Upgrade advice

  • Thread starter Thread starter Steve D
  • Start date Start date
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Steve D

My system:

MSI K7N2
XP 2600 (333)
2 sticks 256mb DDR3200 dual chan total =512
ATI radeon 9800 pro
120gb maxtor hd ide
Sound blaster live value
WinXP pro

My question is this:
On a limited budget (under 200), what should i do next with my system. Or
should i hold off and wait a while?
Steve
 
Looks fairly balanced to me. I'd vote for holding off, or overclocking what
you've got. The best upgrades are the free ones, IMHO.
 
Skid said:
Looks fairly balanced to me. I'd vote for holding off, or
overclocking what you've got. The best upgrades are the free ones,
IMHO.
Click to expand...

Have you got a nice cushy office chair? Those are nice.
 
monitor?
Click to expand...
Yeah save up a few hundred more bucks and get a nice new monitor.
I've got a similar set-up with the K7N2-L an XP 2500 running at 2800
speeds and a Radeon 9600, you might want to get a motherboard that
officially supports 200 FSB. You should at least try to get your
current set up to run at 200.
And if you don't want to do that and you really want to spend your
money, go buy a water cooling system for your computer before you start
over clocking it.
You also, I suppose could use a new sound card, but if the one you have
is working OK right now, well, sound cards can be an annoying hassle,
don't bother.
 
I'd buy more ram. 512 sounds like a lot but if your runnning windows xp
you can run down quite quick. Plus if you like to run extra
programs/downloads you can have them running while you play games.
 
I would be researching how many people have been able to run the K7N2 with
400MHz FSB successfully. If it works, I'd buy a Barton 2500+ and run it at
400FSB- I built a system for a friend with the Biostar M7NCD Pro (NF2 Ultra)
with the retail box 2500+ Barton and 512MB of GeiL dual channel PC3200.
From initial startup, IDs and runs as Barton 3200+. Using retail fan no
problem.
Robert
 
I would be researching how many people have been able to run the K7N2 with
400MHz FSB successfully. If it works, I'd buy a Barton 2500+ and run it at
400FSB- I built a system for a friend with the Biostar M7NCD Pro (NF2 Ultra)
with the retail box 2500+ Barton and 512MB of GeiL dual channel PC3200.
From initial startup, IDs and runs as Barton 3200+. Using retail fan no
problem.
Robert
Click to expand...
I think the limitation for me would be my DDR333 RAM. I don't mind
running it at 350 but I'm not excited about pushing it too much higher.
If I had PC3200 the FSB would be at 200 right now.

My system is running at the same speed as a rated XP 3000+, 2100 MHz,
completely stable albeit with the addition of a Vantec Aeroflow HSF.
The Athlon XP 2500+ Barton CPU is a truly outstanding chip.
 
Another 512MB of RAM

Or save up for a really nice trinitron monitor, I switched from a 19" ISM to
a 17" trinitron and I would not go back, not even for the extra 2", for all
the tea in China. Of course, some day I'll move to a Sony F520 21", but
that's a little ways down the road. Forget LCD/TFT panels, they just don't
play like a CRT.

DD
 
My system:

MSI K7N2
XP 2600 (333)
2 sticks 256mb DDR3200 dual chan total =512
ATI radeon 9800 pro
120gb maxtor hd ide
Sound blaster live value
WinXP pro

My question is this:
On a limited budget (under 200), what should i do next with my system. Or
should i hold off and wait a while?
Steve
Click to expand...


There is nothing wrong with you system. Actually it's very high-end now.
You should install a couple of "heavy-weight" games and enjoy.
 
Or save up for a really nice trinitron monitor, I switched from a 19" ISM to
a 17" trinitron and I would not go back, not even for the extra 2", for all
the tea in China. Of course, some day I'll move to a Sony F520 21", but
that's a little ways down the road. Forget LCD/TFT panels, they just don't
play like a CRT.
Click to expand...

That's good advise. CRT's rule. They'll pry my F500R 21" out of my
cold, dead hands. 8)
 
There is nothing wrong with you system. Actually it's very high-end now.
You should install a couple of "heavy-weight" games and enjoy.
Click to expand...

That's good advice, too. Looks like a nice system, capable of doing
anything that there is to be done on a PC. Why mess with it?
 
That's good advice, too. Looks like a nice system, capable of doing
anything that there is to be done on a PC. Why mess with it?
Click to expand...

Very, very nice system :)
 
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