should i upgrade now??

[infielder6]

I am currently running an intel p3 733, i was going to upgrade to an amd processor in the summer. I've just noticed the posts about the amd clawhammer, and was wondering if it was worth upgrading now or not.. should i just wait until next year and get a clawhammer instead. if i should upgrade now what is it that i should upgrade too, which amd would be the wisest choice, i'm looking for value and game performance. Thanks alot.

[Darthtanion]

When to upgrade is competely up to you. There will ALWAYS be something new and better on the horizon, so if you wait for the Clawhammer, then what will you be forced to wait for next time around?

Now that we have that topic sqaured away, it's time to decide what kind of power you want to go for. Since you're already talking about switching to the AMD processors, then look around for a motherboard that uses the VIA KT266A chipset. It will require the purchase of DDR memory, but the added performance is well worth the minimal investment.

As for processor, the 1800+ is currently the sweet spot for Athlon XP processors. You can generally find them for a pretty reasonable price and it will better than double the speed in which you run your system.

Something else to consider is your Power Supply. You'll want a minimum of 300 watts, and preferably 350-400 if you can manage it. Besides that, though, all of your components should transfer nicely into the new system (unless you are still using outdated ISA cards).

Good luck! :D

[infielder6]

good points.. thanks for the info...

[Albinus]

It will require the purchase of DDR memory, but the added performance is well worth the minimal investment.

But... but... but... DDR SDRAM is horribly expensive at the moment :eek:

I agree that DDR is the way to go, but the pricing is quickly making anything over 256MB uneconomical, and 512MB really allows O/S's like Windows XP to take off into the stratosphere :flames:

[Darthtanion]

Albinus,

I can't say what memory prices are in Oz, but here in the States, they are still rather reasonable. Granted, they're rising at the moment, but they're not through the roof as of yet. And since infielder6 shows to be from Canada, the prices will either be similar, or he can order from the States. :)

[Albinus]

DDR SDRAM is almost the same price as RDRAM here it's increased so much :flames:

[Beefy]

actually, it's been kinda two way. while DDR has gone up a fair bit... RD has dropped a little..

[RDR]

When to upgrade is competely up to you. There will ALWAYS be something new and better on the horizon, so if you wait for the Clawhammer, then what will you be forced to wait for next time around?

Geforce 4, ClawHammer, Serial ATA, DDR333 - there's always some thing new on the horizon to wait for.....just get what you need, when you need it (or can afford it).

How you decide when you need it is up to you......

[erwin1978]

Either upgrade now or not at all. If you wait next year, there will be something else you'll want to wait for; the cycle just keeps going.

If gaming performance is what you want then upgrade your video card. Your processor seems to be ok.

[Albinus]

Yes, it does seem like a "Chicken and the Egg" scenario, if you wait for a new toy to ship there will be another one..... and another..... and you will never upgrade at all :(

So buy the highest spec you can afford :thumb: