[mjg]

Well,

i had to RMA my mobo, ram few weeks ago...

THey gave my a free upgrade:
Asus p4c800 e (which supports prescott)
and Corsair XMS XL 2-2-2-5 cas ram..

I still have a good northwood p4 2.4c with HT
and a ati 9800 pro

Now, i got some money coming my way, and though i don't know if it's worth upgrading to say a 3.2 ghz E Prescott, and maybe throw another gig of ram in ? Would cost around 400..

SInce AGP is practically dead, and no one wants to release new cards with AGP, the cards sitting around that are upgrades i guess are $400 6800 ultras...

I don't game that serious, yet i really dunno what to do, u guys think i should
get a few nicer parts in here, or keep wha ti got until it's really necessary to upgrade everything?

Will the better processor and additional ram improve my normal computing experience so much? Give me advice.

 

[PFKMan23]

Depends on what you do with your compuuter. If you're word processing, emailing and such, not really, but if you're gaming (BF2: UT4, EQ, etc...) , photoshoping or encoding, yes. If you're not gaming or gaming heavily to the point wher you're displeased with your rig, then I'd go with RAM. That said, there is a fair bit of different comparing the 6800 Ultra and the 9800 Pro/NP.

 

[Kirosia]

Get a bigass crt or something. Main thing I regretted not doing. 18" viewable is crap.

I have a ati radeon whatchamcallsit pci-e, I got it for $250 and it runs games at decent res. But don't play PC games much, so now I'm sad.

 

[mjg]

Hmmm.. Programs i use:

I guess i like JBuilder X, Photoshop now and then (though i suck with it), and i wanna get age of empires 3... I dunno about alot of other games, just now and then type of thing, maybe a few hours a week. Encoding also (got an ipod...)

I did have my machine overclocked to 3.2 ghz, think that's what broke the motherboard (or ram) still not sure ; ). Yet unsure how much the bigger cache might help...


If upgrading was a necessity, i'd do it, but if it's a marginal improvement, that's where i'm confused.

edit in:

I have a pair of flat panels, a 19", and 18" ... Not intersted in CRTS, no room for them, and they hurt my eyes.

Oh i know there's ahuge difference, but what i'm saying is, spending that kind of money on a card (for an outdated platform) is it really a good bang for the buck for me? You tell me.

 

[Kirosia]

Quote:

I have a pair of flat panels, a 19", and 18" ... Not intersted in CRTS, no room for them, and they hurt my eyes.

Well, then get a bigass lcd then. At least 21" viewable.

EDIT: Unless you're a heavy gamer or use powerful apps, I see no point. My cousin is still running a 1.5 ghz p3 (or 4) with a 9800, and the think works fine for the most. He mainly uses it for schoolwork, movies, and world of warcraft. If your pc has low ram (around 256), adding another stick of equiv. would made a huge difference. But we're just avg. joe pc user, so we don't speak for the computer nerds.

But if you KNOW that you're gonna get/need a new latest and greatest rig, probably should just wait.

 

[mjg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirosia Well, then get a bigass lcd then. At least 21" viewable.

SUKA FOO mjg don't need no mo displays ya heard?!?!? ; )

I don't know if im gonna need a latest greatest rig. I'm not a game geek, i do wanna play some newer games though now and then with ease. I think i like the improvements of 3.2 ghz, dunno how much the ram will help... it's fun when i can compile a huge thingy real fast i guess. So confused : /

 

[PFKMan23]

I'm currently on a 18.1" LCD and I thnk it's plenty big enough for me.

 

[Kirosia]

mj, how much ram you got atm?

 

[mjg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirosia mj, how much ram you got atm?

i got a free ram upgrade to 1 gig of corsair xms 3200 xl 2-2-25 dual chanel stuff.

 

[Kirosia]

You seem to have plenty of ram. I'm sure you could play most current games with your setup. Maybe not with a lot of super-fancy detail and at hi res, but enough. You can always just get a 6600gt card (160ish bones) or something, and you'll be even better.

 

[mjg]

how superior is that card to 9800 pro?

Is 9800 pro that dusty already?

I bought it 2 years ago when doom3 came out hehe.

 

[PFKMan23]

In most cases the 6600GT is only marginally better than the 9800 Pro. IMO it's only a worthy upgrade if you're selling of the 9800 Pro for a very good price (for you). Somethign higher up lie the 6800GT/Ultra is a much wiser upgrade.

 

[mjg]

Ok guys, I threw some things up for sale, i guess if people buy it, i'll upgrade, otherwise a waste of money right ; ). (not a shameless plug i promise).

If people buy my stuff, i'm going to move up to a p4 3.2 gig e northwood, 6800 ultra/GT AGP (suggest me brands, and an additional pair of corsair XMS sticks to match the ones i got).

This should make my computer really current i guess. AOE3 look out haha.

 

[PFKMan23]

I know you said you had a bad expereince with overclocking, but why not just get a good HSF and just overclock your 2.4C? It's not that hard, just raise your VCore and all that if you have instability.

 

[mjg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PFKMan23 I know you said you had a bad expereince with overclocking, but why not just get a good HSF and just overclock your 2.4C? It's not that hard, just raise your VCore and all that if you have instability.

I had it overclocked for a long time, ran solid, yet, i think it attributed to my motherboard (or ram) eventually having that system freezing problem. That's why i rma'd stuff. Hmph

I do have the thermalright SK-big thing whatever its called. Sk 9000 cu or something, it was the biggest one like a year and a half ago.

maybe your right.... i dunno, would the additional cache of the E edition help though?