Upgrades or PCI-e?

**Mousey** · Jul 26, 2007, 09:26 AM

I got about £50 for my birthday yesterday and i was really pleased, but now i'm wondering what i should do with it.
I've had a few ideas, i thought eitheir,

2GB Ram (Details)
Thermaltake Soprano Black (Details)
or PCI-E Switch?

It's gonna cost me about £75 to switch to PCI-E with ANOTHER mATX Board (

), DDR2 Ram and a 512mb Sapphire Radeon X1550.
Word has come in as well that i'm still to recieve payment for a job i did a couple of days ago, clean out and fresh xp install on an old emachines ... THING (Jesus it was difficult, locked bios, no cd booting and there was a forgotten password for the OS i managed to guess eventually)
I reckon i should go for pci-e but i just wanna know what you guys are thinking.

**Mousey** · Jul 26, 2007, 02:11 PM

Boomp

Matth · Jul 26, 2007, 03:38 PM

Depends (doesn't it always).

If you have an AGP based system that is decent and will take a reasonable upgrade, stick with AGP and plan on running it into the ground at the last level that it is worthwhile upgrading to.

If you want a versatile platform for future upgrades, them go PCI-E.

Buying DDR memory is a bit of a dead end, but then who knows when DDR3 will take over and DDR2 will be history, or the "future proof" DDR2 will look so slow compared to more recent versions that is is really no longer the same kind of memory.

Future proofing is rarely 100%, usually it only delays the inevitable.

**kris23** · Jul 26, 2007, 07:47 PM

pool your money together, and when you finally decide to upgrade, dont get some cheap, crap mATX board, DDR3 is taking over so neither memory upgrades are the best choice..... but you peobably wont have enough money to get that for a while.....

do you REALLY need to upgrade now? id rather you save and get something better once you actually have the cash for quality stuff.....

**Mousey** · Jul 27, 2007, 07:44 PM

At the moment it's just too expensive to keep upgrading this sytem, the parts are dissappearing off the sites i normally get them off and if i don't switch now the prices might rocket back up, i've put together another list of parts that i'm happy with and i'm gonna save for those ;

- Biostar P4M890-M7 SE (£26.52)
- 1GB CCL Choice PC5400 DDR677 (25.66)
- 256mb Sapphire Radeon HD 2400 Pro (29.97) < ABSOLUTE BARGAIN!!! HD Ready, DX10 Ready and Crossfire ready, so if i ever buy a board with dual x16 lanes i might buy another one

i know the parts (especially the mobo) aren't the best but i REALLY need to switch to pci-e before i get completely left behind, wish me luck

Matth · Jul 27, 2007, 09:54 PM

Wow! that is a mad price for an entry level DX10 card - love to see it benchmarked (DX9) against anything else that can make that price, like the X1550.

Or Nvidia's budget DX10 offering, the 8400GS, versus some 7300GS/LE/GT solutions.

Are budget cards still as embarrassing as the Geforce 4MX, or are they all-rounders that could game well enough to see where improvements could be made.

**Mousey** · Jul 27, 2007, 10:49 PM

To be honest i have absolutely no idea, i don't have the card yet mate lol ^^
when i get it (shouldn't be too long now, maybe a week or 2) i'll run 3dmark and some other stuff on it

the specs on paper (well excel anyway) look really good though, Shader model 4.0, DX10, HD and Crossfire is damned good for 30 quid though, can't get me wrong

**kris23** · Jul 28, 2007, 04:56 AM

feature packed and weak processing power could only mean FPS disaster in games..... all the added textures needing rendering compared to a DX9 card the 2400 cards are really worthless if you want to play games..... just look at the benches for the 2600 cards! they suck!

your choice of slowly upgrading will only lead to buying more crap, too slow of progress and theres really nothing, you are behind and it seems you will stay pretty far behind.....

i personally see no great speed boost in your upgrade, the memory is only a few mhz better and i dunno about the vidcard being any better than what you have currently.... sure its DX10 and has Shader model 4.0 vs 3.0 but that probably just eyecandy at the expense of FPS, in terms of FPS and stability, the MX400 is better than an 9550 card.... despite being better in specs....

save more money, get 2 gigs of higher RAM, a better Dx9 (performance for cheap) vid card and a heatsink to OC that pentium D

at this rate you will be going nowhere very slowly with a million different rigs of different ages with the same performance......

