tmo
Administrator
Smokin Joe
Posts: 1,544
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Post by tmo on Oct 28, 2005 6:07:28 GMT -5
I created this board in hopes to be able to help everyone that wants to upgrade thier PC to get better performance. If you have problems or simply want to upgrade but don't have any idea of what to do just create new post here and I will personally help you to get on your way to faster gaming. ;D TMO
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Post by Drew on Mar 24, 2006 13:07:13 GMT -5
Hey Tmo i just received my Federal income check back, and im thinking of getting some ram and possibly a video card.
IM planning on getting another stick of 512MB of the pc 3200.
And possibly a card around $150-$200 range. Which would be at bestbuy. I ahve some knowledge about this crap, and from the looks of you know a bit more. So i want your input of which card that they ahve on their site there was 2 cards i was looking at in that range.
I was looking at a nvida 6600 gt i belive and some radeon card i cant remember which one. But the cost was very similar.
Heres my spec now
Mainboard : Foxconn (865A01) Chipset : Intel i865PE Processor : Intel Pentium 4 @ 2800 MHz Physical Memory : 512 MB (2 x 256 DDR-SDRAM ) Video Card : ATI Technologies Inc Radeon 9600 Series (V350)
Would it be worht it to spend $150-200 on a card in that range to upgrade over what i have, or should i wait and get a video card at a different time.
Would one of those cards last a while as in a year or two wiht the game out rihgt now, and games that plan to come out.
any help would be appreciated bro.
Thx Drew
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Post by Drew on Mar 25, 2006 2:15:25 GMT -5
im try to decide wheter to get the radeon 1300 or the nvidia 6600 gt
u have any insight to help
Thx drew
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tmo
Administrator
Smokin Joe
Posts: 1,544
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Post by tmo on Mar 25, 2006 8:37:10 GMT -5
Definitely get the memory, it's the best and cheapest way to upgrade your pc. 1G should be plenty for you for a while. As for the video card I take it you have an AGP slot. Another question that comes to mind is the ATI 9600 card you have now a regular 9600 or the 9600XT? There's a little difference between the two and if you have the 9600XT that narrows the gap between the card you have and the card you want. From my experience I had the ATI9600XT for a long time and I waited for a high end card to go on sale and that finally happened a couple of months a go when I walked into Microcenter and they had the ATI X850XT Pro (normally 399.99) on sale for 249.99 and a 50.00 rebate so I bought it without hesitation. Is there a difference between the 2 cards, yes. Is the new card actually worth 399.99, in my opinion, no but for the price I paid I think I came out ok. I would be more concerned with the memory than your card, that is if your card is the 9600XT. A friend of mine has the Nvidia 6600GT and its a good card. I know little about the ATI1300 but I think its good too. If you have the extra money and dont mind spending it on the card then give it a try. You should notice a little bit of a difference. I would say the main thing for upgrading now will resolve issues with new games coming out for at least the next 2 maybe 3 years. If you get these upgrades dont buy from best buy. They are too high epecially on the memory. Go here and check out some prices. Pricewatch.... www.pricewatch.com/Tigerdirect... www.tigerdirect.com/Fry' Electronics... www.outpost.com/If you have any other questions let me know... TMO
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tmo
Administrator
Smokin Joe
Posts: 1,544
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Post by tmo on Mar 25, 2006 9:36:12 GMT -5
Here's one of the great deals I found on pricewatch. The only thing about this card is I doubt your motherboard will support 512BM of memory. There's a slight chance of a BIOS update that could make it work but you would have to go to your motherboard manufacturers website and read about it. www.futurepowerpc.com/scripts/details.asp?PRDCODE=VCAT-100437510&REFID=PWAwesome card for awesome price... This video card makes you want to upgrade your motherboard... which makes you upgrade your processor which takes more money... I would concentrate looking on pricewatch, there are awesome deals there from all over the US and a lot of times they include free shipping. TMO
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Post by Drew on Mar 25, 2006 16:04:14 GMT -5
Is there any way for me to fiond out whether i have the 9600 xt, or what. I have pc wizrd 2006 on on my video part it just says radeon 9600. Is there a just a 9600? IM stuck wiht buying thei stuff from bestbuy or circuitcity. Since i do not ahve a credit card yet for somereason the credit card companys havent got my name yet, thank god i dont want junk mail yet. Thats why i was asing for video cards that were on the best buy site. Im definitely gettgin some ram, but since my check was big enough for a medium range card i thoguht of maybe buying one of those 2 cards. But this vdeo i have has donea good job so far.
Thx tmo for the help.
Drew
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tmo
Administrator
Smokin Joe
Posts: 1,544
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Post by tmo on Mar 26, 2006 6:23:00 GMT -5
I think that if you take a look at pricewatch website you will save enough money on your memory and video card that you should be able to get your 512MB memory and high end card instead of mid range card. If you don't have credit card use a money order for .89 cents or write a check and wait a few extra days to get it. It will be worth your time to save the money.
I would never buy memory from best buy but I might buy the video card if its on sale. Their memory is almost twice the price as websites. If you have a Fry's electronics I would go there for my stuff if not the websites.
TMO
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Post by Drew on Mar 26, 2006 9:05:16 GMT -5
ok kool thx for the help man, im going to upgrade my video card during the summer, when im working my 2 jobs. Then ill look into possibly upgrading completely. Which ill need more help wiht then. I think it may just be cheaper tough just buying new comp then upgrading the one i bought. I bought mine for like 900 bucks just over a year ago. we will see touhg what happens, but im definitely getting mor ram, i see during gameplay, i usually ahve around 50Mb left over. I belive thats what causing my game to crash, and possibly freezing. Ill be buying some ram today.
tmo thx again man
Drew
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