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Upgrade on a budget

I

iamaelephant

Diamond Member
Howdy folks, I'm looking at upgrading my system. My current specs are:

AMD Sempron 2200+ (Socket A)
1gb DDR400 memory
ATi 9600 Pro 128mb

Initially I was going to do it the really cheap way, with another socket A CPU and an AGP video card. I soon realised that my options for socket A CPUs is limited and sticking with AGP is like pushing sh!t uphill, so I'm going to grab a new mobo and CPU aswell as a PCI-e video card. Here's what I'm looking at

MSI K8N Neo4-F Motherboard, Socket 939
AMD Athlon 64 3500+

I'm fairly happy with this CPU/mobo combo. I know socket 939 may not be around for too long but there's still plenty of room for upgrades later on, even if I have to go 2nd hand in a couple of years.

Now I'm stuck on a video card. I don't really have a set budget but would like to do this as cheap as possible but I also want the maximum possible performance out of games like Day of Defeat Source and Far Cry. One of the main reasons for me upgrading is in anticipation for Spore and Supreme Commander, but they are both a while away. Here are the video card options I have come up with.

Powercolor Radeon x800GT 256mb
MSI RX1600 Pro 256mb
Galaxy GeForce 7600 GT 256mb

Obviously there's a significant price difference between these three cards. What I'm asking is, is the extra money spent on the 7600gt justified in performance? Will I regret not spending the extra ~$90 NZD if I go for the RX1600? What about the x800, priced right in the middle? Does anyone have any other suggestions for video carsd somewhere around this price range?

Thanks in advance.
 
Look at the benchmarks under the Video tab and at places like HardOCP, but I'd go for the 7600GT or X1800. If you're going to all the work and cost of upgrading, you need a video card that's a big jump forward not just a step or two.

If you have to, drop down to a 3200+ or a cheaper motherboard.
 
there is no point in spending money on a video game that is not out yet. If u can get by with an X300 then buy it. If not then buy something you'll need for now and upgrade down the road. For example, it wouldn't of made sense to buy a 6800 Ultra back in the day when Oblivion came out during the 7-series.
 
Originally posted by: leegroves86
there is no point in spending money on a video game that is not out yet. If u can get by with an X300 then buy it. If not then buy something you'll need for now and upgrade down the road. For example, it wouldn't of made sense to buy a 6800 Ultra back in the day when Oblivion came out during the 7-series.
Click to expand...

Although I'm keenly anticipating Supreme Commander and Spore, they are only part of the reason I want to upgrade. I also play a lot of Day of Defeat Source (which stretches my system even on minimum details) and Warhammer 40k Dawn of War which slows down during big battles. I also wouldn't mind having a go at F.E.A.R which would just be a joke on this system.

I also forgot to mention in the OP that I intend to upgrade after the release of Conroe to take advantage of expected price drops in AMD hardware, I'm hoping the 3500 will be included.
 
Well I've just had a bit of a cashflow windfall so I think I'll go ahead and order stuff now, but I'm just a bit dubious about the power supply. My current one doesn't have a sticker on it but if memory serves me right it's 350watt. Will this be enough for the system in my OP (with the 7600gt video card)? Please reply ASAP as I'd like to make the order soon.

Edit - I've also decided to spend an extra NZD$13 to get the MSI 7600 simply because I've always had excellent experiences with MSI products in the past. Any comments would be appreciated.
 
I'm not clear as to why you think sky 939 is better than am2? If you go am2 now at least you have the chance of carrying ram over to another build.

I'd go with the the lowest priced am2 dual core and the 7600gt. Any single core amd will clock to a 3500 speed so you're wating money buying a 3500. A cheap dual core like a 3800 will kick its butt all day long for just a few $$ more.

