Going for an upgrade... but w/c component?

I have one choice for an upgrade to my PC. Which do you guys think makes the best postive mpact on my system and for what i do (gaming ad work)

My Current System:
CPU: P4 2.4Ghz 533 Prescott - OC @ 3.06ghz

RAM: 2X 256 Geil PC3200 DDR400 dual channel - OC @ 425mhz (212.5mhz

VidCard: GeCube Radeon 9550XT 400/250 (core/mem) - OC @ 467/280

Mobo: MSI 865PE Neo2-P Platinum Edition

HardDrive: 80 GB Hitachi Deskstar 7K250

What I do:
I am an IT dude.. website designs, developer, web applications, Macromedia Flash, some 3D, lots of PHP-MySQL etc.. I am also a big gamer.. i look at games as serious role playing for me.. a chance for me to forget about my real world and just blast people to kingdom come.. or build cities.. or race. or whatever..

When i work i usually have lots of programs running.. most of the time i have these running: Dreamweaver, Flash, Zend Studio, Fireworks, IE and Firefox browsers, winamp, apache and mysql servers running on the background.. and occationally Swift3D or some other app.. as you can see, i really load things up..

As of now, im quite satisfied with my system when it comes to my work.. seems to be a-OK. except for the occasional delays when switch from 1 app to another. and when closing an app, sometimes it takes a while to for the system to shut it down, or perhaps unload from memory..

As for gaming, im ok i guess compared to my previous 64MB geForce card... but i wish it could be better. I just got a copy of FarCry, and @ even 800x600 resolution, the game reacts slow to my inputs.. frame skips and delays (pauses) are rampant..


So, bottom line, as a gift to me by someone, i have a $250 USD budget for one upgrade. Which would be the most favorable choice based on the above situation?

1) Video Card Upgrade: Radeon 9600XT (or a 9800xt on ebay) or whatever?

2) An pentium IV 3.0 or 3.2 HT processor?

3) Or a kick *** Corsair DDR Memory module/s?

Me also open to other suggestions..

Would really appreciate your advises guys.. thanks!

tea

Definitely a video card upgrade. As you have a $250 budget, I suggest getting a 6800nu based video card. The 9600XT isn't as big a boost, and a 9800xt is pointless because they are very overpriced and are still slower than a 6800nu.

If you cannot find a 6800nu for $250 or less, then a 6800LE would be a good choice as well. The 6800LE performs similarly to the 9800 Pro, but there's a good chance that you can softmod it to a 6800nu or even a 6800GT.

As for your other choices, they won't get you as much in terms of performance, well, nothing you would notice anyways.

agreed. pick up a 6800nu, and you'll love the difference in games from your current card. you'll prolly triple your framerates in newer games.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-170-074&depa=1

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-145-096&depa=1

without even going to other sites, there's two possabilities for you that are just a little bit above your budget. I would still shop around though, newegg is good, but not the best.

hmmm... thanks soo much for the advises guys. so VIDEO CARD IT IS.. next problem. which one?! hehe. i was never a fan of Nvidia cards.. always went for ATI.. but since a lot of you are suggeting em, will be considering it too.

i am looking at this card as of the moment.. would love to know what ya'll think about this?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5138999770

tea

Well, I wouldn't worry about nVidia's quality with the 6800 series as they have ironed out the bugs that plagued the 59xx series.

The card in the auction is just a standard 9800 Pro, but the seller is basically guaranteeing that the card will flash to a 9800XT. The price is pretty much the same as what a store such as Newegg sells it for, so it's up to you whether you want to go for it.

My suggestion would still be the 6800nu or 6800LE. The performance with each is superior to the 9800 Pro, and IMO is worth the premium.

The card in the auction is just a standard 9800 Pro

Click to expand...

hmm.. standard? isnt this card one of the really good 9800Pro cards with R360 thingy? i dunno. my friend said it was a really good deal..

if ever i close the auction at $240, i will have to pay $20 for flashing, plus $20 shipping. $280 total. still worth it you think? the reason i jumped on this is coz a couple of friend's told me it's a fabulous card..

as for the 6800, will look around for alternatives
tea

Tea_J said:

hmm.. standard? isnt this card one of the really good 9800Pro cards with R360 thingy? i dunno. my friend said it was a really good deal..

if ever i close the auction at $240, i will have to pay $20 for flashing, plus $20 shipping. $280 total. still worth it you think? the reason i jumped on this is coz a couple of friend's told me it's a fabulous card..

as for the 6800, will look around for alternatives
tea

Click to expand...

no- even flashing you will get performance that can still be beaten by the 6800 AND flashing voids your warrenty, so if anything goes wrong you're S.O.L. So compare that to a 6800 which you can get for the same price off newegg or another site

hmm.. i see. wow. is that so.. interesting... thanks..

doing a bit of research.. and i found this:

The AGP version of the 6800 chip has a broken video processor, it will never work properly due to a design problem. They will have to redesign the chip (either a new 6800 stepping or a completely new 6900 chip) to get it working properly.
The PCI-Express versions of the 6800 and the 6200 and 6600 series have a perfectly working video processor."

