Upgrade Suggestions

[kungfoo]

Greetings,

My current system is as follows:

Abit AN8 Ultra w/ Athlon 3200+ (s939)
eVGA GeForce 6600GT PCI-Express 128mb
1gig Corsair XMS
(misc other not-so-important components)

My first question:

I need a new case and PSU. I'd like the PSU to be future-proof for perhaps a C2D in the future. I've heard Seasonic and Enermax are good. Reccomendations for a good PSU that will work for both C2 and my current setup? I dont overclock.

What are some decent budget cases? Id like something thats nice to look at but also not-so-expensive.

Next, Would it be worth it at all for me to upgrade to an X2 dual-core processor such as a X2 3800+? Im a gamer and dont want to spend the money on the processor if its not going to do much for me.

Neexxxtttt, What would be a good upgrade to my 6600GT? I like the card, but kind of want to step it up to something a bit better. I play Oblivion, FEAR, WoW, so a full-range of games. Im impartial to it being ATI or NVIDIA, whatever card is best that I dont have to spend an arm and a leg on.

Im looking at the new 7200.10 drives such as the seageate berracuda. (http://tinyurl.com/obesk). I have a maxtor (i dont care much for maxtor) 7200rpm SATA150 drive right now. Would a nice disk like the berracuda improve my performance in gaming to where the upgrade would be worth it? (loading maps, objects in game, windows loading faster in general?)

Lastly RAM. What is a good pair of gaming ram that I could get to replace my corsair? Im currently using all the slots and want to get 2gigs, any reccomendations on a pair of 1gig for dual-channel?

I like my motherboard and got it just about 5 months ago. Id just like to sort of tweak the hardware just a bit to get some more life out of it before upgrading to C2D. Seem like a good idea? Let me know.

Thanks!

 

[kungfoo]

bumpity

 

[Bobthelost]

Look at the P150, nice case and decent PSU (430W Antec Neo HE, the only antec line i really like).

Don't upgrade to an X2, it's not going to make any difference to you. A faster single core might help but not by much, uneconomical upgrade choice.

Upgrading your HD will only improve your load times by a tiny bit. A second can be a lot in BF2 but otherwise it's not that significant really.

RAM: Get the cheapest stuff you can find, think about going second hand.

GPU: This is the place to look, unless you've got a budget then it's a matter of the more you spend the more you get. A 7600GT is a nice card, don't go any higher than a 7900GT or X1800XT with that CPU.

 

[Icepick]

A CPU will not be a worthwhile upgrade in your case. Your best item to upgrade is the video card. A 7600GT won't give you enough return on investment since you are coming from a 6600GT. I recommend a ATI x1900GT, 7900GT OC (overclocked), X1900XT.

As far as the case: This is a good quality case from a reputable manufacturer. The best parts about it are that it doesn't come with a power supply and it's only $34.99 (after rebate). Then you'll be left free to choose any power supply you want.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811119106

I'm also a big fan of the Antec P150 case but, the drawbacks are that it's white and comes with a power supply (although a very good one.) An alternative is the Antec Solo (My personal favorite.)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129018
It's exactly the same as the P150 only it's black and doesn't come with a power supply.

Power supply: I would choose a quality power supply from a reputable manufacturer in the 400W-450W range. Any more power would be overkill for your system (even with a graphics card upgrade.) I would recommend the Seasonic 430W.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817151023

Good luck!

 

[Icepick]

One more thing - please update this thread with your budget. Then you'll get more focused recommendations.

Also, I agree with Bob's post above regarding hard drives. Only upgrade the drive if you need more space. You won't get any noticeable performance increase by upgrading from IDE to a SATA hard drive.

 

[kungfoo]

Thanks for the replies all. Slightly different topic: What mice do you all perfer for gaming. Not as important, but im looking to replace my razer, i dont like how it feels in my hand.

 

[Icepick]

Originally posted by: kungfoo
Thanks for the replies all. Slightly different topic: What mice do you all perfer for gaming. Not as important, but im looking to replace my razer, i dont like how it feels in my hand.

Well, I just use the mouse that came with my Micro$oft Elite wireless optical set. It plays fine and I play mostly CounterStrike Source and Day of Defeat:Source. I have played UT2004, Far Cry and Half-Life 2. (notice a pattern here?) Like I said, it works fine.

 

[kungfoo]

Thanks again all.

So memory doesnt matter so much? I've always been pretty particular about ram as i thought it made a difference (in terms of latency and what not). Any suggestions for brand?

Also, the AN8 Ultra comes with a "7.1-channel AC97 AudioMAX? Acoustic Solution," that plugs into a little pci-e slot. Im someewhat of an audophile and love high quality sound. If i were to pick up a SB X-fi extreme music card, woudl it be worth it for gaming? I know theres been talk about having slightly better performance, but im more concerneda bout quality of sound i suppose.

Thanks guys!

 

[Icepick]

Well, I bit the bullet and bought one myself. It does sound better than onboard when listening to music. I use high quality headphones. It also makes the 3D sound effects better in games. Distant shots are really faint and near shots are a loud BOOM! Is it $110 better? I'm not so sure. It DOES sound better if you're using high quality headphones or speakers.

 

[kungfoo]

Last question!

Hopefully I can get a big collective response on this one:

x1900 GT or 7900 GT? (stock not overclocked)

I can get the 7900GT for $300CDN or the X1900 GT $372...

However ... I have a "connection" and I can get a X1900 XTX 512 PCIe for $400CDN... would I be crazy to not take that deal? Is my processor not good enough to handle that powerful of a card?

Lastly.. If i do go with the X1900 XTX just cause I just found i can get such a good freaking deal on it, will the Seasonic S12-430 mentioned above handle all the hardware?

Thanks all

 

[Icepick]

At those prices I would go with the stock 7900GT.

 

[kungfoo]

Originally posted by: Icepick
At those prices I would go with the stock 7900GT.

Really? Even over the X1900 XTX?

 

[kungfoo]

One last bumpity before i buy...

X1900XTX @ $400 or 7900GT @ $300? (all prices CDN) Which is the better deal? Also, will the Seasonic 430W handle either of those cards