Help me get some more life out of an old rig (A64 3500+)

[Racer7]

I usually keep two gaming rigs running. The primary is for FPS gaming. The second is for friends to use or when I'm multiboxing MMORPGs. My current primary is a Conroe rig that's still getting the job done. My second box is the problem. I have been considering building a new primary and moving the current Conroe system down a step. However, the more I dig around, I'm just not feeling like it's a big enough upgrade. I'm going to end up with two rigs becoming obsolete at the same time. That said, I'm wondering if I can breathe some new life into my second box.

It is as follows:

ASUS A8V Deluxe K8T800
AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Newcastle (stock HS/fan)
EVGA GeForce 6800GT 256M (stock fan)
Corsair ValueSelect 512M DDR 400 x 4 (2G)
Thermaltake Silent Purepower 480W PS
Thermaltake SViking case
Windows XP

I mention the case and PS just so you know what I have for room and overhead. This rig has been running for about 3 years without a flaw. It is not currently OC'd (that I remember). I would like to keep any upgrades under $300 unless they seem really sweet.

I'm stuck with AGP video, which limits my video card upgrades. Something like a 1950GT for $130 is looking ok. It's hard to find direct comparisons between this and a 6800GT though due to the age difference. DX10 is not needed for this old rig.

I would also like to increase the RAM if possible. Some of the multiboxing I do chews through the 2G on this machine. 184 pin DDR doesn't seem to be as cheap as DDR2 though, so I don't see any way to cheaply bump up to 4G. Besides, only 3.2G is addressable. What are my options with mixing and matching by removing two of the 512M sticks and adding two 1G sticks to end up at 3G?

Overclocking or a new processor are also options. I sort of see overclocking as a last resort, but I'm willing to do it as long as it's on air. In fact, I might still have a Thermalright XP-90 sitting around. I honestly haven't kept up on what processors would still work with this board.

So, any thoughts? With the sales coming the next few days, it seems like this could be a good time to get a few upgrades. Thanks!

 

[wanderer27]

You're running a lot closer to the bleeding edge than I am (SIG).

My System is handling pretty much everything I use just fine. Of course, not a whole lot has come out that I'm really interested in either.

I've actually got an XP 2000 (Ti 4400) and an XP 1800 (Mx 400)System that the kids are running most of what they use.

Unless you're hurting, I wouldn't be in rush to upgrade. I've been waiting for a Video card better than the 8800GTX to come out before I even think of upgrading anything. I even have a spare MB and an FX55 l've been holding onto (I'll take it, and one of the kids will get this) laying around.

I'm also hoping to skip this round of Socket upgrades - definitely skipping Vista.

 

[MarcVenice]

Hmz you could get a x2 3800+ for 60$ or so, oc it to 2.6ghz, might help with multitasking. Then wait a little to get some confirmation on the HD3850 AGP videocard. Even if you don't upgrade the CPU, with that videocard you should still get very good framerates in most games. The dualcore will only really help in Crysis and a few other games, perhaps rts's too. As for the ram, no clue. I think 2gb should be enough though ?

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: Racer7
I would like to keep any upgrades under $300 unless they seem really sweet.

I'm stuck with AGP video, which limits my video card upgrades.

Abit IP35-E $90 (look for rebate deals, none now but they come and go and will knock $20 off)

E2140 $75 shipped, but with coupon code will be $70 shipped (maybe Cyber Monday deal). This will possibly (but not guaranteed) overclock to DOUBLE the GHz on that Abit board with slightly better cooling. Pretty much a shoe-in for a one GHz overclock on stock cooling by changing FSB from 200 to 333.

4GB DDR2 pricing has been dropping like a rock lately. This deal is for $80 after rebate, free shipping.

A video card like this runs $115 after rebate and is super high overclocked, and will be a nice upgrade from your 6800GT in performance.

You're looking at around $350 after a few rebates and some prudent shopping. Use all your other parts (PSU, case, HDD, optical, Windows). The benefit of this is better performance overall from double the RAM, faster RAM, faster video, faster CPU, dual core. Plus, modernize by going PCI-E. Can sell off old parts, so upgrade will cost you probably no more than $250.

The "problem" with a lesser upgrade is, as you've mentioned, staying with AGP and DDR. You'll end up paying more money for less performance. For instance, if staying with older DX9 cards, you can get the PCI-E x1950Pro (with rebate) for less than cost of an AGP x1950GT.

Tom's VGA charts will give you some comparisons.

Also, I just checked and 2x1GB of DDR RAM runs about $100. You can get double the DDR2 RAM for less, and sell off your four 512MB sticks to make up most of that.

 

[Racer7]

Thanks for the replies!

