Socket 939 sys, limited budget - what to upgrade??

[katharinelk]

I built my system 2 years ago, and would like to do a minor 'stopgap' upgrade to get me by for another year or so, when I plan to take the Vista/DX10/Dual core plunge....my budget is extremely limited right now, or I'd go ahead and dive in! I'm planning to spend no more than 200 bucks at this time. I use my system mostly for gaming, and have noticed that some of the newer games are running pretty badly even on low settings...e.g. played in the LOTRO beta this weekend and my system was just grinding away.

My current specs:

ASUS A8VDeluxe (socket 939,AGP) mobo
Athlon 64 3000+ cpu
1gb (2 x 512mb) ram
nvidia geforce 6800 (vanilla) gpu

My question is this: given my $200 budget, which component(s) should I upgrade? I know, I know, they're all pretty bad, but I'd like to know with what I can see the most bang for my limited buck. Should I get a new CPU? If so, which sort? Like I said, I pretty much use my system only tto game. Or should I spend my money on a, say, geforce 7800GS gpu?? Or would just adding another gig of memory help best?

Thanks for any advice!

 

[akhilles]

Am I correct that your upgrade goal is to improve the gaming performance?

X1950PRO AGP
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814161070

The PCI-E version is much cheaper. You'd be stuck with this AGP when you upgrade to the next socket: i.e. 775 C2D. It depends on your target resolution. If it's 640x480, it doesn't matter much.

The cheapest s939 x2 chip is $179. You'd have no money left for other upgrades.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103588

The best upgrades would be at least 3800+ X2 s939, another gig of identical ram, & a 7900GS. These should last a little while. However, 7900GS AGP is hard to come by. It's a bit late to look for 3800+ X2. AMD discontinued it last year. The latest to buy this new cpu would be before Sept/Oct 06.

Another option is a Pentium-D 805 + ASRock 775Dual-VSTA (AGP, PCI-E 4x, SATA, DRR & DDR2, etc.) $95 + $58 = $153. The retail cpu is best since it has longer warranty & a cpu cooler. With this mobo, you'd be upgrade to C2D cpu, PCI-E video & DDR2 RAM. These combo won't increase gaming much, but they'll make a diff. at everything else.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Category=34&N=2000340343+50001157+1051707842+1050716915&Submit=ENE&SubCategory=343
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813157092

 

[katharinelk]

Thanks so much for your reply.

Yes, I am trying to improve my gaming performance, if only a little bit.

"The best upgrades would be at least 3800+ X2 s939, another gig of identical ram, & a 7900GS." -- I know these would be the BEST upgrades, but I cannot afford all of them. What I would like to know is WHICH of them would give me the best increase in performance...I can pretty much only afford to upgrade either the cpu OR the video card.

BTW, I am limited to an AGP card, and I know I'll be stuck with it next year when I go PCI-e, but that's OK.

Any further advice? Anyone?

Thanks!!!!!!!!

 

[skyguy]

Upgrading your CPU will be a waste of your budget. If you're looking to improve gaming then a new GPU is the way to go, no question. Another gig of RAM is tempting, but I've done alot of anedotal testing on RAM vs GPU, and in almost all instances, a better graphics card with 1 gig of RAM is FAR BETTER than 2 gigs and a crap card.

GPU all the way.

ATI has some compelling products in your budget range. Nvidia is either cheaper or more expensive range for what you'd need. A 7600GT will improve performance on the cheap, an X1950 would be nicer. If you're an Nvidia fan, the $200 price point isn't well suited for NV right now.....ATI better in that range.

Or......could just wait a couple months and get a mid-range DX10 card for $200

 

[drummerdude]

since you mainly use your system to game, it makes sense to get a better gpu, but eventually s939 will fade away. so maybe an upgrade to a dual core cpu would be good. i wouldnt upgrade the ram, 1 gig is enough.

 

[skyguy]

For the money, however, a:

Single core CPU + good graphics card = better gaming

Dual core CPU + crappy graphics card = crappy gaming


That's really it in a nutshell. Upgrading to a dual core CPU on a S939 is a waste because 939 will fade away anyways. Getting a better graphics card now will easily last long enough until you decide to upgrade your whole system, at which point you go with a dual core system and a DX10 card. And that CPU at that point, in that system, will absolutely SPANK a 939 dual core back into the Stone Age.

Therefore, 2 compelling reasons not to upgrade CPU on your budget.....it won't help your gaming. Graphics card WILL. It will also hold you over long enough until you do a complete system upgrade. Not bad for $200

 

[olmecoid]

The only thing that makes sense is the gpu I am thinking on a nvidia 7900, it supports shader model 3, a thing that similary ati counterparts does not. You will be able to play some recent games, like splinter cell double agent and rainbow six vegas.

Saludos


8)

olmecoid

 

[javimars]

I built my system 2 years ago, and would like to do a minor 'stopgap' upgrade to get me by for another year or so, when I plan to take the Vista/DX10/Dual core plunge....my budget is extremely limited right now, or I'd go ahead and dive in! I'm planning to spend no more than 200 bucks at this time. I use my system mostly for gaming, and have noticed that some of the newer games are running pretty badly even on low settings...e.g. played in the LOTRO beta this weekend and my system was just grinding away.

