Will this budget gaming system last for a few years?

[cmp1223]

I have a pretty old computer: Dell, 1.4Ghz P3, 256MB RAM, Radeon 9100. I was thinking of upgrading for better gaming capability- Something like

Antec Sonata Case (380W)
ABIT NF7-S or similar mobo
Athlon 2800 Barton
1 gig CAS 2.5 PC3200 RAM (mushkin?)
Radeon 9800 (hopefully get it for around $150 on a deal)
Keep: Hardrives (for now), Monitor, WInXP, mouse, keyboard

THis will probably be around $650, not that bad. I'm not an avid gamer, but my hope would be this would run Half-Life 2 very well. My big question is upgrading a year or more in the future.

-With a high quality video card, im guessing the CPU will never have to be changed, agree?

-Will they make AGP video cards a year or so down the road, or just PCI-E?

-Id probably get one stick of ram instead of 2x512 so it will run dual channel in the future with another stick (dont think DC makes a great difference anyway)

SO, is it worth it, or am i limiting myself and should wait to afford better stuff: Athlon 64, x800, DDR2. I know these things help, but some of it is just hype, and older systems run new games just as well.

 

[kyparrish]

I don't think anyone here will recommend that you get a Barton 2800 w/ the prices of Socket 754 A64's so low...here's what I would buy..

(all prices just now looked up @ newegg)

Sonata case - 99.99
Chaintech VNF-250 mobo (skt 754, nforce3 250) - 72.00
A64 3000+ (retail) - 147.00
2x512 Corsair PC3200, 2.5 cas ram - 144.54

You're at 463.53 before shipping (shouldn't be more than $20). Use your 9100 for another month or two until the AGP 6600GT's are readily available, then spend $200 bucks on it. This setup will be MUCH better and more futureproof (hello 64 bit apps) for the same price.

 

[Farmer]

With PCI-e slowly becoming a standard, I question the upgradeability.

 

[kyparrish]

And to answer your questions...

1. CPU's are still relevant to gaming performance. Eventually, you would want to upgrade your CPU if you got the Barton. With the A64, you might not need to upgrade your CPU until you do a complete new socket swap (years down the road)

2. 1 gig sticks of PC3200 are much more expensive than 2x512 sticks. Just get the 2x512 setup.

3. AGP cards will be here for a while longer. Even if you get the 6600GT now, you could always upgrade to a 6800GT/ultra in ~2 years for probably $150-$200.

 

[kyparrish]

Cool, then get a socket 939 pci-e mobo w/ low end 939 processor. It will cost more, and price seems to be a concern here, hell, the OP still has a 1.4 P3.

 

[w00t]

Originally posted by: kyparrish
I don't think anyone here will recommend that you get a Barton 2800 w/ the prices of Socket 754 A64's so low...here's what I would buy..

(all prices just now looked up @ newegg)

Sonata case - 99.99
Chaintech VNF-250 mobo (skt 754, nforce3 250) - 72.00
A64 3000+ (retail) - 147.00
2x512 Corsair PC3200, 2.5 cas ram - 144.54

You're at 463.53 before shipping (shouldn't be more than $20). Use your 9100 for another month or two until the AGP 6600GT's are readily available, then spend $200 bucks on it. This setup will be MUCH better and more futureproof (hello 64 bit apps) for the same price.

agree but i keep hearing 754 is fading out so maybe get socket 939 and wait for nf4 board. the 6600gt is a good card.

 

[kyparrish]

Originally posted by: w00t

Originally posted by: kyparrish
I don't think anyone here will recommend that you get a Barton 2800 w/ the prices of Socket 754 A64's so low...here's what I would buy..

(all prices just now looked up @ newegg)

Sonata case - 99.99
Chaintech VNF-250 mobo (skt 754, nforce3 250) - 72.00
A64 3000+ (retail) - 147.00
2x512 Corsair PC3200, 2.5 cas ram - 144.54

You're at 463.53 before shipping (shouldn't be more than $20). Use your 9100 for another month or two until the AGP 6600GT's are readily available, then spend $200 bucks on it. This setup will be MUCH better and more futureproof (hello 64 bit apps) for the same price.

agree but i keep hearing 754 is fading out so maybe get socket 939 and wait for nf4 board. the 6600gt is a good card.

You are correct, 754 is on the way out. BUT, if price is a concern, it's still a good choice, because you still would have a few options in a few years...

1. overclock your 3000+
2. buy a used 3400+ or 3700+ 754 chip for a speed boost

The truth is, 754 is on the way out, 939 is here to stay. The misconception is, that since 754 is on the way out, it sucks. This is a mistake. 754 A64's are still great chips, especially when you start ramping up clockspeeds A 3400+ @ 2.4 ghz ($199 for an OEM chip at newegg today), will be faster in lots of apps than a 3500+ 939 (2.2ghz).

