Which to upgrade?

[Sentinel]

Specs:

Shuttle AN35N Ultra 400
2 x 512 Corsair VR PC 3200 DDR
1700+ TBred B 1.4 GHz @ 2.0 GHz

Sapphire Rad 9600XT 128M

Should I concentrate on video or core hardware first?
If I go with a 6600GT will my system be too much of a bottleneck, or will it be able to keep up?

 

[airfoil]

IMO, That video card is good enough, but the CPU is a little behind the times.

 

[stevty2889]

Well it depends a lot on what games you are playing, but the 6600GT should make a nice upgrade for games. Your CPU will probably bottleneck it some, but it will be a good improvement of the 9600XT.

 

[Sentinel]

I just want to be able to play with graphics on high with no lag, ie. rts and fps mainly

 

[imported_w4rr3n]

Naw, your 9600 XT isnt THAT bad..its your CPU, ESPECIALLY if you're playing CPU intensive games like HL2 or CS:Source.

Go with the Mobo + CPU upgrade and worry about the GPU when you get a little extra money.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Well, I'd say if we take into account that you have your processor running somewhere around 2700+ levels, I think a videocard upgrade would be the better idea. You can get a 6600gt for $158 after rebate. You're not going to be able to get a decent A64 setup for less than about $225.

 

[Sentinel]

i thought is possible to get a pretty good A64 setup for not that much? hmm...questions questions...

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Sentinel
i thought is possible to get a pretty good A64 setup for not that much? hmm...questions questions...

Well... a 3000+ is almost $150. A really basic A64 motherboard is bout $50. You'd want to spend at least $75 on it most likely, and probably more like $100.

 

[Sentinel]

yeah the epox board i have heard good things about is around $90

 

[Sentinel]

bump for the night crew

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Sentinel
bump for the night crew

Night crew, eh?

 

[Sentinel]

ok well if the overall consensus points to core hardware

what should i look at getting for roughly the same cost? aim for purchase in may/june

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Sentinel
ok well if the overall consensus points to core hardware

what should i look at getting for roughly the same cost? aim for purchase in may/june

I'd say come back when you're about to purchase and we'll let you know what the best buy is at the time?

What's your budget again?

 

[Sentinel]

budget in the realm of 250, but i will probably look toward mid summer to upgrade due to money constraints. I could of course sell my current, but still would be tough.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Sentinel
budget in the realm of 250, but i will probably look toward mid summer to upgrade due to money constraints. I could of course sell my current, but still would be tough.

Don't bother picking stuff out now. A few months could totally change things. Come back when you're about to buy and we'll give you better advice then.

 

[Sentinel]

well the thing is, if i can find something of decent value worth upgrading i would consider doing it now

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Sentinel
well the thing is, if i can find something of decent value worth upgrading i would consider doing it now

Are you planning on overclocking at all?

Something like a gigabyte NF3 or a soltek with a VIA chipset would be a good budget 939 motherboard with AGP.

You could also go with a socket 754 solution and you could get a motherboard for even cheaper.

There's an 754 AGP gigabyte motherboard with good reviews for $70.

Add in a 3000+ A64 for $150 and you have a basic A64 system.

What kind of powersupply do you have? I imagine it's pretty decent as you're overclocking already with no problems.

 

[Tostada]

The big question is:

What monitor do you have and what resolution to you play at?.

I mean, if you're playing 800x600 on some old monitor a new video card isn't going to help you, but if you're playing Doom 3 at 1280x1024 you're going to appreciate the 6600GT (twice the pixel pipes, twice the memory bandwidth) a lot more than a CPU upgrade.

 

[andy nowotny]

the cpu is a little slow

 

[andy nowotny]

the cpu is a little slow

 

[Sentinel]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: Sentinel
well the thing is, if i can find something of decent value worth upgrading i would consider doing it now

Are you planning on overclocking at all?

Something like a gigabyte NF3 or a soltek with a VIA chipset would be a good budget 939 motherboard with AGP.

You could also go with a socket 754 solution and you could get a motherboard for even cheaper.

There's an 754 AGP gigabyte motherboard with good reviews for $70.

Add in a 3000+ A64 for $150 and you have a basic A64 system.

What kind of powersupply do you have? I imagine it's pretty decent as you're overclocking already with no problems.

Yeah I was thinking of going 754, will have to do some more thought. I have a Antec True 380W PSU. Monitor is a 17" L70S Hyundai LCD and I have a old Dell circa 1996 monitor connected as well. I play games at typically 1024x768.

How about this
for a budget upgrade, I could always go with a 3000+, but I don't think this board OC's very well...

 

[Fern]

Originally posted by: Sentinel
I just want to be able to play with graphics on high with no lag, ie. rts and fps mainly

I've run my 6800GT with my CPU set as low as a 2500+ (1.8ghz), usually it's set above a 3200+ (2.4ghz) with a FSB of over 200. I don't see any difference in games like Doom 3 or Far Cry with it underlcoked or overclocked.

RTS games, from the ones I've seen they aren't very hard on the gfx card. FPS are though, and it all about the vid card there.

Get the vid card. That's the best bang-for-buck in gaming.

Fern