next logical system upgrade

[urameatball]

I've got an Athlon 500 system right now (check my sig for me rig).

I'm not one of those guys who always wants the state of the art stuff... but this system I'm using is slowly losing its ability to play some of the new games out right now.

so my question is, when would be a logical time to upgrade? and what should I upgrade to?

keep in mind that I'm totally favoring a new AMD system since I'll be saving about $100 from the CPU alone!

Anyway, is there any new stuff coming out in the near future that I should wait for? or does something like an athlon 1.1ghz look good enough for my (low budget) tastes? as for the motherboard, is there a definate future for DDR ram or would you think normal PC133 ram will stick around for another couple of years? videocard: would this be a good time to get something like a radeon or is there something coming out soon that I would like to wait for?

anyway, lead me to the light 🙂

 

[AG73]

i, like you, don't quite mind yesterday's technology, as long as it's fast enough. My system has a 1ghz athlon, 256MB ram (pc133), overclocked Radeon LE video card, and 60GB drive to name a few things. Personally, I think you'd get the most bang for your buck by upgrading to a 1ghz processor. Most of that new stuff that is coming out (or will come out) will probably take a while to be tested by the masses and generally accepted. I think that will take a year or so. If you can get a 1ghz processor for cheap, while auctioning your 500mhz processor on e*ay, you might be better off. Also, I love my radeon LE (overclocked/hacked). though if I were you, i'd do the processor upgrade first, then reevaluate if you need a new video card. You might not even need a video card upgrade afterall.

AG

 

[urameatball]

thanks AG73,
"You might not even need a video card upgrade afterall." are the words I was hoping to hear 🙂. I personally love my G400 because of the vibrant 2D quality. But if push comes to shove, I might decide to give up my G400 for something along the lines of a radeon.

Anyway, I am thinking of just a Mobo/CPU upgrade. it seems like a very logical, and cost effective step. Just not sure about whether to go DDR or whether to choose the 266FSB or 200FSB.

 

[nortexoid]

i just recently built a budget box for a friend w/ a duron 800 (o'ced to 1064...8x133), volcano II HSf, MSI Turbo mobo, and Radeon LE flashed to a radeon DDR...

it costed mere pennies, and it's definitely a snappy machine...and u could still use your current memory sticks...

otherwise, if u want to go ddr, as i'd recommend unless u're extremely strapped for cash, i'd go FIC AD11 (amd761) or MSI Master and 256MB crucial (from their site)...

as far as 3d performance, u'll notice a tremendous difference between radeon ddr and your matrox, and u probably won't notice any difference between 2d quality...

for cpus, i consider the 1.2ghz or 1.133 to be the best bang for the buck right now, unless u can certainly get a good stepping 1ghz core (i.e. AXIA)..that is, with certainty...

 

[AG73]

hey, no probs 🙂

if you like your video card, then by all means hold on to it. I kept my voodoo3 3000 on my current system for a while before deciding to upgrade to the radeon LE.

BTW why not just a processor upgrade? Why the mobo upgrade unless you're definitely gonna change ram or truly expect to see the gain by going to 200 or 266 fsb? Your board may just support a 1+ ghz processor (check your manual), which would be nice. And even if the manual says it doesn't support up to 1 ghz+, it really might -- check the multiplier and bus switches to see how high they multiply. BTW i upgraded the processor in my old machine from 266 to 500mhz even though the manual said the board would only go up to 350mhz...but the manual was printed before 500mhz processors were even invented!

good luck
AG

 

[CromNogger]

", like you, don't quite mind yesterday's technology, as long as it's fast enough. My system has a 1ghz athlon, 256MB ram (pc133), overclocked Radeon LE video card, and 60GB drive"

Right ... yesterdays technology, 1GHz, 256MB PC133, OCed Radeon LE, 60GB HD? That's not yesterday's technology!

 

[AG73]

well OK, that's not yesterday's technology but it ain't tomorrow's either! ie it aint bleeding edge, there's faster stuff out there is all I meant.
AG

 

[urameatball]

I need a new mobo because I currently have a SLOT-A athlon.
plus, with a new cpu/mobo combo, I could give my old one to my 10year old brother so he won't be stuck with a P166 🙂

 

[evilhomey]

Upgrades for me depends on a combination of wants and needs.
If you're a gamer with the need to push FPS's then a new 3d video card would be a logical solution.

If you need a faster processor ( dvd encoding, mp3 watever ) then go for a tbird 1ghz... or a 1.2 ghz one like my hsemate(lucky person!)

i think there's not much pt in getting a DDR board and all (unless u got loads of $$ to spare) it's gonna take time for technology to mature and all...

 

[Duvie]

I would look at a duron 800 system or a 1gig athlon still utilizing the sdram...

What kind of price range do you have? What kind of components would you need besides a mobo, cpu and possibly a new PS if you jump up to the 1ghz and still have older 250watt...

 

[urameatball]

well, I've already got an enermax 350watt. so new PSU wouldn't really be needed.

I'm just looking for something that'll give me a little edge on the 2hrs/week that I spend gaming.

anyway, I just found out the t-bird 1ghz+ dropped a bit in the last 2 weeks... I guess it'll be an asus mobo + t-bird combo. I'll consider a videocard later.

thanks for all the help guys... you are truely the best.