Need upgrade advice

[RandomDude]

Hi,
Here are my specs:
P4 2.4gz (133FSB),
Biostar U8668-D,
40Gb Maxtor HD (don't know the speed)
256mb of pc2100 RAM,
250w power supply,
Nvidia Geforce4 440mx,
MSI 52x Cd burner,
4x NEC DVD burner.

I want to upgrade so that i can play new games like far Cry well!. I will be looking at about $350-$400 U.S dollars.

 

[Dantzig]

New video card and RAM.

Radeon 9800 Pro + 1GB PC3200

 

[Chaotic42]

Well, Far Cry still runs pretty rough on my system:

Dual 2800+
1.25GB RAM
Radeon 9700@340/277

 

[RandomDude]

Ok. What about the power supply?Doesnt a 9800pro need a 300w power supply minimum?Which 9800pro in particular e.g saphire or powercolor etc.

 

[Algere]

Yea, why not PSU too and IIRC it was rated for 350 watts.

I managed fine with 300.

EDIT: NM just checked out of curiousity, it is 300 watts, not 350.

 

[RandomDude]

The fastest RAM speed that the mobo except is pc2100. Do you think a Gb of RAM at that speed be enough?

 

[Algere]

I'd say faster ram if you plan to upgrade your mobo/cpu next time around with DDR support in mind. At least you can run PC3200 or faster ram @ PC2100 speed w/ fast timings until the time comes for that upgrade.

If you plan to upgrade to a mobo/cpu combo that supports DDR2 or higher the next time around. Then a gig of PC2100 would do.