As days go by my computer is getting older and lately I have been feeling it is time to upgrade. I have a P4 1.7(can support 2.8), with PC2100 512 DDR Ram(can support 2gig), and a GeForce 5200 AGP video card. My question is this, with knowing what my computer has in it, could someone suggest the best course of action to upgrade if you could only afford to upgrade 1 or 2 things at the most, like should I buy a new cpu or go with a new graphics card, or increase the memory, you get the idea. I am interested in wanting to play some newer games, not asking for remarkable graphics just a machine that can provide some entertainment for my off hours. Thank you in advance for reading this and helping.
Hi, I'll give a couple of suggestions. A faster processor is always a good thing and if you have the capability for a 2.8 proc I'd say go for it. For the newer games the best compromise between price and performance in my view would be either an ATI 9600XT or an nVidia GeForceFX 5700 Ultra. Both are the top performers in the "mid-priced" class of cards and either one should run the newer games at good framerates with decent eye-candy. You can get more performance from the high end cards but you certainly pay for it. Another 512MB stick of RAM would boost performance quite a bit as well. I run a GB of PC2100 on my system. This should do until Praetor comes along and gives you the in-depth
1. I'm not intimately familiar with Intel procs ... is the support for the 2.8Ghz proc using a NorthwoodA or a NorthwoodB? (I suspect it wont be the NorthwoodC but I'm always one for surprises ) Furthermore, what motherboard do you have. To find out, download a program called CPUz from http://www.cpuid.com and check under the CPU and Mainboard tabs for this information. 2. If you are interested in playing some of the newer games, I'd reccommend first and foremost to bring the video subsystem up to a more competitive level. As Nephilim suggested, both the GFX5700 and Radeon9600 make excellent upgrades both from a cost and performance perspective. The improvement will be immediatetely noticeable. 3. Now after you've upgraded the video card, it comes down to how much cash you have left. If you have enough money, push the processor as far as you can go -- preferably at least 2.4Ghz ... if you dont have enough money for that, upgrade the memory instead. And "upgrade" from 1.70Ghz to anything less than 2.4Ghz isnt really going to extend the lifespan of your machine.
Thanks for the help. My motherboard is the Intel Desktop Board D845EBG2. I have had it for 2 years now. Since I posted this, I did some shopping. I got a stick of 512 ram on sale. So I have a decent budget left over, but for one more upgrade. Proc or Video Card, what would do you think would be best for now and what do you think of the ATI Radeon 9800 Pro? I could get a good deal on that card. Thanks for the help.
The 9800 Pro is a very nice card and I've seen some great deals on them lately too. I've been very happy with mine
Ideally you should have probably done proc and video card rather than the memory but since you've gone ahead and gotten the memory, get a video card upgrade.
The ram was on for half price so I couldn't pass it up. I'm getting the video card on Monday. I have decided to spend some extra cash, just will sit home for the next few weekends and play with the computer, so I will buy a proc. Should I buy a 2.4 or go for the 2.8, is there much of a difference and what is the install like for a proc? It is the only thing in my computer I have not removed or modded, is it a scary job? I don't like spending money on having other people work inside my computer considering it is extra cash spent. Thanks again for all the help.
I didnt some looking on your mobo and if I'm not mistaken, it supports the NorthwoodB chips; now I'm not entirely familiar with the type of bond between intel procs and their memory but ideally you should upgrade to the NorthwoodB (i.e., running the 533Mhz FSB). Get the video card first and then depending on the cash you've got left, upgrade the processor as far as it goes. You will notice a difference however between the 2.4Ghz and 2.8Ghz model (if you've used them both before that is) however for you, if I'm not mistaken, you are using the 1.7Ghz NorthwoodA, so either chip will be quite the fantastic jump. Only if they dont know what they are doing. If they fusk up they can (obviously) reuin the chip but can also mess up your motherboard and other stuff too (i.e., a stray screwdriver hehe). Of course they would have to copmpensate you for that so it wouldnt be a problem other than stress hehe. As around ... its been awhile since I've installed a bunch of P4 at a time (I sell computers) but for AMD chips, the whole process should be can be done inside of 3 minutes by any competent hardware guy. I would imagine Intel installation is quite similar.
Thanks Praetor for all the help and advice. You too Nephilim. I feel confident enough to remove my proc and change it for a better one. My computer store is closed today, I am friends with the owner so he gives me deals but I want to upgrade now, waitng sucks. Thanks again for the help!
