Upgrade advice, please

[PaperclipGod]

Ive currently got:
AMD FX51
1gb PC3200 ECC
2x 36gb 1st gen Raptors
Radeon 9800 XT

I got it back in October of 2003. So, its starting to get a bit long in the tooth. I really went all out with that system, but im not in a hurry to splurge like that again. It was fun to have a system with nothin' but bleeding-edge components for a while, but its just a waste of money.

So, from now on, id like to upgrade either once a year or when i can get a 50% increase in performance over my old system.

I'd like some advice on what hardware would achieve that goal for me now. Would the latest stuff give me that 50% boost? Next gen stuff? Previous gen?

 

[alimoalem]

in the cpu department, i doubt it. gpu? maybe. the x1900xt should be at least double the performance of the radeon 9800xt

as for the hard drives, i'm not sure if it's double but for what you paid for those, you can get a 250gb WD SE16 drive and it should be at least just as fast plus a lot more space.

i'd sell your ram and get 2x1gig (i'm assuming you get a 2x512 kit)

 

[essasin]

I would buy 2gigs of ram and and a new video card. I am not sure if those equate to a 50% boost but its well worth the money considering you have an fx51. But if you dont game very much I would just get upgrade to 2 gigs of ram.

 

[mwmorph]

get a OPTERON 165
x1900xt
some asus motherboard(A8N Sli deluxe and the new MVP deluxe[based on R580] are both the best ocers)
2gb valueram
big hdd, nonraptor

 

[Cinna696]

im assuming that FX51 is skt 940, which means finding a new motherboard that supports it with PCI-E X16 is going to be difficult

as far as an AGP option, the 7800gs would give you the most performance over the 9800xt

 

[KoolDrew]

Get another GB of RAM and a new video card.

 

[duragezic]

Depends what you use it for. If games are the biggest reason, video card above all else is important. Your CPU is probably fine. Though I didnt realize socket 940 mobos with PCIX 16x were hard to find. Isn't PCI-EX 1x just fine still?

7800GT minimum and 1GB more ram if gaming is important. Otherwise I don't see anything slow about your system. Its plenty capable for everything else, and some slightly older games. I don't see a reason to get rid of your old RAM and buy 2x1GB unless ECC is very expensive. Dual channel is hardly worth spending all that money for.

Also, have you tried overclocking that CPU? It'd give you another additional boost.

 

[PaperclipGod]

Gaming is my main use for this rig.

Ive looked around at memory prices, and another 2x512mb sticks of PC3200 ECC is like $200. I saw some old listings in the FS/T forum for around $150.

Id like to be able to play BF2. Would a 7800GT let me do that?

 

[Cinna696]

yes a7800gt will play bf2, but i wasn't able to find a skt 940mb with pci-e x16 doing a quick search that would still support your cpu.

 

[biostud]

Originally posted by: mwmorph
get a OPTERON 165
x1900xt
some asus motherboard(A8N Sli deluxe and the new MVP deluxe[based on R580] are both the best ocers)
2gb valueram
big hdd, nonraptor

seems like the best way.

What you have in your current rig is unfortunately not compatible with most new stuff. The best you could go for in that rig is to upgrade your vid. card only.

 

[Effect]

Hmm...you did dig yourself into a bit of a hole with that rig, if you can find out how much you'd be able to sell the whole rig for, you might be able to upgrade your entire pc to something more future friendly.

As for a new system depends on what you need and what you're willing to spend.
x2 3800+/opty 165 (or 3700+ for single core)
7800gt/7900gt (when it comes out)
2gb pc3200 value RAM (any brand)
DFI/EPoX/ASUS mobo(whichever one meets your needs).

Just add to any of those as your budget allows.