which should i upgrade first?

rjpogi · Dec 2, 2004, 04:58 AM

my stupid mobo that only supports up to 266 DDR but currently works with my 333 DDR but recognizes it as a 266 and only supports 4x while my VC is 8x, or my very weak 300W PSU? i'm thinking what upgrade will give me more performance but sadly i can only afford one upgrade at a time, pls help i really need good advice

technonerd · Dec 2, 2004, 05:34 AM

Maybe you can start with upgrading new motherboard. Like this motherboard http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWeb/Product...=Specification

you can reuse 2.8 (533fsb), DDR33 and AGP video card. It even support PCI express for future proof.

But you might want to wait to see if other mobo makes the same thing as what ECS did. ECS are okay, but MSI, ASUS and Gigabyte might make it better.

Start with this mobo, PS, memory, cpu and finally VC.

Hope that help

rjpogi · Dec 2, 2004, 07:23 AM

what do you think about this one http://usa.asus.com/products/mb/sock...x/overview.htm my budget is only $65 hehehehe kinda sucks being a student

swimtech · Dec 2, 2004, 06:14 PM

Something to think about is over how long a period of time you are planning to upgrade all the components, and how long will it be in between individual component upgrades.

It looks like too that any video card upgrade that will make a big difference in the performance of your unit will require a PSU upgrade for reliability's sake - so those two would have to be done together. Most AGP 8x cards are 4x compatible, and the AGP speed makes a minor difference in most cases.

If you spring for about $350.00 (US$, video card and PSU) now you'll have a capable gaming rig for the next year or two, but with PCI Express becoming the new standard (and DDR2), your next upgrade would need to be soon thereafter (sticking with AGP based mobo), otherwise you would likely want to wait until you could build or buy a new computer.

Your CPU is still fast enough to handle a video card upgrade (9800Pro/XT or so) and capable for any game out there today, and for awhile to come...

IMO, buying any AGP based motherboard (first in the upgrade sequence) that supports your existing components won't do you any appreciable good.

rjpogi · Dec 3, 2004, 01:28 AM

soo.... it's not worth buying a new mobo for my RAM? it's 333 running @ 266, i think there's a big performance hit, i don't want wasting my money for no noticable improvements in games, any detailed advice will be much appreciated,thanks

rjpogi · Dec 3, 2004, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjpogi

soo.... it's not worth buying a new mobo for my RAM? it's 333 running @ 266, i think there's a big performance hit, i don't want wasting my money for no noticable improvements in games, any detailed advice will be much appreciated,thanks

bump! boink! pls i really need a good advice

pr0digal jenius · Dec 3, 2004, 03:58 PM

i wouldn't upgrade until you get an 800MHz CPU as well, cuz the leap from 266 to 333 won't be worth the cash, in my opinion

rjpogi · Dec 3, 2004, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pr0digal jenius

i wouldn't upgrade until you get an 800MHz CPU as well, cuz the leap from 266 to 333 won't be worth the cash, in my opinion

thanks, at last a help that i knew i can count on, well.... i think i'll just buy new games,hehehe or a new DVD/CDRW combo, thanks again prodigal

pr0digal jenius · Dec 3, 2004, 04:07 PM

nooo problem. I useta have a VIA 266 AMD XP rig

video card upgrade did far more for it then 333FSB did

Dyre Straits · Dec 5, 2004, 10:11 AM

I'm in the process of doing some upgrading a step at a time, too.

I recently purchased an ABIT VT7 mobo. I'm really liking it so far. My main reason for getting it to begin with was to take advantage of the AGP 8X capability of my 9600 Pro.

Now, the next thing I'll do is get a P4 800 MHz CPU with 1 MB Cache and Hyper-Threading.

I'll follow that with an upgrade of my DDR RAM from PC2100 to PC3200. It can handle up to 4 GB total RAM.

This board is VERY upgradeable in that way.

I already have a 580 W PSU.