Dyre Straits · Jul 28, 2007, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mousey

At the moment it's just too expensive to keep upgrading this sytem, the parts are dissappearing off the sites i normally get them off and if i don't switch now the prices might rocket back up, i've put together another list of parts that i'm happy with and i'm gonna save for those ;

[COLOR=red]- Biostar P4M890-M7 SE[/COLOR] (£26.52)
- 1GB CCL Choice PC5400 DDR677 (25.66)
- 256mb Sapphire Radeon HD 2400 Pro (29.97) < ABSOLUTE BARGAIN!!! HD Ready, DX10 Ready and Crossfire ready, so if i ever buy a board with dual x16 lanes i might buy another one

i know the parts (especially the mobo) aren't the best but i REALLY need to switch to pci-e before i get completely left behind, wish me luck

Whatever you do, please, for the love of all that's sane, stay away from any motherboard that has a VIA chipset!! If you don't understand my revulsion of this chipset, just do a search on our own forums posted by people with problems with VIA.

**temeteus82** · Jul 28, 2007, 08:54 AM

save some money and get this : http://www.cclonline.com/product-inf...urer_id=0&tid=

Intel P35 northbridge and ICH9 shouthbridge...

**Mousey** · Jul 28, 2007, 11:07 PM

I spose i could go for that board but i've decided to save a few pennies and the IL9 pro, to be honest i'm not bothered about UBER power atm, that's gonna come later once i'm properly established with PCI-E.
I'm still trying to find out if the IL9 Pro supports crossfire, it's running an intel chipset so i don't see why not :/

Edit : A VERY Precise google search (Abit IL9 Pro Crossfire) turned up the results i wanted, an e-tailer had a couple of comments posted about this board saying it was a fantastic, stable, affordable base for C2Ds or Crossfire.
Looks like this is the board for me ^^

josh2thad · Jul 29, 2007, 05:46 AM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813127015

From what people are saying that board doesnt look all that great man.
Doesnt support E6x50's? Whats the point in upgrading to something thats not supporting the latest processors? Also the second lane thats (16x) Is really ONLY 4X.

I'd take a look at this board, and get a zalman and OC the HELL outta that Pentium D.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128012

Honestly if i were you, id wait till DDR 3 becomes the Norm and just get a new system then. But thats me, either way id OC that D

**Mousey** · Jul 29, 2007, 12:25 PM

lol i was looking at that exact same board on ccl in clearance, but i gotta admit i really do like that IL9 Pro, and tbh i don't care the second slot is only x4, i still like the board.
Another thing, i don't want to overclock, if i screw up and damage my cpu i won't have the money to buy another one and even though i've got a celeron here on the desk i really don't wanna have to resort to using it.

I mean come on, i'm struggling to find £100 to switch my mobo, ram and gfx card, do you really think i give 2 shits if it doesn't support Core 2 Extremes?
i'll NEVER be able to afford one of those, it supports core 2 duos so if i ever upgrade to one of those i might consider saving my money for a few YEARS to buy a C2E but i highly doubt i'll ever do it

But for now i think the parts i've chosen should be fine.
and i'm gonna go for em

And btw please don't try linking me to newegg products, i live in the UK and they don't ship here, and i can imagine it would be ridiculously expensive if they did

PangingJr · Jul 29, 2007, 09:07 PM

bah you deserve some fun, just buy what you want to buy.

