Which upgrade path should I choose out of these 4

[Therk]

Current Specs:

A64 3000+
9600 xt
1024 ddr ram
17 inch LG monitor [max res 1280x1024 @ 60 hz, 3 years old]
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Upgrade option 1: Cheap

Upgrade video card to 6600 GT

Cost = $270
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Upgrade option 2:

Upgrade CPU to A64 3500+
Upgrade video card to 6600 GT

Cost = $370
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Upgrade option 3:

Upgrade CPU to A64 3500+
Upgrade video card to 6800 GS

Cost = $550
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Upgrade option 4: Expensive

Upgrade CPU to A64 3500+
Upgrade video card to 6800 GS
Buy a new monitor [19 inch philips, max res 1920x1440 @ 62hz]

Cost = $750
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Which would you suggest and why?

These prices are in NEW ZEALAND dollars so don't tell me that i can find cheaper parts on newegg etc.....

 

[Lonyo]

Overclock CPU, upgrade to 6800GS.

 

[Therk]

Thing is, I have to buy a new CPU because my dad is taking this one but he'll give me the full price payed for it when i bought it.

 

[BW86]

Originally posted by: Lonyo
Overclock CPU, upgrade to 6800GS.

 

[Therk]

btw what is the difference between a 939 A64s and 754 A64s?

 

[Munky]

Originally posted by: Lonyo
Overclock CPU, upgrade to 6800GS.

I'd do that too. The 6800gs is a pretty good deal if you OC it, and the a64 3000 is also nice for overclocking if your motherboard can run stable at increased HTT speeds. Dont buy the bigger monitor, because you'll need a lot more than a 6800gs to play any modern games at 1920x1440 resolutions.

 

[Munky]

Originally posted by: Therk
btw what is the difference between a 939 A64s and 754 A64s?

The major difference is that s939 supports dual channel mem. But you'd also need a new motherboard if you're switching from s754 to s939.

 

[Lonyo]

Originally posted by: Therk
Thing is, I have to buy a new CPU because my dad is taking this one but he'll give me the full price payed for it when i bought it.

Buy another 3000/3200/Opteron 146 and overclock it.

 

[Nextman916]

Dont pay for a 3500+ get the 3200+, the 3500 is nothing but a 3200 factory overclock 2mhz. Unless your getting a 3700+ with a larger L2 cache just oc the 3200+ and save some money for other upgrades. Get the 6800gs.

 

[Therk]

Btw, what does OEM stand for?

 

[Therk]

So the 3200 is the same thing as a 3500 except it is factory overclocked? So raising the FSB to 3500+ speeds would be no problem I pressume?

 

[Eureka]

OEM... not sure what the acronym is... something like Original Manufacture or something.

Anyway, if you have the room upgrade to a 21" CRT, and you can always scale the resolution down. The GS is fine though, and your processor is plenty enough to last you for now.

Norm

 

[Belarios]

"OEM" parts, that's Original Equipment Manufacturer, are the opposite of "Retail" parts. The difference depends on what you're getting.

An OEM video card usually won't come in a nice package, and often won't have the game software with it. Maybe not a big deal. In the case of AMD CPUs, the OEM parts don't come with the stock heat sink/fan and they also have a 90 day warranty instead of a three year warranty. So that's a pretty big difference.

I've never seen an OEM version come with more than a Retail version, so if the price is fairly close, go for the Retail version. If the price difference is large, read over the accessories and warranty to see what you're giving up.

The 3000+, 3200+ and the 3500+ all come from the same production line. They're all 90mm, Venice cores, 512k cache. The difference is that their speed multiplier is locked at a different maximum number, and they're rated by AMD to work at a certain frequency. Because AMD's been making them a while and gotten good at the manufacturing, the 3000+ will generally run at or near 3500+ anyways. Multiplier isn't a big deal because the overclockers usually lower the multiplier and raise the HTT to increase the clock speed anyways. The prices on newegg at the moment are $141, 152 and 201. Most of the guys here think it's worth the extra $9 to get the 3200+ but not worth the extra $49 to get the one marked at 3500+.

 

[Nextman916]

It is pretty much a guarentee to overclock the 3200+ to 2.2ghz. I know when you OC its never guarenteed but for such a small increase i think its safe to say it is, so i would say yes absolutely no problem.