Need to upgrade (gaming)

[ramy]

Hi guys. I need to upgrade my PC to run Battlefield II. I can run the game but the video can be choppy at times. My sytem specs are in my signature. I was wondering if I threw in another 512 or 1 gig of ram and got a 128 mb 6600 GT video card will the game run better ???

The only problem is with the video, sometimes you see people sitting in tanks driving around but you dont actually see the tank..

My main problem here is finding out if its worth it or not to upgrade because my mobo is only AGP 4X and that I might need to go all out and get another mobo and chip.

All your recommendations are appreciated. Also any mobo recommendatons are also appreciated.


ramy

[_OvErClOcKeD_]

well if u did do that u would notice a improvement in video quality and speed i'm just not sure on how much because thats a 2.4B which i think is a 533 fsb chip, non HT so it may bottleneck that card

[ramy]

What do you guys think I should do ?

Either upgrade this pc as it is or change the mobo, chip etc..

I would be putting in

Chip

AMD ATHLON 64 3000+ PROCESSOR S939 VENICE 1.8GHZ 512K L2 CACHE 90NM

Mobo

DFI LANPARTY UT NF4 ULTRA-D MOTHERBOARD ATX S939 NFORCE4 ULTRA DDR 2PCI-E16 PCI-E4 PCI-E1 2PCI

RAM
SAMSUNG 1 GB PC3200 DDR400 184PIN

Video Card
BFG GEFORCE 6600 GT OC PCI-E 128MB 128BIT DDR3 DUAL DVI TV-OUT VIDEO CARD

These parts are what my buddy suggested...

[_OvErClOcKeD_]

ur buddy suggested a very good rig, i suggest an upgrade, thats a very nice rig for a reasonable amount of money, i would deffinatly upgrade to that amd 64

[F_A_L_C_O_N]

Your motherboard supports everything up to P4 3.20 (800) HT: link

just update BIOS

if you decide to upgrade you will also need to get 1GB of 3200DDR ram

as for AGP 4x it really isnt a problem, since there is virtully no performance difference between AGP 4x and 8X, at best couple of 1% in something like 3Dmark and all AGP 8x cards are AGP4x compatible.

So you might just as well save yourself some money get P4 instead AMD and new mobo, then with left over purchase better video card like X800XL for example.
This will give you up to 2x as fast a gaming comp then the new build you mentioned.

If you decide for the new build, then what your buddy suggested is a good choice as well, albeit slower.

Oh and in any case check your PSU, make sure it will be able to handle the extra load.

[ramy]

Hi Falcon.

So If I decide to keep this mobo I should buy

1. New Video Card 6600 GT or X800XL
and if my chip is a bottleneck I can always upgrade my chip to a 2. 3.2 (800 FSB)

EDIT: Just checked my MOBO manual... It looks like my mobo does not support 800 FSB...
..
thanks for all the input.

ramy

[_OvErClOcKeD_]

your board will take the 3.2 chip but it will not run it at 800FSB as i read, but if thats the case u be better off buying a better cooling and overclocking that 2.4 to 3.2Ghz then u get a higher fsb

[F_A_L_C_O_N]

Yep its really i845PE board, so yes no FSB 800 support.

Missed that one, I only checked Asus CPU support site.

Now overclocking and new card like X800XL still makes sense, on the other hand, since you have no upgrade path left (I thought you had 865 board), you might be better off starting whole new system like your friend suggested.

As for which would be faster, I am pretty sure even with your CPU, x800XL system would be faster then 3000+ with 6600GT.

Now you last option, by far the least expensive, getting 6600GT AGP and OC the hell out of your current CPU as Overclocked suggested, is not bad either and will more likely then not be all you really need to enjoy the game.

[_OvErClOcKeD_]

the one thing i have in douibt is even though he put a faster card in his older cpu, the card will be bottlenecked by the old cpu, thus makin the 3000 venice and 6600gt a faster combo, but if u could get a 3000 venice and a x800xl ude be set

[F_A_L_C_O_N]

No, his P4 and X800XL would be faster, but 6600GT with 3000+ makes more sense in the long run and makes sense since he has i845 board.

Stilll just getting 6600GT AGP and saving himself some money, might be the best solution.

[_OvErClOcKeD_]

well its all up to him then really becaause 400 or 533 fsb cpu that non ht is going to bottle neck those cards, those venice chips are one of the fastest chips out there