Which upgrade is better "GF3 ti500" or "GF3ti200+faster CPU"?

[Oalex]

I am thinking of two options

a) GF3 Ti500
(while at this question, which brand do you recomend and why. I've been seeing leadtek, mentioned most, I used to think that Asus (not delux) was better, almost the same price (i don't really need tv-out).

b)GF3 Ti200 + Celeron 1100
(again which brand and why?)

Facts:
my current rig
Celeron 733, GF2 200 MX, 15" (60Hz@1024x768 max) monitor, I don't know the make of the MB (maybe Accorp) but its VIA something (boot screen 6via89 ver 1.1). ATA 100 Matrox 30Gig, Santa Cruz.
I like Gaming, but also do some MS office stuff, code mp3's, surf....etc.
This is my office computer (not mine) so I won' spend money on MB (planning to build mine when I have the money probably AMD XP) then again the case is a micro-ATX that is why I have that old MB. I would like to only upgrade with stuff that I can (later) take away to build my own PC.

Now option a) and b) would cost me more or less the same amont, which would you recomend?
If I get the celeron, I will have to sell it (probably with loss) when I build my own PC (but this might be 6 months from now).
I can't decide realy which would give better performance. the Ti500 or the Ti200 with a faster CPU.

A friend also told me that the old Via chipset would hinder the GF3 performance seriously, how true is this?

Help me out.

P.S. don't forget the question about which brand to buy.

 

[Oalex]

????Any body???

 

[Yoshi64]

Option B, hands down

 

[boyRacer]

i say you go for the 200 and the celeron. some people have been getting pretty good clocks with the 200... no problem reaching 500 specs. about which brand... i dont really know... all i can say is good with one that you can afford. i heard the Asus boards have flaky video quality... but then again... i can hardly tell the difference if i didnt see them back to back.

 

[Transistor]

I would definately go with B. The graphics card I would go with would be the Gainward Cardexpert Geforce 3 Ti 200. Why? High quality, inexpensive, and supports overclocking. As far as taking a loss on selling your 1100 a few months down the road, sell your 733 right now to recoup some of that cost.

 

[bigbootydaddy]

its seems like such a loss using a 15" with a gf3...if its an old monitor you wont go higher than 1024*768 resolutions.

remember, a computer can be the latest and greatest....but it is the screen that makes it all happen in the end.

other than that, definetly go with plan B

booty

 

[DN]

I'd go with B also..

 

[Justorq]

I'd suggest that you buy a new monitor first, a good 19'' or a 17'' with a new proc.
otherwise I'd take option B

 

[WhoDeeny]

Let me be the black sheep here and say you should go with the Geforce 3. I'm sure at a later date you can afford to get a faster Proc, although I wouldn't recommend it be a celeron (I'd even say stay away from intal altogther but I'm sure you're not ready to replace your mobo) The fact of the matter is the Ti200 severely underperforms even the standard Geforce 3, so in my mind you'd be better off getting either a different card altogether or the Ti 500

 

[Lasker]

I'd wait a month if possible for your purchase as prices will go down with the advent of the geforce4. Then perhaps you'd be able to get the cpu and the ti-500, but that good of a gfx card would probably be underpowered by even the faster celery.

 

[microAmp]

<< I'd go with B also.. >>

 

[bigbootydaddy]

<<

<< The fact of the matter is the Ti200 severly underperforms even the standard Geforce 3 >>

>>



?? severly??

booty

 

[Mem]

Shame you can`t use a bigger monitor however option B seems the best choice of the two.

 

[FrodoB]

Definitely B.
Slower procs and GeForce 3s are a poor match. My brother's old Duron 700 system actually got slower in some games when he replaced his Geforce 2 MX with a GeForce 3 Ti200. From what I have read recently you need a fast cpu to take advantage of the GeForce 3.

 

[VBboy]

Definitely the new Celery + Ti-200.
I hope you're considering the Gainward GeForceTi3-200 because it overclocks beoynd the speed of even the GF3-Ti ! (NewEgg.com has them for $165).

If the celery overclocks as well, you're in for some hot action at 1024x768 at 60 Hz of your 15" monitor!!

 

[VBboy]

FrodoB

I really hope that doesn't stand for the name Frodo Biggins from that movie you all liked so much because you got brain-washed and subliminally-messaged

Edit: took out some harsh commentary on that 3-hour movie

 

[InFecTed]

Do yourself a favor and get a decent monitor ----> that's the upgarde you need. Shooting a GF3 Ti500 on a 15" monitor is plain dumb.

