What would you do!?!?!?

[James3shin]

Ok I just got some extra money, not too much, nor too little, about $260. Anyway I'm thinking about upgrading and I have 2 possible routes in my head. First route, involves an athlon64 3000+, and the A-open AK-86L being used along with my current g. card(G4 Ti4600), this would set me back like $50-$60 in addition to the $260. Second route, Barton 2500+, with an Asus A7N8X, then sell my 4600 for hopefully somewhere around a $100, and then purchase a 9800pro, this would set me back like 20 bucks in addition to the $260. Which way would you folks you go?

 

[ScrapSilicon]

what's your current mobo/cpu..?

 

[AsiLuc]

First of all, that a vague topic-title. But hey, better luck next time.
As for your question, it depends....
Do you want to play games? Do you want computing power, for say Mathematica 5.0?
Assuming you want to game, I'd say you'd best get the 2500+ with the 9800P.
Try to OC the Barton. It's worth it!

Edit: What PSU have you got? You'll need some juice!

 

[James3shin]

I am a gamer and my cpu/mobo combo is a P4 2.6C/Intel I865PERL. My PSU is more then enough for the 98pro as well(antec truepower 430W)

 

[CrucialLabs]

I would go with the 2500+ Barton and the 9800 Pro. The combination will be good for gaming. The power supply is more then enough to handle the 9800 unless you have a lot of different hardware installed.

 

[AsiLuc]

Originally posted by: James3shin
I am a gamer and my cpu/mobo combo is a P4 2.6C/Intel I865PERL. My PSU is more then enough for the 98pro as well(antec truepower 430W)

You can forget the Barton, just get that 9800Pro. Nice PSU btw. You could try to OC your cpu...

 

[Tango57]

aw man you already have a fast cpu. just overclock it and get a 9800 Pro. that should be more than enough to handle your gaming needs

 

[Budmantom]

Originally posted by: James3shin
I am a gamer and my cpu/mobo combo is a P4 2.6C/Intel I865PERL. My PSU is more then enough for the 98pro as well(antec truepower 430W)

2.6c is about as fast as a 2500+ and you already have the 2.6c.

Sell your 4600 and buy a 9800pro and a nice chair.


Tom

 

[zodder]

Get an overclocking friendly motherboard (that Intel board won't cut it) and a 9800 Pro and you are all set.

 

[Gagabiji]

Don't bother with the 2500+, like everyone else said, just OC your cpu. Simple, and you save a couple hundred.

 

[zodder]

The overclocking WILL require a new motherboard, so you will have that expense.

 

[John P]

A Celeron 2.6 is probably more equal in processing power to an Athlon XP 1600+.

What games are you currently playing? You still have a decent enough cpu and vid card to play all the newest games at 1024 x 768 at medium detail. I would either go with a new vid card or just wait a few months for the new generation of cards.

I am currently sitting on an XP 2500+ with Geforce4 Ti 4200 and it plays Far Cry and UT2K4 good enough for me.

 

[Fuchs]

Sell your 4600 and buy a 9800pro and a nice chair.

yeah, I say buy a nice chair...and a nice video card. But you'll wanna wait for the next gens to come out, so the regular ones will come down in price hopefully.

You have plenty of CPU and power....I wouldn't even bother OC'ing. Buy something you wouldn't normally buy and make your computer more efficient overall....like perhaps a nice silent cpu fan, or smart fan's for your case to go with the nice PSU. Or even an LCD for monitoring....lots of stuff you could do with that.

 

[James3shin]

Wow, thanks for all the ideas and suggestion, very much appreciated folks. I think I will most likely go with the save some money route and look into a nextgen card like the nonultra 6800 if it turns out good, if not then the 98pro is good to go!!!!

 

[RussianSensation]

Even if you do not overclock the 2.6C it is plenty fast for gaming, so invest all your money into the GPU and get yourself a brand new Geforce 6800 for $299 (if that price becomes official). Now you can truly brag.