Options for upgrading socket 939, advice

[Theo237]

Here are my Current Specs:

AMD64 3500+
Asus A8V Deluxe mobo
3 GB crucial DDR
Radeon 9800pro
450 PSU
150Gb SATA

I'm considering upgrading with another AGP card, 7600GT, X1950pro (what the heck's taking so long with this card!.) On the other hand I could get a PCI-e mobo and card for about the same price. However since this will probably be the final upgrade this system gets before I build a new computer, both these options have pros and cons.

Upgrading mobo means I have a wider selection of graphics cards which have better availability. However, this also means I have to fiddle about with the computer, which can be a serious pain in the rear.

My main aim is to get the system ready to play Medieval II. My head is spinning, can anyone advise? And what mobo should I be look at if I choose that path?

Cheers :?:

 

[roncpem]

I had an A8V deluxe & a A64 3200 that was O/C'd to 2.5 with a 9800 Pro. I then uploaded a newer bios, don't remeber what the # was, put in an A64 3800 dual core & had it running at 2.5 also, upgraded my video card to an X800Pro & flashed it to X800XT PE. Worked fine, had this for a year, now am building a Core 2 Duo system. Your A8V still has some life in it & the AMD prices are good as well as the video card prices. Don't know if this helps or not, justed wanted to let you know.

 

[Theo237]

Yeah, I suppose I could also stick a better CPU in as well. Hmm...my feelings though are that this will lead to the Dark side!! My tendency to is to nurture my first self built computer, but this could lead to uneccesary expense. In the end it will be retired to my mum's house so it will still be used. I can play older games when I'm there.

I guess then I should stick to a new AGP card. I wish that 1950 would hurry up.

 

[benjamin]

My main aim is to get the system ready to play Medieval II. My head is spinning, can anyone advise? And what mobo should I be look at if I choose that path?

All you need is a video card. Been playing Medieval 2 this very morning on my ~2.35GHz Athlon 64 [a Winchester 3000+], 1GB of cheap 4-year-old PC2700 and an X850.

1280*768, for reference, medium/high quality.

 

[piratepast40]

Upgrades are always subjective so opinions will certainly vary. I've also got the A8V Deluxe. It's a pretty robust board with plenty of options and room for overclocking.

Since you've already got 3G of RAM and a 450W power supply, you're probably in pretty good shape. There's nothing wrong with the 3500+ and you have the ability to overclock with both the chip and the board. It depends on what else you want to do with the computer. You can certainly go with a new 939 PCIe board but you're stuck with the 939 socket and your DDR ram whick will limit future upgrades. The AM2 boards will need a new processor and DDR2 RAM so it's a significant upgrade.

I'm going with a 4400 X2 which I intend to bump up to 2.6. i've already got 3g of ram (2 x 1g + 2 x 512). Not sure yet If I can get the FSB back up to 400 with all 4 memory slots populated - still looking at that. I'm assuming you have all four slots full with 3g. If not, you've lost dual channel.

Like you, I'm waiting for the 1950 pro in AGP flavor to see how prices and performance shake out.

Like I said before, everyone has their own opinion. I'm sticking with my A8V for a few more years and trying to get the most out of it but with the understanding that future upgrades are limited.

 

[Theo237]

1280*768, for reference, medium/high quality.

I know, but I'd really like to play this with the best possible quality at slightly higher resolutions. But thanks for the advice. The 9800 was an excellent investment but stuggled to play the demo even on very low settings. This is the first time that I've hit this barrier.

The 7600GT or X1950 would allow me to do this right?

 

[Theo237]

I'm assuming you have all four slots full with 3g. If not, you've lost dual channel.

That's right I have the same config as you . 3GB DDR400 (2x1GB & 2x0.5GB)

 

[benjamin]

I know, but I'd really like to play this with the best possible quality at slightly higher resolutions.

So buy a newer video card. The point was, you will have no further bottleneck. The game is no churner, and as such no reason/excuse for a complete upgrade.

 

[sirheck]

On the other hand I could get a PCI-e mobo and card for about the same price

that would probably be yor best route. as it would give an upgrade
towards dx10.

 

[sirheck]

That's right I have the same config as you . 3GB DDR400 (2x1GB & 2x0.5GB)

this would also let you use the 2x0.5gb and the old mobo and 9800
for a spare and decent computer.

 

[pauldh]

With that rig, I'd look for an AGP X1950 pro for hopefully no more than $250. They should have been in stock by now. If they end up more money, say $300, then I'd make the swap to PCI-e. But I would stick with that A64 3500+ as it's still plenty CPU. You can also just OC it if you play a CPU intensive game that could use a boost.

I would not go AGP 7600GT at current $175+ prices as you could buy a NF4 mobo and PCI-e version together for the same price. Same goes for the X1950 pro if up above $250. You can buy a X1900GT for $170 or X1950 pro for under $200 and a mobo like a MSI K8N Neo 4F for $70.