Upgrade

[marblewave]

Hi there,

I am hoping for a little insight into where my next upgrade dollars should go.

Currently my system is based on an HP motherboard (Asus) so I know that should be replaced with something "real". Suggestions for a new motherboard would be great, along with some advice on which of my existing major components would see the biggest benefit in gaming if I upgraded when I get a new motherboard.

AMD X2 4200 (AM2)
2GB PC4200 Ram (not sure of the timings, it came with the system)
ATI Radeon X1900XTX
Samsung 200GB SATA2 HD
500W Allied P/S
Audio and LAN on board

Thanks!

Craig

 

[Randum]

If Ram came with the system, check the timings, might be holding you out a little.

Is this an HP Machine??

 

[itwgas]

500w PS

 

[marblewave]

Yes it's an HP system.

Yes, the ram came with the system.

In which way would my P/S be holding me back?

Thanks for the replies!

-Craig

 

[kalrith]

Did you reinstall Windows after you got it? I've read reviews where reinstalling Windows on laptops increased the performance by more than 10%. I'm not sure if the same would apply to a desktop.

Also, have you thought about overclocking? The bottleneck depends on what you use the system for, but just at first glance the cpu at stock speed seems to be the weakest part of the system.

The psu wouldn't necessarily slow your system down, but a cheap psu in a good system is not good for reliability/longevity. I'm not familiar with that brand of psu, so I can't say whether it's good or bad.

 

[bwatson283]

RAM

 

[JustaGeek]

I do not think that the RAM upgrade will do anyrhing - I understand that you already have 2GB. But the FSB (or whatever on AMD platform) is set to certain speed in the BIOS, and is not adjustable.

The only way to speed it up is to get a fast Video Card - that's what I did with my Pavilion with P4 2.6GHz w/ HT 3 years ago.

First extra 1 GB PC2700 RAM (memory bus hard set to 160MHz not adjustable) for a total of 1.5GB in Dual Channel. But you already have 2GB.

Then I got GF 6800NU and Antec True Power 480W.

Then I got GF 7800GS.

Then... I canned the system in April 2007, rebuilding it with ASRock 775Dual-VSTA to re-use otherwise pretty good 7800GS.

Sooooo... I would recommend 8800GTS or such - this is your only option IMHO. You can't adjust any other settings anyway.

Good luck!

 

[marblewave]

Thanks for the replies.

kalrith - I did format and reinstall Vista using the clean install from an upgrade disc trick.

JustaGeek -The X1900XTX is a pretty fast card. How much of a difference would an 8800 make? I don't have any need for DX10 as I mostly play WoW. I just have the 1900XTX to drive my 24" monitor.

Thanks

 

[JustaGeek]

Your upgrade options are limited because of the unadjustable BIOS settings.

Your system looks fine to me, and your Video Card is pretty good, too.

If you really want to spend any money on anything, get 2x512MB of memory for a total of 3GB. It might give you some advantage in some games.

Otherwise - wait for the new GPU's due in November - December.

 

[RadiclDreamer]

Originally posted by: itwgas
500w PS

Nothing wrong with the power supply, hes got plenty of room there

 

[RadiclDreamer]

Nothing in this system is in dire need of upgrading, however the cpu is probably the lowest performing thing you have. But then again its no slouch

 

[dealmaster00]

Originally posted by: RadiclDreamer
Nothing in this system is in dire need of upgrading, however the cpu is probably the lowest performing thing you have. But then again its no slouch

 

[marblewave]

Thanks again for the input. I think I will hold onto my cash for a while.