Just something to think about. I'm debating an A64 upgrade from a mobile barton @ 2.4 ghz, and am thinking about 754 because of the cheaper cost.

 

[coolred]

IMO, it would not be wise for someone like this to wait for and pay for PCI-E. It offers no benefit in todays games. And its not like he will be putting in a new video card in 6 months, to keep up with the demand of the games. I mean look at it from this perspective. Assume he plans to not make an upgrade for at least 1-2 years. Would it really be worth it to wait and pay even just a little bit more for a rig that will perform almost exactly the same as one he can build now for less?



Socket 754 is not fading out either. It will be used for Sempron for some time to come. While it will supposedly top out at 3700+ for A64 chips, that would still offer an upgrade path in a bit. Meaning he could get a 2800+/3000+ now, and then if he wanted a cheap upgrade in a couple years, pick up a 3700+. I was thinking of doing something like this(with the DFI nF3 board, for good overclocking)but no one seems to want my opteron and memory, so I may be stuck sinking deeper into debt to finish my dual opteron rig.

 

[coolred]

I am not saying your wrong or anything, since no one really knows, and everyone is entitled to thier own opinion. But as I said, socket 754 will support sempron for a while from what i understand, so while it may not get A64 upgrades, it will still be around. And socket 939 may not be here to stay as long as everyone thinks. As soon as DDR2 speeds up to cover up for its latency issues, AMD will have to transition to this, which will require a new core. Who knows how soon this will happen. Hopefully later then sooner, but no one really knows for sure. Plus the socket 939 boards aren't the greatest motherboards ever created. Hack several companies are skipping right over the current chipset socket 939 boards and waiting for NF4. Which as I said, I don't feel he has a need for.

Originally posted by: kyparrish

Originally posted by: w00t

Originally posted by: kyparrish
I don't think anyone here will recommend that you get a Barton 2800 w/ the prices of Socket 754 A64's so low...here's what I would buy..

(all prices just now looked up @ newegg)

Sonata case - 99.99
Chaintech VNF-250 mobo (skt 754, nforce3 250) - 72.00
A64 3000+ (retail) - 147.00
2x512 Corsair PC3200, 2.5 cas ram - 144.54

You're at 463.53 before shipping (shouldn't be more than $20). Use your 9100 for another month or two until the AGP 6600GT's are readily available, then spend $200 bucks on it. This setup will be MUCH better and more futureproof (hello 64 bit apps) for the same price.

agree but i keep hearing 754 is fading out so maybe get socket 939 and wait for nf4 board. the 6600gt is a good card.

You are correct, 754 is on the way out. BUT, if price is a concern, it's still a good choice, because you still would have a few options in a few years...

1. overclock your 3000+
2. buy a used 3400+ or 3700+ 754 chip for a speed boost

The truth is, 754 is on the way out, 939 is here to stay. The misconception is, that since 754 is on the way out, it sucks. This is a mistake. 754 A64's are still great chips, especially when you start ramping up clockspeeds A 3400+ @ 2.4 ghz ($199 for an OEM chip at newegg today), will be faster in lots of apps than a 3500+ 939 (2.2ghz).

Just something to think about. I'm debating an A64 upgrade from a mobile barton @ 2.4 ghz, and am thinking about 754 because of the cheaper cost.

 

[kyparrish]

yeah, i know 754 isn't fading out for Sempron's, but when I talk about "fading out", I mean, you're not going to be able to upgrade an A64 beyond 3700+. It woudn't make sense to "upgrade" to a Sempron from a A64 3000+ down the road.

My opinion is just that in this person's case, where cost is an issue, and upgrades are obviously infrequent, why not just go ahead and get a solid 754 solution at a good price now and enjoy HL2

Originally posted by: coolred
I am not saying your wrong or anything, since no one really knows, and everyone is entitled to thier own opinion. But as I said, socket 754 will support sempron for a while from what i understand, so while it may not get A64 upgrades, it will still be around. And socket 939 may not be here to stay as long as everyone thinks. As soon as DDR2 speeds up to cover up for its latency issues, AMD will have to transition to this, which will require a new core. Who knows how soon this will happen. Hopefully later then sooner, but no one really knows for sure. Plus the socket 939 boards aren't the greatest motherboards ever created. Hack several companies are skipping right over the current chipset socket 939 boards and waiting for NF4. Which as I said, I don't feel he has a need for.

