brc64

Deus Ex 2 is coming soon, and already my system is struggling with modern games. My Pentium 3 1 GHz is reaching the end of its lifespan. Within the coming months I plan on spending anywhere from $300-400 in upgrades for my computer. I'd like to spend more, but I just don't have it to spend. With the exception of my processor, the rest of my hardware is fairly decent (though the video card is slightly aging). Here is what I have now:

Intel P3 1GHz
512 MB SDRAM
16x DVD-ROM
16x10x32 CD-RW
120 GB Harddrive
40 GB Harddrive
SoundBlaster Audigy2
ATI AIW Radeon 8500DV
3COM NIC
300W Power Supply

Basically, I'm looking at upgrading the CPU, mobo, RAM, and likely, power supply. If I go AMD, which I probably will, I was looking at maybe a 2200+... do you think that would be adequate for most new games with my current hardware. Keep in mind that I'm used to gaming at 800x600 and things like AA and AF aren't super important to me. The thing is, I don't know what motherboard to go with should I decide to get a 2200+. I definitely don't need/want an nForce board, and I've heard far more bad things about VIA than I've heard good, but I know very little about the other available chipsets out there. Since I have a video card, sound card, and NIC, I don't need a motherboard with lots of onboard stuff.

If you were to go on an Intel upgrade path, what CPU and mobo would you choose for my price range? Keep in mind that I also do not plan to overclock.

Thanks in advance.

- Me

dipstick

If you do decide to go AMD, I can recommend the Epox 8RDA for around $85, which should definitely last you for awhile and provide some awesome speed. The 2200+ should also serve you well, and you can always OC alittle down the road. Also last but not least try to get some PC2700 mem instead of PC2100 since the price is so close. Your gfx card I'm sorry to say will hold you can abit, but it won't be bad if you don't play at high rez. But you can save up and maybe get a 9500 once new cards come out the prices drop. Sorry but I have no clue on Intel setups; but you should research $$ on both sides before buying.


PS. www.newegg.com is the best place you can shop online. They've never let me down

brc64

Yeah, I know my 8500DV isn't the best, but upgrading that right now won't give me nearly the performance boost as upgrading my CPU/memory will. The video card upgrade will be later.. I'm confident that my trusty Radeon will get me by for a little while longer...

A quick search a newegg reveals:

CPU - $117 - AMD Athlon XP 2200+ Retail
RAM - $66.50 - 512 MB PC2700 DDR

Not too bad.. I just can't decide what type of power supply to go with (what size, manufacturer). I'm fairly certain my current one is not AMD certified, and I probably need more than 300W anyway... I guess.. I dunno..

- Me

dipstick

Yeah, I wouldn't worry about the vid card yet. THe above prices seem very reasonable; definitely go with the PC2700 ram. As for the PSU I would recommend something over 350w, just so you're on the safe side. I seen the Antec TruePower 380w for $70 and the Sparkle 400w for $63. Both are very good, but if those prices are too high you can probably get away with a 350w, as long as it's a quality make like the above. Look through the PSU's from newegg and pick the best priced one for you from big names like Antec, Sparkle or Enermax.

DriveEuro

What the hell are you guys talking about with the 2200? Why bother? If you are getting an overclockers board, then you might as well get a chip that actually overclock well (NO the 2200 doesn't overclock well, most can't reach 2ghz....that's CRAPPY)... Get a XP2100 Thoroughbred B revision. These chips can do 500-700mhz overclocks EASY on air. I'm running a 500mhz overclock at just 30 degrees celcius. No point in the extra 20$ for the 2200.

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brc64

Umm.. did you not read the part about me not wanting to overclock? I just want something that doesn't cost too much and will run my games adequately. Overclocking is not a concern I want to deal with..

- Me

DriveEuro

Well, if you aren't going to overclock then why did someone suggest you one of the best overclocking boards on the market.

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DaSnIpE

if u don't OC, I'd say get a Barton 2500+ for 180, it'll be worth it long term I think, if not get a 2400+, then get a msi nforce2, a 400w PSU and 2x256 mb pc2700 ram. Should be close to 400 and u'll be good for a while.

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View my rig http://nl.dodhq.net/Rig/

DriveEuro

nForce board is a must if you are running PC3200 ram. But if you are gonna run PC2700 then I don't think that nForce is necessary (I am assuming that you will NEVER over clock ANYTHING)

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WyreTheWolf

better not on a stock cooler

brc64

That was something else I wanted to ask about.. is two sticks of 256 better than one stick of 512? It's cheaper to go for the one stick, but will I see better performance with two?

- Me

ToshiroOC

If you have dual-channel DDR, then you will see better performance, but otherwise you will see less stability at higher clockspeeds and you will be limited in speed to the lesser chip of the two.

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dipstick

hehe, I don't understand why if you guys think you HAVE to overclock just becasue you got an overclockers board. I recommended it because it the cheapest NF2 board, and so what if everyone OC's the crap out of it. It's one the fastest even at stock speeds and the price is unbeatable. Most other KT400/NF2 boards cost more, would you guys want the him to pay more and get that instead just because it don't OC as much?

DriveEuro

True, kakarot. But I was just saying cuz it's like the best overclocking board and he didn't say he wanted to overclock. But it's all good. I follow.

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[color=orange]ASUS P4P800 Deluxe [color=black]-[/color] 2.4C --> 3300mhz [color=black]-[/color] Mushkin PC3200 at 220 5-2-2-2 (cpu limited) [color=black]-[/color] BBAti 9800Pro at 430/375 [/color]
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brc64

Okay, new question... I had previously avoided looking at nForce boards because, as I understood it, these were supposed to be "all-in-one" solutions, with integrated surround sound and GeForce graphics. Since I have both a video card and a sound card, this wasn't important to me.

Now I look at the board kakarot suggested and I see only onboard 2-channel sound.. which confuses me.. so how does a nForce2 chipset compare to, say, a VIA KT400 or KT333? Choosing the motherboard for my P3 wasn't nearly this complicated..

- Me

dipstick

If you have a soundcard it's best to disable the onboard sound-like I do-and use what you have. Onboard sound eats too many cpu cycles, so it's best to forget about it-atleast with this board. Also the nForce 2 is completely untouchable by any KT400 or KT333 board. I switched from an Asus a7v8x to the Epox and gained over 1600 3dmarks at the same speed.

The_Neon_Cowboy

RAM - $66.50 - 512 MB PC2700 DDR
that says don't buy me....... no be carefull when it comes to ram you get what you pay for make sure look for cheap branded ram. some of the generic stuff performance sucks so bad it migh as well be sdram.....

for the power supply use at least 350 or higher (power suppys are overrated alot of times if you dont belive me heres an artical for ya .....

http://www.tomshardware.com/howto/20021021/index.html

best board right now probubly Asus A7N8X about $112-$150
uses the nforce 2 chipset .. fastest amd chipset avaliable beats all kt(anything)... uses duel channel if you use two sticks of ram it gives you alot more bandwith becouse memory bank 1 is seperate channel and then banks 2 and 3 on on thier own channel ..... its hard to explain

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brc64

What I found was Kingston brand.. I've bought their stuff in the past and never had any problems. This is from the description at newegg:

KINGSTON KVR333X64C25/512 512MB 32x64 PC2700 DDR RAM (better than 2100 2400)
6 Layers High Quality Board; CL 2.5; 184-Pin Unbuffered

- Me