How shall i spend the cash?

[klarrix]

Right.
I've got myself a job for the summer hols that will be dishing out large amounts of money. Because i do not pay rent, almost all of this will head straight for my pocket

Of what i predict to earn, along with a spare fifty i didnt know i had, and have nothing to spend on, i intend to boost my system as far as possible. Was planning for a new video card, veering towards a GeForce FX 5950 Ultra, and murph suggested upgrading my mobo and processor to something like athlon 3400+ and something from the 64bit side of things, but nothing is set in stone atm.

Basically I would prefer it if i could give my specs and leave it open to discussion with you guys so i hear all opinions. Should note that i'm very much a gaming person, and that i am considering overclocking my motherboard and processor, if i get any spare time at the beginning of the hols (about now). I'm open to all suggestions though

Price Limit: £300-350
(+ a guestimate on tradein price for replaced part if applicable)

Current Specs:
amd athlon xp barton 2500+
abit nf7-s v2.0
7F 17" 0.26 Pure Flat Screen Colour Monitor
2X 512Mb PC2700 184pin DDR DIMM Memory
Seagate hard drive (80gb)
Deluxe Keyboard/EN 113keys PS2 Oem
Thermaltake silent boost up to 3400+ (Note that i used the thermal paste from the packet, not anything to special like arctic silver)
Logitech mx700 wireless mouse
GeForce FX5600 128Mb Ultra/760 TV-DVI
P4/Athlon 300W ATX MIDI TOWER CASE, By Compucase
300W Power Supply Unit PSU for ATX PC Case
16x DVD/40x DDUI621 Int IDE OEM DVD Rom NO S/W

Whatever you would see fit to change, upgrade or tweek say here

[Spud1]

new GFX card - rad9800pro wld be fine, or X800XT would be the other choice, £130 and £300 respectivly

nother HD - £60

new PSU - thermaltake or antec truepower ones seem good £60

with a decent psu u can overclock that cpu easily to some nice speeds

[klarrix]

Yea, i'm torn between getting a card that'll keep me for two years at a large expense, or one that will last 9months before i start getting fidgety with it again. i guess its cheaper in the long run but the option of good overclocking sounds nice, you know?

[GreenPiggy]

I'd trade in that memory and get some 3200 speed stuff first,
PSU definitely and a 9800pro sounds good to me.

[Stoo]

9800pro
another hdd (200gigs are pretty cheap now)
pc3200 ram
better psu

should last you plenty long enough

I personally wouldn't bother with 64bit yet, at lease until the chips, form factors and OS situation gets sorted out

If you've got spare cash then you can always go on holiday or something

[klarrix]

LOL stoo, we're off to Albania as it happens. Unusual place to go but its full of ancient sites untouched by tourists, so should be interesting

What is the advantage of an extra hd?

[mr_anderson187]

more storage, lol

[klarrix]

well yea obviously lol, but apart from that?

[Stoo]

more storage, faster drive.. erm more storage.. (pretty essential if you have broadband )

[Alex]

19" Monitor? Maybe worth it...

[Apex]

Dual 17"s, 19"s or 20"s would be a nice upgrade

[klarrix]

hmm not so sure about getting a moniter, as i'm a bit strapped for space atm. was really looking for whatever would boost my performance back up to above average levels and put me in a position where upgrading wouldnt be a necessity for a long time

[Lee H]

good quality speakers, graphics and some nice addons such as TV card, Serial ATA drives etc would make that system much more useable.

[mike_w]

Long answer: Right now, I'd say just get a 9800 Pro - its fairly cheap, good value and, with that setup, should keep you going for a while. That way, you can upgrade again when 64 bit gets going and becomes cheaper - I'd keep an eye on Socket 939 and how that turns out. Also, the new generation of graphics cards (RadeonX800, Geforce 6800 etc) should go down in price by then.

Shorter answer: Get the 9800 Pro, then you'll be fine for quite a while to come, at least until all the new stuff goes down in price.

Short answer: Just get a 9800 Pro.

Oh, and a nice new PSU wouldn't be too bad either.

[klarrix]

Long answer: Right now, I'd say just get a 9800 Pro - its fairly cheap, good value and, with that setup, should keep you going for a while. That way, you can upgrade again when 64 bit gets going and becomes cheaper - I'd keep an eye on Socket 939 and how that turns out. Also, the new generation of graphics cards (RadeonX800, Geforce 6800 etc) should go down in price by then.

Shorter answer: Get the 9800 Pro, then you'll be fine for quite a while to come, at least until all the new stuff goes down in price.

Short answer: Just get a 9800 Pro.

Oh, and a nice new PSU wouldn't be too bad either.

the gist you guys are giving me so far is 9800pro (could someone quickly point out difference between the various makes to nudge me in the right direction?), psu, and maybe an extra hd seeing as they're cheap?

@ Mick- in reference to x800/64bit price drops, when would you say this could be expected? a year maybe?

[mike_w]

@ Mick- in reference to x800/64bit price drops, when would you say this could be expected? a year maybe?

Not really sure, probably a couple of months yet. If you can wait and carry on with what you've got, then wait! Otherwise, a 9800 Pro would be best just to fill in the gap between a major upgrade.

As for the different makes (I assume you mean like Sapphire, Powercolour, etc.) there's not really much difference, they're all pretty much the same. I'd just go for the cheapest one you can find!