Upgrade or Wait

Acer565 · 01-29-2007, 05:41 PM

Well right now I'm really anxious to upgrade my pc because, of course, after a year of having it, its getting outdated. The only upgrade im seriously thinking about right now is a new gfx card however. I was just posting for some of your guys opinions on whether i should invest in an XFX GeForce 7950GT now, or wait until the DX10 priced cards come down in price and then buy a next gen card. The reason i want to upgrade now of all times is that my HIS Radeon x850XT is already being phased out which yea im kinda bugged about but i mean i suppose it has to be expected with all the innovative technology coming out recently. Anyways, i have like 300 bucks right now and am thinking in investing in the 7950 and a new power source, but im really torn between that or waiting. Another consideration i have to take into account is that although im really into gaming right now, im going to be finishing up my Junior year in high school soon and dont know if im going to be gaming as much as i move into my senior year and eventually college, so i dont know if waiting and investing in an expensive upgrade that wont pay for itself in the long run. Theres also the consideration of whether it would be beneficial to buy Vista soon or not. Really im just asking for your guys educated opinions on my situation.

My Rig right now:

350 watt PS
radeon x850XT
SB Audigy 4
1 gig ram
140 gig HD
Asus Amberine MoBo (crappy stock Mobo from HP)
AMD Athlon 3800+ Venice Core
Windows XP

Tumbleweed36 · 01-29-2007, 06:07 PM

Hi,

You asked for a personal opinion and we love those, so here is mine.

First of all, you won't be able to pull that graphics card you want with any 350 watt power supply, regardless of the brand name. IMHO, it will take most likely a 650 watt to do a nice job if you update in that area. That issue will cost you about $100 or so bucks.

Second, VISTA is just too new to jump in there yet. Wait until they get the bugs out. Actually, there are some nice features on that platform, but not too many that overshadow the XP platform which is much more tested and tried. When you see them already planning for service packs, that tells you things are not settled down yet. Vista will cost you anywhere from $200 to $400 or so depending upon what you get.

Third, that Venice core 3800+ is an excellent CPU although it can not match the newer Conroes by Intel. However, if you are unsettled, you might just save until those that are hot right now come down in price and then make the move if you are then into gaming as much as you are right now.

My opinion, is that you will have a bunch of money in this rig and still have partially an old rig or older technology, so wait until you can do it all.

Acer565 · 01-29-2007, 06:10 PM

Thanks for the input, keep it coming

and also sry if i didnt make it clear but yea i know i dont have a powerful enough power supply, im going to buy a 550-650 watt with that card, if i do decide and buy it

Acer565 · 01-29-2007, 06:31 PM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150189

BTW ^^That is the card i was considering, it got good reviews and benchmarks everywhere i looked

Any other versions of the card from other manufacturers that are better?

okay player · 01-29-2007, 07:39 PM

The card above looks real nice, but... why are you considering upgrading? other than the fact that the x800 is becoming outdated? If it's not up to snuff for your gaming needs that one thing, but upgrading simply because there is newer stuff out there is, IMHO, a waste of money.

Your system as it is ain't bad at all.
Wait for DX10 and save yourself some trouble in the long run.

That said, if money is not an issue and you're hungry for higher FPS rates at higher resolutions, by all means go for it.

**TheMatt** · 01-29-2007, 08:42 PM

You will find your money will definitely be better spent on a Radeon X1950XT, it will give much better graphics than the 7950GT, and even the 7900GTX.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161048

You will need a new PSU, and you should be looking at something like this:
to prepare you for future upgrades as well as this one.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817104015

If you do this, this will prepare you for a motherboard/CPU upgrade later on to a Core 2 Duo. You shouldn't get excited about Vista and DX10 gaming any time soon.

