Is it worth it to upgrade this system to an Athlon 1.3 GHZ 200 FSB?

[FrodoB]

System:
Duron 700
Via KT 133 Mobo (FIC AZ 11e)
384 Megs PC 133
Video Card: Visiontek Geforce 3 Ti 200
20 GIG 7200 rpm WD Drive
50X Acer CD Rom
SB Live Value
generic 56K Modem

I posted a message earlier this week about this system poorly utilizing the Ti 200 because of the slow cpu. Will an Athlon 1.3 GHZ 200 fsb with this same mobo utilize the Ti 200 significantly better in games like Flight Sim 2002 and Commanche? This system is doing terribly with the Duron 700. It was recently upgraded from a GeForce 2 MX and actually got slower in some games. Upgrading the mobo is probably not an option at this point. Thanks for any replies.

 

[TimeKeeper]

Try OC it first. Buy a better HSF (eitherway, you might need a good HSF in the future anyway)
You should able to squeeze extra 200Mhz out of your CPU.

 

[neutralizer]

Get something better than that!

 

[FrodoB]

I should also mention that this is my brother's system. He is desperate to get flight sims running well, especially Flight Sim 2002. Flight Sim 2002 may be the most demanding game out there. My system can't run it over 40 fps flying over regular terrain... and in huge cities I only get around 20 fps. This is at 1024 x 768 with all the detail cranked up except for AA. His Duron 700 is hammered with this game at full detail. 10 fps or so.

 

[JohnnyPC]

Zowie! 10fps! I sure would think that going from a Duron to a Tbird, 700 to a 1300 and having the video system pretty sewed up should do for at least a decent performance improvement...if not a dramatic one...Good luck!

 

[chriskjel]

GF3's don't really like the Duron, they do better with a T-Bird. If he is intent on making flight sims run smoothly he needs a different motherboard and CPU.

 

[swanky]

I would recommend getting a new CPU if flightsims are high on the priority list. These games need (unlike FPS like Quake and UT) the fastest CPU you can throw at them. Takes a lot of power to calculate the Laws of Physics!

But beware, I seriously doubt you will see the FPS go through the roof. Just don't expect 100+ fps

swanky

 

[FrodoB]

Is the PC133 ram going to cripple performance on this system with a 1.3 GHZ Athlon? Also, if I could convince him to buy a new mobo, such as a ECS K7S5A (doubtful), will the PC133 ram severely limit performance? DDR ram is so damn expensive now and he just upgraded to 384 megs of PC133 a couple months, so I definitely won't be able to convince him to get new memory. Upgrading computers is nuts nowadays! No wonder computer gaming isn't mainstream. Just think, the average system that a non-computer "hobbyist" owns is probably a lower level P3 with a crappy video card. I remember the good old days - my 486 dx2 66, more quality games back then in my humble opinion. I used to play Quest for Glory 1 and 3, Kings Quest 6, the first Master of Orion, X-Wing vs Tie Fighter, Wing Commander 1 and 2, Doom...

 

[swanky]

It all depends. Some will tell you that using 133MHz SDRAM these days is mad, but I've got a 1.33GHz/266 Athlon with 256MB RAM (133MHz), and haven't run into a single problem.

I would have to say that I would go for DDR if I were putting together a new system today, but your friend is upgrading. My guess is he's looking for a cheap boost in performance, and the 1.3GHz CPU will provide just that. Of course, it would be faster with DDR RAM, but the cost (RAM+Mobo) would add another $150-200. Personally I can't see that the extra ooomph!! would justify that.

Rest assured this machine will happily run any game you throw at it right now.

swanky

 

[Athlon4all]

I would read this Article from Ace's Hardware. It covers this very issue, you make the call, it looks like that in order to fully utilize the Ti 200, you really need both a fast CPU and DDR. So you make the call.