What is the outlook for this older comp

[Essence07]

Hi, I have a gaming comp from 2004 and I've upgraded a few parts here and there to try and keep it as current as I can make it. I'm just paranoid this will be obsolete, I'm probably not going to be able to get a new rig until next summer. This is the info (taken from http://www.systemrequirementslab.com "Can YOU run it" as I found it the easiest place to get info)

CPU: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3000+
CPU Speed: 2.00 GHz Performance Rated at 3.00 GHz
Ram: 2Gigs
OS: Windows XP
Video Card: Radeon HD 3850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 AGP
Sound Card: Soundblaster X-Fi XtremeGamer
Resoultion 1440x900

If you need more info, let me know.. I don't think it is half bad, and I don't have any problems running games in the best settings now but I'm just paranoid about the future.

How do you think this will stand up for the next year..[like games I know I'd be getting are Bioshock 2, CoD Modern War 2]

In Short: Is This still a decent/good/doable rig for the 09-10 year?

Thanks! and I apologize if this was the wrong forum to post in.

 

[brblx]

other than RAM you're pretty much maxxed out on that platform. you could look for an s939 athlon X2 (assuming you're on that socket), but it would still be behind the times.

that said, you can probably do okay with many newer games because of your somewhat current video card and relatively low resolution. however, you're going to struggle with really graphically intensive games and will just not have the CPU power for some. console ports are unlikely to be a problem- if you could run cod4 you can probably run cod6. but there are exceptions (GTAIV would be unplayable on that proc, most likely).

 

[mmntech]

It's vary similar to the system I just upgraded from. It served me well but I wanted a more powerful multi-core CPU for video editing. It all depends on what platform you have. If it's a Socket 939, I recommend upgrading to an Athlon 64 X2 "Manchester" or "Toledo", or a "Denmark" core Opteron. There's also the Athlon 64 FX-60 which is basically a Socket 939 version of the X2 5000+ with the multipliers unlocked. A dual core processor should increase performance quite a bit in some applications. They're also far better at multitasking.
If it's Socket 754, you're basically limited to a maximum single core Athlon 64 3700+.

I think it should handle most games. My old setup could handle the first Bioshock. I'm assuming the second runs on the same engine. It's doable. However, I would really consider upgrading your motherboard to something that supports PCI-Express 16x in the coming years. AGP is obsolete at this point and you won't be able to upgrade your GPU to anything newer/better. It's at the end of its life as a gaming system. That's not to say you can't put it to other uses.

 

[Essence07]

Thanks for the replys, I just have one question: How can I tell if it a socket 939 or socket 754? I know I won't be able to get a new comp at the moment. So I want to get the most out of this computer I can.

And is changing the CPU something I can do myself? I've changed ram and video cards and things of that nature, never touched the CPU. Is it relatively simple?

Thanks!

--EDIT---

I looked in my computer manual, It appears I have a "754-pin ZIF socket". (so the 754?)

Is it worth upgrading to a Athlon 64 3700+? This is the area I know least about. I don't know how much of a performance gain I'd get, but you guys will.

Thanks so much again!

 

[brblx]

no, it's not terribly hard. worst part is removing and installing the heatsink. iirc that still has the old metal strap, which can be finicky to get on and off.

download and run cpuz (google it). it will tell you which socket you're on.