Okay, here's the situation....
I'm pi$$ poor but will have a little bit of money to upgrade my current rig. I am on a VERY tight budget so I simply MUST stay under $400, though I'd love to stay well below that price if possible. My current rig is as follows:
Athlon XP 2200+ (133FSB)
9600 Pro
Standard 17" MAG CRT (can really only use it at 1024x768 without issues).
I'm primarily wanting to upgrade for gaming purposes. I don't really have a lot of problems gaming with my current system but I could certainly use a couple minimal upgrades within my tight budget. I pretty much have come up with 4 choices that I'm deciding between and would love everyone's opinion.
Combo 1: 19" CRT Flat Screen from MAG ($190 shipped) + Athlon 2600+ (could actually run my PC2700 memory in tune with the 333 FSB) ($85 shipped) for a total of $275. I would however be forced to keep using my 9600 Pro.
Combo 2: Same CRT above + either 9800 Pro/Aopen 5900XT/Gainward 5700 Ultra "FX PowerPack". With the 9800P I'm at $385 total...$364 total with 5900XT and $372 total with 5700 Ultra.
Combo 3: Just be content playing games with my current 17" monitor at 1024x768 and get one of the above video cards and a Athlon XP 2800+ CPU. Prices would range from $287-$308 which is nice.
Combo 4: Keep my current rig but just get a Gainward FX 6800 non-ultra (PowerPack) which Newegg has for $309. I don't want to really be CPU limited and I will likely only be able to appreciate this card at 1024x768.
What would you guys do, provided there were no other options? Also, of the 3 mid-range cards I mentioned, does the 9800 Pro stand head and shoulders above the other two? Curious if leaving a 9600 Pro for the 5700 Ultra or 5900XT is going to be worth the cost.
Thanks!!!
I'm pi$$ poor but will have a little bit of money to upgrade my current rig. I am on a VERY tight budget so I simply MUST stay under $400, though I'd love to stay well below that price if possible. My current rig is as follows:
Athlon XP 2200+ (133FSB)
9600 Pro
Standard 17" MAG CRT (can really only use it at 1024x768 without issues).
I'm primarily wanting to upgrade for gaming purposes. I don't really have a lot of problems gaming with my current system but I could certainly use a couple minimal upgrades within my tight budget. I pretty much have come up with 4 choices that I'm deciding between and would love everyone's opinion.
Combo 1: 19" CRT Flat Screen from MAG ($190 shipped) + Athlon 2600+ (could actually run my PC2700 memory in tune with the 333 FSB) ($85 shipped) for a total of $275. I would however be forced to keep using my 9600 Pro.
Combo 2: Same CRT above + either 9800 Pro/Aopen 5900XT/Gainward 5700 Ultra "FX PowerPack". With the 9800P I'm at $385 total...$364 total with 5900XT and $372 total with 5700 Ultra.
Combo 3: Just be content playing games with my current 17" monitor at 1024x768 and get one of the above video cards and a Athlon XP 2800+ CPU. Prices would range from $287-$308 which is nice.
Combo 4: Keep my current rig but just get a Gainward FX 6800 non-ultra (PowerPack) which Newegg has for $309. I don't want to really be CPU limited and I will likely only be able to appreciate this card at 1024x768.
What would you guys do, provided there were no other options? Also, of the 3 mid-range cards I mentioned, does the 9800 Pro stand head and shoulders above the other two? Curious if leaving a 9600 Pro for the 5700 Ultra or 5900XT is going to be worth the cost.
Thanks!!!