Upgrading: moving from 1.33GHz T-bird to...?

[swanky]

Hi,

My pc have served me well for the last two years. But I would like to put some life back into it, to keep it running for another two years.

Today:

- 1.33GHz T-bird
- MSi K7T Turbo mobo
- 256MB Mosel SDRAM (133 MHz)
- MSI GeForce2 Pro
- 40GB Western (7200 RPM)

My reasons for upgrading:

1) I would like to make this machine more silent than my current leaf blower
2) Want to play UT2003/Unreal 2 maxed out at 1024x768
3) More storage space
4) I want to feel the increase in power when using Photoshop, Studio MX, etc.

I'm not really into overclocking. And I don't care if it's AMD or Intel.

As for upgradability; I'm not gonna kid myself. I want this machine to run more or less smoothly for the next 12-18 months. By the time I feel an upgrade is coming on, I'm will build a new one from scratch. So even though it would be nice to know that I could put a new state-of-art CPU into this machine in 12 months time, it's not a "must".

My budget for a new CPU/Hard drive/Mobo/video card/RAM is $500-600. Not much, and I can put some more into it if necessary. That would cut into my "new shiny Powerbook"-budget though

Anyway - thanks for taking the time to read this post.

swanky

 

[MarkHark]

Ok, so you have an old mobo (SDRAM only), an old GF2, and a Tbird 1.33 GHz.

I would do the following, in this order:

1st) Add more 256 MB PC-133 , that should be about US$ 40; with 512 MB you'd have room enough for OS/applications/games, with minimal HD swapping.

2nd) Buy a new "budget" video card, I would say a GF4 Ti4200 for about US$130 , or maybe a Sapphire Radeon 9500 w/128MB (upgradeable to 9700 via cracked drivers), for US$160. There's a new ASUS Ti4200, factory-clocked as a Ti4400, it is called the V9820S, that should be an interesting option, take a look at the link below. I'm not sure about the price though. http://www.hothardware.com/hh_files/S&V/asus_ti42008x.shtml

3rd) If you REALLY feel the need for a faster CPU, I would get the fastest Athlon XP that you could get your hands on for less than US$100, that would be a 2000+ I guess or perhaps a 2100+. In case you want to spend more than that, just make sure to get one that runs on 133MHz, because I'm not sure your mobo and memory would like 166MHz FSB. Also keep in mind that you *might* need a BIOS flash.

That would make a reasonable upgrade for just below 300 bucks. An extra US$100 could get you a new HD. 80GB and 120GB HDs would currently have the best cost/benefit ratio. Larger HDs are still very expensive. Stay away from IBM, at all costs. Seagate, WD and Maxtor are good bets. Keep your old HD as a secondary, it would be useful for backup/transport/whatever purposes.

4th) Pack the GF2 and the Tbird 1.3 with styrofoam and antistatic bags and send them to my home. They would make a nice addition to my Duron 1GHz/Voodoo 3000 system. Up-to-date equipment can be hard to find and is always a LOT expensive in Brazil

 

[MarkHark]

I think the suggestion above is the best compromise between money/performance, since you only intend to run this machine for 1 year more or so, and then you plan on building an entire new system. You can save the 200 extra dollars on your budget for this new system.
If, however, you'd like to spend more now, and maybe keep this system running for a longer time, my suggestions would be the following, in the same order:

1st) A new DDR-compatible mobo, most AT readers would probably recommend the EPOX 8RDA+ as a cheap (about US$110), stable, feature-rich, good quality board with good technical support. Fastest memory access, with dual channel DDR, onboard LAN and sound are good additions that come for free, since they are integrated on the NForce2 core. Of course, upgrading the mobo also means you're gonna need some memory chips also. Unfortunately, DDR is currently a lot more expensive than SDRAM. 2 x 256 MB memory sticks, PC-2700 or above, with CAS 2 would be your best bet., even if you can get a single 512 MB stick for a bit less. Personally, I would pay a bit more and get Corsair XMS-3000C2 or XMS-3200C2, depending on the price difference. The combo would cost you somewhere between US$250 and US$300.

2nd) Video card - same selections as stated above, let's say, on the minimum, a Ti4200 for about US$130? I don't think a GF4MX 440/460 for about US$90-100 would really be a choice. the price difference is too small and the performance gap is huge.

3rd) Unfortunately, this leaves you with a difficult choice to make. Either you get a brand new CPU (maybe a XP2400+) OR a bigger HD. Getting both of them would put you way above your intended US$ 500 budget.

