building up a new calculator

[byru]

Hi,
I am planning to build up a new work(game)station.
Actually my compy looks like this:
Abit BD7II-RAID mobo, P4 Willamate 1.7Ghz (no HT), 1024 MB PC2100 DDR RAM
(266MHz, Kingston) and Gainward GeForce 3 Ti 200 64 MB

I think that tkats it, its time has come. Doom III and FarCry and
forthcomming titles show this clearly.

I was thinking about:
Abit IC7 or IC7-G or IC7-MAX3 (i think the original IC7 will do), P4 3.2 or
3.4 GHz (800MHz) Prescott or Northwood?, 1024 MB PC2100 DDR RAM (266MHz,
Kingston, yes this i wanted to save. Is it a good idea? Will they work in
Dual Channel Mode on the new MoBo?), and GeForce 6600 GT (AGP version when
available).

Will it be a good work(GAME)station for next years?

RAM related question: what about my old RAM sticks, will they do? I dont
want to upgrate them, RAM is expensive as hell and this 1GB is quite
sufficient.

What do you think? Thanks for any comments, ideas, corrections.
Best regards
Byru

 

[kony]

Hi,
I am planning to build up a new work(game)station.
Actually my compy looks like this:
Abit BD7II-RAID mobo, P4 Willamate 1.7Ghz (no HT), 1024 MB PC2100 DDR RAM
(266MHz, Kingston) and Gainward GeForce 3 Ti 200 64 MB

I think that tkats it, its time has come. Doom III and FarCry and
forthcomming titles show this clearly.

I was thinking about:
Abit IC7 or IC7-G or IC7-MAX3 (i think the original IC7 will do), P4 3.2 or
3.4 GHz (800MHz) Prescott or Northwood?, 1024 MB PC2100 DDR RAM (266MHz,
Kingston, yes this i wanted to save. Is it a good idea? Will they work in
Dual Channel Mode on the new MoBo?), and GeForce 6600 GT (AGP version when
available).

Will it be a good work(GAME)station for next years?

RAM related question: what about my old RAM sticks, will they do? I dont
want to upgrate them, RAM is expensive as hell and this 1GB is quite
sufficient.

What do you think? Thanks for any comments, ideas, corrections.
Best regards
Byru

For best performance you do need to replace the memory. No
current/modern CPUs use PC2100. You might choose a board
that can run memory slower than FSB, but it's not a good
idea for long-term use for tasks needing good performance
(like gaming).

Currently an Athlon 64 is a better value for a gaming box.
The GF6600GT is good, but whether it'll be viable for "next
years" is questionable, if the budget allows you might
consider a 6800, since the video card is going to be the
weakest part in the future. Then again, in the future you
can just replace the video card, a 6600 is certainly
sufficient for today and next year or two at least.

 

[JK]

Hi,
I am planning to build up a new work(game)station.
Actually my compy looks like this:
Abit BD7II-RAID mobo, P4 Willamate 1.7Ghz (no HT), 1024 MB PC2100 DDR RAM
(266MHz, Kingston) and Gainward GeForce 3 Ti 200 64 MB

I think that tkats it, its time has come. Doom III

For great Doom 3 play, you should get an Athlon 64.

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2149&p=7

The Athlon 64 chips are also great for business applications.

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2065&p=6

 

[kony]

For best performance you do need to replace the memory. No
current/modern CPUs use PC2100.

EXCEPT, Celeron-D does use 133MHZ FSB, would allow reuse of
the PC2100 memory. No guarantees it'd be running happily in
dual-channel mode on any particular motherboard but odds are
good if it's decent memory.

 

[terry smith]

You can buy a decent scientific calculator for a about £5,
building your own is a bit over the top!!

 

[Mac Cool]

byru:

RAM related question: what about my old RAM sticks, will they do? I dont
want to upgrate them, RAM is expensive as hell and this 1GB is quite
sufficient.

I don't see any problem with it. Keep your existing memory for now and in
all likelyhood, memory prices will drop for xmas.

 

[byru]

Will upgrading just a graphic card and leaving the rest as it is do the job?
will doom3 and other new games be playable in 1024x768 high details on
GeForce 6600 GT + the rest of my current config? I dont want to play in
higher resolutions. Thats it. 1024 is a right res for me. I wouldnt mind AA
and stuff like that. Will it be fine?

Byru

 

[kony]

Will upgrading just a graphic card and leaving the rest as it is do the job?
will doom3 and other new games be playable in 1024x768 high details on
GeForce 6600 GT + the rest of my current config? I dont want to play in
higher resolutions. Thats it. 1024 is a right res for me. I wouldnt mind AA
and stuff like that. Will it be fine?

Byru

Doom3 is pretty graphically demanding, yet it also needs
fairly strong CPU. The video card is the weakest link at
the moment but for best results you do also need faster CPU.

 

[byru]

Doom3 is pretty graphically demanding, yet it also needs
fairly strong CPU. The video card is the weakest link at
the moment but for best results you do also need faster CPU.

so what about P4 2.80 (no ht) on 533 bus (my mobo max) + my old RAM (266MHz)
+ GeForce 6600 GT? Will it be sufficient?

Byru

 

[JK]

so what about P4 2.80 (no ht) on 533 bus (my mobo max) + my old RAM (266MHz)
+ GeForce 6600 GT? Will it be sufficient?

I guess you didn't check the link I provided? The Athlon 64 is a much
better performer than a Pentium 4 for Doom 3. A $150 Athlon 64 3000+
beats an $820 Pentium 4 3.2 ghz EE in Doom 3.

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2149&p=7

 

[kony]

so what about P4 2.80 (no ht) on 533 bus (my mobo max) + my old RAM (266MHz)
+ GeForce 6600 GT? Will it be sufficient?

Sufficient is a relative term with gaming, i can't predict
how doom 3 or any other particular title will perform with
that combination. Generally a slower CPU pared with a
faster (more modern) video card is best suited for playing
current and slightly aged game titles at higher resolutions
and eye candy, since framerate will be more limited by CPU
than video card, you might find 1280x1024 is as fast as
1024x768 in many games.

Unless you feel there's a chance to budget for motherboard
replacement too, within the next 6-9 months, and memory,
then otherwise the CPU upgrade would make sense, especially
since it benefits you in more ways than just gaming.