What's next for my PC?

[TheBladeRoden]

So I recently replaced my Geforce 3 graphics card with an ATI Radeon 9600. But I didn't get quite the performance boost I was hoping for. So I wonder if there is anything else I should be upgrading (within reasonable price range)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 @ 1.75GHz
Graphics Card:ATI Radeon 9600 128MB
Sound Card: SB Live! Series (WDM)
Total Physical Memory: RIMM RAMBUS 512MB
Motherboard Manufacturer: Intel Corporation
Motherboard Model: D850GB
Direct X: 9.0b
Hard drive: 80 GB
Speakers: Logitech z640 5.1
3D Mark 2001 score: 7687
3D Mark 2003 score: 2494

[swanny338]

it begins, usually, a better CPU or better RAM means a new motherboard. IF i were you, I would just get money together and get a new CPU, motherboard and RAM.

recommendations:
Abit Nf7-s motherboard
AMD 2800+ or up
and at least 512 MB of PC3200 DDR RAM

[Delta_]

He may aswell build a new comp.

[TheBladeRoden]

c'mon now boys, let's be reasonable!

[4_Series_Scania]

So I recently replaced my Geforce 3 graphics card with an ATI Radeon 9600. But I didn't get quite the performance boost I was hoping for. So I wonder if there is anything else I should be upgrading (within reasonable price range)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 @ 1.75GHz
Graphics Card:ATI Radeon 9600 128MB
Sound Card: SB Live! Series (WDM)
Total Physical Memory: RIMM RAMBUS 512MB
Motherboard Manufacturer: Intel Corporation
Motherboard Model: D850GB
Direct X: 9.0b
Hard drive: 80 GB
Speakers: Logitech z640 5.1
3D Mark 2001 score: 7687
3D Mark 2003 score: 2494

You'd have seen a far better result from ditching the 1.7p4 and getting a beefier one.

A friend of mine has just changed from 1.7p4 to 2.8 800fsb p4, keeping his GF4 ti4600. His 3D Mark score went from 7400 to 12850!!!

The later p4's have 512k of L2 cache, earlier chips like my friends and I suspect yours, only have 256k ,Celeron's stutter along with 128k......

[TheBladeRoden]

ah poo, motherboards don't actually come with CPU's as I had been led to believe. So much for a nice sub-$200 fix.

[congo]

All may not be lost.........

I just went to the intel site to try to find what is the fastest CPU your board will take, unfortunately the support pages kept crashing my browser for some reason.

Anyway, if you go there and find out for yourself, you can then keep an eye out on the second hand market for a faster CPU if it supports one, don't dick about, go for the fastest one it supports.

BIOS updates often configure the Motherboard to take faster CPU's than originally designed for, so you may find the info in the BIOS update section if they have one.

Good Luck.

[swanny338]

u could go AMD, an Abit NF7-S Mobo and a 2500+ or 2600+ CPU would run you about 250 dollars.

[Delta_]

He again may aswell build a new comp if he has to replace mobo, cpu and ram all-one.  The cpu upgrade sounds best, until i checked the site and found 2.0GHz is the best that the mobo can support, not much of an upgrade.  I can only suggest a new rig where you rip the best bits from that one but keep going as a second comp.

http://support.intel.com/support/mother ... matrix.htm
http://support.intel.com/support/mother ... b_proc.htm