Upgrade advice on my rig

[grimdeath]

AMD A64 2800+ socket 754
Sapphire ATI Radeon 9800pro
Aopen AK89 Max Mobo
OCZ 3200(400) Plat 512 ram
120g+80g HD (winxp pro and win64 dual boot)
350w psu
lite-on cd-rw/dvd (i dont need a dvd burner yet)
aspire atx case

just bought that ram to replace my "value" brand before, another stick is coming!!

Im HEAVY into gaming and do ALOT of imaging, plus some web design...im usually running ventrilo and xfire in the background during gaming. I run Photoshop CS2 during my imaging work. Gaming would probably take top priority though.

Im not sure if I should go with new (mobo + PCIx vid + processor) or (higher socket 754 proc. + higher end agp videocard) i just know i wanna be running everything coming at christmas full settings(or close to) and have a decent system for 2 years...my current has been a blast!

If you can recommend a few upgrades for me to look at and buy between now and christmas id realy appreciate it, im getting married around april so im sticking as close to mid-range as possible!

Thanks!!

 

[Stas]

A64 X2 3800+
7800GTX

 

[grimdeath]

i would need a new mobo to support dual core correct? and is there even an agp version of the new nvidia card anywho?

thanks for the quick responce, not sure if i can afford those though :/

 

[munchow2]

There is a refurb deal going on @ ATI right now.
$229 for a X800XT PE. Don't hold your breath for how long that is going to take to arrive at your house though . If you want something in a hurry, you could pick up a x800 which is pretty mid-range but judging from your computer setup, you don't seem to need any mid-range VGA upgrades as I think that setup will last you for probably another year or so. The upgraded RAM was a good choice though!

To be honest, you would need to invest quite bit to be "future proof" but from experience, I can tell you to avoid thinking too much about future proofing as it doesn't work in most cases. Just buy it now and enjoy it now.

If you don't take the refurb deal from ATI, I'd recommend you OC that machine and buy some cooling instead.

 

[grimdeath]

if all else fails ill probably start reading up on overclocking and see what i cant screw up jk ive been wanting to learn

I was just playing over at newegg and found these, around the budget im looking for of $500 (sorry forgot to mention that)
eVGA 6800GT 256 agp 4x/8x
AMD A64 3400 newcastle socket 754

total is around $520...im an ati guy right now so im curious, where do GT cards stand compared to ati cards, example: ATI PE<regular<Pro<XT my guess would be around the "pro" level correct?

it may be a while before i get to buy, are the lower end version of the 7800 series due out soon?

 

[Matt2]

7800GTX>6800 Ultra>6800GT>6800>6600GT>6600

 

[Matt2]

A64 3000+ / DFI LanParty NF4 Ultra-D

$264

This setup will get you into the 2.4-2.7GHZ range no sweat.

Radeon X800XL

$268 (Can be found for $250 if u look around)

I have this setup and its worth every damn penny. Best bang for you buck system you can buy.

The 6800GT is faster than the X800XL with no AA/AF, when you turn on the AA/AF, the X800XL and the 6800GT are on equal playing fields.

 

[grimdeath]

would amd a64 3000 be enough to run the next generation of games?

ok, as i suspected....so this would be a very similar situation to when i bought my radeon9800pro....a friend of mine bought the 9600xt and tried to get me to as well, but i went for the next level up(similar to 6800gt over a 6600ultra/gt), and i was very please with my results over his. im thinking what i may do is go with the socket754 proc + agp videocard for this upgrade since im so streched for cash...ill buy the highest end proc. i can afford in the next couple months and get the highest end videocard around christmas time....the ram should be more a short term thing.

please continue to put on input, nothings set in stone yet!

 

[munchow2]

Originally posted by: grimdeath
would amd a64 3000 be enough to run the next generation of games?

ok, as i suspected....so this would be a very similar situation to when i bought my radeon9800pro....a friend of mine bought the 9600xt and tried to get me to as well, but i went for the next level up(similar to 6800gt over a 6600ultra/gt), and i was very please with my results over his. im thinking what i may do is go with the socket754 proc + agp videocard for this upgrade since im so streched for cash...ill buy the highest end proc. i can afford in the next couple months and get the highest end videocard around christmas time....the ram should be more a short term thing.

please continue to put on input, nothings set in stone yet!

You could run them but don't expect fast framerates on high settings. It wouldn't be much different than the CPU you are running atm. In fact, I am willing to bet that you could get that 2800 up to a 3000 equivalent with minor tweaks. As I said, even a 6800GT might not be able to run next gen video game because I can't forsee the future nor can anyone that I know of so don't pay too much attention to those who are big on futureproofing. However to your advantage, Nvidia is slashing prices a little bit so you could wait til the prices are reflected in your local store and pick up a 6800GT. It has newer features than a x800xl and has about the same performance in games as stated by Matt2. The 6800GT costs more atm but they should be the same price soon.

 

[Matt2]

A 3000+ Venice will easily overclock to 2.4GHZ at least. That;s 3700+ San Diego speed. an overclocked 3000+ Venice will last you a while.

 

[grimdeath]

im not sure im gonna want to overclock my new parts right away...its been 2 years and im just now considering doing it to my current setup!

which btw, can anyone point me in the right direction for what all i should do to overclock my current cpu...its a newcastle...im not saying im gonna do it yet, just wanna see whats involved and such, and i dont really need a long drawn out document about overclocking in general, a step by step guide would be nice

 

[grimdeath]

bump, still curious about the overclocking stuff, post here if you want and ill be searching for more information from here and google

 

[grimdeath]

ive read up quite a bit since i last posted, i should be able to handle the overclocking, just not sure how much i want to. ive settled on buying a higher end 754 cpu asap and then buying my new videocard around christmas (probably after they release the specs for TES: Oblivion game). how much of a difference will it make not going to like a nf4 board mobo and such? will it really hurt my gaming for the next 2 years that bad?

 

[Topweasel]

The reason to suggest overclocking is to help you over the hump to PCIe on a budget. Nobody wants to have to replace he whole system at once. Even if you only get it to 2.4GHz you are still talking a massive increase in performance will very little effort. This will also let you upgrade Mobo and graphics easier because your not paying an extra $200-$250 on a CPU (which is outdated anyways).

 

[grimdeath]

ok, ill probably play with overclocking a bit tonight on the cpu..i havent read too much about overclocking other parts yet

that ^^ is just my plan, im sure ill change it again and again....the more i think about it the more id really like a mobo capable of PCIe and a better cpu socket....im gonna pay for these with sidejobs i pick up(webdesign and imaging work) so maybe ill just have to work a little harder