New videocard or new Motherboard/CPU?

[Ardan]

If you look in my signature (click 'Ardan's Computer'), you can see I have a pretty good system. Soon, I will replace that RAM with 1Gb (512x2) of some high quality PC-3200 modules and then this summer I intended to buy an Athlon 64 or Pentium 4 and accompanying motherboard. However, things have changed and I may need to hold off on that so I figured that I could get a new videocard perhaps? I do play big, new games and I enjoy high settings. I will play Far Cry and HL2 when it comes out, and I play BF1942 and other games. I do enjoy movies on my computer as well (DVDs or otherwise)

Do you think I should upgrade the CPU/motherboard? Or should I get a new card instead? I use linux a lot, but I am by FAR not a new linux user (I have used it since Red Hat Linux 5 came out) and now inexperienced...anything slightly complicated about an 3D Acceleration with ATI in linux is probably not actually complicated .

That being said and done, should I get an ATI Radeon 9800 Pro-128Mb or an FX5900 card? The multimedia I enjoy makes me think that the Radeon would be the better bet, but the price of those 5900SE cards are great. The Sapphire Radeon 9800 Pro is $207 on Newegg though, and that eVGA card is $187 on Newegg so there really isn't a price advantage.

I'm getting that FX model right, correct? I saw the FX5900 XT too and I wasn't sure which was the good value. I have read many reviews but i've been out of the loop for a while, and if someone could enlighten me a bit here, that would be great.

 

[deadseasquirrel]

definitely video card. that barton still rocks, but that ti4200 is getting long in the tooth. i have a 1700+ tbred B at 2.25ghz and had a ti4200. Played Far Cry demo and UT2k4 demo with it and it ran "ok". Got a 5900ultra and I am amazed at the improvement. Sure, I could use a better mobo, ram, and chip, but replaced the vid card was the best move for me.

 

[Corporate Thug]

ardan, i would try to hold off on the video card upgrade. the new gen of cards will prolly be on stores in may so i wouldnt upgrade at the moment. if you absolutely cannot, i would get a 9800 pro. esp since you should have no problem getting $75 or so for the 4200, the upgrade will only cost you $130 or so

as for the mobo CPU, i see absolutely no need to upgrade at the moment. the CPU is plenty fast and the mobo is simply the best there is on the nforce2 platform. wait until Socket 939 comes out to make any move

 

[Viper96720]

ATI has linux drivers available now. I think it's 5900U>5900>5900SE=5900XT.

 

[Ardan]

Originally posted by: Viper96720
ATI has linux drivers available now. I think it's 5900U>5900>5900SE=5900XT.

I know.

 

[nRollo]

You need a video card more, the difference in performance you could realize by upgrading to a high end vid card with that system is far greater than what you could hope for with a cpu upgrade, using a Ti4200.

 

[Ardan]

Well I was thinking I could hold off on the video card, but circumstances have shown now that I have to do one or the other, and I agree that the Radeon 9800 Pro I *will* get is a bigger impact. Especially considering I play relatively new games and intend to buy games like HL2 and Far Cry.