Which would you choose??

[A.Cowan]

If you had an AMD 2800XP+ (266FSB), ECS K7VMM+ Mobo, a 5200rpm 40GB HD,
256MB 100Mhz SDRAM + 256 133Mhz SDRAM (therefore 512Mb at 100Mhz), simple
GeForce2 MX 32Mb 4xAGP vidcard... and only £100 to spend at the moment,
would you:

a) buy a new HD, say 160GB 7200rpm UDMA133/ATA, £82
b) swap the old SDRAM for 512Mb Crucial PC3200 400Mhz DDR SDRAM £80
c) buy a new video card.. £alot :s

Which upgrade do you think would be best for my system atm, as I'm not stuck
for HD space yet, but want to, at somepoint, reinstall XP (Prof SP1) on a
new HD and transfer documents & settings from the current drive, then use
current drive for backup and program files... Maybe I should look into a
different HD interface such as SATA or SCSI?

Personally I was thinking the RAM would be the best idea for the greatest
performance improvement, my mobo may not support its full operating
potential, but atleast when I upgrade it I could still use the new RAM.

Opinions appreciated!
Alistair

 

[jpsga]

Since the board will only go to DDR266 or PC2100 I would buy the 512 MB of
RAM and have a pint with money saved over PC3200.

JPS

 

[Cuzman]

" Which upgrade do you think would be best for my system atm... "


You've certainly got a mis-match of hardware there. The problems are:

- The K7VMM+ only supports 200 and 266FSB: http://snipurl.com/6f2e
- Both the Thoroughbred 'B' and Barton Athlon XP 2800+ processors are
333FSB, not 266FSB
- Running your 2x 256MB SDRAM only runs the bus speed at 100Mhz

A number of questions remain unanswered. The K7VMM+ is micro-ATX, so is
this all going in a micro-ATX case? That will limit choices for motherboard
upgrades a little.

I would recommend a number of things, but this might be going too far:

1) Sell your K7VMM+, existing RAM and GeForce2 seperately at www.ebay.co.uk
(include pictures and detailed descriptions to get more interest)

2) Buy a 333 / 400FSB micro-ATX motherboard with GeForce4 MX IGP
- Biostar M7NCG 400 http://snipurl.com/6f35
- Epox EP-8RGM3I http://snipurl.com/6f2c
- Chaintech 7NIF2 http://snipurl.com/6f2z
- Asus A7N8X-VM/400 http://snipurl.com/6f2g

3) Buy 1x 512MB DDR400 PC3200 DDR-RAM
(something like Kingston or Crucial)

You can easily do this with your £100 budget. You then have the upgrade
ability to go to:
- Athlon XP 3200+ 400FSB
- 2x or 3x 512MB PC3200
- Any AGP8x graphics card (the onboard IGP will already be better than your
GeForce2)

You'll need to immediately do a repair install of XP before you boot-up, so
that your previous motherboard drivers don't cause problems.

 

[Dave C.]

If you had an AMD 2800XP+ (266FSB), ECS K7VMM+ Mobo, a 5200rpm 40GB HD,
256MB 100Mhz SDRAM + 256 133Mhz SDRAM (therefore 512Mb at 100Mhz), simple
GeForce2 MX 32Mb 4xAGP vidcard... and only £100 to spend at the moment,
would you:

a) buy a new HD, say 160GB 7200rpm UDMA133/ATA, £82
b) swap the old SDRAM for 512Mb Crucial PC3200 400Mhz DDR SDRAM £80
c) buy a new video card.. £alot :s

Which upgrade do you think would be best for my system atm, as I'm not stuck
for HD space yet, but want to, at somepoint, reinstall XP (Prof SP1) on a
new HD and transfer documents & settings from the current drive, then use
current drive for backup and program files... Maybe I should look into a
different HD interface such as SATA or SCSI?

Personally I was thinking the RAM would be the best idea for the greatest
performance improvement, my mobo may not support its full operating
potential, but atleast when I upgrade it I could still use the new RAM.