Thanks especially, Zap, for giving me some links. After I made the first post I did some digging around and pretty much came up with two possible solutions. One was real close to what you suggested, except I would maybe look at a 3850 on the video. That E2140 stood out to me too due to the overclocking. It reminds me of the first generation Celerons in that it might double its stock clock. The motherboard suggestion is very helpful. That was the part that was holding me up the most. This option keeps me from paying a premium for AGP video. The negative is that I'm looking at a Windows reinstall and possible time on the phone with Microsoft getting Windows reactivated.

The second option I came up with was spending $66 on a A64 X2 4200+. From there I could go with a 1950GT or wait to see what comes out in the 38x0 line in AGP. I could also swap out some memory. This option should be a little cheaper. I might not need to do a fresh Windows install either. On the down side, I expect this to be slower than the first option.

Any more thoughts, comments, or ideas? They are appreciated!

 

[obeseotron]

I was in a similar situation recently and I just couldn't justify buying anything new for a system full of defunct standards. AGP cards, DDR1, and 939 CPUs all cost a lot more than they should considering the performance. You'd be better off upgrading the whole thing to a cheap p35 moho, cheap c2d, 2gb budget ddr2 and a radeon 38xx or 8800gt. It might cost 500 instead of 3 but I don't think you'll be disappointed.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: Racer7
The motherboard suggestion is very helpful. That was the part that was holding me up the most.
...
Any more thoughts, comments, or ideas? They are appreciated!

I personally would rather spend the extra bit on the PCI-E kit, but that's just me.

You missed out on the recent motherboard deal, $66 after shipping and rebate from Newegg. The IP-35E board isn't perfect, but it is known to be able to take the E2140 to double the MHz, which some boards cannot (various reasons, such as FSB strap, allowed memory multipliers, etc). The "problems" mostly are from various memory compatibility issues (but many boards have same issue) and the "double boot" issue. For memory, just look for JEDEC standard RAM, meaning DDR2-800 CAS 5 at 1.8v. RAM requiring higher voltage or at lower latencies may not boot in this board. The "double boot" issue is the board will often turn off right after it turns on, and then turn on again. Just an irritation, nothing more.

With your AGP system, what happens a year from now when you want to upgrade it again? Are video card manufacturers going to keep making faster AGP cards? For PCI-E, even the new PCI-E2 specification is backwards compatible (like AGP 4x to 8x).

 

[Racer7]

Sorry, I didn't mean to abandon this thread, but the GF and I went out of town for Thanksgiving.

Originally posted by: Zap
With your AGP system, what happens a year from now when you want to upgrade it again?

In another year I will be ready to build a new rig. My current primary rig becomes the second rig and this system either goes to a friend or becomes my web machine. This was why I was thinking of a one time upgrade to the A64 system. However, events around Black Friday have now clouded the waters. Please read on...

Originally posted by: Zap
You missed out on the recent motherboard deal, $66 after shipping and rebate from Newegg.

Actually, I jumped on a similar deal for the Abit board on Thanksgiving evening using the GF's laptop. Unfortunately (?), this had a snow ball effect. Before the end of the evening, I had ordered the following:

Abit IP35-E
Intel E2140
2 2x1G (4G total) Crucial Ballistix DDR2-800

Then things got out of hand. The more I thought about it, the more unhappy I was with the old case (SViking) and power supply. Back when I first built the system, I thought it was pretty quiet. Once I built my current primary rig in an Antec Nine Hundred, I realized just how loud the SViking really was. Although the Nine Hundred has a few things that I dislike (bling fans in front, PS in the bottom), I really do like the case. On Friday I saw a deal in the Hot Deals forum for a Nine Hundred for under $100 with a nice rebate. I jumped on it. It seemed a shame to stick with that Thermaltake PS, so I ordered a Corsair VX-550 to go with it. So, add the following to the list:

Antec Nine Hundred
Corsair VX-550

This left me needing one thing, a new video card. I looked at some of the $100-120 cards. Then I realized that it might be a good time to upgrade the video in my primary rig with a 8800GT. It currently has a 7900GTO that I bought as a stop gap and have never needed to upgrade (it handled Oblivion well enough). I found the Dell MSI 8800GT deal in the Hot Deals forum and jumped in for one. It turns out the only thing I'm likely to reuse on this "upgrade" are the drives and the OS license.

Now I have a decision to make. Which rig gets the new card and which gets the 7900GTO? Not looking at video, my current primary e6400 based rig (without overclocking) is likely to be slower than this upgraded rig (with overclocking). I may end up having to overclock the e6400 just so it can still be my "primary" rig. Maybe a mild overclock with stock voltage will be enough.

Unfortunately, I'm now going to be in the exact situation I wanted to avoid. I didn't want two rigs becoming obsolete at the same time. Now these will. Damned the Hot Deals forum... sigh! On the plus side, both of these rigs will have nice cases and power supplies. They will be a good starting point when it's time for a new build.

Thanks for your help everyone! (and the help spending my money...)