**Mousey** · Jul 30, 2007, 11:33 AM

now THAT is a response i like ;p

Jul 26, 2007, 09:26 AM	#1
Mousey Synth's Long Lost Bro Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Web Design Hell Posts: 7,189 Rep Power: 245 System Specs	Upgrades or PCI-e? I got about £50 for my birthday yesterday and i was really pleased, but now i'm wondering what i should do with it. I've had a few ideas, i thought eitheir, 2GB Ram (Details) Thermaltake Soprano Black (Details) or PCI-E Switch? It's gonna cost me about £75 to switch to PCI-E with ANOTHER mATX Board (), DDR2 Ram and a 512mb Sapphire Radeon X1550. Word has come in as well that i'm still to recieve payment for a job i did a couple of days ago, clean out and fresh xp install on an old emachines ... THING (Jesus it was difficult, locked bios, no cd booting and there was a forgotten password for the OS i managed to guess eventually) I reckon i should go for pci-e but i just wanna know what you guys are thinking. __________________ Last edited by Mousey; Jul 26, 2007 at 02:11 PM.

Jul 26, 2007, 02:11 PM	Thread Starter #2
Mousey Synth's Long Lost Bro Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Web Design Hell Posts: 7,189 Rep Power: 245 System Specs	Boomp __________________

Jul 26, 2007, 03:38 PM	#3
Matth Flash Banner Hater Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: UK Posts: 3,426 Rep Power: 93 System Specs	Depends (doesn't it always). If you have an AGP based system that is decent and will take a reasonable upgrade, stick with AGP and plan on running it into the ground at the last level that it is worthwhile upgrading to. If you want a versatile platform for future upgrades, them go PCI-E. Buying DDR memory is a bit of a dead end, but then who knows when DDR3 will take over and DDR2 will be history, or the "future proof" DDR2 will look so slow compared to more recent versions that is is really no longer the same kind of memory. Future proofing is rarely 100%, usually it only delays the inevitable. __________________ Mary had a little lamb, Her father shot it dead Now Mary takes her lamb to school, Between two crusts of bread

Jul 26, 2007, 07:47 PM	#4
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,018 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	pool your money together, and when you finally decide to upgrade, dont get some cheap, crap mATX board, DDR3 is taking over so neither memory upgrades are the best choice..... but you peobably wont have enough money to get that for a while..... do you REALLY need to upgrade now? id rather you save and get something better once you actually have the cash for quality stuff..... __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Jul 27, 2007, 07:44 PM	Thread Starter #5
Mousey Synth's Long Lost Bro Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Web Design Hell Posts: 7,189 Rep Power: 245 System Specs	At the moment it's just too expensive to keep upgrading this sytem, the parts are dissappearing off the sites i normally get them off and if i don't switch now the prices might rocket back up, i've put together another list of parts that i'm happy with and i'm gonna save for those ; - Biostar P4M890-M7 SE (£26.52) - 1GB CCL Choice PC5400 DDR677 (25.66) - 256mb Sapphire Radeon HD 2400 Pro (29.97) < ABSOLUTE BARGAIN!!! HD Ready, DX10 Ready and Crossfire ready, so if i ever buy a board with dual x16 lanes i might buy another one i know the parts (especially the mobo) aren't the best but i REALLY need to switch to pci-e before i get completely left behind, wish me luck __________________

Jul 27, 2007, 09:54 PM	#6
Matth Flash Banner Hater Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: UK Posts: 3,426 Rep Power: 93 System Specs	Wow! that is a mad price for an entry level DX10 card - love to see it benchmarked (DX9) against anything else that can make that price, like the X1550. Or Nvidia's budget DX10 offering, the 8400GS, versus some 7300GS/LE/GT solutions. Are budget cards still as embarrassing as the Geforce 4MX, or are they all-rounders that could game well enough to see where improvements could be made. __________________ Mary had a little lamb, Her father shot it dead Now Mary takes her lamb to school, Between two crusts of bread

Jul 27, 2007, 10:49 PM	Thread Starter #7
Mousey Synth's Long Lost Bro Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Web Design Hell Posts: 7,189 Rep Power: 245 System Specs	To be honest i have absolutely no idea, i don't have the card yet mate lol ^^ when i get it (shouldn't be too long now, maybe a week or 2) i'll run 3dmark and some other stuff on it the specs on paper (well excel anyway) look really good though, Shader model 4.0, DX10, HD and Crossfire is damned good for 30 quid though, can't get me wrong __________________

