Upgrade Advice of a different kind.

[BoomAM]

Hi.
When 939 comes out i was planning on spending £800 on;
A64 3200 or above
1gb Corsair 3200LL.
Decent, OCable 939 mobo.
Antec P160 case.
AseTek WaterChill CPU/Mobo.
Other bits & bobs.

However im having "second" thoughts.

So what about this instead;
System Components;
--AMD Athlon "Mobile" XP2800-M 333FSB (Socket A) CPU - OEM (CP-078-AM) @ £93.94.
--Asus A7N8X-E Deluxe nForce2 (Socket A) Motherboard bundled with Wi-Fi B Adapter (MB-056-AS) @ £86.95
--Corsair 1GB DDR XMS3200LLPT TwinX (2x512MB) CAS2 (MY-018-CS) @ £192.11
--Antec P160 Anodized Aluminum Super Midi Tower case - No PSU (CA-013-AN) @ £93.94

Cooling;
--Thermalright SLK-800 from existing system @ £free!
--Antec 120mm exhaust, comes with case @ £free!
--Vantec SF12025L Stealth 120mm fan - Retail (FG-005-VT) @ £10.52 for case intake.
--Coolermaster Aero Blower Fan (FG-004-CM) @£7.05 (for SLK-800)

Total = £484.51
------
Then OC the fcuk out of the XP-M. Add 9700pro, Audigy, ect; from existing system.

Would that system be any good for the year ahead?
I can then buy the A64 as and when 64bit gets established with Win64 and 64bit drivers ect;
Note; The wireless adaptor is so a wireless network can be established...

Good idea? Or stick with my orignal option?
------
Reason for "second thoughts".
1) It`ll be a while till 64bit is actually needed.
2) It`d be wiser to wait till the 64bit athlons have settled down.
3) I might be buying myself a iBook 12", so saving money would be better. In theory, i can afford the iBook & the A64 upgrade though.

Opinions & Suggestions please.

 

[EeyoreX]

My opinion is that my Athlon XP 2800+ on a nForce2 motherboard will last for at least the next year, if not two. And I won't overclock it. I think that option is best. I too will upgrade to A64 when it is more established, there is a 64-bit OS to use with it and the prices have dropped.

\Dan

 

[BoomAM]

Will my XP1800, 768mb ram, 9700pro be good for a few more months? (Splinter Cell 2, UT2004, Far Cry, ect
Cos im almost definately gonna buy an iBook 12". That`ll set me back £1065.
Then i can 2 months pay, £500, to buy the option 2 of the XP-M 2800, 1gb mem and a mobo.
Im sure my SLK-800+6 80mm fans will keep it cool...

Is it possible to setup a network where two PCs can access one net connection, with just two PCs?
For example, my ADSL line going into my PC, then my iBook would get access through a wireless link in itself, and a PCI addin wireless card in the PC.

 

[Regs]

I think spending 500 dollars on equipment that wont offer that much greater performance is ludicrous. Why not spend 400 dollars on a A64 3000w/ HSF socket 7** and a mobo?

 

[WobbleWobble]

If you're not sure on buying, don't buy. I'd rather have an iBook than a A64 system. But that's just me!

 

[BoomAM]

Originally posted by: Regs
Why not spend 400 dollars on a A64 3000w/ HSF socket 7** and a mobo?

Cos i need 1gb of decent memory. And that puts up the cost alot. As well as a new, smaller and quieter case as well.

 

[ponyo]

Originally posted by: BoomAM
Will my XP1800, 768mb ram, 9700pro be good for a few more months? (Splinter Cell 2, UT2004, Far Cry, ect
Cos im almost definately gonna buy an iBook 12". That`ll set me back £1065.
Then i can 2 months pay, £500, to buy the option 2 of the XP-M 2800, 1gb mem and a mobo.
Im sure my SLK-800+6 80mm fans will keep it cool...

Is it possible to setup a network where two PCs can access one net connection, with just two PCs?
For example, my ADSL line going into my PC, then my iBook would get access through a wireless link in itself, and a PCI addin wireless card in the PC.

Why don't you overclock your XP1800? 9700pro is still a good card. Heck even 8500 or Geforce 3 can still run 95% of all games fine.

As for networking and sharing your DSL connection just buy a wireless router. I've my 4 yr old toiletseat iBook connected via Airport and I love it. I'm in process of building media PC out of share parts and will also connect that via wireless PCI card.

 

[BoomAM]

Originally posted by: Naustica
Why don't you overclock your XP1800? 9700pro is still a good card. Heck even 8500 or Geforce 3 can still run 95% of all games fine.

Cos on a KT7A-RAID Mobo, anything over 140fsb is shakey. And thats only upping it to XP1900. And adds 5*c more heat. Not worth in in anyones books.

As for networking and sharing your DSL connection just buy a wireless router. I've my 4 yr old toiletseat iBook connected via Airport and I love it. I'm in process of building media PC out of share parts and will also connect that via wireless PCI card.

But is it possible without a router. Im looking to save cash here.

 

[EeyoreX]

But is it possible without a router. Im looking to save cash here.

Yes. You need a second NIC in your desktop and enable Windows XPs Internet Connection Sharing feature.

\Dan

 

[DaveSimmons]

Then OC the fcuk out of the XP-M.

for gaming, you'll need to OC to something like XP 3600+ levels to match the speed of the A64 3200+ -- remember a P4 2.8C matches a XP 3200+ while the A64 3200+ beats down a P4 3.2C.

 

[BoomAM]

But those sort of speeds arnt really needed at the moment. Nice to have. But not needed.
Even my lowly XP1800 is still doing reasonably well in most situations. And only falters in some.