Author Topic: to buy new MoBo and accessories or a Ati9700 (Read 282 times)

boxboy28 · « **on:** September 20, 2002, 11:10:53 AM »

well i just came upon some "free" money after getting a friend hired in where i work (finders fee)

needs less to say i been planning on using this money to upgrade my system!
AMD atlon 850
512 pc 133 ram
aopen Mobo - raelly bad via chip set <--crap
Geforce 2 GTS 32mg (prophet)

everything else is illrelivant

now i can either buy a ATI 9700 (approx $350-400) video card or spend and extra $150 and buy new componets ie:

ASUS A7V8X mobo (the better one with serial ATA)and the VIA KT400 chip set ~$180
AMD athlon 2200 ~$160
512 MB pc 3200 DDR ram ~$160

so approx $500 buckaroos
Keep in mind i will use the old video card in the new system!
if anyonehas a similar set up tell me how it is / what kinda FPS your getting and all!
gonna run XP on the machine!

so what do you aLL THINK I SHOULD DO????

BOX

Lephturn · « **Reply #1 on:** September 20, 2002, 11:45:48 AM »

Unfortunately, you need BOTH. No matter which thing you choose to upgrade, the other bit will become the bottleneck.

However, I would recommend you do the mainboard/CPU upgrade at this point. My reasoning is that the ATI 9700 is both extremely expensive, and not really utilized right now. You could get by with the GeForce GTS for a while, and then once the price of the 9700 drops or the next nVidia card comes out, you are good to go.

I also would not pick that mainboard. Serial ATA is irrelevant right now IMO. You won't use it for long enough that you'll be into your next upgrade before then. I just built a machine on an nForce board, and that's what I'd recommend. Lets look at this:

(from Pricewatch.com except RAM)

AMD Athlon XP 2100+ = $ 117
Abit NV7-133R with sound and LAN = $ 89.00
Crucial 512 MB PC2100 DDR = $ 142.00
GeForce 4 Ti 4200 64MB = $ 125.00

Ok some of the pricewatch prices are a bit optimistic, but you can get all of that for about $500.00. That gives you a great CPU, lots of decent RAM, and a great value and plenty fast video card. That's what I would do if it was my $500 right now.

Also you can possibly sell your old system and get enough to put new gear in this new one like HD, DVD, and/or CD burner. That mobo has great onboard sound and decent onboard LAN. What else do you need?

Gunthr · « **Reply #2 on:** September 20, 2002, 12:25:07 PM »

Definately get the mobo and cpu upgraded first. No doubt about this at all. And I agree, don't worry about the SATA until your next mobo upgrade.

Shiva · « **Reply #3 on:** September 20, 2002, 12:37:15 PM »

I recently performed a similar upgrade, swapping out my 440BX-based mobo and a Celeron 450 for an MSI KT3 Ultra 2 mobo and an Athlon XP 2000+ with 512Mb of PC 2700 memory; my video card is a GeForce 2 GTS. My frame rate is now up to 75 in 104x768x16 with all the detail cranked up (still haven't found where to turn off Vsync in the video driver), and 48 in 1024x768x32, again with all the detail cranked up; the lowest I saw it drop to in some online testing was around 32.

I intend to make a Radeon 9700 my next upgrade, as testing I've done with other software shows my video card to be bottlenecking my system, rather than the CPU. And so, I continue my slow ratcheting of performance upward.

If you get the Radeon now, your system won't be able to throw data at the card fast enough to make more than a marginal additional use of the card; you're much better off jacking the mobo up and letting the video card be the bottleneck until you can upgrade it, too.

Hussein · « **Reply #4 on:** September 20, 2002, 12:43:19 PM »

I can also reckommend the nforce boards. I've made 3 upgrade jobs this month with MSI nforce board (lan, sound, vga) that cost less than $400 total to produce 10x performance.

Installation was a no-brainer and everything worked right out of the box. If you're not a hardcore poweruser, I can reckommend the nforce boards anyday.

jonnyb · « **Reply #5 on:** September 20, 2002, 12:46:44 PM »

your motherboard/cpu/memory should be your first priority. Do not get the 9700 yet because it will not be able to fully flex its muscles with your current system.

Wait until the 9700 prices start to drop before putting one in your system.

boxboy28 · « **Reply #6 on:** September 20, 2002, 01:41:05 PM »

I had already planned on the MoBo and stuff for sure i just wanted to see what people would say!

Lepturn - you got a point i would do it if there was an outstanding Nforce 2 board out there !

but i have 2 hard drives now that will carry over!
1 WD 15 gig udma 100
1 WD 4.5 gig udme 66

My reasoning for going with this board is that its gonna last me a long time !
1. AGP x 8
2. fastest ram to date
3. serial ATA is an option that i will upgrade to in the future!
4. it has good sound and has th LAN onboard

I might save on the processer but im not scrimpping on the board or the ram!

Now seeing that By next year when HTC tries to make a Gforce 2 stander/min. ill still be in there and there are alot of cheaper video cards i can go with!

I hope i dont need to buy a new case but if i do oh well!

One thing i need to know is there a way to tell if the CPU im getting is a Thoroghbread A or B core? i want a B core only!

but i do appreciate all your advice guy!

Lephturn · « **Reply #7 on:** September 21, 2002, 09:12:59 AM »

If you want those things, I'd say wait for the nForce 2 boards to hit the market. They really haven't yet. I'd be willing to trust an nForce board from Abit, Asus, or MSI. I wouldn't purchase a board built by anybody else personally. I'm so happy with my Abit NV7-133R, the documentation, and support, that Abit is currently the top of my list. This is my 3rd Abit board at home and I've never had a problem with a single one of them. I've also recommended Abit boards to many friends and family, and built a few machines for them. Personally I have not had a single bad board.

If it was me, and taking into account the things you have said are your priorities, I would wait for Abit's nForce 2 board and when that's done, the graphics card high-end will have shaken out a bit.

As for which stepping of Athlon XP... basically you can make sure to get the best one by choosing faster speeds. Read up at http://www.hardocp.com and http://www.anandtech.com about the latest Athlons, and they'll have all the details to you need to make sure you get the best chip you can.

It sucks, but there are sweet spots in the market during the year where it's really good to purchase new gear. I think your a bit early for the next one. There are new stepping Athlons at the top end just rolling out, and only ATI has their new graphics card out. Wait a couple of months and nVidia's new board will be out, the nForce 2's should be on the market, and you'll have a faster and better stepping of the Athlon for a reasonable price. Throw that $500 in a safe investment for a couple of months is what's I'd do, then do the whole upgrade. That also gives you plenty of time to read up and learn lots about all the new gear before you purchase.

boxboy28 · « **Reply #8 on:** September 21, 2002, 09:30:06 AM »

Lepturn once again i do appreciate every thing you have to offer!

i been researching this one for a while and the time for me in now!
i found the Modo for less than $150
the CPU for $160
ram corsair even 512 PC3200 for $175

this old system i got just isnt cutting it any more ..........
i havent bought yet ! im working all the local shops for best price and been keeping my eye on the market and what its selling rates are! so im only gonna buy when i get the best deal possible!
like i said the Nforce2 are nice but this board had got all ill need for a long time!

box;)