What computer upgrade to buy for 150 bucks?

[Balex99]

I've got 150 bucks burning a hole in my pocket so what do I do. I'm running a 1.33 Tbird, K7S5A mb, 256 SDram, Gforce Ultra, 2x30GB maxtors in Raid 0. Do I go for the DDR ram, or throw just a little bit more in the pot a get a gforce3 ti200? Or is there something else I should consider?

What would be the best bang for the buck?

 

[Yzzim]

save your money and buy a monitor for it

 

[Balex99]

Decided to go with a case.

 

[Kadarin]

I've got essentially the same problem. However, I'm thinking possibly a scanner, or maybe either the Logitech or Klipsch 4.1 speaker set (could care less about 5.1 on my PC). Of course, I could get more bandwidth, but that's a recurring monthly expense, rather than a one-time shot.

Setup:
Athlon XP 1800+ w/Alpha 8045
Asus A7V266-E w/512 DDR
Elsa GeForce 3, SB Audigy MP3+
290GB total drive space
Coolermaster aluminum case
Viewsonic G790 19"monitor

Any thoughts?

 

[Zim Hosein]

Astaroth33, if I was in your situation, I'd go w/ the LogiTech's. That way, you save some cash for other upgrades.

 

[JonnyDuke]

Go to Pricewatch and buy an XP 1500, AND
DDR RAM!

 

[Balex99]

Yea, the Logitech speakers would be a nice addition but I find myself using headphones more than the speakers because of the kids. The chip and mem deal sounds good but I just bought my Tbird about 3 months ago and I just can't dump it yet.

 

[Yzzim]

<< Yea, the Logitech speakers would be a nice addition but I find myself using headphones more than the speakers because of the kids. The chip and mem deal sounds good but I just bought my Tbird about 3 months ago and I just can't dump it yet. >>


You still have a component from 3 months ago?? You're not too good at this computer upgrade thing.

 

[gopunk]

get 512 mb of crucial ddr... i think it's around 150 now.

 

[b0mbrman]

<< Decided to go with a case. >>


Well thanks for waiting for *my* input :|

 

[Maverick]

<< Of course, I could get more bandwidth, but that's a recurring monthly expense, rather than a one-time shot. >>



Maybe not...look into some of the cable provider and national dsl provider deals. Some of them will have deals like $19.95 for three months (AT&T broadband cable) or $39.95 for the 3 months (directv DSL). After your 3 months are up you can try to bitch for more discounted time.

 

[her209]

How about a monitor?

 

[Balex99]

About the case thing. I was kidding. I've got an Antec 1030B that I'm about to start modding. My monitor is a Dell black 19".

Just to make sure I'm hearing yall. You guys are recommending 512 meg ddr over a new vid card? That would give me more of a performance boost and the best bang for the buck?

And one more note, this upgrade maybe the last one for a while so it's got to last me. Several months anyway.

 

[toant103]

bigger hard drive for storage. $99 from compusa for 80GB

 

[Alienwho]

Man I wish I could get more bandwidth...I haven't played online games for 6 months, ever since my old county T3 connection went out of business, I had to go with this crappy sprint broadband, I get mediocre downloads with 56k upload, my online gaming life is now non existant.

Oh well, 4 months to college with T3 internet again

 

[killeen]

Your own idea of a GF3 Ti 200 was the first thing I thought of...I'd go for the Gainward Ti 450 for another $10, which you can get at Newegg ($153 + $7 s/h--btw, their customer service, all four times I shopped there, was excellent). I'd think, aside from a cpu upgrade which you want to hold off on, the over-clockable-to-Ti-500-speeds "Golden Sample" would give you the most noticeable performance boost, generally-speaking.