Opinions appreciated!
Alistair

Do NOTHING. The worst of three bad choices would be to replace the video
card. (format changing soon) If you replace RAM, it won't help you on your
current system, and you likely will not WANT it for your next system. You
could invest in a new SATA interface hard drive. That would be a wise
choice, but NOT for your current system. I'd advise you to save your money,
wait until PCI express has been readily available for at least 6 months.
Then go for mainboard/RAM/CPU/hard drive and video card in one shot. You
really can't do anything to your current system that wouldn't be a waste of
money. At best, you could get a SATA hard drive, but then you'd have to add
a SATA controller for it. But that would be the least wasteful upgrade, as
you could use the SATA hard drive for your next system. -Dave

 

[Stacey]

" Which upgrade do you think would be best for my system atm... "

I would recommend a number of things, but this might be going too far:

1) Sell your K7VMM+, existing RAM and GeForce2 seperately at
www.ebay.co.uk (include pictures and detailed descriptions to get more
interest)

2) Buy a 333 / 400FSB micro-ATX motherboard with GeForce4 MX IGP
- Biostar M7NCG 400 http://snipurl.com/6f35
- Epox EP-8RGM3I http://snipurl.com/6f2c
- Chaintech 7NIF2 http://snipurl.com/6f2z
- Asus A7N8X-VM/400 http://snipurl.com/6f2g

3) Buy 1x 512MB DDR400 PC3200 DDR-RAM
(something like Kingston or Crucial)

You can easily do this with your £100 budget. You then have the upgrade
ability to go to:
- Athlon XP 3200+ 400FSB
- 2x or 3x 512MB PC3200
- Any AGP8x graphics card (the onboard IGP will already be better than
your GeForce2)

I agree except I'd split the ram into 2 sticks to use the dual DDR mode,
this helps a BUNCH when using the on board video. Most people will -never-
need more than 512 MB of ram (with todays apps) except for bragging rights.
I just built a system for my brother using the chaintech 7NIF2/barton
2500+/2sticks 256MB DDR ram and it runs sweet.

 

[J. S. Pack]

If you had an AMD 2800XP+ (266FSB), ECS K7VMM+ Mobo, a 5200rpm 40GB HD,
256MB 100Mhz SDRAM + 256 133Mhz SDRAM (therefore 512Mb at 100Mhz), simple
GeForce2 MX 32Mb 4xAGP vidcard... and only £100 to spend at the moment,
would you:

a) buy a new HD, say 160GB 7200rpm UDMA133/ATA, £82
b) swap the old SDRAM for 512Mb Crucial PC3200 400Mhz DDR SDRAM £80
c) buy a new video card.. £alot :s

Which upgrade do you think would be best for my system atm, as I'm not stuck
for HD space yet, but want to, at somepoint, reinstall XP (Prof SP1) on a
new HD and transfer documents & settings from the current drive, then use
current drive for backup and program files... Maybe I should look into a
different HD interface such as SATA or SCSI?

Personally I was thinking the RAM would be the best idea for the greatest
performance improvement, my mobo may not support its full operating
potential, but atleast when I upgrade it I could still use the new RAM.

Opinions appreciated!
Alistair

I get the feeling you're not doing much in the way of backing up now, but
that's something you really need to do. Everybody needs two HDs. So get a
new non-SATA HD. Since this is an older system and you're still not cramped
for space (you're not much into multimedia), you can get by with a smaller
drive, say 80G, and let it be the new main drive as you plan or the backup
drive (Not to say it should be your only backup medium). Keep the savings
for a new MB/CPU/RAM combo next year, which is what you'll need if you want
to see any major speed improvements via hardware.

