Should I get a new mobo? (K7S5A currently)

[Totti]

My current setup is:
K7S5A (non-pro)
Duron 900
320MB SDram
S3 ViRGE DX (a really old PCI video card)
Antec Lanboy w/350W Smart Blue

I plan to upgrade the comp after HL2 comes out, which would be around late sept./early october I presume... hopefully by that time the Clawhammer64 will be released and that will drive the current XP prices down even more.

Now if I stick with the K7S5A, the best cpu I can get is a XP2400. Also this board has no OC abilities other than upping the fsb with a custom/hacked bios. The other drawbacks of this mobo that I can think of is the lack of dual-channel DDR and AGP8X.

If I get a new mobo, say the Epox 8DRA or Soltek, then I can get a 2500 with much better OC options, dual-channel DDR and AGP8X.

So is it worth it to buy a new mobo when I upgrade? Or am I better off saving my money or possibily spending it towards a better video card?
I don't know if Dual-Channel is worth it for AMD systems because their processors has low fsb that can already be matched by single channel DDR. And I heard that AGP 8X doesn't make much of a difference at all...

Thanks for any opinions!

 

[BigMoe]

what do you use pc for?

 

[0roo0roo]

no, unless you have money laying around. best cheap solution would be to get the 2400+ xp and k7s5a pro combo at frys for 99bux. thats a cheap and easy upgrade. usb 2.0 to boot.


why bother with overclocking and a fancy m/b if its going to cost way more. these ecs combos are practically disposable.

 

[John]

S3 ViRGE DX (a really old PCI video card)

You should really look at upgrading to a 9700 or 9700 Pro first.

 

[0roo0roo]

i wouldn't go that far, maybe a cheap budget card, which would still rock the socks off his virge of course. being that he had a virge all this time, i don't think he's a heavy gamer virge is absurd though!

 

[Totti]

Yea I don't game much on the PC.... I had a 9100 in there for about a week.
But there aren't many games that I want to play right now, so I sold the card to a friend.

The only game I look forward to is Half Life 2, so I've decided to wait till it comes out and see what kind of a video card I would need for that game. Hopefully the XP2400 will do the job because I'd rather spend the $$ towards a video card instead of a new mobo.

 

[thraxes]

2400 should be plenty, the graphics card is where it's at

 

[0roo0roo]

true, but virge? i donn't think that can do the high refresh rates for some resolutions i use, i dunno what you use though.

i just remember 2d windows performance did take a noticable jump for me going from virge-tnt based cards-geforce etc. the difference between current cards in windows is like nothing now, but from a virge i would notice atleast.

 

[tenoc]

Just ordered a 2400+ for my K7S5A rev 1.

Next upgrade will be a 9700 np to replace my 8500 retail.

Should be better bang-for-buck than new mobo + memory.

I'm pretty sure that will handle anything likely to come out in the next year or two.

 

[robcy]

Actually the fastest CPU that is supported by the K7S5A is the 2600+ 266mhz. They are a little pricey compared to 2400+'s but work. I would go with the video card. I have had this K7S5A for over 2 years, with out a prob. Okay, do not get Hyper X memory, as it will not be recognized. You will have to flash the bios regardless of which XP you place on it. I use the Honey X, and they have worked fine, but there are other choices out there. I am in the process of upgrading my MB, but I do so after upgrading every other component. If this board would of recognized the Hyper X then I would have it for another year. I really want 150fsb at cas2. You will defenitely get better performance from a good vid card (9700np/9700PRO) on a K7S5A than a cheap vid (FX5200/9100/gf4ti4200) card on a pretty good MB (VIA400/NF2) , if the processor is the same.

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: Totti
Yea I don't game much on the PC.... I had a 9100 in there for about a week.
But there aren't many games that I want to play right now, so I sold the card to a friend.

The only game I look forward to is Half Life 2, so I've decided to wait till it comes out and see what kind of a video card I would need for that game. Hopefully the XP2400 will do the job because I'd rather spend the $$ towards a video card instead of a new mobo.

The 2400+ will likely be more than enough, a Geforce 4(or better) or a Radeon 9500(and up) will run HL2, I imagine, very well.