Upgrade CPU ?

[rb56]

I'm going to upgrade my CPU to "hold me over" until I do my next full upgrade. You can see my current system Here. What do you all think, the XP2500 Barton can be had for < $100, or would it be worth it to go with one of the higher speed Bartons?

The other question I have is about memory, will the PC2700 that I currently have let the Bartons work at there max or would it be worth it to upgrade it also?

FYI
I will probably be doing a full upgrade in Jan. at which time this will replace my wifes current system.
This system will not be OC'ed.

thanks,
rb56

 

[Redviffer]

Considering what you have now is probably adequate for playing any game out there, yeah, a significant jump to a Barton XP 2500+ would suit you just fine for a while. You might find that your games don't jump up a whole lot though with just an Radeon 8500. Your next thing to upgrade would be your video card in my option. The AMD Barton XP2500+ comes in either 266MHz or 333MHz FSB. The higher speed ones come with the new 400MHz FSB. Your memory is PC2700 which should work at 333MHz. If you go to the faster one, then you will need to get new memory. For your least amount of upgrade trouble/money, go with the NON 400MHz FSB Barton for now.

 

[rb56]

Thanks for the reply.

Let's say I wanted to go with the 400MHz Barton for a moment, what would be a good choice for memory? I would be looking a 2x256mb or maybe 2x512mb if the price was right. I could use the extra speed now and use the higher speed memory when building my next upgrade. For the record, if things remained about the same with CPUs my next system will be Intel CPU based.

rb56

 

[MasterHoss]

I'm waiting to go Intel myself. I wouldn't suggest upgrading your processor at all. Honestly, you're not going to notice a real world performance increase. However, if you must, I'd say that you should stay away from the more expensive Bartons ... XP2500 will do. Why buy a very expensive Barton now when you know you're going to upgrade shortly after?

Still, if you're going to do it anyway, don't get DDR400... why get it now when you can get it later (for your Intel rig)? Prices? I don't think they'll be shooting upwards any time soon. Worst case, cost of DDR400 will be where it is now. However, it'll most likely be lower.

 

[Sam1230]

The only Barton chips out there with 400mHz bus right now are the 3000+ and the 3200+...

 

[Corporate Thug]

the barton is a great buy, but the 2600+ is very close pricewise and can be OCed to 2400Mhz+

 

[rb56]

Good points all, thanks. I am upgrading for two reasons. I would like the extra speed, for encoding video and I would like to make things a little quicker for the system once it is passed on to my wife. I think forgeting about the ram is a good idea and just picking up a new CPU is a good choice. Agian no OC'ing on this rig though so I am looking to get the best bang for the buck and stock speeds.

Anybody else?
rb56

 

[Corporate Thug]

with no OC 2500+ is best IMO