But if you're just doing basic stuff I don't quite see why you need faster
hardware. Maybe you just need to speed up your WinXP to a more satisfactory
level by following this advice:

On Tue, 23 Mar 2004 06:01:08 -0800, in microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
<snip>

1) scan with current antivirus ("current" means a version not earlier
than 2002 but using updated virus definitions); 2) remove spyware with
Spybot Search & Destroy (www.security.kolla.de) and Ad-aware
(www.lavasoftusa.com). Be sure to update these programs before running,
and it is a good idea to do virus/spyware scans in Safe Mode; 3) delete
temporary and Temporary Internet Files; 4) stop unnecessary services
programs from starting with Windows - see www.blackviper.com for
services info and www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_index.htm for programs
info

<snip>

Malke
--
MS MVP - Windows Shell/User
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"

That part about turning off unnecessary services and startups is important.

To which I'd add

turn off all the eye candy (no effects, use windows classic
interface--display and taskbar),
turn off file indexing,
use a reg cleaner to clean the reg then optimize the reg with the
optimizer you get at http://home.t-online.de/home/lars.hederer/erunt/
and defrag your HD.

You can also replace the explorer shell with a faster one such as blackbox
(bb4win) or Aston.

 

[Odie Ferrous]

If you had an AMD 2800XP+ (266FSB), ECS K7VMM+ Mobo, a 5200rpm 40GB HD,
256MB 100Mhz SDRAM + 256 133Mhz SDRAM (therefore 512Mb at 100Mhz), simple
GeForce2 MX 32Mb 4xAGP vidcard... and only £100 to spend at the moment,
would you:

a) buy a new HD, say 160GB 7200rpm UDMA133/ATA, £82
b) swap the old SDRAM for 512Mb Crucial PC3200 400Mhz DDR SDRAM £80
c) buy a new video card.. £alot :s

Which upgrade do you think would be best for my system atm, as I'm not stuck
for HD space yet, but want to, at somepoint, reinstall XP (Prof SP1) on a
new HD and transfer documents & settings from the current drive, then use
current drive for backup and program files... Maybe I should look into a
different HD interface such as SATA or SCSI?

Personally I was thinking the RAM would be the best idea for the greatest
performance improvement, my mobo may not support its full operating
potential, but atleast when I upgrade it I could still use the new RAM.

Opinions appreciated!
Alistair

So far, no-one has given you the correct answer.

Memory - you won't notice any difference whatsoever upgrading to DDR.
You might get a benchmark program to see a difference, but you won't.

Hard drive - DON'T waste your time with SATA unless you get a 10K rpm
SATA drive. There is NO merit in current 7.2K rpm SATA drives -
"upgrading" to one is a misnomer.

Unless you use the machine almost exclusively for graphics and / or
games, upgrading the video card is also going to be a waste of time.

Sit on your money until you can upgrade the board, drive, memory, cpu,
graphics and drive.


Odie

 

[A.Cowan]

Ok, cheers for the advice and the quick replies! Think I will hold onto my
money for a while then do a proper upgrade.. I do backup all the users
documents and settings, but at the moment that takes around 5CDRs and I was
thinking it'd b easier to keep an updated copy on a slave drive.. either
that or buy a DVDRAM!
Thanks again
Alistair

 

[ancra]

Do NOTHING. The worst of three bad choices would be to replace the video
card. (format changing soon) If you replace RAM, it won't help you on your
current system, and you likely will not WANT it for your next system. You
could invest in a new SATA interface hard drive. That would be a wise
choice, but NOT for your current system. I'd advise you to save your money,
wait until PCI express has been readily available for at least 6 months.
Then go for mainboard/RAM/CPU/hard drive and video card in one shot. You
really can't do anything to your current system that wouldn't be a waste of
money. At best, you could get a SATA hard drive, but then you'd have to add
a SATA controller for it. But that would be the least wasteful upgrade, as
you could use the SATA hard drive for your next system. -Dave

I agree! - Unless he wants performance for 3D games. Then the
improvement from a more modern videocard will be huge.

ancra

 

[BarryNL]