Dec 2, 2004, 04:58 AM	#1
rjpogi DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Seoul-Tokyo Connection Posts: 235 Rep Power: 0	which should i upgrade first? my stupid mobo that only supports up to 266 DDR but currently works with my 333 DDR but recognizes it as a 266 and only supports 4x while my VC is 8x, or my very weak 300W PSU? i'm thinking what upgrade will give me more performance but sadly i can only afford one upgrade at a time, pls help i really need good advice __________________ AMD 64 +3000 Venice 2 Infineon 1 gig PC2700 333Mhz DDRAM ECS Elite nForce3a Mobo Seagate Barracuda 120GB HD SoundBlaster Audigy2 ZS Inno3D Geforce 6600 AGP Last edited by rjpogi; Dec 2, 2004 at 07:15 AM.

Dec 2, 2004, 07:23 AM	Thread Starter #3
rjpogi DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Seoul-Tokyo Connection Posts: 235 Rep Power: 0	what do you think about this one http://usa.asus.com/products/mb/sock...x/overview.htm my budget is only $65 hehehehe kinda sucks being a student __________________ AMD 64 +3000 Venice 2 Infineon 1 gig PC2700 333Mhz DDRAM ECS Elite nForce3a Mobo Seagate Barracuda 120GB HD SoundBlaster Audigy2 ZS Inno3D Geforce 6600 AGP Last edited by rjpogi; Dec 2, 2004 at 12:57 PM.

Dec 2, 2004, 06:14 PM	#4
swimtech HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: North Carolina Posts: 4,040 Rep Power: 124 System Specs	Something to think about is over how long a period of time you are planning to upgrade all the components, and how long will it be in between individual component upgrades. It looks like too that any video card upgrade that will make a big difference in the performance of your unit will require a PSU upgrade for reliability's sake - so those two would have to be done together. Most AGP 8x cards are 4x compatible, and the AGP speed makes a minor difference in most cases. If you spring for about $350.00 (US$, video card and PSU) now you'll have a capable gaming rig for the next year or two, but with PCI Express becoming the new standard (and DDR2), your next upgrade would need to be soon thereafter (sticking with AGP based mobo), otherwise you would likely want to wait until you could build or buy a new computer. Your CPU is still fast enough to handle a video card upgrade (9800Pro/XT or so) and capable for any game out there today, and for awhile to come... IMO, buying any AGP based motherboard (first in the upgrade sequence) that supports your existing components won't do you any appreciable good. __________________ It's not so much getting your way that matters or not - what matters is how you go about getting it.

Dec 3, 2004, 01:28 AM	Thread Starter #5
rjpogi DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Seoul-Tokyo Connection Posts: 235 Rep Power: 0	soo.... it's not worth buying a new mobo for my RAM? it's 333 running @ 266, i think there's a big performance hit, i don't want wasting my money for no noticable improvements in games, any detailed advice will be much appreciated,thanks __________________ AMD 64 +3000 Venice 2 Infineon 1 gig PC2700 333Mhz DDRAM ECS Elite nForce3a Mobo Seagate Barracuda 120GB HD SoundBlaster Audigy2 ZS Inno3D Geforce 6600 AGP

Dec 2, 2004, 05:34 AM	#2
technonerd DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Posts: 594 Rep Power: 0	Maybe you can start with upgrading new motherboard. Like this motherboard http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWeb/Product...=Specification you can reuse 2.8 (533fsb), DDR33 and AGP video card. It even support PCI express for future proof. But you might want to wait to see if other mobo makes the same thing as what ECS did. ECS are okay, but MSI, ASUS and Gigabyte might make it better. Start with this mobo, PS, memory, cpu and finally VC. Hope that help

Dec 3, 2004, 03:58 PM	#7
pr0digal jenius Delete Me Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,648 Rep Power: 0	i wouldn't upgrade until you get an 800MHz CPU as well, cuz the leap from 266 to 333 won't be worth the cash, in my opinion

Dec 3, 2004, 04:07 PM	#9
pr0digal jenius Delete Me Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,648 Rep Power: 0	nooo problem. I useta have a VIA 266 AMD XP rig video card upgrade did far more for it then 333FSB did