upgrading?

[doctorWHO]

i'm not sure if this is the right place for a post like this, but here it goes. i would like to upgrade my current system (athlon 1.2ghz, 256 pc133ram, 40gb hd, gf3 ti200) to something a little more current. mostly i would like to be able to use DDR ram in my computer. i was wondering if i were to get a new mobo that supports pc2700 would i be able to buy pc2700 ram and use it with my current proc which only had 200mhz bus speed. would the mobo automatically just underclock the ram or would i be forced to buy pc1600. i would probably end up upgrading the cpu in a few months which is why i would rather buy ram that would work after the cpu upgrade. anyways, if it is possible to use faster ram with my older cpu, what mobo should i get.

thanks

 

[AndyHui]

The motherboard will automatically run your RAM at a lower speed.

Your system is actually pretty decent. If you really wanted to upgrade, I would recommend waiting for the ClawHammer.

 

[jiffylube1024]

Originally posted by: doctorWHO
i'm not sure if this is the right place for a post like this, but here it goes. i would like to upgrade my current system (athlon 1.2ghz, 256 pc133ram, 40gb hd, gf3 ti200) to something a little more current. mostly i would like to be able to use DDR ram in my computer. i was wondering if i were to get a new mobo that supports pc2700 would i be able to buy pc2700 ram and use it with my current proc which only had 200mhz bus speed. would the mobo automatically just underclock the ram or would i be forced to buy pc1600. i would probably end up upgrading the cpu in a few months which is why i would rather buy ram that would work after the cpu upgrade. anyways, if it is possible to use faster ram with my older cpu, what mobo should i get.

thanks

Just like Andy said, if you get PC2700, it will run at any speed PC2700 (333MHz DDR) or below. Plus it will probably overclock above PC2700 speeds as well . If you really want to upgrade, I suggest getting a nice KT333 motherboard with some PC2700 DDR memory. Then, when the XP 2400+ and 2600+ come down in price, you can look at those for a very nice speed boost.

Your video card is definately adequate, and will really get a speed boost from the faster CPU. Even with the same video card, you will probably get 2000-3000 extra 3dmarks (and more importantly, better, more consistent framerates in games) from just a CPU upgrade down the road.