Is the upgrade worth it?

[Jamie_Manic]

Im in the process of upgrading my PC. This is my current set-up:

AthlonXP 2400+
Elite Systems K7S5A Mobo
Radeon 9700 non-pro
1 Gig DDR 2100
Audigy 1

I have ordered:

AthlonXP3200+
MSI K7N2 Delta
1 Gig DDR 3200


Now, is it really gonna be worth my while adding a 9800 XT to that list?
Money isn't a massive issue, I'm willing to shell out the cash if I can get
a significant performance boost.

If I go from a 9700 to a 9800XT am I really going to see a big difference? I
see the clock rates are about 33% higher on the XT...thats on paper though,
does that translate well into real performance?

Im a big gamer and play the likes of SWG and will be looking to play new
stuff like Far Cry, Doom 3 etc.

 

[We Live For The One We Die For The One]

No u dumb ****.

Keep your system is a KICK ARSE RIG.

You wont notice much of a difference with the rig you order a waste of
money, FLUUUUUUUUUUUSH.

 

[Thomas]

No u dumb ****.

Hmmm this is a time as good as any, i guess, can someone explain me how to
*ploink* someone in OE? :-D

Thomas

 

[Pug Fugley]

As long as the board has Nforce 2 and you run the RAM in dual channel you'll
notice a difference, especially if you're into video editing and things like
that.

 

[We Live For The One We Die For The One]

I'am sorry my girlfriend dumped me and my dog died, also my girlfriend
turned out to be a guy so i'am not a happy chappy

 

[W Lo]

Just highlight the message and press the Delete button on your keyboard

 

[Ben Pope]

Hmmm this is a time as good as any, i guess, can someone explain me how to
*ploink* someone in OE? :-D

I think it's Alt-S, but Message - Block Sender if you prefer the menus.

And it's usually "plonk".

Ben

 

[Ben Pope]

Im in the process of upgrading my PC. This is my current set-up:

AthlonXP 2400+
Elite Systems K7S5A Mobo
Radeon 9700 non-pro
1 Gig DDR 2100
Audigy 1

I have ordered:

AthlonXP3200+
MSI K7N2 Delta
1 Gig DDR 3200


Now, is it really gonna be worth my while adding a 9800 XT to that list?
Money isn't a massive issue, I'm willing to shell out the cash if I can
get a significant performance boost.

Well some would suggest just upping the multiplier on your current CPU as
far as it will reasonable go.

Or purchasing a XP 2500+ and changing FSB to 2000MHz.

But I'll presume you do not wish to overclock.

If I go from a 9700 to a 9800XT am I really going to see a big
difference? I see the clock rates are about 33% higher on the XT...thats
on paper though, does that translate well into real performance?

Maybe, maybe not. I wouldn't have thought that the expense was worth it...
set the money aside and upgrade when the next gen cards are out. The R350
(is it 360 on XT?) core is not much improved from the R300 you have so in
terms of performance your best bet is to look at clock frequency. Still, I
doubt you need 33% extra for most games.

Im a big gamer and play the likes of SWG and will be looking to play new
stuff like Far Cry, Doom 3 etc.

Wait until the games you want surface. Then see if your current hardware is
quick enough or not. No point in throwing your money away.

I purchased a 9800 Pro in anticipation of HL2 and it hasn't appeared... (I
was getting a new system anyway and had to upgrade my V3 as it was not
compatible with the latest boards - don't get me wrong, I'm not in the
slightest bit disappointed with my purchase and would do it again even with
hindsight)

Incidentally, what RAM are you getting? Might be worth spending a bit more
and getting premium stuff (like Corsair 3200LL, which I'd recommend to
anybody... or at least the 3200C2)

Ben

 

[Jamie_Manic]

No u dumb ****.

Keep your system is a KICK ARSE RIG.

My motherboard currently goes for between £1-£5 on Ebay, 'u dumb ****'.

 

[Jon Danniken]

"Ben Pope"

Or purchasing a XP 2500+ and changing FSB to 2000MHz.

A two gig FSB? Damn, Ben, you're hardcore!

Jon.

 

[Jon Danniken]

I'm sorry; my girlfriend dumped me and my dog died, also my girlfriend
turned out to be a guy so i'am not a happy chappy

Okay, that was good.

Jon

 

[Jamie_Manic]

Amazing, a sensible reply!

Well some would suggest just upping the multiplier on your current CPU as
far as it will reasonable go.

Or purchasing a XP 2500+ and changing FSB to 2000MHz.

But I'll presume you do not wish to overclock.

Not really no, I can't be bothered setting up the necessary cooling, new
case etc.

Maybe, maybe not. I wouldn't have thought that the expense was worth it...
set the money aside and upgrade when the next gen cards are out. The R350
(is it 360 on XT?) core is not much improved from the R300 you have so in
terms of performance your best bet is to look at clock frequency. Still, I
doubt you need 33% extra for most games.