 

[JellyBaby]

<< I really hope that doesn't stand for the name Frodo Biggins from that movie you all liked so much because you got brain-washed and subliminally-messaged >>

Someone who mistakenly uses the word "Biggins" (a sexually phonetic replacement for "Baggins") and "subliminally-messaged" in the same sentence where he criticizes another for having flaws upstairs not only lacks credibility but should also expect chastisement.

 

[Oalex]

thanks guy.

BTW: I also kind of have the feeling that option B would provide better overall performance, on the other hand Ti500 would be wiser on the long run since when and if I get (as planned) my new PC (AMD XP 1800+) then the Ti200 would be the bottle neck

I still can't decide,..... maybe I can get Ti500 for now and (as some one mentioned) get a little money for the old Celeron and just double that and buy the new Cel. like next month *?humm?*

p.s.: for those

<< (VERY SMART PEOPLE) >>

recomending the bigger monitor, that I find as unreasonable for now (when I get a new pc, then I will). Cause now it would be dumb move, on this sys there would be no performance gain, come on......the same sabby pic with say quake 3 @ 1024 with 18fps if any fancy feature and D3D is enabled. Only I would be looking at it in 19 or 21 inches come on, what good is that? with any of MY listed upgrades I would be able to at least run the newer games with most of the eyecandy enabled, and seeing it in 2" less and than you do and 60Hz would still be fun.

 

[t3chvest]

Definately option B. GF3 ti200's easily overlock to a ti500. Either way, what's the point in getting a ti500 if you're still usign a 733. It would be much better to also improve overall performance as well, it will do just as much good.

Don't pay too much attention to the people who insist on getting the BEST of everything (ie the people who got 32x burners, have 120gig HD's, and bought the ti500 the day it came out). A ti200 is more than enough power

 

[Journeyman]

If you're planning on building a new system, don't even think about wasting money on a new Celeron - put the cash into the new system. If the new system is far enough off that you need to upgrade to a new processor in the interum, don't waste your money on the Ti500 - wait until you get the rest of the computer together and prices may have dropped on the Ti500 by then (it would be pointless to have one in a Celeron system, so a complete waste of time now).

If I were you, I'd get myself a GF2MX400 64mb card, which will be more than sufficient for your processor (and cost less than $100), and spend the extra $175 you've saved ($100 less on the card, $75 for the 1.1ghz Celeron) on a 19" monitor. You'll have the monitor ready for your good computer, and it shouldn't depreciate like the graphics cards will over time (as soon as the next big thing comes out, the old cards drop big time), and can stop squinting at that 15" in the meantime. Your gaming performance will be about the best you can expect out of that system.

When you get ready to build the new system, then get a good graphics card to go with it with the money you claim you intend to spend on a monitor then. You'll likely spend less for the same card, which would have been wasted in the interum.

Just my $.02...

 

[Innoka]

"the same sabby pic with say quake 3 @ 1024 with 18fps if any fancy feature and D3D is enabled. Only I would be looking at it in 19 or 21 inches"
um... is that in Hungarian by any chance?

 

[BurnItDwn]

How about option (C) GF3 ti200 and a cheap 19inch (or nice 17inch) monitor ... You should be able to find a decent monitor for under $200 The total should be slightly more expensive than Getting the TI500, but well worth it Or even a Geforce2 GTS or Pro (should be well under $100, and fully capable of all the latest and greatest games at reasonable resolutions (1024x768x32bit in just about everything, maybe some things 1280x1024x32 and others 800x600x32) But all around a MUCH MUCH MUCH better performer than the MX. (I understand that a monitor may not be an option since this is the Office PC)



Option B is a nice option as well IMO ... I do not believe you would really notice much difference between the ti500 and ti200 on that monitor. Both cards are pretty much capable of playing all current games at 1024x768x32bit at More than 60hz which would make the monitor the limmiting factor. (Well a 733 mhz celeron can take a lot of abuse, but a 1.1 would be a LOT better for encoding,gaming, multitasking, and anything else somewhat dependant upon the CPU..

 

[Oalex]

Thanks again every body
except Innoka, I bet you only speak one language. I speak, read, write 3, fluently (english being one of them, but not my native), so you might as well kiss my ** or just excuse my spellings without making stupid points not relevant to the matter, little boy)

 

[Nefrodite]

b and oc both