As for your PSU, upgrade the thang 🙂

I'd consider a psu and a case as the few somewhat "future proof" upgrades. Check out the Enhance line at ewiz.com, particularly the 5150g. Really solid PSU's sans re-badgiging. Seasonic would be another good bet.

edit- also good to see someone else interested in spore :laugh:
 
Going AM2 will call for DDR2 memory, and since he already has DDR400, sticking with skt939 is a good idea. Might as well get as much use out of that DDR as possible. There's no significant performance increase with AM2 over skt939 either.

And, OP, your 350w power supply is probably fine with your new setup, depending on what brand. The 7600 GT and 3500+ aren't very power-hungry.
 
Okay I just bit the bullet and made my order. I went with a new 500w PSU just to be sure, it was pretty cheap. bamacre is dead right about the AM2 thing, I wanted to keep my current memory. I wound up getting the Athlon 64 3500 with the MSI K8N Neo4-F motherboard and MSI 7600GT.

How could anyone not be interested in Spore?! It look so freaking cool!!
 
what are people guestimating Supreme Commander will need in the way of a system?

I've allready given up on the idea of Spore. yikes that thing is gonna need a physics card and a sli system. arg
 
Originally posted by: iamaelephant
Okay I just bit the bullet and made my order. I went with a new 500w PSU just to be sure, it was pretty cheap. bamacre is dead right about the AM2 thing, I wanted to keep my current memory. I wound up getting the Athlon 64 3500 with the MSI K8N Neo4-F motherboard and MSI 7600GT.

How could anyone not be interested in Spore?! It look so freaking cool!!
Click to expand...

For a power supply cheap is almost never good!
Cheap = major headaches later down the line.
$50 - $80 for a PSU will get you a real good reliable solid performer.
I would check out the Fortron(fsp Group) brand at that price point.

Good Luck!
 
Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
Originally posted by: iamaelephant
Okay I just bit the bullet and made my order. I went with a new 500w PSU just to be sure, it was pretty cheap. bamacre is dead right about the AM2 thing, I wanted to keep my current memory. I wound up getting the Athlon 64 3500 with the MSI K8N Neo4-F motherboard and MSI 7600GT.

How could anyone not be interested in Spore?! It look so freaking cool!!
Click to expand...

For a power supply cheap is almost never good!
Cheap = major headaches later down the line.
$50 - $80 for a PSU will get you a real good reliable solid performer.
I would check out the Fortron(fsp Group) brand at that price point.

Good Luck!
Click to expand...

I got the Raidmax 500w PSU (NZ Dollars there) which garnered some good reviews from a quick Google search so I think I'll be right. I didn't want to spend too much, but even if this one turns to crap I'm only out $70.
 
Originally posted by: iamaelephant
Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
Originally posted by: iamaelephant
Okay I just bit the bullet and made my order. I went with a new 500w PSU just to be sure, it was pretty cheap. bamacre is dead right about the AM2 thing, I wanted to keep my current memory. I wound up getting the Athlon 64 3500 with the MSI K8N Neo4-F motherboard and MSI 7600GT.

How could anyone not be interested in Spore?! It look so freaking cool!!
Click to expand...

For a power supply cheap is almost never good!
Cheap = major headaches later down the line.
$50 - $80 for a PSU will get you a real good reliable solid performer.
I would check out the Fortron(fsp Group) brand at that price point.

Good Luck!
Click to expand...

I got the Raidmax 500w PSU (NZ Dollars there) which garnered some good reviews from a quick Google search so I think I'll be right. I didn't want to spend too much, but even if this one turns to crap I'm only out $70.
Click to expand...

You see the thing I like about you is you also went out and did your own homework. along with asking for opinions on your upgrade here.
Good Luck!! 🙂
 
Cheers Yoda, make no mistake I take all of the advice here very seriously but I can't expect anyone else to do all of my homework for me 🙂 I'll update you folks when my gear arrives, hopefully tomorrow.
 
Just chucked the mobo, CPU and video card in, currently installing Windows. I'm all tingly, no problems so far, let's hope it stays that way 🙂
 
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