Upgrade advice...

[Miraj]

Hi TWCers,

I'm planning to upgrade my computer soon so I can enjoy M2TW and I just wan't to know if what I'm gonna do effective and worthwhile.

My Current System

P4 2.60ghz
512MB RAM
Radeon 9200 256MB Vid Card


I'm planning to upgrade my ram and video card.

Planned Upgrade

P4 2.60ghz [same as before]
512MB + 1GB DDR RAM = 1.5 GB RAM
XFX Geforce 7600 GS 512MB AGP

So I guess my question is if the 3d card I plan to get is worthwhile. My budget for the car is $200. If any of you would be so kind as to check out the site link above and tell me if there is a better card within $200.
Will this upgrade vastly improve M2TW? Or will the CPU still be too low for high settings?

Thanks for the help.

[Arakorn]

Just get anohter stick of 512MB, you don't need 1,5GB RAM and 2 of the same kind performs better. As to your budget and GPU, do you want a gpu+ram with 200, or just the gpu? I got 512MB ram and a 7600GS for 170€, probably around 200$. Of course, the one that you linked to is 512MB, so I wouldn't buy it, I think you can get a regular GS for around 100, paying 90 for 256MB extra is just not worth it (paying 10 might not even be!).

Get a 7600GT instead, they are very good mid range cards, just like the 6600GT were for like 2 years!

[Shaun]

Hi TWCers,

I'm planning to upgrade my computer soon so I can enjoy M2TW and I just wan't to know if what I'm gonna do effective and worthwhile.

My Current System

P4 2.60ghz
512MB RAM
Radeon 9200 256MB Vid Card


I'm planning to upgrade my ram and video card.

Planned Upgrade

P4 2.60ghz [same as before]
512MB + 1GB DDR RAM = 1.5 GB RAM
XFX Geforce 7600 GS 512MB AGP

So I guess my question is if the 3d card I plan to get is worthwhile. My budget for the car is $200. If any of you would be so kind as to check out the site link above and tell me if there is a better card within $200.
Will this upgrade vastly improve M2TW? Or will the CPU still be too low for high settings?

Thanks for the help.

Your P$ 2.6 definetly aint doin you any favours. Get either an AMD Athlon 3800 X2, or if you can afford it an E6300, better than the AMD, then there are of course the E6400's and E6600's, they are better still as you might have guessed but you will have guessed this as well, they cost more.

On to the GPU, yep its definetly time to upgrade. For $200 you might manage to find an X850XT, or failing that the X800T (it was the best card when RTW came out, so it should be wekk within $200), although the 7600GS is probably better than the X800T, but not the X850XT. The GT is a bit of a waste of money if you ask me, its not that much better than the quite a bit cheaper GS. Although get the 256mb version, it performs almost exactly the same but costs less still.

Another 512mb stick of RAM should be enough, although I would recommend 2GB's it total.

Whats your budget?

If you are going to upgrade your CPU you will need a new Mobo and new RAM if you go fir the intel Core 2's (the E6300-X6800).

[OTZ]

People need to remember that a switch from last generation mobos/CPUs may also require a new PSU as well...PCI-E boards are now 24pin, and not 20...

It doesn't look like the OP wants a complete upgrade anyway. Given that, go with the GS, and another 512 - as per Shaun's advice...

[Arakorn]

As per my advice! Well, except the GT/GS...

[Miraj]

To clarify my budget it ~$200 for just the 3d card.

@Shaun

I would really like to upgrade my CPU but it'll cost a bit much and I don't know if I'm willing to spend that since the 2.6GHZ aint a wonder but it still works out satisfacorily for M2TW anyways.

I actually never knew you could change your CPU unit. Is this possible for all motherboards? Or will getting a new processer mean getting a new motherboard and effectively a complete rehaul. Is this possible?


ABOUT RAM

So you guys think its better to not get a 1gig ram addition and just get either another 512MB or just boost my ram up to 2GB?


3D CARD

Okay I'm consider these three cards below.

XFX Geforce 7600 GS 256MB AGP $155

ATI Radeon X850 PRO 256MB AGP w/ VIVO, DVI $190

XFX Geforce 7600 GS 512MB AGP $190

XFX Geforce 7600 GT 256MB AGP XXX $230

The GT is definitely above my budget but I am willing to consider it. Do you guys think the GT's extra cost is worth it compared to the GS? What about the two GS cards? From the sound of it you guys are saying that the difference between a 512MB and 256MB is really not much and I should just go for the 256?

What about the X850 that Shaun recomended? Its the same price as the 7600GS 512MB but the radeon only has 256MB, so which one would you guys say is better?

Check out some cards here and tell me if you think that there are better ones than the above for ~$200.
http://www.memoryexpress.com/index.p..._menu=215&SID=

[Arakorn]

You should be able to get the GT for cheaper than that, for cheaper than the GS too.

What kjind of AGP do you have? Probably AGP8X...
Are you in USA? In that case, buy this: Leadtek GF 7600GT 256MB 180$
Or this, 10$ more: XFX GF 7600GT 256MB 190$.

As to the RAM, I'd buy another 512 now.

[Miraj]

You should be able to get the GT for cheaper than that, for cheaper than the GS too.

What kjind of AGP do you have? Probably AGP8X...
Are you in USA? In that case, buy this: Leadtek GF 7600GT 256MB 180$
Or this, 10$ more: XFX GF 7600GT 256MB 190$.

As to the RAM, I'd buy another 512 now.

Yeah the links I posted is a local store.

I'm in Canada, thats why the prices are different. The cost figures I'm throwin up are all CANADIAN DOLLARS. So the price for the 7600GT in my links are in fact the exact same as the ones you got there. Currency exchange rate is the only difference. If I could grab a 7600GT below $200CAD I would without hesitation. Sux nuts.

What about the 7600GS V.S. X850 that I posted above. Which ones better do you think? Shaun says the X850 is better than the 7600GS. I guess this is important since they are the same price. Only diff is that the 7600GS is 512MB.

But I guess I can conclude that getting a 512MB more is enough for now.

[Shaun]

The X850XT is definetly better than the 7600GT, but im not sure about the pro . . .
You will have to find benchmarks.

[DyerWolf]

Watch your RAM - I can't tell from your post, but if you are mixing 512 of "regular" RAM with 1gb of DDR - I don't think you'll get the DDR advantage you're hoping for (i.e. all of your RAM will run at the lowest speed).

I also read recently that 1.5 gb RAM on 3 dimms does less for you than 1gb on two dimms - again because the DDR wants to be used in tandem with another Dimm - adding a third dimm breaks down the Dual Data Rate function. (Can't rembember if the article was on Toms or Anand...)

That's why folks are suggesting going just to 1 or all the way to 2. 1.5 doesn't give much adv.

GL!

[Miraj]

Watch your RAM - I can't tell from your post, but if you are mixing 512 of "regular" RAM with 1gb of DDR - I don't think you'll get the DDR advantage you're hoping for (i.e. all of your RAM will run at the lowest speed).

I also read recently that 1.5 gb RAM on 3 dimms does less for you than 1gb on two dimms - again because the DDR wants to be used in tandem with another Dimm - adding a third dimm breaks down the Dual Data Rate function. (Can't rembember if the article was on Toms or Anand...)

That's why folks are suggesting going just to 1 or all the way to 2. 1.5 doesn't give much adv.

GL!

Thanks for the advice. I've heard from others too that its better to add another 512MB instead of going to 1.5gb. IAnd yeah I have DDR Ram, so that shouldn't be a problem.