Need advice on my next hardware upgrade for XP & Vista

[M. B.]

I am currently running an ASUS P4C800 Deluxe (non E version) motherboard
with 1 Gig of DDR400 RAM, Pentium 4 3.2Mhz processor (socket 478) and nVidia
6800 GT graphics card.
I do play games but use my PC for other needs.

The time has come that I would like to switch to a DUAL-MONITOR option. For
that, I need a double-output DVI card. I know I can get a 6800 Ultra AGP
card, but its going to cost me over $500. Sure, I can get a 6600 card that
supports it but I dont want to loose graphic performance to below what I
have now. In addition, I feel that the time has come to make an upgrade to
my motherboard. So I have decided to use this opportunity to upgrade my
motherboard/system at the same time.

For that, I would like some help/advice from some of you on the following.

1) I do not plan to get a SLI system.
2) I want to continue using Intel chips (not AMD). Should I go for a
945/955 chipset or even the 975 motherboard? I want to make sure that
whatever I get is going to be working nicely with Windows Vista in the
future. Which model of the Intel CPU chip should I be going with?
3) What sort of system memory should I be going for? I would like to have
2 Gigs of RAM total.

I care most about system stability and not the overclocking functions.

If you are suggestion a motherboard, please give me the full model number.

 

[Jerry]

This newsgroup is to help those having problems in XP with their hardware.
It is not a place to help you decide a future purchase. For that you are on
your own.

 

[Sharon F]

I am currently running an ASUS P4C800 Deluxe (non E version) motherboard
with 1 Gig of DDR400 RAM, Pentium 4 3.2Mhz processor (socket 478) and nVidia
6800 GT graphics card.
I do play games but use my PC for other needs.

The time has come that I would like to switch to a DUAL-MONITOR option. For
that, I need a double-output DVI card. I know I can get a 6800 Ultra AGP
card, but its going to cost me over $500. Sure, I can get a 6600 card that
supports it but I dont want to loose graphic performance to below what I
have now. In addition, I feel that the time has come to make an upgrade to
my motherboard. So I have decided to use this opportunity to upgrade my
motherboard/system at the same time.

For that, I would like some help/advice from some of you on the following.

1) I do not plan to get a SLI system.
2) I want to continue using Intel chips (not AMD). Should I go for a
945/955 chipset or even the 975 motherboard? I want to make sure that
whatever I get is going to be working nicely with Windows Vista in the
future. Which model of the Intel CPU chip should I be going with?
3) What sort of system memory should I be going for? I would like to have
2 Gigs of RAM total.

I care most about system stability and not the overclocking functions.

If you are suggestion a motherboard, please give me the full model number.

You asked for opinions so... Personally, I think it's too early to be
planning a purchase that will optimally support Vista. What is cutting edge
now will be old news in 6 months. My machine is aging too but I plan on
waiting until later this year to replace it. The release of Vista being my
reason to wait.

Other questions:
1) Why not? Technology has been leaning this way for quite a while now (I'm
not crazy about it either).
2) No idea. AMD user here.
3) What ever you need to support the applications that you use on a regular
basis. If that magic number is 2GB then that's what you should aim for.

Suggestion: Bookmark a few hardware sites such as Tom's Hardware. Review
the articles on motherboards and other hardware. Make notes on what appeals
to you and on what gets good reviews. Start narrowing down your choices
(you've already narrowed down to Intel vs AMD, for example). Then start
pricing. Buy the best that you can afford. Put money into motherboard
first. It's the most important piece. Invest in some decent RAM. Another
place that you do not want to cut corners.

I run two monitors but I never buy top drawer display cards. I like PC
games but am not an avid gamer so usually buy whatever was recently reduced
in price when a new item is introduced. So far that plan has given me good
value and decent performance for my needs.