Click to expand...

http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread...3&page=13&pp=15

doesnt sound good.

tea

4xAA hurts 6800 more than the 9800XT

Also, factor in the price differential. ~200US for 9800pro and mod to XT (360 core) 256MB DDR2 on Ebay ~400US for the 6800. They are NOT priced 20 or 30 dollars difference. If you can find a 6800 on ebay for 20 more than a 9800pro moddable to xt then go for it.

Personally again, I think that Nvidia is too dark and does not render as prettily as ATi. And remember that if you can keep a steady 30fps in the resolultion you wish to play at, anything else is extra as 30fps (steady) is liquid frames.

I have played with both 6800 and 9800pro and think that 6800 is darker, not as clear and sharp and less able in the shading in directx especially with 4xaa. It is faster in "almost all, not all" games.

However, if simple fps is what you want and you CAN find a 6800 for the price of the 9800pro then you might wish to go for it. Certainly it is faster than the 9800xt in almost all benchmarks.

R

well, i entered my first ever bid on ebay.. 40 minutes till end of auction.. $200 currently.. i hope them bastards dont start bidding like crazy on the last seconds of the bid..

tea

Personally I can tell the difference between 30 and 60 FPS, and if your monitor isn't set for atleast 75FPS then you're eyes will start to hurt after an hour or two, so I wouldn't say there is no difference after 30FPS. I would never strive to just get 30 FPS in a game. Between the 6800nu ($250), and the 9800 pro ($220) there is no question why you wouldn't go with the 6800nu. Personally Tea_J I don't understand why you posted this thread if you're not going to listen to any advice, and just be bias. Benchmarks do not lie so just check out all the benchmarks between the 9800 pro or even the 9800xt against the 6800nu, and the 6800nu will easily win everytime.

angry2.gif
darn. i was outbid! can you believe that? these guys came in at the last seconds! hmm.. didnt know ti worked that way! sux.

US $212.50 .. i could have afforded even $220!!!!! arrggg. im so pissed at maself.. i didnt know i should have stared at it and sh*t.. angry2.gif

*cussin* *kicking chairs and tables* *banging the keyboard*

it's not that i dont listen to the posts.. i did say i was trying to consider it.. but i have not found a 6800nu at our local stores around here, and i've not found one on ebay.. 6800nu (with the "nu" right?) ... also, to be honest i was pressured because the bidding is almost over. had to decide quick.. well, it was a crazy few hours for me i tell ya that..

but in all out honesty, i do favor the Radeon card coz it was cheaper.. i had to consider my shipping costs on top of the 6800 card.. also, because i know of the 6800's broken processor..

http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=37673&page=13&pp=15

anyway, i did get it so.. atleast i do have more time to consider things.. so ok, you did say that 6800nu is $250.. i really can't seem to find that card you guys are talking about.. most of the 6800's i see are over $300!!! actually around $400! there's no way i can ever afford that.

thanks for all your advises by the way.. all is valued, dont worry.

tea

http://shop3.outpost.com/product/4082672
or you could probably go into a local Fry's and find it. Also the ones you're finding close to 400 are probably the 6800GTs which are a higher up version of the 6800 series... I would compare the GTs to the 800xts. 6800Ultras($500) to the 800xt PE

unfortunately, we dong got Fry's here.. I am not in the US. me just around ASIA.

hmm. anyway, what does "nu" stand for in the 6800nu ??? also, can one modify an NU to a GT? sorry, im not really familiar with Nvidia's cards.

tea

Oh..wow. NU stands for Non-Ultra as in the version of the 6800 you need isnt a GT or an Ultra. It's the baseline 6800 and isnt as good as a 6800gt or ultra, but it sure is one heck of a card.

hehehe. so that's what it meant..been searching like crazy for an "nu" geforce card.. nothing ever shows up... hehe

hmm.. so is it also OC-able to a GT or Ultra perhaps?

tea

some have been able to flash it into a GT, but there is no chance that you'll be able to get it up to a Ultra...

hmm.. i see.. ok.. i found a local store selling a radeon 9800xt. (dont worry im also looking for a 6800nu around here too.. hehe) but for now, i would like to know what you guys think of this:

PowerColor 9800xt 256MB/256Bit for approx $330 (with freight)

http://tipidpc.com/items/view.php?id=153785

is it worth it? the good thing about it is the seller is in my country. less wait, less freight expense.. although the card itself is a whopping $300+ bucks

tea