I'm looking to upgrade my computer and wanted some advice on what to get. I basically want faster performance in newer FPS games, which are mostly unplayable on my current setup, and to a lesser extent in math computation (FPU intensive) programs. It would be good if the combined upgrade costs stay around or below $1000. This is what I have right now:
Athlon (tbird) 1.4ghz
Asus A7N8X (nF2) motherboard
512MB PC3200 memory (2x generic 256 sticks, running at 2100 speeds atm)
Geforce 3 (original)
antec 400w PSU
I probably would want to get a Socket A/462 processor to avoid having to spend money on a new mobo (which I already had to do nine months ago) and there seem to be a couple of choices. The AXP 3200 400mhz is around $180, which seems rather high considering that the significantly faster A64 2800 is about the same price. Not sure if I should get a slower one and overclock it or just play it safe and go for a faster rated one. How well do the AXPs overclock and how effective are the coolers included in the retail boxes? Do these processors have fixed clock multipliers or can they be changed? Although I have done a bit of overclocking in the past, I only changed the multipliers and don't know much about what changing FSBs or voltages involves, but it's something I might look into if it saves a lot of money.
How much would bumping the memory to 768MB or even 1024MB improve performance? There is still a free memory slot on the mobo. Also, is it okay to use memory modules of different sizes? (if I go up to 768, I can just add in a third 256 dimm but going to 1024 would mean adding a 512 along with the existing 256s)
For the graphics unit, I am thinking about the Geforce 6800 GT (the BFG one) or the Radeon X800 XT PE, although I'm going to wait until both of these are available in larger quantities. The radeon is faster and still compatible with my PSU (and I'm willing to spend some more for the speed), but will the processor, which would be a generation older than both of these, produce a major bottleneck? If that's the case then the GT would seem to be a better choice, especially given the overclockability. Also, is there a (cheaper) non-PE XT for AGP like there is for PCI express?
Athlon (tbird) 1.4ghz
Asus A7N8X (nF2) motherboard
512MB PC3200 memory (2x generic 256 sticks, running at 2100 speeds atm)
Geforce 3 (original)
antec 400w PSU
I probably would want to get a Socket A/462 processor to avoid having to spend money on a new mobo (which I already had to do nine months ago) and there seem to be a couple of choices. The AXP 3200 400mhz is around $180, which seems rather high considering that the significantly faster A64 2800 is about the same price. Not sure if I should get a slower one and overclock it or just play it safe and go for a faster rated one. How well do the AXPs overclock and how effective are the coolers included in the retail boxes? Do these processors have fixed clock multipliers or can they be changed? Although I have done a bit of overclocking in the past, I only changed the multipliers and don't know much about what changing FSBs or voltages involves, but it's something I might look into if it saves a lot of money.
How much would bumping the memory to 768MB or even 1024MB improve performance? There is still a free memory slot on the mobo. Also, is it okay to use memory modules of different sizes? (if I go up to 768, I can just add in a third 256 dimm but going to 1024 would mean adding a 512 along with the existing 256s)
For the graphics unit, I am thinking about the Geforce 6800 GT (the BFG one) or the Radeon X800 XT PE, although I'm going to wait until both of these are available in larger quantities. The radeon is faster and still compatible with my PSU (and I'm willing to spend some more for the speed), but will the processor, which would be a generation older than both of these, produce a major bottleneck? If that's the case then the GT would seem to be a better choice, especially given the overclockability. Also, is there a (cheaper) non-PE XT for AGP like there is for PCI express?
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