time to update :-x where to invest?

[iconic-]

Alright- ive got the money to update my computer, and it runs everything fine now. I don't mind playing hl2 at45-70 fps with the recomended settings. But here are my specs and I want to know where you think the updating should be done (of course graphics card is an obvious answer, but just looking for ideas/reinforcement).

P4 2.8 HT
1 Gig Ram
ATI 9800 Pro
80 Gig HD
Weak ass psu (like maybe 250, it runs fine for now)

something else to think of for the future... would i want to upgrade my mother board, possible get in line for pci-e (its agp8x now) and SLI/crossfire tech?

so recomendations on what to update? and then possibly what to upgrade to?

 

[giant384]

u can prob. wait 1 a year or 2 for mobo but a 6800gt and a 550w psu should be good

 

[skarrob]

If hes got the money go with the new 7800 oits suposed to be the best out right now

 

[iconic-]

but then i need the mother board for pci-e...
im lookin at 500ish price wise

 

[PickledGecko]

You’ll get no benefits from PCI-E with a 6800 series Geforce or a X800 series Radeon, your AGP will work fine for this generation. If you wait until it’s necessary, the price of PCI-E motherboards will have dropped considerably.

I have no idea about the 7800 but I can imagine it’ll cost a metric f*ckload, so get selling those unnecessary body parts.

 

[AmishSlayer]

At what cpu speed can a 6800gt get bottlenecked? I heard it was somewhere between 2-3ghz.

I'd say 6800gt and a new psu.

I made the mistake of just getting my comp with the case 420W psu and that can't run my 6800gt for shit. I still have to order my psu so I can get back on the battlefield.

 

[Asus]

I would recommend upgrading the gfx and the sytem at the same time. If you just upgrade the GFX card then later when you upgrade the motherboard etc then you would need a new GFX card again.

I'd check out AMD Athlon 64 3500+/3800+ ($227/$335) for a CPU. A 6800GT ($300+) or X800XL/X850XT ($280/$390) PCI-E GFX Card (or 7800GTX if you got the money - $500+).
And you can keep your 1GB of memory. I'd get a nForce 4 or ATI chipset board with a PCI-E slot (2 PCI-E slots if you want) for around $100-150. Then grab a 450watt or 500Watt Powersupply with a 24Pin ATX connector (Antec, Fortron, Enermax brand) for about $70-100.

FYI I'm from Iowa as well.

 

[giant384]

I would recommend upgrading the gfx and the sytem at the same time. If you just upgrade the GFX card then later when you upgrade the motherboard etc then you would need a new GFX card again.

I'd check out AMD Athlon 64 3500+/3800+ ($227/$335) for a CPU. A 6800GT ($300+) or X800XL/X850XT ($280/$390) PCI-E GFX Card (or 7800GTX if you got the money - $500+).
And you can keep your 1GB of memory. I'd get a nForce 4 or ATI chipset board with a PCI-E slot (2 PCI-E slots if you want) for around $100-150. Then grab a 450watt or 500Watt Powersupply with a 24Pin ATX connector (Antec, Fortron, Enermax brand) for about $70-100.

FYI I'm from Iowa as well.

lol what does being from Iowa have to do with anything

 

[iconic-]

cuz im from iowa, and that gives you extra kudos :-x where in iowa?

so those nforce boards or w/e are those the sli things? that bridge the two gfx cards together? And why can't i buy a sli compatible board now, for use later on when i definately have to go the route of pci-e or w/e

that is, im assuming, if sli/crossfire is all pci-e (which i think it is)

i guess im just confused as to what the ati or nforce chipset boards are, i always thought "motherboard" when i heard that.

[edit] oh nm, im contradicting myself by saying i want an agp card now, for pci-e later. doh!
[edit 2] im dumb, they are mobos.

 

[Asus]

You can get a nForce4 board with SLI and just buy one PCI-Express gfx card now. If you choose to do SLI down the road you need to buy the exact same card though.

FYI ATI has a board coming out with a ULI chip on it. It can do Nvidia's SLI and Crossfire (although it isn't 'Certifited' for SLI).

WDM Iowa

 

[giant384]

You can get a nForce4 board with SLI and just buy one PCI-Express gfx card now. If you choose to do SLI down the road you need to buy the exact same card though.

FYI ATI has a board coming out with a ULI chip on it. It can do Nvidia's SLI and Crossfire (although it isn't 'Certifited' for SLI).

WDM Iowa

SLI is a waste of money by the time u need it there will be a new better card that will be faster then 2 of the last gen cards in sli

 

[iconic-]

but cant you use your last gen sli card and buy the new one, and that way essentially stay ahead of the game?

 

[giant384]

but cant you use your last gen sli card and buy the new one, and that way essentially stay ahead of the game?

yea thats right but it would cost more to get a last gen then the next gen because u could sell the last gen u already have

 

[Asus]

If you buy a PNY 6800GT PCI-E card and 1 year from now want to buy another card for SLI you would have to buy another PNY 6800GT. It couldn't be a BFG, Gainward, MSI or any other brand. Also, it would have to be the exact same PNY model. Crossfire is a lot more flexible. Not to mention it actually works with any game, unlike SLI.

I agree, SLI is a waste of money but paying a little extra for a dual PCI-Express board might be worth it just to have that possibility. Too bad any dual PCI-E board doesn't work for both SLI and Crossfire.