Pinnacle of the "old-gen"

[Prof Blasto]

I need some opinions and a little help here. I'm not willing to drop the cash for a "next-gen" PC with the 64 bit processors and stuff that would drive me to a complete lack of cash, however, I know that my system can be improved by using the "old-gen" technology that is rapidly coming down in price. As you can see by my sig I've already mapped out a few things that I know could use improvement, and, of course, this will be a gaming rig. I think a new motherboard and processor could be in the works as well, or should I just get a new motherboard and overclock my existing processor, provided I get some better cooling first? I just have stock cooling and the processor is at 2205 MHz.

[cantankerous]

to be honest, if you don't wish to upgrade to a new platform (a64) the only thing you can really do is upgrade your video card to get you a nice boost in games. Your 3200+ Barton is the highest model out for Socket A so the only way to get more cpu power is to overclock your current chip or to buy another chip that overclocks well such as a mobile Barton. A new PSU would be nice for more, stable power but really isn't going to do much in terms of speeding up your computer.

If I were you and wanted to get all you could from your current setup perhaps get an X850XTPE video card and a mobile Barton 2600+. You should be able to hit at least 2.5ghz on that. A new psu wouldn't hurt as it could be used in the future for another upgrade. A new motherboard and ram could help but I think the money would be wasted as the only benefit you would gain from those purchases would be possibly tighter ram timings and more overclocking ability if that is what you choose. Socket A can still hold it's own but it is unfortunately drained of future potential and is on its last legs with a64 taking over as much as it is. Good luck with your decisions.

[MustangSVT]

I think you should just get a better motherboard, like an A7N8X-E Dlx. or an Abit NF7-S, one of those 2 would be nice. Along with that, get a better PSU I guess, something in the $50 range. An Enermax 460W can be had for around $50-$55, but you might think about getting a newer PSU with ATX v2.00 (or is it 2.01 newest) so you can use it the next time you upgrade too.

A better heatsink would also be useful for a bit of overclocking, and as for video card, you can find a new 6800GT or X800XL for about under $300 depending on what brand you look for. If not, a 6800nu agp is like $170 or something at newegg, or you might find an even better price elsewhere.

[Prof Blasto]

I know my PSU is lacking, thats almost a no-brainer. I'm mainly just curious about the motherboard, my current one doesn't take advantage of the dual (whatever its called) RAM, but I'm not sure that DDR400 RAM has the doubling effect with it (the dual thing). Also, is there much difference between the X800XL and the X800XT, at least enough to warrant the spending of another ~80$ for the XT?

I just threw the processor out there as a maybe, I'm not really dissatisfied with it.

[fatlazyhomer]

A64 is the old gen, dual cores is the new gen. A64s are really affordable now.

[Activate: AMD]

the problem is that the most cost effective way of upgrading would be to buy something good now that will still be good when you want to go "all the way" or at least move up a platform later. IMO that "item" is the graphics card.. it gives you a real big performance boost that you'll really notice big time.

in your case i'd say leave it all.. dont change anything. you're mobo does use dual channel DDR, its an nforce 2. theres nothing else noticeably better in that arena at this point for socket A. if you get a new graphics card you'll be wasting your money becuase it'll be AGP and in a little while you're going to want to upgrade to A64 or whatever and thats going to be PCI-Express.. meaning another new graphics card. your ram is fine, unless you want to spend 250 or so on 2x1GB that could be used when you upgrade to A64..


all i can say is, just get a new hard drive.. they're cheap and you'll probably be able to use the space.. everything else is just a waste ATM IMO.. wait until you've got the money to go all out

[Prof Blasto]

Well, the thing is, this will be the last upgrade to my computer. I'm getting an Xbox 360 and I just don't like spending money every year or so upgrading my computer, at least with a console its ~4+ years before a new one comes out.

Edit: I don't doubt the power of 64 bit and multicore processors and PCI express and how tempting those things will be, I don't mean to seem like I'm disregarding any ideas. I want what could be called the pinnacle of the "old-generation" technology. 32 bit processor, AGP video card, and things along that line.

[Sephiroth]

There's not much you can do as far as processor goes. With the video card, I personally wouldn't spend over $200 on an AGP video card, since if you upgrade in the future you're going to have to use a PCI Express card.

[Will889]

6800NU or 6800GT (if it's down enough in price for you at the time you buy it) would probably be the best move in my opinion.

[3dfxrain]

hmmm, considering a new console and game, want to use nintendo again and play this game called Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, I think its good according to the reviews its been a while since I have used a nintendo console

i know the journey for the triforce is worth it when it comes to this kind of game

i was talking about the classics in another thread in a forum

listening to the zelda tune playing, brings back memories of playing it on the SNES

[Prof Blasto]

hmmm, considering a new console and game, want to use nintendo again and play this game called Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, I think its good according to the reviews its been a while since I have used a nintendo console

i know the journey for the triforce is worth it when it comes to this kind of game

i was talking about the classics in another thread in a forum

listening to the zelda tune playing, brings back memories of playing it on the SNES

Reading the thread is good sometimes...

@Will: I'm sure the 6800's are nice, but I'm more of an ATI fanboy, go figure.

Keep the suggestions coming. Has anyone had any experience with both the X800XL and X800XT? Is one much better than the other? I checked newegg yesterday and the AGP X850XT is only $6 more than the X800XT. And I also checked about my motherboard, it only supports single channel RAM.

[dna]

Reading the thread is good sometimes...

@Will: I'm sure the 6800's are nice, but I'm more of an ATI fanboy, go figure.

Keep the suggestions coming. Has anyone had any experience with both the X800XL and X800XT? Is one much better than the other? I checked newegg yesterday and the AGP X850XT is only $6 more than the X800XT. And I also checked about my motherboard, it only supports single channel RAM.

The A7 supports dual channel RAM unless the -X is some kind of budget model. Anyway, I wouldn't worry about the Dual Channel thing - it really does not add much at all. If you have it, nice, if not, don't worry.