Looking to upgrade, but what are my options?

[iv-tecman]

Looking for some advice from all you PC guru’s. I got a new PC many years ago, at the time I had help to research what the best components were, and just brought it from advice I got.

Sadly, not from this board, otherwise I might have avoided certain issues. I’ve currently got, and had for over three years –

And forgive me if this is wrong, but I think this is what I’ve got –

ASUS P4GX8 Mainboard
XMS duel memory – 1GB – 2 x 512MB I think its 3600..??
P4 2.55Mhz I can’t remember what type.. Doh
Hercules Radeon 9700 Pro Video
2 x IDE Maxtor 8MB Cache 7200 HDD – 80GB = 160GB
52 x CD ROM
52 X CD ROM / Combined DVD and CD Writer
SB Live Audigy 2

I also got a 17” Image Quest Q17” TFT
A pretty nice aluminium case with side window – I’m pretty sure it’s a coolermaster
Some other stuff such as keyboard, mouse etc..

Basically, ever since I’ve had this PC it’s always crashed when playing games with the graphics drivers set to fastwrite and AGP at 8 x, and I’ve always turned of fastwrites and knocked it down to AGP 4x. I found this out a few months after getting the machine, and was pretty mad I’d paid over a grand for a PC that crashed when playing medal of honour or any game for that matter. But I was advised at the time, the components I was buying were some of the finest… It is all branded stuff, LG, Intel, ASUS etc nothing was cheap…

I want to upgrade, I like the look of the AMD CPU but I want to try and reuse as much as possible. I play a lot of games such as FPS, Toca Race Driver, Rally games etc, and love games like Rome total war. What are my options?

I’d like to only spend £600, the above machine is in good condition, and I’d like to keep as much as possible, but upgrade to allow me to play upcoming games such as Quake 4 engine games, and new racing titles coming up. If anyone wants to help, and needs more info let me know, and thanks all…. I know a bit about PC’s, but I’m no guru. I'd rather not buy a new PC

Thanks.

 

[BigDom]

Re-using everything possible leaves you with actually a VERY nice upgrade.

Dual core CPU - great for future proof gaming.
X1800XL can be overclocked nicely and should last a good while.

MB-129-AS Asus A8R-MVP Crossfire (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard (MB-129-AS)
£69.95 £69.95
GX-042-HT HIS Excalibur ATI Radeon X1800 XL 256MB GDDR3 AVIVO TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-042-HT)
£189.95 £189.95
CA-007-TG Tagan TG430-U15 430W ATX2.01 Easycon SLi Compliant Modular Silent PSU (CA-007-TG)
£46.95 £46.95
CP-134-AM AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 3800+ (Socket 939) - Retail (ADA3800BVBOX) (CP-134-AM)
£184.95 £184.95
Subtotal £491.80
Shipping (City Link Parcel Next Day (Delivered Mon-Fri)) £8.95
VAT £87.64
Total £588.39

 

[iv-tecman]

Thanks...

So I need a new PSU as well? Mine is currently an enermax 450W. I also now remember the memory was 3200 XMS, is this still OK?

But looks like I could be able to upgrade within my budget. Which is good..

 

[iv-tecman]

I've just been recommended by a few at work -

CP-134-AM AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 3800+ (Socket 939) - Retail (ADA3800BVBOX) (CP-134-AM)
£184.95 £184.95
MB-118-AS Asus A8N32-SLi Deluxe nForce4 SLi X16 (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard (MB-118-AS)
£119.95 £119.95
Subtotal £304.90
VAT £53.36
Total £358.26

ASUS A8N32 SLi Deluxe as being the mainboard to get. What about my IDE drives, take it these will be fine? As will the XMS 3200 memory?

What about the CPU heatsink? Worth getting a better one?

Normally I just buy a new PC.. I'm willing to spend a little over £600, as I do get a lot of enjoyment from my PC, so money well spent..

Sorry for all the questions. I don't want to waste my money, but I'm willing to buy best I can to ensure I get another 3 years out of my already aging PC.. LOL

 

[semi-pro waster]

Your IDE drives will be fine and XMS 3200 is fine as well(PC3200 being standard for A64s or X2s still). The CPU heatsink will be fine at stock speeds and I haven't found the one that came with my A64 too noisy but you can get quieter aftermarket solutions.

The motherboard is good but it is expensive, also there isn't much point in SLi if you aren't getting Nvidia graphics cards although with the Crossfire motherboard you can use ATIs equivalent albeit you'd need a more powerful PSU in any case. If you prefer the fact that the SLi motherboard has no fan on its heatsink and can afford it then there is no harm in getting it otherwise BigDom's specification looks fine.

 

[iv-tecman]

Your IDE drives will be fine and XMS 3200 is fine as well(PC3200 being standard for A64s or X2s still). The CPU heatsink will be fine at stock speeds and I haven't found the one that came with my A64 too noisy but you can get quieter aftermarket solutions.

The motherboard is good but it is expensive, also there isn't much point in SLi if you aren't getting Nvidia graphics cards although with the Crossfire motherboard you can use ATIs equivalent albeit you'd need a more powerful PSU in any case. If you prefer the fact that the SLi motherboard has no fan on its heatsink and can afford it then there is no harm in getting it otherwise BigDom's specification looks fine.

Thanks for that... So basically get what bigdom says.. Woohoo. I can afford it. New PC for me this year. Its good to know my drives and memory are still good. I was a ilttle worried I'd end up paying another grand..

thanks all...