Upgrading My Pc?

RamsesRamses Join Date: 2002-05-21 Member: 642Members
in Off-Topic
As this year is going to be a great one for gamers (Doom 3, Deus Ex 2, Half-Life 2 etc.) I'm thinking about upgrading my PC this summer.
Well, I've not that much hardware-experience, so I need <b>your</b> help!
I tell you what hardware I have, and you tell me (if I've luck and you've time) which needs upgrading most (and perhaps if you can recommend something). Remember that I'm a semi-poor student and either won't or can't afford the best (as long as the best is also the most expensive <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo--> ). Don't take the trouble to post links to dealers since I live far away in Hamburg (Germany)...

<b>Processor</b>: AMD Athlon ~1.2 Ghz

<b>Motherboard</b>: GA-7ZMM VIA KM133 (not sure what of this is it's name...)

<b>RAM</b>: 640 MB SD-RAM (one 512-Stick and one 128-Stick)

<b>Harddrive</b>: Quantum Fireball ltc20 (40 Gb, 4500rpm)

<b>DVD-Drive</b>: Matshita DVD-ROM SR-8586 (16x DVD, 48x CD)

<b>CD-Burner</b>: Sony CD-RW CRX160E (12x write, 8x rewrite, 32x read)

<b>Graphics Card</b>: Geforce 2 GTS/Pro (64 MB RAM)

<b>Sound Card</b>: Soundblaster 5.1 Live! Digital

<b>Operating System</b>: Windows XP Professional

Thanks in advance, I know that this isn't a Hardware-forum, but it's nearly the only I ever use, so don't be angry <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'><!--endemo-->
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Comments

  • DubersDubers Pet Shop Boy Edinburgh, UK Join Date: 2002-07-25 Member: 998Members
    edited May 2003
    The obvious one would be the Graphics card. Also you should take a look at what the higest spec processor your mother board can handle and mayby thinking about upgrading that. Thats just a mayby tho. Someone else jump in here I can't think due to v.bad headache.
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  • XaniethXanieth Join Date: 2002-11-06 Member: 7280Members
    Upgrade your RAM to DDR PC-2100, it will give you a huge boost in performance over SDR. Also, I would suggest getting a faster processor (Athlon XP 1800+). As for a video card, a Geforce 4 Ti4600 is a good choice, but if you have money for 4600 I would just get a Radeon 9500 Pro or a 9600. Make sure you get a Pro, because if it's not it sucks.
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  • Cereal_KillRCereal_KillR Join Date: 2002-10-31 Member: 1837Members
    er get a new motherboard and new ram. You'll need the new motherboard for the new ram.

    Asus and MSI are good imo.

    The MSI KT4 ultra is a good card, but I think there is a new one. K7N I think.
    Asus gets you the A7N8X
    Buy 512 of DDR-400 (PC 3200)
    and eventually a new processor (in the 2400+ area)

    And a new GFX card. To play Doom III nicely, you'd have to have a high-end video card. Not GF4-4600, not Radeon 9600. I'd suggest waiting for prices to go down, the market evolving and possibly getting the next generation.
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  • DubersDubers Pet Shop Boy Edinburgh, UK Join Date: 2002-07-25 Member: 998Members
    edited May 2003
    That would be quite an expensive upgrade tho. To be honest if you don't have a disposable income a ram upgrade and a graphics card upgrade would be sufficient. Also like i said take a look at the highest spec processor your m-board can handle as a future purchase. Getting a new m-board could be quite pricey.
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  • r3dsk4r3r3dsk4r3 Join Date: 2003-05-13 Member: 16257Members
    i can feel the heat of the flames already, but i think one of your main bottlenecks is your hard-drive. 4500 RPM? thats a little slow. The RAM and graphics cards are a main issue though. Theres some new RAM out, (3200?) but you just have to experiment as to what your motherboard can take. definately check out this month's issue of PCGamer for a new 3d card though.
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  • FlatlineUTDFlatlineUTD Join Date: 2002-11-08 Member: 7695Members
    4500 RPMs is *extremely* slow for a hard drive today - look into something at 7200 RPMs. Regardless of what people tell you, if you're running a Windows system, the biggest speed increase you can gain is with a fast hard drive configuration. Memory and CPU help too of course, but having good disk architecture will work wonders.

    In your particular case, I'd say upgrade the video card first and foremost. With the ATI 9800 and GeForce FX coming out, you should be able to pick up a 9700 Pro All-in-Wonder pretty cheap over the summer. Then HD (Western Digital, 7200 RPM, any size is fine; you can get 60GB for about $100), then RAM.
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  • RamsesRamses Join Date: 2002-05-21 Member: 642Members
    Well, thanks for your input everyone!

    My Video Card seems to be biggest problem, but since I won't buy anything before June or July, I hope that I can find some good prices.
    I never knew that my Harddrive can make such a difference. I've often wondered why Windows XP needs so long to boot, this may be at least one of the reasons...
    Since I use often Image-Editing-Software and plan to reanimate my mapping-skills, I think about DDR-Ram. It's not first-priority (640 SDRAM are still pretty much for my standards and do the job) but I would have to get a new Motherboard for that.
    Can anyone tell me the average prices of good motherboards? This will have time, and since I've already experienced a lack of free pci-slots (solved by buying a router and getting rid of one network-card) it should have enough free space for atleast 1 network-card, 1 soundcard, 1 TV-card, 1 video-card (I've heard some of the newest use 2 slots) and 1 additional auxiliary slot...

    Thanks again for all your input!
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  • GreyPawsGreyPaws Join Date: 2002-11-15 Member: 8659Members
    Use that system as a file server or a backup machine for gaming build this instead:

    p4 2.8 (533mhz) $256 (usd)
    Asus p4t533-c (mobo 533mhz) $129
    2x 256 pc1066 RDRAM (samsung) $82x2
    Creative Audigy Platinum (sound) $60
    Geforce4 ti4200 (asus) $222 or FX5800 if you can afford it $359
    IBM 60.0GB 60GXP HARD DRIVE EIDE 7200RPM ATA100 $80- if you can find 70gxp i think they were better

    thats it for the core components, obviously a nice case and good fans and such and whatever you want for media (burners floppies etc)

    these prices were from 05/13/03 www.pricewatch.com
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  • Cereal_KillRCereal_KillR Join Date: 2002-10-31 Member: 1837Members
    <!--QuoteBegin--DuBERS+May 13 2003, 08:45 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (DuBERS @ May 13 2003, 08:45 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> That would be quite an expensive upgrade tho. To be honest if you don't have a disposable income a ram upgrade and a graphics card upgrade would be sufficient. Also like i said take a look at the highest spec processor your m-board can handle as a future purchase. Getting a new m-board could be quite pricey. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    I am considering he can't move to DDR without changing motherboard. which he can't.
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