If you had an AMD 2800XP+ (266FSB), ECS K7VMM+ Mobo, a 5200rpm 40GB HD,
256MB 100Mhz SDRAM + 256 133Mhz SDRAM (therefore 512Mb at 100Mhz), simple
GeForce2 MX 32Mb 4xAGP vidcard... and only ?100 to spend at the moment,
would you:

a) buy a new HD, say 160GB 7200rpm UDMA133/ATA, ?82
b) swap the old SDRAM for 512Mb Crucial PC3200 400Mhz DDR SDRAM ?80
c) buy a new video card.. ?alot :s

Which upgrade do you think would be best for my system atm, as I'm not stuck
for HD space yet, but want to, at somepoint, reinstall XP (Prof SP1) on a
new HD and transfer documents & settings from the current drive, then use
current drive for backup and program files... Maybe I should look into a
different HD interface such as SATA or SCSI?

Personally I was thinking the RAM would be the best idea for the greatest
performance improvement, my mobo may not support its full operating
potential, but atleast when I upgrade it I could still use the new RAM.

If you're a gamer I'd go for a video card upgrade. Otherwise I'd go for
DDR memory. As someone else pointed out PC2100 (or probably PC2700) is
cheaper and all you need with this board. I'd probably be tempted to
spend a few extra $$ and get PC3200 though as you will still be able to
use it if/when you upgrade to a FSB400 system later.

 

[BarryNL]

Do NOTHING. The worst of three bad choices would be to replace the video
card. (format changing soon) If you replace RAM, it won't help you on your
current system, and you likely will not WANT it for your next system. You
could invest in a new SATA interface hard drive. That would be a wise
choice, but NOT for your current system. I'd advise you to save your money,
wait until PCI express has been readily available for at least 6 months.
Then go for mainboard/RAM/CPU/hard drive and video card in one shot. You
really can't do anything to your current system that wouldn't be a waste of
money. At best, you could get a SATA hard drive, but then you'd have to add
a SATA controller for it. But that would be the least wasteful upgrade, as
you could use the SATA hard drive for your next system. -Dave

Why on earth consider SATA? The drive would cost more than the
equivalent IDE drive AND the OP would need to buy a controller card. And
it still wouldn't be any faster than the equivalent IDE despite costing
probably $50 or more extra.

 

[Dave C.]

Why on earth consider SATA? The drive would cost more than the
equivalent IDE drive AND the OP would need to buy a controller card. And
it still wouldn't be any faster than the equivalent IDE despite costing
probably $50 or more extra.

Because drives are getting large enough now that it's likely the average
home user could buy one and use it until it wears out. Or in other words,
it's likely a new hard drive might be in use longer than the IDE interface
is. (!) Yeah, drives are getting faster all the time, but an older hard
drive can always be used for extra storage space, if the mainboard supports
it. -Dave

 

[Adam S]

If you had an AMD 2800XP+ (266FSB), ECS K7VMM+ Mobo, a 5200rpm 40GB HD,
256MB 100Mhz SDRAM + 256 133Mhz SDRAM (therefore 512Mb at 100Mhz), simple
GeForce2 MX 32Mb 4xAGP vidcard... and only £100 to spend at the moment,
would you:

a) buy a new HD, say 160GB 7200rpm UDMA133/ATA, £82
b) swap the old SDRAM for 512Mb Crucial PC3200 400Mhz DDR SDRAM £80
c) buy a new video card.. £alot :s

I know you said you are going to wait but heres my 2p.............

Change the memory to 512MB PC2100. then sell your old memory on ebay (PC100
memory can reach high prices), as previous post said use a picture of the
memory to get best price.

Use money gained back from selling old memory + remainder of budget on
better graphics card. I have just brought a 128MB Radeon 9600 from Scan for
£56.
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=82569

Then sell your old graphics card on ebay again. You should still be within
you £100 budget.

Selling your old bits on ebay is a good way of upgrading for little cost. I
have just upgraded a friend from a Duron 750 to Duron 1300 for the total
cost of £6. The new 1300 chip cost £20 and just sold the old chip for £14.
Hes very happy with the speed boost for so little money.

Adam S