What do yall think would be the best and most worth it to upgrade on my computer?

[WyteWatt]

What do yall think would be the best and most worth it to upgrade on my computer?

Here are my system specs.

- Abit KT7A raid mobo

- Duron 800mhz

- 256 mb of crucial sdram at cas2 and pc133

- Voodoo 3 2000 pci video card

- Sound blaster 16 isa sound card

- Maxtor 45 gig, 7200 rpm, < 8.7 access time, ATA 100, and has three 15 gig platters.

- Two speakers which hang on the each side of the montior

- HP 9110i 8x 4x 32x CD-RW

- Plextor 24x 10x 40x CD-RW

- A plain full tower case which isnt anything special. Its a ok case. Was $60 and came with a 300 watt power supply. It has Six 5 1/2 bays, 2 external 3 1/2, and 4 internal 3 1/2 bays. No slide out mobo tray but the mobo can come downward out of the case side ways but its still connected to the case so its not exactly the same thing.

- 300 watt deer power supply

- floppy drive which is missing the front but not sure if i can find one to fit the front of it sense its out of a old packard bell computer. Dum packard bell had to have a floppy drive like this.

- Dlink DFE 530 TX + 10/100Mbps ethernet card

- Stock fan and heatsink on my duron 800mhz

- 14 inch Proview montior.

- Lexmark Z22 printer

- Three Suson case fans with 1 intake fan in the front and 2 outtake fans in the back above the power supply.


Ok i have $210 to spend if i want and was wondering what yall thought would be the best upgrade to do to my system and most worthwhile?
I was thinking about getting a new case. Like the Lian-Li PC-60 for like $160 to $173 plus overnight or 2 day shipping. But then i thought about maybe getting a new video card from nvidia maybe like the Geforce 3 Ti 200 but then i have no idea what brand too get because i want good 2d quality too. As good as my voodoo 3 2000 pci video card 2 quality if not better like close to ATI. Plus i not sure if i should even go ATI or Nvidia if i was going to think about a new video card. I am a gamer btw but i do not game everyday but i do game at least once or twice week i would say for many hours and even more if i have more free time. Sometimes i will just game the whole time i use my computer for a day.
I also was thinking about a new montior sense this montior is sorta small but for some reason it does not bother me but still a 17 inch or 19 inch + would be nice to have. Then i was thinking about a new sound card and speakers. But then i really not sure what speakers to get because i really can't tell the difference from different speakers but i think i still want good, above average speakers. I do not do that much music if none at all but every now and then i do for someone else. I was also looking at upgrading maybe to a new abit kg7 raid mobo then get 256 mb of unbuffered ddr ram from crucial.com too but not sure if thats a good thing really to do. I wanted to maybe do this mobo upgrade sense it uses the amd chipset and would be more stable than via chipset plus less headaches. I would even beable to i bet set the bios setting any way i want with that mobo without it having problems. But i like its A + stabilty the best. I mean my Abit KT7A raid has not given me any problems really but who knows if it will if i upgrade to a new video card from ATI or nvidia.

So far i am thinking i will choose the case because i just don't know why but i just love that case but maybe that isnt a good decision because a case is a case or maybe a case is like a power supply ?


Any help greatly appreicated
Please reply
Thanks

 

[limsandy]

A nice 19" flat screen monitor would do it.
I mean....... you are constantly looking at it.

 

[WyteWatt]

But is that $210 or less? with tax or shipping. I do not think it is.

 

[apoppin]

Check Hot Deals . . . NOW!

I believe the Samsung 955DF is/was going for about your price. You just missed a Radeon 8500 for about $150 shipped. There are a TON of great choices now.

Edit: The Samsung deal is probably over . . . it WAS $186 shipped. Moral: ALWAYS check Hot Deals.

Your videocard could use some upgrading if you are a gamer. One way to wring "free" performance out of your system is to overclock your Duron. If you are not willing to overclock, the faster Athlons are going pretty cheap and a few hundred more Mhz would spice up your performance.