Jul 28, 2007, 04:56 AM	#8
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,018 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	feature packed and weak processing power could only mean FPS disaster in games..... all the added textures needing rendering compared to a DX9 card the 2400 cards are really worthless if you want to play games..... just look at the benches for the 2600 cards! they suck! your choice of slowly upgrading will only lead to buying more crap, too slow of progress and theres really nothing, you are behind and it seems you will stay pretty far behind..... i personally see no great speed boost in your upgrade, the memory is only a few mhz better and i dunno about the vidcard being any better than what you have currently.... sure its DX10 and has Shader model 4.0 vs 3.0 but that probably just eyecandy at the expense of FPS, in terms of FPS and stability, the MX400 is better than an 9550 card.... despite being better in specs.... save more money, get 2 gigs of higher RAM, a better Dx9 (performance for cheap) vid card and a heatsink to OC that pentium D at this rate you will be going nowhere very slowly with a million different rigs of different ages with the same performance...... __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Jul 28, 2007, 11:07 PM	Thread Starter #11
Mousey Synth's Long Lost Bro Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Web Design Hell Posts: 7,189 Rep Power: 245 System Specs	I spose i could go for that board but i've decided to save a few pennies and the IL9 pro, to be honest i'm not bothered about UBER power atm, that's gonna come later once i'm properly established with PCI-E. I'm still trying to find out if the IL9 Pro supports crossfire, it's running an intel chipset so i don't see why not :/ Edit : A VERY Precise google search (Abit IL9 Pro Crossfire) turned up the results i wanted, an e-tailer had a couple of comments posted about this board saying it was a fantastic, stable, affordable base for C2Ds or Crossfire. Looks like this is the board for me ^^ __________________

Jul 29, 2007, 05:46 AM	#12
josh2thad DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 431 Rep Power: 0	You should look here... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813127015 From what people are saying that board doesnt look all that great man. Doesnt support E6x50's? Whats the point in upgrading to something thats not supporting the latest processors? Also the second lane thats (16x) Is really ONLY 4X. I'd take a look at this board, and get a zalman and OC the HELL outta that Pentium D. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128012 Honestly if i were you, id wait till DDR 3 becomes the Norm and just get a new system then. But thats me, either way id OC that D

Jul 29, 2007, 12:25 PM	Thread Starter #13
Mousey Synth's Long Lost Bro Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Web Design Hell Posts: 7,189 Rep Power: 245 System Specs	lol i was looking at that exact same board on ccl in clearance, but i gotta admit i really do like that IL9 Pro, and tbh i don't care the second slot is only x4, i still like the board. Another thing, i don't want to overclock, if i screw up and damage my cpu i won't have the money to buy another one and even though i've got a celeron here on the desk i really don't wanna have to resort to using it. I mean come on, i'm struggling to find £100 to switch my mobo, ram and gfx card, do you really think i give 2 shits if it doesn't support Core 2 Extremes? i'll NEVER be able to afford one of those, it supports core 2 duos so if i ever upgrade to one of those i might consider saving my money for a few YEARS to buy a C2E but i highly doubt i'll ever do it But for now i think the parts i've chosen should be fine. and i'm gonna go for em And btw please don't try linking me to newegg products, i live in the UK and they don't ship here, and i can imagine it would be ridiculously expensive if they did __________________ Last edited by Mousey; Jul 29, 2007 at 12:34 PM.

Jul 29, 2007, 09:07 PM	#14
PangingJr Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 5,989 Rep Power: 71	bah you deserve some fun, just buy what you want to buy.

Jul 30, 2007, 11:33 AM	Thread Starter #15
Mousey Synth's Long Lost Bro Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Web Design Hell Posts: 7,189 Rep Power: 245 System Specs	now THAT is a response i like ;p __________________