01-29-2007, 05:41 PM	#1 (permalink)
Acer565 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 55 OS: WinXP	Upgrade or Wait Well right now I'm really anxious to upgrade my pc because, of course, after a year of having it, its getting outdated. The only upgrade im seriously thinking about right now is a new gfx card however. I was just posting for some of your guys opinions on whether i should invest in an XFX GeForce 7950GT now, or wait until the DX10 priced cards come down in price and then buy a next gen card. The reason i want to upgrade now of all times is that my HIS Radeon x850XT is already being phased out which yea im kinda bugged about but i mean i suppose it has to be expected with all the innovative technology coming out recently. Anyways, i have like 300 bucks right now and am thinking in investing in the 7950 and a new power source, but im really torn between that or waiting. Another consideration i have to take into account is that although im really into gaming right now, im going to be finishing up my Junior year in high school soon and dont know if im going to be gaming as much as i move into my senior year and eventually college, so i dont know if waiting and investing in an expensive upgrade that wont pay for itself in the long run. Theres also the consideration of whether it would be beneficial to buy Vista soon or not. Really im just asking for your guys educated opinions on my situation. My Rig right now: 350 watt PS radeon x850XT SB Audigy 4 1 gig ram 140 gig HD Asus Amberine MoBo (crappy stock Mobo from HP) AMD Athlon 3800+ Venice Core Windows XP

01-29-2007, 06:07 PM	#2 (permalink)
Tumbleweed36 Asst Manager Hardware Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA Posts: 19,714 OS: XP Professional	Hi, You asked for a personal opinion and we love those, so here is mine. First of all, you won't be able to pull that graphics card you want with any 350 watt power supply, regardless of the brand name. IMHO, it will take most likely a 650 watt to do a nice job if you update in that area. That issue will cost you about $100 or so bucks. Second, VISTA is just too new to jump in there yet. Wait until they get the bugs out. Actually, there are some nice features on that platform, but not too many that overshadow the XP platform which is much more tested and tried. When you see them already planning for service packs, that tells you things are not settled down yet. Vista will cost you anywhere from $200 to $400 or so depending upon what you get. Third, that Venice core 3800+ is an excellent CPU although it can not match the newer Conroes by Intel. However, if you are unsettled, you might just save until those that are hot right now come down in price and then make the move if you are then into gaming as much as you are right now. My opinion, is that you will have a bunch of money in this rig and still have partially an old rig or older technology, so wait until you can do it all. __________________ ---------- I don't receive email notifications of replies to subscribed threads. (Internet provider policy) Therefore, if I don't respond to your post within 24 hours, please send me a reminder PM and include the link to your thread. Last edited by Tumbleweed36; 01-29-2007 at 06:09 PM.

01-29-2007, 06:31 PM	#4 (permalink)
Acer565 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 55 OS: WinXP	http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150189 BTW ^^That is the card i was considering, it got good reviews and benchmarks everywhere i looked Any other versions of the card from other manufacturers that are better? Last edited by Acer565; 01-29-2007 at 06:34 PM.

01-29-2007, 08:42 PM	#6 (permalink)
TheMatt TSF Enthusiast Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 13,701 OS: Win 3.1, 98, NT 4.0, XP Debian 4.0, Kubuntu 6.06 My System Blog Entries: 3	You will find your money will definitely be better spent on a Radeon X1950XT, it will give much better graphics than the 7950GT, and even the 7900GTX. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161048 You will need a new PSU, and you should be looking at something like this: to prepare you for future upgrades as well as this one. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817104015 If you do this, this will prepare you for a motherboard/CPU upgrade later on to a Core 2 Duo. You shouldn't get excited about Vista and DX10 gaming any time soon. __________________ - Matt M - KB1OSC - Folding@Home 85015 [url="http://www.techsupportforum.com/hardware-support/"] If TSF has helped you, please consider donating. If I have stopped responding to a thread, feel free to send me a PM with a link to the thread. It is advisable to subscribe to threads so you will receive updates when replies are posted. You can subscribe to threads from the "Thread Tools" Menu. »Memtest86 »Prime95 »UBCD »SpeedFan »NHC Personal »Everest »Sandra »PC Wizard »RivaTuner »ATi Tool Click here for Useful Articles and Guides

01-29-2007, 06:10 PM	#3 (permalink)
Acer565 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 55 OS: WinXP	Thanks for the input, keep it coming and also sry if i didnt make it clear but yea i know i dont have a powerful enough power supply, im going to buy a 550-650 watt with that card, if i do decide and buy it

01-29-2007, 07:39 PM	#5 (permalink)
okay player Registered User Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 207 OS: Vista Home Premium	The card above looks real nice, but... why are you considering upgrading? other than the fact that the x800 is becoming outdated? If it's not up to snuff for your gaming needs that one thing, but upgrading simply because there is newer stuff out there is, IMHO, a waste of money. Your system as it is ain't bad at all. Wait for DX10 and save yourself some trouble in the long run. That said, if money is not an issue and you're hungry for higher FPS rates at higher resolutions, by all means go for it.