 

[jeffrey]

If you are going to indeed keep it running for another two years, here are my ideas for motherboard/memory/cpu:

Motherboard
I would definately upgrade the motherboard. For the cost of around $110 an Nforce2 motherboard would give you killer onboard audio, dual-channel DDR memory, firewire and USB 2.0, and a 333mhz fsb. It would also accept the upcomming Barton CPU's.
Epox 8RDA+ $110

Memory
With the Nforce2 I would suggest two 256mb sticks of PC2700 memory to realise the full performace potential of the motherboard. Crucial is selling their 256mb sticks of PC2700 for $58.99 with free shipping.
2 256mb sticks of PC2700 (512mb total) $118

CPU
AMD Athlon XP2500 Barton 333mhz fsb 512k level 2 cache.
Pricewatch $200.

Total $420. The videocard and storage would be up to you, but if your hard drive could last a little longer, you could pick up a GeForce4 Ti4800 or a Redeon 9500 Pro and fit your $600 budget.

 

[swanky]

To both of you: Thanks! Excellent replies!

I didn't know the Barton was out yet, so I might be looking into that one. I definately will be looking for a new mobo. It's not that I'm unhappy about the current one, but I feel it's seriously limiting my options. As for budget, I'm quite prepared to go over $500 at least if it will give me those 18 extra months.

Seems like Anandtech still is the place to turn when in need of advice...

swanky

 

[GnomeCop]

thats a really nice choice of components jeffrey, makes me kinda want to make another system AMD style

 

[ctucker]

FYI, I have an MSI K7T Turbo, and their web site lists the xp1800+ as the maximum CPU that it can handle. I just threw an xp1700+ for $50 into it to extend the life, but I'm planning on build a PC from scratch *very* soon. I would recommend doing the same.. you can keep the old box for something. I plan on throwing linux on it to play around with.

 

[340mopar]

FYI, I have an MSI K7T Turbo, and their web site lists the xp1800+ as the maximum CPU that it can handle.

MSI K7T Turbo CPU Support here.

 

[swanky]

Thanks for the info on the MSI mobo.

I see that Barton is on it's way (10/2), but has there been any inside information on it's performance. The $200 price seems tempting, but I would like to know a little bit about how it performs. Guess I'll have to wait, eh?

Other than that, I might look into the XP1800+ option. It is after all dirt cheap these days.

And I think I'll go for a Radeon 9500 card of some kind.

swanky

 

[majewski9]

I am faced with the same dilemma! I have ECS K7S5A with a 1.33ghz TBird and I need to upgrade as well. I am definately staying with AMD since they are still by far a better value and they dont change sockets every 5 seconds. So its down to choosing either the Athlon XP TBred 1700, 1800, or 2100. Ocing is not a priority right now since I have ECS k7S5A! The wallet is rather tight right now so I think i might go with the 1700 since its like 50 bucks! That is a great deal!

 

[jeffrey]

Originally posted by: swanky

I see that Barton is on it's way (10/2), but has there been any inside information on it's performance. The $200 price seems tempting, but I would like to know a little bit about how it performs. Guess I'll have to wait, eh?

Anand's review of the Barton might be out as soon as next week.

 

[MarkHark]

Hey guys, for you who already have a Tbird 1,33, going for an XP1700+ is NOT the way to go. Even if it's only 50 bucks or so, the performance difference would be almost unnoticeable. Remember that the XP1700+ is only 1,47 GHz, or about 10% over the 1,33 Tbird. It also runs on the same 133MHz FSB, so no gains in memory bandwidth too. You only get 10% greater clock and a minor performance tuning from the Palomino core. I don't imagine doing a CPU upgrade for anything less than 50% performance gain, so I don't think you should buy anything below 2000+, and take into account that even this one would be only about 20% faster clockwise.

The only reason to get the 1700+ would be in case you would try some FSB overclock, maybe you could push it to 150+ MHz, with no multiplier unlocking. This should give you similar performance to a 2000+.

Seems that after all these months we are finally falling into AMD's game, and starting to mistake XP ratings for Megahertz for REAL performance. The performance of a XP 2100+ is nowhere near 40% over that of a XP1500+, as the ratings suggest; in fact, maybe 20-25% would be a better estimate.

 

[MarkHark]

Then again, I just found this article, take a look at the link below:
http://www.amdworld.co.uk/mg1.htm

If you happen to be as lucky as this guy, you could be VERY happy with a XP1700+
btw, I didn't yet know there are Tbred B rated at 1700+
Where can I get one ?