Need advice on how to upgrade my desktop

[slinky22]

This is what I currently have:

K8N Neo2 Plat mobo
AMD 64 3500 Winchester 90nm 939
2x 512MB Kingston Value Ram DDR 400 PC3200
GeForce 6800GT

How much of a performance increase could I get with another gig ram and whatever the top of the line AGP card is (7800gs?) I know that AGP is pretty much dead but upgrading to a PCI-E mobo would be kind of expensive and I'd probably want to move to AM2 if I did that. Assuming I went that route I might as well just be building a new computer. I'm really looking for small upgrade options that will tide me over until the next games are out. What would you do in my shoes?

 

[mancunian]

Originally posted by: slinky22
What would you do in my shoes?

Wait and upgrade to PCI-E.

The choices available are so much better.

You could chuck a 7800GS or something like that in there, but it really wouldn't be worth the $$$$.

 

[slinky22]

If I went with PCI-E would it be worth staying with 939 or would be dumb for not also moving to AM2? I guess a new 939 mobo with a nice PCI-E card wouldn't be too pricy if I didn't also need to upgrade the CPU or RAM

 

[mancunian]

AM2 has no speed advantages over 939 right now, but that might not always be the case.

However, you already have a pretty good chip, so it wouldn't be the worst idea to snag a PCI-E board and a PCI-E card. In fact, it'd most likely cost you less than a 'high-end' AGP card.

Having said all that, you might also want to wait a little longer. You may want to pick up a Conroe-based system instead. Those look very nice and are available right now. I run an A64 3200+ @ 2.6Ghz and love what AMD has given us in recent years, but Intel's latest offering really looks good.

It's your call. In your position, I'd be tempted to go the cheap 939 PCI-E board and PCI-E card route.

 

[RallyMaster]

From the looks of it, you should get 2GB of RAM. You could also move up to a X2 if you want to. 6800GT is fine if you're not intending to upgrade your motherboard. However, it would be a better idea for later if you moved up to a PCI-e mobo.

 

[CalvinHobbes]

My game PC pretty much the same setup. I've been trying to hold off as long as possible before the move to PCI-e. Buying a new AGP video card just doesn't make sense for me. My machine does fine with the current games.
My plan is to switch to a Conroe PC in the fall.