If I was in your place, I'd (1) O/C the heck out of my CPU, (2) buy a better videocard and (3) a 17 monitor (that should be possible for your price range). Check Hot deals at least twice a day. 17" monitors were going for around a hundred bucks and even a GeForce 2 would be a big improvement in your system. For me a 17 inch monitor made the biggest difference (enjoying my time at the computer) over a 14" monitor (although my flat 19" IS nice).

 

[Bovinicus]

I think I would pickup an OEM 8500 if I were you. They run a bit less than $200. They offer excellent 2D quality, plus they are plent fast for games.

 

[GT578]

I'd at least pick up a cheap PCI soundcard if you can squeeze in the cost of that in addition to whatever else you want to buy.......should give you some extra fps in games...also i'd get a new video card .........VISIONTEK Xtasy 5632 GEFORCE2 GTS-V since its only $65 at newegg.......or an ATI radeon 7500 OEM since thats cheap too and has good 2D. New speakers would help also....

 

[WyteWatt]

I am thinking its better to stay one or 2 steps behind the latest and greatest to get all the cheap prices for the hardware that use to be the latest and great but is still very fast just not the fastest anymore!
Do a lot of yall stay behind a step or 2 so you can get hardware for really cheap a lot of the time? I need to get out of this habit that i always want the latest and greatest. I am sure any nvidia video card i buy right now will beat my voodoo 3 2000 pci video card's butt! Even a $55 one.

 

[GT578]

I stay at where I am only until I see my current CPU being doubled in Mhz.....I have a 850mhz tbird now....so.......I should get a new chip soon ...but I really don't even play games anymore so I don't see the need for a new cpu. My Radeon LE@191/191 should last me until I actually get hooked on a new game and want better fps....and thats if I don't get a new cpu by then.

 

[ElFenix]

the monitor is the weakest link in your system, get a 17", theres always deals going on them. and a geforce 2. don't worry about the signal strength issue (what many people commonly refer to as "2D quality," though its an issue during 3D usage as well), its not a problem unless you're running high resolutions, which i doubt you'll do much of with a 17".

ebay that hp burner to get some $$$ for a new sound card

 

[cyclones]

The end of the line with any computer is seeing what you have done or attempting to do.
So the screen would look like a first stop for some folk.
You say you dont mind the 14" screen so.....maybe the new case is an idea.
You will intend to further upgrade other bits as you go along so have a good base to do that.
As the bits are replaced....the old bits go back into your old case and you then have either
a back-up machine or could sell it and use the money to complete the upgrade.
Happy Christmas

 

[SSGotenks]

Check out newegg you can get a
Gainward GeForce2Ti $96
SB Audigy(oem) $62
Logitech Z-340 speakers(2.1) $36
shipping was $20
for $215 with shipping

 

[Toro 45]

the monitor is the weakest link in your system

Could'nt have said it better myself,

Buy a bigger,better monitor & a video card if possible.If you look around there are some good deals on 17" & 19" monitors,I picked up a 17 KDS Avitron at Sams Club for my son for $100.00(clearanced).

Remember your monitor is what you spend all the time in front of staring at.I'd look for the best deal on a flat 17" minitor & the best video card I could get.

 

[sandorski]

Skip the case upgrade, there's a lot of other things you need more.

Vidcard: Not a bad choice to upgrade, especially if you want to play more demanding games. I'd probably go this route, but you could get away with a last gen Radeon(LE/64mb) or one of the GeForce2 MX(200/400) cards. A Radeon 8500 or GeForce3 would certainly have their advantages though.

Sound: Getting a new sound card will give you a performance boost. A CL Audigy, TB SC, Phillips AE, or Hercules(little bro to the GTXP) will give much better sound capability and improve gaming performance over that ancient SB16. You'd even have money left over for some decent speakers. Don't kid yourself, your current speakers suck.

