Next Logical Upgrade... NEED OPINIONS

[Caviman2201]

I have a couple hundred bucks to put into my PC and I'm trying to figure out what will give me the biggest performane boost...

I need you guys' expert opinions on what I should upgrade next...

Current setup:

Biostar M7VIT Pro
Athlon XP 2400+ 266MHz FSB "T-Bred"
1GB DDR266 RAM
Via KT400 Chipset (supports up to 333MHz FSB)
eVGA GeForce FX 5700 Ultra (545/1010)
80GB Maxtor 7200RPM
I/O Magic DVD-R/-RW
4 80mm Antec Case Fans

I'm currently considering:

Athlon XP 2800+ 333MHz FSB "Barton" $140
256MB DDR333 (only 256MB of my 1GB is 266, the rest is downclocked to match the processor) $35
Sony DVD-ROM (to directly copy DVD's withouth copying to HDD first) $40
Total: $215

I'm trying to keep totals around $200-250... Any ideas guys?

 

[seamadan000]

maybe the RAM and a ASUS nForce 2 motherboard would be good. If you overclock that processor you could get 2800+ speeds or better, so maybe you should look into a good heatsink (i don't know what you have now)

oh, and welcome to the forums!

 

[dorimon81]

I would get a new board.

 

[Caviman2201]

well... i kinda just got this one... I'm not so sure I wanna completely replace the one i have... why do you say new board? what's wrong with the one i have other than the fact that it can't go to 400MHz? is that extra 66Mhz really gonna kill me?

 

[t_biggs]

I'd have a hard time deciding if I'd want to upgrade the board. On one hand, you could get the RAM and a NF7-S. Most likely, it would be the last Socket A board you'd ever need. However, if you save up some more, you could get a 64 3000+ and motherboard for it in a few months, or whenever you have the money.

I myself wouldn't have upgraded my motherboard and ram in November if I had a DDR board already. I had been using a KT7A. It was reliable, but slow. You're board is a little slow, because it doesn't have a 400 mhz FSB. So, would it really be worth it to you to upgrade and stay on a 32 bit platform, or wait and get a 64 bit platform a little while later? I'd bet that most people who are getting Socket A motherboards now will buy one more processor for it in the future. Then, they will probably switch to the Athlon 64. So, was your Biostar your last Socket A board, or will a nForce2 board be it?

 

[CamH]

I say get a new motherboard and some faster RAM. Then overclock the processor.

 

[Caviman2201]

t_biggs makes a good point though... I think I can live with the 333MHz FSB of one of the new Barton core XP's until I save up enough (or can convince myself) spend the $600+ to get a 64-bit processor and MoBo. I think I'll just drop the $200 on the RAM and the Athlon XP 2800+ for now... then start saving for a 64... Might do some overclocking between now and then to get a 400MHz FSB... if anyone can direct me to a good, simple, direct step-by-step way to do this, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks

 

[Caviman2201]

is there any real advantage to running an nForce 2 chipset over a VIA chipset on AMD boards? I was looking at the A7N8X Deluxe from Asus today... nice board... but if i bought it, the only reason would be for the onboard Firewire and 400MHz FSB... but hell, with my current MoBo, I can hit 333MHz, overclocked to 350-ish... i don't think that extra 50MHz is gonna help me much...