Which to upgrade first? Video or CPU.

[Sentinel]

Which should I concentrate on first, the video or the CPU?

Current specs:
1700+ Tbred B @ 2 GHz
1 GB Corsair VR PC 3200
Shuttle AN35N Ultra 400 Mobo
9600XT 128MB
Antec True 330W - losing power I think bc the rails vary
Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 80GB
No sound card/onboard

 

[kitkat22]

I guess my question is where do you plan to end up with either? Are you looking for the latest and greatest in either or are you looking to max out what your current mobo can handle? I guess it is mostly a matter of weighing out the ultimate benefit of either solution and choosing the best fit. Good luck!

 

[Sentinel]

This is true and I agree. It is something I have been dealing with for some time. It comes down to the amount of money that is worth investing into something bigger and better. I'm thinking of going with a 64 setup and selling this one off...

 

[neutralizer]

Your video card is plenty fast. Time to upgrade that processor now.

 

[KoolDrew]

I'm thinking of going with a 64 setup and selling this one off...

That is what I would do personally.

 

[suicidalpigeon]

xp mobile
oc it like crazy
6600gt, too
?????
profit?

 

[suszterpatt]

While we're at it, what should I upgrade next? Vid card or RAM? Note that I'm planning to OC once there's a new game worth playing that needs the juice.

 

[Inigo Montoya]

Considering your mobo and ram, I would upgrade the processor.

 

[Inigo Montoya]

@suszterpatt

In your case it's a bit more tricky, considering Athlon 64's like low latencies, but if you want to play at high resolutions I would upgrade the vid card first.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: suszterpatt
While we're at it, what should I upgrade next? Vid card or RAM? Note that I'm planning to OC once there's a new game worth playing that needs the juice.

Videocard without a doubt

 

[suszterpatt]

Originally posted by: Inigo Montoya
@suszterpatt

In your case it's a bit more tricky, considering Athlon 64's like low latencies, but if you want to play at high resolutions I would upgrade the vid card first.

I never really cared for pretty graphics. I'll take a solid 800x600 low detail experience over a slightly choppy 1024x768 anytime. RAM it is then. Excellent, maybe I'll save up some cash and get a PCI-E mobo and vid card for the upgrade after this one.

 

[suszterpatt]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: suszterpatt
While we're at it, what should I upgrade next? Vid card or RAM? Note that I'm planning to OC once there's a new game worth playing that needs the juice.

Videocard without a doubt

Omg stop confusing me!!!111



No seriously, why? Note my low standards in the graphics department.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: suszterpatt

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: suszterpatt
While we're at it, what should I upgrade next? Vid card or RAM? Note that I'm planning to OC once there's a new game worth playing that needs the juice.

Videocard without a doubt

Omg stop confusing me!!!111



No seriously, why? Note my low standards in the graphics department.

Ram timings has little to do with A64 performance.
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=28&threadid=1475190&enterthread=y

I think the 9600xt is the weak point for gaming.

EDIT: if you get really fast timings on your ram (is that what you were planning?) you might get like 5% or 10% performance increase... if you got a new videocard (like a 6600gt or 6800gt etc.) we're talking huge performance increase.

 

[suszterpatt]

Yeah I know that thread, but going from 3-3-3-8 to 2-2-2-5 seemed to be quite a difference to me.

 

[Jeffyboy]

In your case... I would consider a 64bit Athlon and a new motherboard... perhaps something like a K8T890 chipset or something... then you'll be forced to upgrade your video card too..hehe.
Or get a SCSI hard drive..that'll dramatically increase performance visually.
But the answer you're expecting is CPU most likely. The 9600XT is a fine card.

Jeff
at yourtechonline.com

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: suszterpatt
Yeah I know that thread, but going from 3-3-3-8 to 2-2-2-5 seemed to be quite a difference to me.

Ok, there is a difference, but if your budget allows for a videocard upgrade instead, the performance increase would be much more significant than the increases you're seeing from the ram difference there.

http://graphics.tomshardware.com/graphic/20050705/index.html

EDIT: check out 9600xt vs the 6600gt. For $150 to $175 for the 6600gt, you could double your framerates in some cases.

 

[suszterpatt]

Please excuse me while I collect my jaw from under the desk.


Ok, that looks pretty impressive, thanks. Looks like I'll even have money for a new CPU cooler if I go with the 6600GT.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: suszterpatt
Please excuse me while I collect my jaw from under the desk.


Ok, that looks pretty impressive, thanks. Looks like I'll even have money for a new CPU cooler if I go with the 6600GT.

Whoa.... $137 after rebate. The memory is 900mhz vs 1000mhz of some of the cards, but that's a really cheap price. (guess I haven't been keeping up with pricedrops :Q)