Originally posted by: kyparrish

Originally posted by: w00t

Originally posted by: kyparrish
I don't think anyone here will recommend that you get a Barton 2800 w/ the prices of Socket 754 A64's so low...here's what I would buy..

(all prices just now looked up @ newegg)

Sonata case - 99.99
Chaintech VNF-250 mobo (skt 754, nforce3 250) - 72.00
A64 3000+ (retail) - 147.00
2x512 Corsair PC3200, 2.5 cas ram - 144.54

You're at 463.53 before shipping (shouldn't be more than $20). Use your 9100 for another month or two until the AGP 6600GT's are readily available, then spend $200 bucks on it. This setup will be MUCH better and more futureproof (hello 64 bit apps) for the same price.

agree but i keep hearing 754 is fading out so maybe get socket 939 and wait for nf4 board. the 6600gt is a good card.

You are correct, 754 is on the way out. BUT, if price is a concern, it's still a good choice, because you still would have a few options in a few years...

1. overclock your 3000+
2. buy a used 3400+ or 3700+ 754 chip for a speed boost

The truth is, 754 is on the way out, 939 is here to stay. The misconception is, that since 754 is on the way out, it sucks. This is a mistake. 754 A64's are still great chips, especially when you start ramping up clockspeeds A 3400+ @ 2.4 ghz ($199 for an OEM chip at newegg today), will be faster in lots of apps than a 3500+ 939 (2.2ghz).

Just something to think about. I'm debating an A64 upgrade from a mobile barton @ 2.4 ghz, and am thinking about 754 because of the cheaper cost.

 

[LordPhoenix]

Why does everyone worry about upgrading socket 754...

IMO, AMD A64 3700+ is toooooooo much power and will last a long time and by the time it will be considered "old" is when 939 is cheap and there are TONS of good 939 boards and new generation pci-e cards.

 

[uOpt]

If you want a 2.4 GHz Athlon 64 you save BIG by choosing Socket 754.

As other have said, the current 939 mainboards might be invalidated by PCIe (not so likely, though) progress in RAM (more likely).

I also expect about two more faster 754 AMD64s to come out when the 939s get upgraded. Plus some Sempron-alike will probably be around 754. The current Sempron bungs up Socket A mainboards pretty good.

So, overall, you'd pay a lot of money for the same speed for 939 now. if you want a lot of speed now that's not worth it. If you are willing to live with lower speed now and then upgrade later, then the 939 might be worth it. But you might very well end up having used a slower CPU for the same money and no upgrade benefit at all if you buy something else instead of upgrading.

As my sig shows, I've chosen the former.

Also, dual-channel RAM for 939 kind of limits upgradeablity since you have to buy 2 RAM modules. Buying one module of the biggest size is obviously smarter for upgradeability and doesn't come with a speed disadvantage of 754.

 

[coolred]

I agree, I would go socket 754 right now as well, if not for this dang opteron. But it may make sense to some to upgrade from say an A64 3000+ to a sempron 4200+(theoretical)If they just needed a cheap upgrade and didn't really need the advantages of 64bit. I mean reall yhow much will 64bit computing help with word processing and the likes of stuff like that. But I also agree that in place of a sempron 4200+, I would just go to an A64 3700+

Whatever he chooses between the sockets, I see no reason what so ever to wait for PCI-E.

Originally posted by: kyparrish
yeah, i know 754 isn't fading out for Sempron's, but when I talk about "fading out", I mean, you're not going to be able to upgrade an A64 beyond 3700+. It woudn't make sense to "upgrade" to a Sempron from a A64 3000+ down the road.

My opinion is just that in this person's case, where cost is an issue, and upgrades are obviously infrequent, why not just go ahead and get a solid 754 solution at a good price now and enjoy HL2

Originally posted by: coolred
I am not saying your wrong or anything, since no one really knows, and everyone is entitled to thier own opinion. But as I said, socket 754 will support sempron for a while from what i understand, so while it may not get A64 upgrades, it will still be around. And socket 939 may not be here to stay as long as everyone thinks. As soon as DDR2 speeds up to cover up for its latency issues, AMD will have to transition to this, which will require a new core. Who knows how soon this will happen. Hopefully later then sooner, but no one really knows for sure. Plus the socket 939 boards aren't the greatest motherboards ever created. Hack several companies are skipping right over the current chipset socket 939 boards and waiting for NF4. Which as I said, I don't feel he has a need for.

Originally posted by: kyparrish

Originally posted by: w00t

Originally posted by: kyparrish
I don't think anyone here will recommend that you get a Barton 2800 w/ the prices of Socket 754 A64's so low...here's what I would buy..

