looking for advice

[derekhot]

well it's finally time to upgrade my cpu and motherboard (and ram and power supply most likely) and i'd like some help please. i have a p3 600 which has fallen below the minimum recommendation for the new games i'd like to play.
i use this computer primarily for gaming so i need performance and i'd like to get something that'll be sufficient to run games for the next year hopefully two.
with a total budget of $400 to $500 i need cpu, motherboard, and ram. also i'm guessing that all of this will require more than the 300W power supply that i currently have, so what do i need?
thanks much in advance for the help

 

[endyen]

Do you have a great video card? That should be your first thought.

 

[Badger86]

With great OC potential I would go for:
Mobo:
P4P800 -$130
CPU:
2.4C GHz 800MHZ w/HT - $180
RAM:
Corsair 512MB PC3200 400DDR - $80

That is $390. However as endyen states a VC may also be invaluable and thus for $310 more a Radeon 9700 Pro would be great but if that is too much (total of $700) a 9500 Pro is also good, at $240 (total $630). However if you wish to hold on the VC you could spend your extra $110 on a good psu, fans and case which would ensure you could OC your 2.4 to something nice and fast. As well the upgrade in infastructure would make your system capable of having further hardware added to it when the money arives ensuring your present upgrade and future ones are not slowed by poor cooling.

(These are taken from newegg except for the radeon 9500pro, which was estimated based on a cdn price converted into USD)

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by badger86 on 06/06/03 10:52 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[endyen]

If you are not afraid of AMD you might want to try this from newegg
Epox 8RDA3 $119
xp 2500 $96
Radeon 9600 pro by powercolor $185
samsung pc3200 2X 256 locally about $70
enermax 350 w psu $52.99
total is a bit high $522.99
This will keep you in games for at least a year, then you'll have to oc the video card and cpu to stay on top for another year.

 

[derekhot]

sorry i didn't mention-- i just got a radeon 9500pro 128mb which seemed to be the best value w/o spending a ton on 9700/9800, and is a big step up from my geforce2 32mb.
i was originally thinking of going with an athlon but reading about the installation makes me cringe and it sounds like the new p4s are better anyway *and* i wouldn't have to worry about overheating. i looked around a lot after posting on the forum and i've tenatively decided on a p4 2.8 800mhz and a microstar motherboard-- the 865pe neo2-ls. these seem to be highly recommended on by tom's. my question then is: what speed memory? if i buy from crucial (which also seems a good idea) do i want pc2700, pc3200 or what? someone just posted and said 3200... so two sticks of 256 should be enough?
and lastly-- with a p4 do i need any of these options like thermal paste, shims, extra cooling and if so which?

 

[HardWareBoss]

Since your using your computer for gaming I would go with Corsair Pc 3200 2X 512 That will give you enough Ram. Will you be Oc you Cpu? If you are the 2.4c looks like the best chip for Ocing.

 

[HardWareBoss]

Just checked Corsair's web site they recomend Pc 3500 with Canterwood and Springdale Mobos.

 

[goti]

Send me a PM if you're willing to sell that p3 600 cpu w/fan. I've been looking for one to slap together one of my old systems.

"Only those who attempt the absurd, acheive the impossible." - Albert Einstein

 

[derekhot]

at this point i don't plan to overclock, but supposedly this neo-2 motherboard will automatically overclock in some situations (the report said it could go as high as 3.2 ghz) and this is the main reason i chose that board.
i was going to go with critical b/c they've been highly recommended-- is there any advantage/difference between them and corsair? also i was undecided as to whether to go with 2x 256 or more. if i went with more wouldn't 4x 256 be better than 2x 512? i have four ram slots on the new board. what happens if i mix some slots with 256 and others with 512?

 

[Prof133]

if i went with more wouldn't 4x 256 be better than 2x 512?

Two 512MB would be better.

i have four ram slots on the new board. what happens if i mix some slots with 256 and others with 512?

Dual-Channel would not be possible with modules of different size.

<b><font color=blue>I agree with that solution ... because it is a logical one.</font color=blue></b>

 

[HardWareBoss]

From all the post I've read Corsair is the best Memory. You want to save money than go with with the other one you mentioned.