Worth upgrading?

topher · 12 Feb 2007 at 21:31

I am looking to upgrade in the near future, and I have 2 options

1: get a ati 1950pro agp
2: get a conroe chip, new motherboard, 2gig ddr2, and DX10 gfx card

would i get a good performance increase going from a x800xt to a 1950pro?
the only dx10 cards i can find are the 8800's but it looks like my PSU what handle them!

Current Spec:
A64 3200 Clawhammer skt 754
Radeon x800xt agp
2gig DDR 400
160gig sata
PSU 470w Enermax Noisetaker

what do you guys think?

Lonewolf · 12 Feb 2007 at 21:36

Depends on what you intend to use your PC for.

artaxerxes · 12 Feb 2007 at 22:15

For about 150 you could get the E4300 and the ASROCK 4Core Dual VSTA board.

This supports PCI-E, AGP, DDR and DDR2.

It would allow use of most of your current components - and leave you an easy upgrade path to DX10 cards when they stop costing more than the rest of the PC combined.

Have a look in the motherboard forum for experiences with the ASROCK Dual VSTA (the predecessor to the above mobo)

The mobo - whislt not a performance mobo is well suited for this sort of upgrade.

topher · 12 Feb 2007 at 23:04

Lonewolf said:
Depends on what you intend to use your PC for.

mostly gaming and photoshop

Brizzles · 12 Feb 2007 at 23:20

topher said:
I am looking to upgrade in the near future, and I have 2 options

1: get a ati 1950pro agp
2: get a conroe chip, new motherboard, 2gig ddr2, and DX10 gfx card

would i get a good performance increase going from a x800xt to a 1950pro?
the only dx10 cards i can find are the 8800's but it looks like my PSU what handle them!

Current Spec:
A64 3200 Clawhammer skt 754
Radeon x800xt agp
2gig DDR 400
160gig sata
PSU 470w Enermax Noisetaker

what do you guys think?

Similar spec to mine , i.e socket 754 and AGP.

I've got :
3700+ Clawhammer
2GB Ram
Gainward 7800GS+ ( 512mb / 24 pipe )

Socket 939 has come and now stopped manufacturing , AM2 is in it's infancy
and Vista has yet to establish/iron out the enevitable bugs/updates.

And as mass DX10 supported games ( Halo accepted ) are along way on the horizon , i would still hold back.

Go for the 1950 Pro AGP upgrade.

My rig can handle anything current at max. so i see no rush to change.

Let the "deep pocket/unlimited expense" people iron out the creases before you make your choice.

Mark

For the record all my kit is from flea bay and the wonderful MM

- saved me a fortune

topher · 13 Feb 2007 at 12:39

artaxerxes said:
For about 150 you could get the E4300 and the ASROCK 4Core Dual VSTA board.

This supports PCI-E, AGP, DDR and DDR2.

It would allow use of most of your current components - and leave you an easy upgrade path to DX10 cards when they stop costing more than the rest of the PC combined.

Have a look in the motherboard forum for experiences with the ASROCK Dual VSTA (the predecessor to the above mobo)

The mobo - whislt not a performance mobo is well suited for this sort of upgrade.

Yeah, I have seen the thread regarding the asrock board. I guessing that for gaming i would be better going for a ati1950pro but it seems a waste buying agp card!

is my 470w enermax capable of driving a 1950pro or 8800gts? the 8800's say they require a 600w psu!!!!

Apatche64 · 13 Feb 2007 at 15:33

i'm in a similar position to you (although i have a shuttle) and i'm still unsure what to do.

i think i'll probably wait till the summer when i have more time to think, and when vista and dx10 cards are more competitive.

the upcoming 8600 series cards might be the way to go...

c2d is tempting but not for the amount of money it would cost to switch.

8800's have been run on the impressive shuttle 350w psu, but it all depends on the strength of the 12 volt rails.

i also see agp cards as a waste, but given there strength of value retention, they might not be as bad as your thinking.

t31os · 13 Feb 2007 at 15:50

I don't think the x1950 will be a big enough increase over the x800 to warrant paying for old tech.

Save your cash and do a bigger upgrade when you can afford to buy a better kit....

I'm sure you're system isnt stupidly slow is it?......

topher · 13 Feb 2007 at 19:59

t31os said:
I don't think the x1950 will be a big enough increase over the x800 to warrant paying for old tech.

Save your cash and do a bigger upgrade when you can afford to buy a better kit....

I'm sure you're system isnt stupidly slow is it?......

I am starting to think doing a big upgrade in a few months will make me happier ;-)

and yeah my PC is still good for gaming, plays all but the lastest on max detail @ 1280x1024