I'm in a dilemma

[StinkyPinky]

I want to upgrade for Elder Scrolls: Oblivion but I'm on quite a tight budget. THe reason being I'm getting married next week and, well, I feel a bit guilty blowing money on a gaming rig that no one but me would even care about. So I want to do it as cheap as possible.

My current rig is Athlon 2800xp, 1.5 GB RAM, and a 9600xt Radeon.

Would buying an AGP 6800GS and a new PSU be a good option? The other (far more expensive) option is totally buying a new MB/CPU and PCI Express card but I'm reluctant to do that because of the cost.

Is my 32bit CPU past it? And will a 6800GS/Athlon run oblivion well?

 

[sniperruff]

you're getting married man... i'd pay more attention to your wife than on a game. your computer is not that slow... yet. a new video card would help, but i think not worth the money.

congrats btw!

 

[mazeroth]

Get married. Spend a ton of time with your new bride. Forget about Oblivion for a while. Once you can afford to build a whole new computer, do it.

I just got married three months ago so this is coming from experience. Keep her happy, and you will be happy. It's that simple.

 

[imported_rod]

Someone with the name "Stinky" can get married. I may have hope yet!!!

Yeah, a 6800GS isn't a bad option. Have you tried playing Oblivion on your current system?

RoD

 

[imported_Kiwi]

Originally posted by: StinkyPinky
I want to upgrade for Elder Scrolls: Oblivion but I'm on quite a tight budget. THe reason being I'm getting married next week and, well, I feel a bit guilty blowing money on a gaming rig that no one but me would even care about. So I want to do it as cheap as possible.

My current rig is Athlon 2800xp, 1.5 GB RAM, and a 9600xt Radeon.

Would buying an AGP 6800GS and a new PSU be a good option? The other (far more expensive) option is totally buying a new MB/CPU and PCI Express card but I'm reluctant to do that because of the cost.

Is my 32bit CPU past it? And will a 6800GS/Athlon run oblivion well?

I am not getting married (again? why? twice was too often!) but my PC budget isn't large. The least painful option, I found, was a new Radeon 9800XT from an eBay seller named Re-Tek. I just kept on trying to bid in the range I could afford (also bidding on some 9800 Pro cards, but not to the same max level), until eventually on one of them, the other bidders "blinked" and I got mine affordably. The 6600GT's are also sufficient for Oblivion, but there are too few showing up on eBay to push the bids down into my range.

Your cpu is just fine, and the 6800GS would be more than sufficient!

The thing that kinda annoys me is how much I've disliked XP, and kept taking it back off again after each new load, never having kept it running long enough to activate. I hear that W2K might work with Oblivion after all (no matter what the requirements claim), and if so, that will be great. But when I went looking for a copy of XP's SP2 I was supposed to have here, it turned out to be a second copy of the Feb 2004 Security Pack Rollup CD (thanks anyway to the longtime AT member who meant to send SP2, and spent his postage money on something I already had).

 

[the Chase]

If she really loves you and knows you she will understand- now go buy that FX-60 with Quad SLI system and skip the Honeymoon!!

 

[CKXP]

Originally posted by: the Chase
If she really loves you and knows you she will understand- now go buy that FX-60 with Quad SLI system and skip the Honeymoon!!

lmao..true test of love

 

[Arkane13131]

if she lets him get away with that, ill marry her sister

 

[Powermoloch]

CPU: check
RAM: check
GPU : need upgrade
PSU: need upgrade

doesn't hurt, congrats on ur weddin' imo

 

[Kromis]

What exactly is your budget?

 

[gotsmack]

i think your cpu has had it.

 

[acole1]

I have basicly the exact same setup. 2800xp, 1.5gb ram, 9600Pro...

My upgrade is about $850 for a DFI Ultra-D, 4400+ and 6800GS, but considering your getting married (congrats btw!!) you might go with something closed to the x2 3800+ and that would run you a little under $700 ($687 exactly).

That setup would give you a nice system with plenty of room to grow and give you some OC ability to play around with too!

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: mazeroth
Get married. Spend a ton of time with your new bride. Forget about Oblivion for a while. Once you can afford to build a whole new computer, do it.

I just got married three months ago so this is coming from experience. Keep her happy, and you will be happy. It's that simple.

QFT - wtf is wrong with you, have that fun crazy newlywed sex and then worry about gaming

 

[RussianSensation]

Getting a 6800GS would just about solve most of your problems. Overclock XP2800+ a little.

 

[alimoalem]

teh 6800gs will be fine or doing what Kiwi said (bidding at the right moment on ebay) might not be a bad choice. you haven't listed your psu so i don't know if you need to change it. gl with your life and have a great honeymoon. have fun!

 

[bob4432]

man, your wife to be should kick you in the nuts for posting this sh!t here when you are getting married in a week,

 

[terry107]

Go enjoy your wedding/honeymoon and wait on the Oblivion upgrade until people have actually seen how it handles today's hardware. No sense in dumping money now when the game is going to be out in 2 weeks and you can get a much better idea of exactly what you'll need.

 

[LiquidImpulse]

Originally posted by: the Chase
If she really loves you and knows you she will understand- now go buy that FX-60 with Quad SLI system and skip the Honeymoon!!

i smell a divorce coming soon