To upgrade or not ...

[steveox]

Ok guys, I've been upgrading my system from a P4 1.6, 768mb DDR266, gainward geforce 3 64mb, to a now 3.2 prescott, asus p4c800-e deluxe, 2 x 512 kingston hyper X (dual channeled), and I was able to get a deal and get a P4 1.6 + Mobo + 256 DDR + Radeon 9000 Pro for 90 bucks so I took that off of my friends hands.

Now, I'm stuck with the video card option. I was planning x800XT but with all the delays I became skeptical and then decided for the Gainward 6800 GT Golden Sample (since my gf3 still is going strong after 5 years). However, money issues came up so I'm trying to decide if the 9000 pro can hold me over until at least christmas. I'm an avid gamer, playing stuff from Age of Empires to Doom3 and HL, CS (and HL2 when it comes out .. ) to starcraft.

Can the 9000 get me by with that system or should I just spend the money and hold off on other things. Since it's winter soon + NJ weather I was thinking of spending the 450 on a remote starter for my car instead of the video card. What are everybody's 'expert' recommendations on this? I guess I just need a nudge in a certain direction to see what happens.

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: steveox

Ok guys, I've been upgrading my system from a P4 1.6, 768mb DDR266, gainward geforce 3 64mb, to a now 3.2 prescott, asus p4c800-e deluxe, 2 x 512 kingston hyper X (dual channeled), and I was able to get a deal and get a P4 1.6 + Mobo + 256 DDR + Radeon 9000 Pro for 90 bucks so I took that off of my friends hands.

Now, I'm stuck with the video card option. I was planning x800XT but with all the delays I became skeptical and then decided for the Gainward 6800 GT Golden Sample (since my gf3 still is going strong after 5 years). However, money issues came up so I'm trying to decide if the 9000 pro can hold me over until at least christmas. I'm an avid gamer, playing stuff from Age of Empires to Doom3 and HL, CS (and HL2 when it comes out .. ) to starcraft.

Can the 9000 get me by with that system or should I just spend the money and hold off on other things. Since it's winter soon + NJ weather I was thinking of spending the 450 on a remote starter for my car instead of the video card. What are everybody's 'expert' recommendations on this? I guess I just need a nudge in a certain direction to see what happens.

Well, personally I think $450 for a remote starter is a bit of a waste (it's not THAT cold in Jersey! Suck it up!), but I also wouldn't drop $400+ on a video card, no matter how fast it is.

Have you considered something like a used 9700Pro/9800Pro for ~$150-180? That would still be a HUGE step up from a GF3 or R9000Pro (which, BTW, isn't much if any faster than a GF3).

 

[steveox]

I'm not sure how much the remote starter costs, I'm simply allocating the money for it. Most are $200-350 for alarm/starter/installation. I don't really know if I want to go halfway on the video card because I've spent the money going all out on everything else I don't see why I should skimp out on the video card (which is something I'll be using a lot of). Although I have debated getting a 9800 Pro AIW.

 

[Demo24]

your gonna bottleneck a 6800 or a x800 so youd be wasting your money.

 

[steveox]

where would the bottleneck lie ?

3.2, 1 gig dual channeled hyperX, and mobo supports 8x ... ?