Indeed, having read a few articles I'll stick with the 9700 and wait for the
nex-gen stuff before I think about a new video card. I've fiddled with the
HL2 leak and it performs pretty well, but then again Armed and Dangerous,
Deus Ex 2 and X2 run like crap, SWG has its dodgy moments too...maybe the
CPU update will help there.

I purchased a 9800 Pro in anticipation of HL2 and it hasn't appeared... (I
was getting a new system anyway and had to upgrade my V3 as it was not
compatible with the latest boards

Thats one of the reasons for my upgrade, my motherboard is pretty darn old
now and won't take any faster CPUs/RAM, may as well do the rest while Im at
it!

Incidentally, what RAM are you getting? Might be worth spending a bit more
and getting premium stuff (like Corsair 3200LL, which I'd recommend to
anybody... or at least the 3200C2)

Getting some Crucial stuff, had it before and it's reliable in my
experience. Had too many problems with RAM in the past to worry about saving
a tenner and getting unreliable budget stuff.

 

[Gordon Scott]

Im in the process of upgrading my PC. This is my current set-up:

AthlonXP 2400+
Elite Systems K7S5A Mobo
Radeon 9700 non-pro
1 Gig DDR 2100
Audigy 1

I have ordered:

AthlonXP3200+
MSI K7N2 Delta
1 Gig DDR 3200

Now, is it really gonna be worth my while adding a 9800 XT to that list?
Money isn't a massive issue, I'm willing to shell out the cash if I can get
a significant performance boost.

If I go from a 9700 to a 9800XT am I really going to see a big difference? I
see the clock rates are about 33% higher on the XT...thats on paper though,
does that translate well into real performance?

Im a big gamer and play the likes of SWG and will be looking to play new
stuff like Far Cry, Doom 3 etc.

9800xt is a waste of money at this time, wait for the next generation of
GPU's to come out before dropping those HUGE bucks for that board.
I'd even consider a 9800 pro over the XT if your aitching to spend money
on a new vid card.

As far as the money your spending on your board/ram/cpu, dont forget your
buying second generation components already, if money isnt an issue I'd
look at athlon 64 and a K8 board. At least you'd be in the latest
technology. Not buying the 9800xt would easily allow you to buy these
components with the money you save. The XP3200 is a good choice tho in
value and performance.

Gordon

 

[Darthy]

No.... keep the 9700np.... Sell your old parts. Save for ATI9900 or
whatever they call it.

 

[Darthy]

I'am sorry my girlfriend dumped me and my dog died, also my girlfriend
turned out to be a guy so i'am not a happy chappy

.... and your dog died because your girlfriend raped your dog to death?

 

[Darthy]

Im in the process of upgrading my PC. This is my current set-up:

AthlonXP 2400+
Elite Systems K7S5A Mobo
Radeon 9700 non-pro
1 Gig DDR 2100
Audigy 1

I have ordered:

AthlonXP3200+
MSI K7N2 Delta
1 Gig DDR 3200

Opps... As I posted, no reason to bothe with an upgrade at the moment
for the 9700... but


Important question... Why didn't you "order" an AMD64-3000??? It
costs less than the XP3200... and SMOKES IT.... and the board is
upgradeable to 64-3200/3400/3700 and maybe faster.

MSI AMD64-754 pin is about $150.

 

[JAD]

ahhh I see 'Die for nothing' is making new friends and influencing people...

BTW... save your money OP,, wait till mid summer and look at the price drop on all things (old) tech...

 

[J. Clarke]

Hmmm this is a time as good as any, i guess, can someone explain me how to
*ploink* someone in OE? :-D

Just a comment, but you might find Hamster Playground of interest--there's
a bit of a learning curve, but once you see how it works you can set up
killfiles that are independent of your news client.

 

[Ben Pope]

Amazing, a sensible reply!


Indeed, having read a few articles I'll stick with the 9700 and wait for
the nex-gen stuff before I think about a new video card. I've fiddled
with the HL2 leak and it performs pretty well, but then again Armed and
Dangerous, Deus Ex 2 and X2 run like crap, SWG has its dodgy moments
too...maybe the CPU update will help there.

Quite possible that the increased memory bandwidth in going from 133MHz to
200MHz on the RAM will be the biggest benefit.

Getting some Crucial stuff, had it before and it's reliable in my
experience. Had too many problems with RAM in the past to worry about
saving a tenner and getting unreliable budget stuff.

I'm not a big fan of Crucial RAM any more since I can't find anything that's
CAS2.0. I wouldn't recommend cheap RAM either. I'd suggest that from what
I've read, Corsair, Geil and Mushkin are the best as they have tight timings
but aren't specced so close to the borderline that you have problems unless
you back the timings off.

Crucial is good RAM that is also specced well, just not the tightest
timings.

Ben

 

[Ben Pope]

Important question... Why didn't you "order" an AMD64-3000??? It
costs less than the XP3200... and SMOKES IT.... and the board is
upgradeable to 64-3200/3400/3700 and maybe faster.

MSI AMD64-754 pin is about $150.

It's a good point... I wouldn't have spent the $ on the XP3200+, it's
blatantly overpriced, especially over the 2400+ he already has.

Ben