Should I upgrade?

[MarkZ3]

I'm thinking of upgrading my PC but I'm not really good in all this hardware stuff...Here's my PC:

Aopen HT45 case Link
Aopen AX34 II with Via Apollo Pro 133A Link
Intel P3 1GHz 256K Link
Aopen Geforce3 Ti200 128MB Link
some SDRAM PC133 320MB RAM :S
Soundblaster Live Link
an ethernet card...?
Maxtor 20GB ATA100 7200 (forgot model)
LG CED-8080B Link

I'm getting around 5500 3Dmarks 2001 with this setup...

I'm thinking about getting a 1.6GHz 512K p4 Northwood wich I intend to clock at 2.0GHz+ and a new motherboard to go with it...
Is it worth it? what kind of board and memory should I get? do I need a new case/power supply? extra fan?
Also, keep in mind that I would like to pay around 300$CAN (around 200$ US)

Please help me! I want to play UT2003 full speed!
Also...is my 3Dmark score normal?

THX GUYS

 

[DeviousTrap]

If i were you i would wait until you had some more money? Are you willing to spend anymore? Wth that budget i would recommend a AMD combo not a P4. Either way it would be hard to fit a CPU+MOTHERBOARD+RAM in $200 (US) I said ram since nomatter what upgrade you mae PC133 would be a bottleneck. What do you think about AMD?

 

[MarkZ3]

I want to overclock the 1.6GHz baby! but I'm openned to a AMD CPU...

 

[Czar]

I would wait untill christmas, you should be able to play any game untill then

 

[AnAndAustin]

Your case should be fine, esp if it has both front and rear mounts for case fans to enhance the airflow if necessary. It's a very good idea to get a new PSU though, 350W+ by Antec or Enermax is a good idea although ToPower, SFlower and Sparkle are other good options.

Your mobo and CPU are the key things here, DDR RAM would be nice too. GF3TI200 is still very fine and not overly important to upgrade esp since it has 128MB. You may want to upgrade your 32x8x4 CDRW to a burn-proof 32x32x12 (or better) as they cost so very little and are well worth the cost. Another thing which isn't desperate but is something to plan to upgrade in 6 months time is your 20GB HD, again 80-120GB don't cost a whole lot considering their benefits.

So you'll be wanting an Antec/Enermax 400W PSU which should hit you about $60 (ALL US $).

P4 route, 1.6ghz ($120) or 1.8ghz ($130) using the NW core (0.13mu 512k) are very nice CPUs and o/c extremely well, you should expect 533FSB, 2.1ghz and 2.4ghz respectively. The fan you get with the retail versions should be fine although there are plenty of better alternatives out there for $10-20. Any Skt478 mobo will do just fine, you'll want DDR333-PC2700 and 533FSB abilities but very little else matters beyond that, $60 should cover it. DDR-PC2700 is what you want for P4 (Rambus is overpriced and not much faster at all) 256MB is okay $55 while 512MB $120 is more ideal. So the total for P4 1.8ghz @ 2.4ghz, HSF, Skt478 mobo, 256MB PC2700 is about $310 (again ALL US $).

AthlonXP route, XP1800+ $70 is about the best to go for as it should o/c to XP2000+ speeds, XP2000+ $95 isn't much more if you'd prefer to avoid o/c'ing. You'll really want a decent HSF, I'd rec Volcano 7+ or 9 for about $20-30. There are plenty of SktA choices out there some of which will allow you to reuse your existing 320MB PC133 as well as providing DDR slots for later expansion, in any case it will cost you about $50. If you want DDR RAM then PC2100 is more than fine for SktA although PC2700 is a little bit more future proof, allows fast latency settings and more o/c'ing headroom for only a little more cash. So the totals for XP1800+ @ XP2000+, Volcano 7+/9, SktA mobo and reuse 320MB PC133 is $205, with 256MB PC2700 it's $260 and 512MB PC2700 it's $325.

EDIT: Just to add the perf hit of using PC133 over PC2100/2700 on AthlonXP ... it's only about 10% slower, nothing to lose sleep about and worth the saving if only in the short term. Of course going for a DDR only mobo opens up a lot more options, but SiS735/745 and VIA KT266/266A/333 shouldn't be hard to find sporting both DDR and SDR slots. As a general guide SiS are more relaible and stable (esp with a SB Live) while VIA are faster, better for o/c'ing and more tweakable. The XP rating is a very reliable guide to perf so an XP2000+ easily equals a P4 2.0ghz PC.

 

[MarkZ3]

Sorry I messed up with my price range...more like 400-500$CAN (~300$US)

 

[MarkZ3]

Wow! Thanks for the reply AnAndAustin!! I think I'll go P4...I though about a Soltek board : Link

 

[boyRacer]

I say you wait for granite bay...

 

[AnAndAustin]

That should be a great mobo MarkZ3. Probably what I'd buy if I was in the market for a P4 right now, although SiS648 is preferable. AGP8x and ATA133 are more for show than true benefits but still nice to have, USB2, 533FSB, official DDR333-PC2700 support and IIRC DDR400-PC3200 is possible in the future when it's JEDEC certified.

Granite Bay is the Intel E7205 mobo chipset which will use true Dual Channel DDR to double the RAM bandwidth (like P4X600), I'd imagine DDR333-PC2700 and DDR-PC3200 will serve us more than well enough and if you wait for Granite you might as well wait to see how NV30, DDR-II, AMD Barton, AMD Hammer, P4 NW-B, etc etc (along with the wait for prices to drop, availability to rise and full reviews to appear). If you are happy with what you have then cool, wait, but waiting in the PC game is pretty pointless if your kit isn't up to scratch.