extra dough.

 

[sniperruff]

the answer is wait til the games come out? last time whoever asked this question got egged (search for a thread similar to your title...)

but IMO i think your computer would be what is the minimal requirement for HL2. i prefer separate tv tuner/video card solution over the AIW.

or consider spending around $200 for a nforce2/barton2500 setup. then shop for a new video card.

 

[EeyoreX]

I agree. It is too early to know what the games will need. If you are planning an upgrade only based on these games you should wait for he games to be released. SimeCity 4 is already out, the requirements are a PIII and 128MB of RAM. I played SimCity 4 on a Athlon XP 1700+ Palomino with 512MB RAM and found the game to stutter as time went on and my city got larger. I had to tone down the eye candy at that point. I would bet that Doom III/HalfLife 2 will play on your setup but at lower settings and you can all but rule out the prettiest eye candy. If you plan to wait a couple years, then I would do a more serious upgrade (In fact, I did) and get a good nForce 2 based motherboard. I got a 2800+ Barton, but you could get a 2500+ and be fine for the next couple years I should think. If you want eye candy you will need to upgrade these things, and a video card as well. I know this amounts to a complete rebuild, but if you want your system to go a couple more years, you will not regret spending the cash now. If it were a matter of a new PC in a couple-6 months that would be different. I felt my 1700+ system was showing it's age, and it was about 2 years old. I should hope my current 2800+ Barton system will last me a couple years as well.

\Dan

 

[sniperruff]

to prevent anyone from asking the same question over and over, here's the answer, ripped word by word from hardocp

"Doom III Minimum System:
The gang at 3DActtion Planet have gotten a bit of news regarding the minimum system requirements for Doom 3.


1GHz CPU
256MB RAM
GF1 or Radeon 7xxx series card"

my guess was pretty close...yay

 

[pelikan]

If I were you, instead of spending $450. on a 9800 pro all in wonder, I'd get:
Epox 8RDA+ $85.
Tbred B 1700+ $50.
2 x 256MB Buffalo pc3200 $100.
9700 non-pro $200.
TV tuner card $cheap.

It's about the same price. Even running it stock you'd have way better gaming performance than your present system with a 9800 pro. And if you overclock it, you can probably reach 3200+ speeds. You'd be all set for quite awhile.
You could also sell off your old parts and get some of the $ back.

 

[Chu]

If you are wanting to upgrade mainly so you can play the Doom3/HL2 engine games, I *STRONGLY* suggest waiting until Doom3 is released. The industry knows a ton of people are waiting for Doom3 to do their upgrade, so expect a ton of really good deals on hardware around the release date, if not a surprise from ati or nvidia to try to one-up the other at release ...

-Chu

 

[CrystalBay]

I have been burning my AIW9700 all day long for 8 months straight...400.00 8 1/2 months ago Best card I' ve owned, you will see a big improvement just upgrading Video alone to a AIW9800, on your current system... these R3xx cores still have a long future ahead...

 

[Regs]

Well they are not planning to release D3 yet untill the middle of next year. So by then every top gamer will have a nforce 3 + clawhammer or a Prescott set up. And Who knows what the graphic cards will be like in 6-8 months.

 

[PrinceXizor]

D3 maybe delayed...but HL2 is just around the corner....personally I can't wait....

P-X