(all prices just now looked up @ newegg)

Sonata case - 99.99
Chaintech VNF-250 mobo (skt 754, nforce3 250) - 72.00
A64 3000+ (retail) - 147.00
2x512 Corsair PC3200, 2.5 cas ram - 144.54

You're at 463.53 before shipping (shouldn't be more than $20). Use your 9100 for another month or two until the AGP 6600GT's are readily available, then spend $200 bucks on it. This setup will be MUCH better and more futureproof (hello 64 bit apps) for the same price.

agree but i keep hearing 754 is fading out so maybe get socket 939 and wait for nf4 board. the 6600gt is a good card.

You are correct, 754 is on the way out. BUT, if price is a concern, it's still a good choice, because you still would have a few options in a few years...

1. overclock your 3000+
2. buy a used 3400+ or 3700+ 754 chip for a speed boost

The truth is, 754 is on the way out, 939 is here to stay. The misconception is, that since 754 is on the way out, it sucks. This is a mistake. 754 A64's are still great chips, especially when you start ramping up clockspeeds A 3400+ @ 2.4 ghz ($199 for an OEM chip at newegg today), will be faster in lots of apps than a 3500+ 939 (2.2ghz).

Just something to think about. I'm debating an A64 upgrade from a mobile barton @ 2.4 ghz, and am thinking about 754 because of the cheaper cost.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Another vote for 754. Save money now, be able to get a better graphics card, enjoy good performance for a couple of years.

At that point, the 939 you'd buy now will probably be just as obsolete as a 754. By then you'll want the shiny new nforce6 with DDRII+ PC6400 and SLI-x support.

 

[cmp1223]

Well, this all came together pretty fast (as in today)

Saw the Hot deals section:

PIcked up BFG GeFORCE 6800 OC with Far Cry and Half Life 2 for $250 after rebate with TAX @ BB

PMed WD 200GB 8mb cache EIDE Harddrive for about $20 after rebate after PM to Sams with TAX @ CC

WIll probably order HyperX 512x2 PC400 kit tomorrow for $160

Now need deals on Sonata Case, 754 mobo, and A64 CPU! This will be more than i expected, but im getting two great games with the price so its great for me (BTW: i have all the optical drives i need)

 

[Mrvile]

Hmm you sure you want 754? 939 is probably the MOST upgradeable, and doesn't cost too much more.

939 3000+ - 150 bucks
939 mobo - 120 bucks

And yes, it will be a bit more than you expected, but a 939 3000+/6800OC will definately last you a long time.

 

[KBtn]

I might invest in a good motherboard that will give you a lot better room for future upgrades such as the NF4 (if it is ever released). With the motherboard in you can skimp on the rest of the components for now, and know that you will be able to upgrade each componet over time.

 

[coolred]

In his case he was right going for socket 754 rather then 939 and especially NF4

 

[cmp1223]

What about this:

MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum nForce3 Ultra Athlon 64(FX) Skt 939 DDR

1000FSB, ATA/133, AGP 8X, 4DDR DIMM, 5PCI, USB 2.0, IEEE 1394, Audio, Dual LAN, RAID/SATA

$136

AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Processor Socket 939 Retail

$146

Gotta find a deal on the sonata case. Damn, with RAM and the vid card i bought, the price is getting up there, but its still pretty good after the rebates and free games

 

[cmp1223]

Also, will a 350W antec smart power run all this, i could save moey getting a case with that instead of 380W TruePower.

 

[cmp1223]

Heres what i decided:

Plus some 512x2 PC3200 RAM and the 6800 OC and the WD 200GB EIDE:

Cases (Computer Cases, ATX Form)


MAXTOP Signature Series Type II Mid Tower PC, Model "CSX-147K2FGRAY" -RETAIL
Item# N82E16811150017

$28.50


Motherboards - AMD


MSI "K8N Neo2 Platinum" NVIDIA nForce3 ULTRA Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket 939 CPU -RETAIL
Item# N82E16813130468

$136.00


Power Supplies


Antec 430W Power Supply, Model "TRUE430" -RETAIL
Item# N82E16817103908

$69.00


Processors


AMD Athlon 64 3000+, 512KB L2 Cache, Socket 939 64-bit Processor - Retail

Item# N82E16819103501

$147

Winchester Core

 

[Mrvile]

Everything looks great, but you gonna gimp out on the case? I spent 280 on mine, you might wanna up yours .

I suggest an Antec case, niec quality cases for good prices.

 

[cmp1223]

I guess it will have to be a "sleeper" for a while. Good components in a sh*t case. I really dont have enough money now, and this will do. I hope i can get in on that HyperX 512x2 at outpost deal. I'll call them tomorrow and see if they expect a shipment.