SSSTOP!! What was I thinking!

[codeseven7]

After bugging alot of helpful people on several sites for upgrade info I have come to the conclusion that this is absolutely NOT the time for me to upgrade my comp any further! I've replaced my Geforce2 MX,stock 200watt power and Windows ME with an MSI G4 Ti4600 card,Enermax 431watt power and Windows XP and thats it! I realized that technologically speaking we are about to open a new chapter on mobo's/chip's and processor's and whatever else I buy at this time will not carry me nearly as long as my 3yo 933Mhz stock comp has done and I doubt if anything computer wise purchased from now on will. Perhaps within only months mobo's,chip's and CPU's that have such thing's as full'y functional 8X AGP,hyperthreading for 3gig+ P4's and dual channel DDR will most likely be standard features for any new board! If I want my new component's to be 'somewhat 'current and updatable after I purchase them then I better waite till the beginning of the next chapter rather than buy what's around at the end of this one! Too many features and advancement's are 'almost' working or about to be implemented that buying anything 'top of the line' right now will surely mean it will be outdated soon afterward. Of course all this does not matter if you are happy with what you are getting now,and that's fine. I've waited too long to replace my older comp to do it now knowing that within only short time I will be able to update it with component's that will be current for at least a while in the future,or at least until the beginning of the next chapter in comp technology! This is only my humble opinion, Thanks again to all those that have me helped along the way,I appreciate it. I welcome your opinion's,I'm sure not all will agree but no problem,that's what makes forums great.

codeseven

 

[LED]

AGP 8x wont have any immediate influences on performance. Mobos/chips will keep chugging along on their Moores-law-like pace. Theres new processor design, but still just on par w/ the pace of current processors. Not like you're going to see a Hammer come in and be twice anything else available. And then when you get a hammer something else is just around the corner. Like a die shrink w/ promises of grandeur overclockability.......Every 2-3 years demands a complete system upgrade for most users. That's if you buy mid-high, high end machines.

[-peep-].

 

[codeseven7]

Good point's LED,thank's for your opinion.

 

[lhgpoobaa]

indeed.
933mhz is enough for most things, and a powerful graphics card will cover most others.

to short upgrade cycles leave you short on cash, and can only tell the difference with benchmark programs

possibly a good rule of thumb (for me) is when processor speed doubles.



<b>"True communication is possible only between equals, because inferiors are consistently rewarded for telling their superiors pleasant lies than for telling the truth."</b>

 

[baldurga]

Well, it's clear that every time the computer world is running faster, an any component become "obsolete" in half year. But personally I consider 3 things:

a) Is my current computer enough for what I'm currently doing? I'm just a middle user, mostly gamer, internet surfer, office worker, and some MP3 o DVD playback. Right, not stressing. Each one will now how good its computer is holding the most usual tasks.

b) Specially for mobos, try to buy something with a lifespan as longer as you can. This implies, sometimes, waiting a little bit, but I thing it's worth. The most clear example is socket 423, it was not worth at all from my point of view. Sometimes buying mobos that have options that you don't use yet it's intelligent, like AGPx8 even you have an AGPx4 card right now, or DDRxxx even you can't find that DDR speed. Why? Because new time you FPS are low and you need a new graphic card, you will take advantage of AGPx8. And so on. Examples, all that you want. Oh yes, and buy a brand wellknown mobo. Not only for greater stability, etc. but you have more changes to BIOS updates, new CPUs supported, etc.

c) And don't forget to overclock if you are in trouble, can give you that extra time before your needed upgrade. So buy components that have these overclocking options.

Probably this is a "strategy" of a budged limited buyer that don't squezee its computers at 100%

My two cents.

DIY: read, buy, test, learn, reward yourself!

 

[codeseven7]

Point's well taken,Thanks

 

[eden]

Don't forget all, there are the new Socket 370 converters, to upgrade a 933MHZ to a Tualatin CPU, which can be one of the best upgrade paths without changing anything.

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What made you choose your THG Community username/nickname? <A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/community/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=19957#19957" target="_new">Tell here!</A>

 

[xxsk8er101xx]

exactly ... i stayed away from upgrading my video card and stuff. I just got a cpu, mobo and ram upgrade. Next year i'll get a new mobo with dual DDR and another stick of 512MB of ram for a total of 1GB of RAM and my 2ghz cpu. By the time christmas comes around those 3ghz cpu's will be quite cheap and i'll pick myself one of those. Plus i'd like to find out if I can use prescott. Assuming prescott doesn't have that palladium crap.

ALso I hope Abit will preduce IT7 MAX3 using intel's springdale chipset!

But you're right. Upgrading now if you already have a decently fast computer is stupid. If my computer didn't smoke up and die on me lol i wouldn't have upgraded.

Guess where my tax refund is going lol! mobo, ram and video card if i have anything left over.

my poor All in wonder radeon is almost at the point of being too slow.

<A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?id=9933" target="_new"> My Rig </A><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by xxsk8er101xx on 09/25/02 11:10 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[codeseven7]

Eden,good point,where did you see the info on the socket 370 converter?

 

[icy_oblivion]

There is an article on it on the main THG page.

<font color=red> Alcohol </font color=red>and <font color=green>calculus </font color=green>don't mix. Never <font color=red>drink </font color=red>and <font color=green>derive.</font color=green>

 

[dhlucke]

Another thing to note is the price fluxuations which can make a big difference. I bought half a gig of PC2100 from crucial a year ago when the prices were rock bottom. If you were to buy the same memory today it would cost over 100% more.

Obviously memory is more volatile than anything else, but another thing to note is making your money a little more powerfull by not buying the newest thing out there. Just meet your needs. I bought a 1 Ghz Tbird a year ago for $77. It's still fine, but lets say I bought the 1.4 Ghz Tbird instead. It cost $127 at the time. The price difference is $50. What could I get for $50 today if I wanted to upgrade? I could get a 1600+, same speed, but different core. So basically I could get two CPU's for the price of one in my case. Then again I'm happy with my 1 Ghz so it's a mute point. What about tommorrow though? What will my saved $50 do?

Video? Buy an overclockable card. At the time I chose a GeForce2 Pro instead of an Ultra. I overclocked the card to Ultra speeds. Saved some cash. I want a new card though, but I still managed to go easy on my budget and I think I can hold out for another couple months until I feel better about the current crop of cards and drivers out there.

Software? I get a lot of Microsoft software, <A HREF="http://www.microsoft.com/retail/" target="_new">legally</A>, for free. If you work, or even worked in retail, you probably can too.

Nonetheless, you will need to upgrade eventually. It's just that right now, for both of us, the ~1 Ghz computer is enough. Software hasn't really caught up. Your OS, PSU, and videocard upgrade are enough since your computer is still relatively fast. Others disagree though and will upgrade their 1 Ghz computers to 2Ghz+ only to use their full performance every blue moon. Others really do need the extra speed though for video encoding and rendering.

<font color=red>I'd like to dedicate this post to all my friends, family, and fans. Without them this post would never have been possible. Thank you!</font color=red>

 

[eden]

Do you read THG's articles? It was posted 2 days ago!
All info is inside, how to put it, and the difficulties you might find. I beleive this is one of the best upgrade offer you can have, I mean upgrading an old P3 supporting mobo, to a Tualatin Celeron which is nearly 2 generations ahead, including on old BX mobos, is probably the best money saving out there.

--
What made you choose your THG Community username/nickname? <A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/community/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=19957#19957" target="_new">Tell here!</A><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Eden on 09/25/02 09:10 PM.</EM></FONT></P>