Upgrading an old P4 rig

[colinb4987]

I've got an old P4 rig (2.66GHz, 1GB DDR RAM, on an Asrock mobo with PCI-e) that I'm looking to upgrade to allow me to do a bit of gaming. Money's tight at the moment, so a whole new dual-core rig isn't really an option, unless you can convince me otherwise! I'm running a 22" Viewsonic 1680*1050 LCD, currently from integrated graphics due to complete lack of a graphics card.

Basically, I'm looking to upgrade, max budget of ~ GBP120. I want the biggest bang for my buck, to allow me to do some nice looking gaming at native resolution. Ideally, I'm after ET:QW, UT3, and EvE Online...but realise that I might have to compromise.

Can anyone suggest what the best way to go about upgrading would be?

Thanks in anticipation...

[Webby]

Well I have to say that your best option will be to just buy a graphics card, for your budget you are looking at are,

9600 GT, Computer hardware and software at amazing prices, available online from Scan Computers UK
3870, Computer hardware and software at amazing prices, available online from Scan Computers UK

or for £100 a 512MB 3850, Computer hardware and software at amazing prices, available online from Scan Computers UK

Any of those will be fine and you will most likely be CPU limited but for £120 you are not going to get CPU, motherboard, memory and graphics card.

[hse180]

As Webby has stated, those are the best graphics cards within your budget and will play games well

[Blackmage]

you've got to change that Mobo CPU and ram first, you may see greater and longer term benifit, as you will be CPU limited. Your also avoiding something that you will have to do long term anyway. I think your better off trying to spend now to save cost's in the future. As games you'll be able to play now may be ok, in the future you mostly won't be able too. Multi thread games are becoming standard the net burst P4 just won't cut it Long term.

Can you overclock?

[colinb4987]

I am fully intending to change it all over before too long, but can't afford to do so at now.

Thanks for GFX suggestions - they're the ones I've been looking at, for sure. But, like you say, I'm going to be CPU limited....so is there any point in spending that much money? With my rig, what's the most expensive card out there that's not going to be CPU limited?

@Blackimage: I can overclock, but only relatively basically - I managed to bump my mate's E4500 up to 3.0GHz for him. But I don't think my Mobo's got the options to allow me to do it on this box, it's pretty basic! I'll have a look this evening and see what it'll let me do.

[Blackmage]

I am fully intending to change it all over before too long, but can't afford to do so at now.

Thanks for GFX suggestions - they're the ones I've been looking at, for sure. But, like you say, I'm going to be CPU limited....so is there any point in spending that much money? With my rig, what's the most expensive card out there that's not going to be CPU limited?

@Blackimage: I can overclock, but only relatively basically - I managed to bump my mate's E4500 up to 3.0GHz for him. But I don't think my Mobo's got the options to allow me to do it on this box, it's pretty basic! I'll have a look this evening and see what it'll let me do.

Thats what I'm trying to imply colin. You will see greater improvement with an overclocked celeron e1200 New mobo, Ram ETC

Your in two boats. CPU limted one or increasing bugdet and having a lesser graphics card.

graphics option is fine but not a longer term solution.

[Hunain]

Yeah but you can buy the graphics card, It can run the games you want to play for now, then later you have to upgrade, you can keep the graphics card and just upgrade the CPU etc, if you upgrade the CPU etc right now, you still wont be able to play the games anyways, so why not play them, and then upgrade along the way?

[Bounty_Bam]

Personally, I agree with BlackMage.. if your going to be after playing top game out these days, your going to need to update your other core components eventually.. otherwise your graphics will be so good, it will out do your CPU so far it will choke with the power.
But yeah, as for a GPU in your budget, those 2 first posted are good!


In fact, I've just upgraded my P4 rig myself

[colinb4987]

Thanks for the feedback - it pretty much confirms my suspicions. Given that I'll be gaming on the 1680*1050 monitor when I eventually get a new rig, the 9600GT seems like the sensible option - if its not good enough after the eventual upgrade, I can always flog it and buy a 9800 or similar.

So, yeah, thanks for all the advice, its much appreciated. I'll pop back in once I've pulled the trigger and let you all know how I get on with it.

As far as an upgrade goes, I'm looking at:
Antec Sonata III 500
Antec Earthwatts 500W
Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R
Intel E2160
Scythe Ninja
Corsair 2x1Gb 4-4-4-12 DDR2 800MHz
Nvidia 9600GT
Samsung HD250HJ
Samsung HD501LJ

Does that seem sensible? Gives me the option of heading onto DDR3 when it becomes affordable, and S775 will be around for a while yet? I don't want to upgrade and then get stuck with an old socket...which is where I find myself now!!

[Hunain]

Yeah, everything seems pretty much fine. As for the S775 socket, I reckon..yes it COULD be around for a while, but you never know, like graphics card churning up every now and then who knows.

[Blackmage]

Colin, what you've listed is fine. Get that cpu to a nice 3GHZ you've got a nice gaming rig. Also the ability upgrade to a quad core!

[Thorsson]

I beg to differ from what's been said. Getting a graphics card now will allow you to play those games, which integrated graphics will not. Sure you won't get quite as many fps as you would in a C2D system, but who cares if it's CPU limited if you're getting 60 fps? You can then upgrade the rest when you have the money and get the very latest chips or buy current at reduced prices.

And never get a motherboard that supports two different types of RAM. Chances are that by the time DDR3 becomes worth buying, you'll need a new mobo/CPU anyway, and nextgen Windows will need 4Gb just to operate...

Oh and never get integrated graphics if you game.

[colinb4987]

@Thorsson: Why no dual RAM motherboard? Granted, DDR3 doesn't seem to bring along massive benefits until you start spending ridiculous amounts of money on the rest of the system, which I won't be doing; but what limitations does having a motherboard able to accept both place on the system?

As for nextgen Windows....I've ducked out of all that and into Linux, so to be honest I'm less fussed (hence the game choice of ET:QW, UT3 and EvE online)...but of course, considering future compatability is no bad thing!

[Hunain]

I beg to differ from what's been said. Getting a graphics card now will allow you to play those games, which integrated graphics will not. Sure you won't get quite as many fps as you would in a C2D system, but who cares if it's CPU limited if you're getting 60 fps? You can then upgrade the rest when you have the money and get the very latest chips or buy current at reduced prices.

And never get a motherboard that supports two different types of RAM. Chances are that by the time DDR3 becomes worth buying, you'll need a new mobo/CPU anyway, and nextgen Windows will need 4Gb just to operate...

Oh and never get integrated graphics if you game.

Exactly my point regarding the graphics card.

[Webby]

DDR3 will not be a viable upgrade path with the components that the motherboard will allow it is postulated that the next batch of Intel processors will use a different socket and I can't see you receiving great benefits from DDR3 on the current architecture. So better to get a superior DDR2 only board (ABit IP35) in my opinion of course.

And I stick with my original view that upgrading the graphics now and the CPU etc later is the better option if you want to play games. Integrated graphics just wont cut it.

[colinb4987]

So all are agreed then - graphics card now, rest of it later on is what'll enable me to play games now. DDR3 isn't worth it for current gen Intel CPUs, so stick with DDR2 only motherboards.

Thanks for all your help.