My current specs:

ASUS A8VDeluxe (socket 939,AGP) mobo
Athlon 64 3000+ cpu
1gb (2 x 512mb) ram
nvidia geforce 6800 (vanilla) gpu

My question is this: given my $200 budget, which component(s) should I upgrade? I know, I know, they're all pretty bad, but I'd like to know with what I can see the most bang for my limited buck. Should I get a new CPU? If so, which sort? Like I said, I pretty much use my system only tto game. Or should I spend my money on a, say, geforce 7800GS gpu?? Or would just adding another gig of memory help best?

Thanks for any advice!

$200 you say? how $40 more for a total of $240. get asrock dual vsta($60)and a e4300($175) and use your old ram and video card. thats what i did and im loving it. bought mb cpu and new vidcard for a total of $400( the video card was $180) and im running my pc at 2.7ghz and getting 22s on super-pi. bf2 runs max everything at 1024x768 4xaa 4xaf and fps doesnt drop below 99. on fear i get like 55 fps on everything even soft shadow.
my 2 cents.

e4300 @2.7ghz
asrock dual vsta
2x1gig ddr1 pc3200
150gig WD
bfg 7900gs oc

 

[nachogod]

I am in the same upgrade situation, except I have and MB that has PCI-E and supports SLI. Right now I am using a 6600 GT. The CPU is a venice core 3000+ and has 1gb of ram. This is the slowest cpu the MB supports, I was always planning to upgrade to a much faster 939 cpu. I don't know if when I would be able to upgrade again after this. I know unlike KatharineLK I will be able to use the new video card I buy now with my future build.

What I am asking is should I just buy a new PCI-E video card ($200) range and forget about upgrading the rest of the system, or is it also worth buying another gig of ram and faster x2 cpu on ebay.

Also what GPU would you recomend in that price range?

 

[skyguy]

Well the best bet there is to either drop the $200 on a GPU and then you keep your current system until it dies or is a dinosaur and then you get a whole new system.

OR you can spend that $240 and get the ASRock mobo and a C2D 4300 CPU. You can use your current RAM and graphics card. Then you upgrade the card later when you have money, and add another gig of RAM after that. Then you effectively have a new system but you did it in pieces. Nothing wrong with that, but you have to commit to it, or else you'll be stuck with a half-upgrade, which would be a waste.

So you roll the dice and get a GPU now and live with the slower CPU, etc.....or you decide to upgrade, whether in pieces if budget it tight, or all at once later when you have enough money.

It's simply a question of budget: what you can afford and/or later?

Doing the ASRock mobo and 4300 CPU is a very good idea. But it also forces you to commit to getting a new graphics card later. It's a good option, but requires you to spend more money on a graphics card still. Not a bad idea if you can save a couple hundredd $$ by summertime.

 

[nachogod]

Can't keep the ram. I have DDR not DDRII. Thinking the most noticiable increase would be the GPU and least wastable item since I could reuse it. That would extend the life of my computer. I know the 939 is a dead platform and the am2 is almost. I was hoping that I could get a x2 4800 w/ 1mb of cash on ebay for $50 at the end of the year when everyone was migrating to am2+ am3. That should hold me off until I could afford a whole new system. How much should I spend, or is any amount of money on a new CPU a waste. Since I sell all of my old parts on ebay, the loss in $ isn't that much.

 

[javimars]

that motherbord allows you to use ddr1 or ddr2 and also agp or pci-e...im using my old pc3200 ddr1 ram and im not planning of getting rid of it anytime soon so..

 

[olmecoid]

He just have 200

 

[big_tuna]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150210
get the card above and try overclocking the cpu some and see how that works out. the A-64 3000 is a good overclocker,but if that doesn't work look to ebay for a deal on a used x2 cpu to try to stick to $200 budget

 

[olmecoid]

I think that you can upgrade the gpu, if your current mobo has a pci e, the nvidia 7900 is pretty good for games. If you upgrade some components later, you can us it in a new mobo. You wont have the same problem as with your RAM or CPU.

Check www.tigerdirect.com

I insist some new games only support shader model 3, like splinter cell double agent. If you go the Ati way, you wont be able to play them, except for some really expensive models.

 

[skyguy]

The ASRock mobo lets you use DDR or DDR2, AGP or PCI-e. This is why is it a possible option to you, since you can keep your RAM and graphics card. You'll get a brand new, fast CPU now, and then you can just upgrade to a DX10 card later.

It's a very good option really, more "futureproof", but it requires one extra step, and you'll still have to get another vid card. BUT, it does let you upgrade much better, and still lets you do it in stages that you can afford.

 

[akhilles]

http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics.html?modelx=33&model1=545&model2=529&chart=224

I don't think it's worth the 7600gt. It's 1583 vs 1200 scores (6800 vanilla agp not on chart, but it's somewhere between the 6600gt & 6800gt). Go through other charts for other games. Not miles away. Just somewhat an improvement in most score comparisons. The lowest I'd go is 7900gs. Factory-overclocked is a bonus. Your psu may not support it.

 

[skyguy]

2 excellent points there ^^^

1, you need a fairly substantial improvement or else don't bother with an upgrade, it'll be a waste of money.

2, your power supply has to be strong enough to support a bigger graphics card that draws extra power from a separate PCI-e connector and not just through the motherboard.

 

[nachogod]

I have a 500w antec, unless I get a 8800 I should be fine. So the consenses is I just upgrade my PCI-E GPU and just buy a new MB/CPU later. Does the AMD 64 3000 have enough power to run games well, even with a good GPU?

 

[skyguy]

Should be ok, mostly depends on what resolution you're running and make sure you don't have alot of background programs/processes (ie--virus scanner, etc) running.....that'll chug your gaming since you don't have dual core.