Help nooblet upgrade computer!!!!

[spartacuskzm]

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Anybody wanna take a $tab (forbidden word???) at helping me upgrade my system. I?ve been out of the loop for a while and don?t know what video cards are good (but relatively reasonable ? I don?t want to spend $300 on the card alone) and what kind of CPU I can upgrade my Mobo to. Here is the existing system? My guess is better HD, Vid Card and CPU.

BTW, I'm a hardcore BF 1942 fiend and want better performance for it.... ;-)
Athlon 1600+
Epox 8KHA+
GeForce 3 Ti 200
512 DDR PC2100
IBM 40G 7200 RPM
Pioneer 106S DVD
AOPEN 40x24x16x
Turtle Beach Santa Cruz
Logitech Z-560
Logitech MX-700 Cordless Mouse
WinXP

Thanks all!</FONT>

 

[spartacuskzm]

Please, for the love of Allah, help me spend my cash... ;-)

Looking at the Fry's circular right now but don't know what to buy...

 

[Dragon365]

I've heard that 1gb of ram helps BF1942 performance. Also, get a TBred B 2100+ and OC the heck out of it. For a videocard, get one of the remaining Radeon 9500 pros or wait for a 9600 pro - a 9500 pro shouldn't run for more than $175 online, 2100+ processors are cheap, and ram is inexpensive also.

Edit: All that should cost about $300, probably less

 

[CurtCold]

Originally posted by: Dragon365
I've heard that 1gb of ram helps BF1942 performance. Also, get a TBred B 2100+ and OC the heck out of it. For a videocard, get one of the remaining Radeon 9500 pros or wait for a 9600 pro - a 9500 pro shouldn't run for more than $175 online, 2100+ processors are cheap, and ram is inexpensive also.

Edit: All that should cost about $300, probably less

Ditto on dat, and for free get the Desert Combat mod, because it's friggn' sweet!

 

[spartacuskzm]

Would the $119 Athlon XP2400+ / ECS K7S5A Combo help me too (Fry's deal)???

Is the TBred B better than the above listed stuff?

Thanks!

 

[nick1985]

Originally posted by: spartacuskzm
Would the $119 Athlon XP2400+ / ECS K7S5A Combo help me too (Fry's deal)???

Is the TBred B better than the above listed stuff?

Thanks!

i wouldnt get that mobo if i were you.

i would buy another stick of 512 DDR, grab a 100 G$ ti-4200, and grab an athlon 2100 for around 80 bucks. you can get this stuff for like 250 dollars combined

 

[spartacuskzm]

Ok - well then it looks like we've got this @ Fry's this weekend.

128MB DDR GF4 Ti4200 - $107 after Rebates

RAM - I currently have 512 of PC-2100 Crucial. I can't mix it w/ the 512 MB of PC 3200 DDR @ Frys ($64), can I?

Should I get 1GB of new faster DDR ram or buy the PC-2100? If so, must it match and be Crucial RAM?

How high can my MoBo go w/ the processor? I'll see the Fry's prices - if close to Newegg then I'll go there - otherwise Newegg again.

Thanks,

Nooblet.

 

[MistaTastyCakes]

Don't do the K7S5A deal - your motherboard is better, it'd be a waste.

You can pair up PC3200 w/ PC2100, but the PC2100 will hold you back and your 3200 will only run at 2100 speeds. Unless you wanna overclock, which I'd then recommend getting some decent PC2700 for that mobo, as you won't be needing 200+mhz RAM on that motherboard unless you plan on doing some big overclocks.

You can mix brands of RAM just fine.

Not sure about the CPU.. check www.amdmb.com's Epox forums. There's a ton of people there who know a lot of stuff about your motherboard.

Personally, if I were you I'd order 512mb more Crucial PC2100 since it doesn't seem like you're big on o/cing, and I'd grab a higher end Radeon as opposed to a new processor. Once you get those upgrades, you could save up again and grab a new CPU for that mobo.

 

[spartacuskzm]

How long before I regret getting the 128MB DDR GF4 Ti4200 over a more expensive Radeon???? The $100 pricepoint has me intrigued...but if the Radeon is that much better then....

Oh the agony!

 

[Dragon365]

Definitely get the radeon if you like aa/af, the gf4 lags on those

 

[spartacuskzm]

So what level of Radeon? 9500? 9700? Sorry, I'm seriously lagging on knowledge these days.

Thanks.

 

[Dragon365]

9500 pro now or 9600 pro later - both are good.

 

[spartacuskzm]

Oh hell - if the 9700 Pro is in stock @ BB I'll get it there - I think I have about $100 left on a gift card....may as well use it on something good.

W/ 512 of Ram and an upgraded CPU to follow, should I be in decent shape?

Thanks.

 

[Dragon365]

yes, that is a very nice PC - slightly better than mine cause of the 9700 pro