Monitor: Very good idea to upgrade to at least a good 17", but go 19" if you can. This upgrade will be the best at this time if you can afford a really good monitor, for it will last 5ish years.

Mobo/ram: You won't get much performance wise until you can get an upper end TBird or XP. So I'd skip that for now.

What may help is some info on a future upgrade schedule. Will you be upgrading again soon, or will it be a long time? If it will be awhile, you may want to do a vidcard/soundcard upgrade throw in some decent headphones and you will be able to get by, perhaps. If it's goning to be regularish, pick something to upgrade and upgrade it.

 

[oldfart]

The case is the last thing I would worry about. The 14" monitor has to go. I've seen 17" for $110 or so. If you shop carefully for $200 maybe...I'd say...

$110 17" tube
$70 VisionTek GTS-V
$20 PCI soundcard

I'm sure it would come to more than $200 after tax/shipping, but not too far off.

 

[WyteWatt]

Ok if i get a video card and sound card i was wondering sense i have a ok deer 300 watt power supply will that be enough if i get a new like nvidia video card. Anywhere from a gf2mx to a gf3 ti 200 i geuss i would say. Plus a sound card.
I just hoping my power supply would be enough sense its not that good of a brand and only 300 watts.

Please reply
Thanks

 

[oldfart]

300 watts is overkill. The GF2 will probably use less power than the Voodoo3. BTW, since its a PCI V3, it should take ~ 10 min to sell on the FS/T board. PCI V3 cards go quick.

 

[WyteWatt]

Yeah but how much does it sell for? $40 ? hehe

 

[oldfart]

V3 2K PCI? ~ $30.

 

[WyteWatt]

Is it better to buy a montior upgrade at a computer store because of the high shipping price? Like lets say compusa, bestbuy, circuitcity, office depot, or office max?

 

[oldfart]

Yes, it can be. You can see the monitor, and return it easier if you dont like it. If you buy one online, free shipping is a must!

 

[uhohibrokeit]

300watts is great...

i would defintaly upgrade that video card and monitor first

CardExpert GeForce2 MX 400 64MB SDRAM AGP $65
NEC AccuSync AS70 17" (WHITE) CRT MONITOR $139

both at newegg.com
after shipping thats gonna get about $250 though...


i usually save money buy ordering a monitor even with the shipping price. buying locally + tax is usually higher, or if its nothigher than your usually getting a cheaper (made) monitor

 

[WyteWatt]

Did anyone ever find any good montiors for a good price on compusa.com, bestbuy.com, circuitcity.com, officedepot.com, or officemax.com before? I know the ones at their website is mostly the montiors they sell.

Also how can you tell if you are buying a pretty good montor? I know its something doing with the . dpi and resolutions i think.

oldfart where do you get free shipping for a montior?

 

[oldfart]

<< CardExpert GeForce2 MX 400 64MB SDRAM AGP $65 >>


MX400 :disgust:
A MUCH better card for the same $65 is the VisionTek GTS-V. Its a GF2 GTS that is clocked @ 175/286. It will easily clock up to 200/333 (or more) liek a normal GTS. For $65, you get a GTS instead of an MX.

There are some free shipping places such as Office Depot, some others...you have to look around. Check the hot deals forum.

 

[uhohibrokeit]

the higher the resolution it will supprt the better... the smaller the DPI, the better the picture will look.... higher refresh rates are nice... but it depends on your eyes. for me i cant run less than 75Hz on most monitors or i can see the flicker. the bigger the tube you get, the higher you want the refresh rate to be able to get. refresh rates change per resolution. dont get somthing that says like 60Hz on 1024x768 and above...

 

[WyteWatt]

Is this a good 19 inch montior at my local compusa? http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=280664

Its $229 then $30 instant rebate but then a dum $50 mail in rebate
I just hate having to wait for the $50 mail in rebate it should all be instant i tell you.
It would be about $210 with tax i am sure. Or very close.