Whelp, here goes.
I've upgraded most of my system, and of course never being content, I'm thinking about upgrading the motherboard/CPU/RAM as it's really the last major item...
Here's what I'm currently running:
Asus P4T-E (i850) Motherboard (400 MHz FSB; 4X AGP)
1 GB PC-800 RDRAM
Intel Pentium 4 2.6 GHz (Northwood; 512K Cache)
All my big components are newer (Audigy 2 ZS, BFG GeForce 6800 Ultra OC, Antec TrueBlue 480 W Power Supply, etc.), and the case is still good (Coolermaster ATX)...drives work fine (new Plextor 712A, a Pioneer DVD drive, and two 100 GB 7200 RPM Western Digital hard drives [one the SE model]).
So, onto my questions:
1. Would upgrading my motherboard be beneficial enough to warrant it, or should I wait until I get a whole new system? My performance is decent as is. I'm torn right now. On the one hand, my system is stable and performs quite well, while on the other hand, I can't help but feel my other hardware is being limited majorly by my mobo/CPU.
2. The motherboard is the one thing I've never upgraded. I am worried about it, I must admit. How hard is it to remove an old board and install a new one? Difficult to mount? Anything more to it than that?
3. Assuming you think I should upgrade, any recommendations? I tend to be an Asus fan as far as manufacturer and and Intel fan as far as processor (I've been very loyal to Intel historically), BUT, I would consider another brand mobo or an AMD chipset since I've heard very good things about the 64 series. So either recommendation (Intel or AMD) would be fine. My only huge requirements are ATX form factor, 5 PCI slots, and AGP support (since I have an AGP card).
4. What I guess I'm really looking for is a configuration of motherboard, CPU, and RAM that provides the best bang for my buck.
Thanks folks,
Shaun
I've upgraded most of my system, and of course never being content, I'm thinking about upgrading the motherboard/CPU/RAM as it's really the last major item...
Here's what I'm currently running:
Asus P4T-E (i850) Motherboard (400 MHz FSB; 4X AGP)
1 GB PC-800 RDRAM
Intel Pentium 4 2.6 GHz (Northwood; 512K Cache)
All my big components are newer (Audigy 2 ZS, BFG GeForce 6800 Ultra OC, Antec TrueBlue 480 W Power Supply, etc.), and the case is still good (Coolermaster ATX)...drives work fine (new Plextor 712A, a Pioneer DVD drive, and two 100 GB 7200 RPM Western Digital hard drives [one the SE model]).
So, onto my questions:
1. Would upgrading my motherboard be beneficial enough to warrant it, or should I wait until I get a whole new system? My performance is decent as is. I'm torn right now. On the one hand, my system is stable and performs quite well, while on the other hand, I can't help but feel my other hardware is being limited majorly by my mobo/CPU.
2. The motherboard is the one thing I've never upgraded. I am worried about it, I must admit. How hard is it to remove an old board and install a new one? Difficult to mount? Anything more to it than that?
3. Assuming you think I should upgrade, any recommendations? I tend to be an Asus fan as far as manufacturer and and Intel fan as far as processor (I've been very loyal to Intel historically), BUT, I would consider another brand mobo or an AMD chipset since I've heard very good things about the 64 series. So either recommendation (Intel or AMD) would be fine. My only huge requirements are ATX form factor, 5 PCI slots, and AGP support (since I have an AGP card).
4. What I guess I'm really looking for is a configuration of motherboard, CPU, and RAM that provides the best bang for my buck.
Thanks folks,
Shaun
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