The Weak Spot

**Freakonaleash** · 02-27-2004, 11:06 AM

I want to know what the main weak spot is on my system. Here are my specs.

Athlon 1.2ghz T-Bird (133FSB)
512mb CAS 3 PC133
Geforce 3 Ti200

I plan on upgrading my whole system soon, but I'm curious as to what's the main bottlneck when playings games (especially Far Cry, the first game that REALLY brought my computer to its knees).

**Patrick00011** · 02-27-2004, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Freakonaleash
I want to know what the main weak spot is on my system. Here are my specs.

Athlon 1.2ghz T-Bird (133FSB)
512mb CAS 3 PC133
Geforce 3 Ti200

I plan on upgrading my whole system soon, but I'm curious as to what's the main bottlneck when playings games (especially Far Cry, the first game that REALLY brought my computer to its knees).

Ummmm lol, well I don't think any of it is a bottleneck, all of the parts seem to be along the same line. I think if you upgraded to today's high hardware, then your other parts would be the bottleneck. If this is going to be a slow upgrade then I'd do it in the order of: RAM, CPU, VGA

**irwincur** · 02-27-2004, 12:52 PM

Probably a toss up between the CPU and the video card. I would probably be more inclined to blame the GF3 for dropping the ball on Far Cry. But all of those parts are starting to show their age if you are into gaming.

**soupnazi** · 02-27-2004, 01:10 PM

I'm saying it's the GF3. I currently have a P3 1Ghz & Ti4600 and can play Farcry around 25-30FPS @ 1024x768.

But I agree with the above posters...you'll need to upgrade everything if you wanna play those next gen games well.

**SAF** · 02-27-2004, 01:25 PM

I'd suggest new video card. Try putting a nice vid. card in your old rig, if it cures your FarCry problem - great, if not you can put this card in your new rig when you decide to upgrade.

**thebove** · 02-27-2004, 04:53 PM

i say it's the memory....that old pc133 is probably crippling your system compared to what some good ddr would do for ya. as far as pure gaming performance goes, getting ddr and a new mobo (unless your motherboard supports both) isn't gonna do too much, but it may help a little.

rasputinj · 02-27-2004, 05:49 PM

your motherboard and cpu need to upgraded, your FSB is only 133. Get a 2500+ barton, with a decent motherboard and some DDR RAM. The Ti4200 is a good video card, compared with the rest of the system, it is fast.

**thebove** · 02-27-2004, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by rasputinj
your motherboard and cpu need to upgraded, your FSB is only 133. Get a 2500+ barton, with a decent motherboard and some DDR RAM. The Ti4200 is a good video card, compared with the rest of the system, it is fast.

ti200, not ti4200....

**Smythe** · 02-27-2004, 06:17 PM

Yeah, basically the only thing you could keep until a later time is the graphics card. If you want DDR memory, you'll have to upgrade the motherboard. If you want a faster processor, you'll have to upgrade the motherboard. If you upgrade the motherboard, it would be wise to get DDR RAM and a new processor.

**davnport** · 02-27-2004, 06:30 PM

shuttle an35n ultra- $62
amd athlon 2400 Mobile- $77
1x512 pc 3200 buffalo tech or crucial- ~$88

that about $230 for a nice upgrade. You might be able to hold on to the graphics card. I would test it and see what results you get. If you need more, now or even in a month or two you should be able to find great deals on the 9800pro. If money is a limiting factor, the list above would be my priority. That would give you a cheap rig that could easily last a couple of years if not longer, especially if when you need more speed you o/c that cpu and get some nice cooling.

Good luck man

**thebove** · 02-27-2004, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by davnport
shuttle an35n ultra- $62
amd athlon 2400 Mobile- $77
1x512 pc 3200 buffalo tech or crucial- ~$88

that about $230...

that's definately a good upgrade route right there...the ti200 should hold you over a little longer, but that is also in need of an upgrade to be able to play some of the games that are coming out right now.

**Sharkticon** · 02-27-2004, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by davnport
shuttle an35n ultra- $62
amd athlon 2400 Mobile- $77
1x512 pc 3200 buffalo tech or crucial- ~$88

why the moble 2400+? wouldn't the moble take a performance hit?

**Geoffreyeolson** · 02-27-2004, 07:47 PM

If your on a tight budget you can just run to frys and get a cheap mobo combo for under 80 bucks. Plus you wont have to upgrade your ram at the same time either if you get a k7s5a. those boards support both ddr and sdram. I did that when I had an old 900 mhz duron. OMG the diff. in performance was like night and day and it only costed me 90 bucks to do it at the time. Then you can later on upgrade the ram, the mobo(k7s5a isn't a very good board) vid card and etc after that.

EDIT: That same mobo combo I got now only costs like 65 bucks. It was an athlon 220 and k7s5a pro. I would also maybe hold on to that vid card for a little longer. I think it may still have enough power to play farcry.

**speedyaxon** · 02-27-2004, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sharkticon
why the moble 2400+? wouldn't the moble take a performance hit?

not at all...the mobile 2400+ is nothing more than a desktop chip that's able to run stock speeds at lower(1.45v) voltages. Think of it as a cream of the crop barton.

**Sharkticon** · 02-28-2004, 06:14 PM

I'm thinking of building a SFF unit and i've been worried about my power suppile not giving me enough juice so maybe this is a way i can save some thanks for the tip!

02-27-2004, 11:06 AM	#1
Freakonaleash Catfish Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 116	The Weak Spot I want to know what the main weak spot is on my system. Here are my specs. Athlon 1.2ghz T-Bird (133FSB) 512mb CAS 3 PC133 Geforce 3 Ti200 I plan on upgrading my whole system soon, but I'm curious as to what's the main bottlneck when playings games (especially Far Cry, the first game that REALLY brought my computer to its knees).

02-27-2004, 12:52 PM	#3
irwincur Mako Shark Join Date: May 2002 Location: Grand Rapids, MI Posts: 4,579	Probably a toss up between the CPU and the video card. I would probably be more inclined to blame the GF3 for dropping the ball on Far Cry. But all of those parts are starting to show their age if you are into gaming. __________________ If you really want 'em to be a single unit, duct tape your router to your modem. - Skydog 5/5/2005 MAIN - HP - e6300, 2GB DDR2, 300GB HDD, 250GB HDD, `6x DVD-RW, ATI X800GT, 500w Rosewill PSU Work - eMachine T6520, A64 3400+, 1GB PC 3200, 300GB HDD, 16x DVD R/RW, CD-ROM, Via Envy Sound HTPC - 2500XP, 1GB PC3200, 60GB HDD, 8x DVD R/RW, Via Envy Sound, ATI 9600PRO, 380w Antec PSU SERVER - 1800XP, 512MB PC2100, 3x40GB HDD (RAID5), 2x40GB HDD (RAID1), DDS3 Tape Drive, 300w Enermax PSU

02-27-2004, 01:10 PM	#4
soupnazi Zoom-Zoom! Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 15,066	I'm saying it's the GF3. I currently have a P3 1Ghz & Ti4600 and can play Farcry around 25-30FPS @ 1024x768. But I agree with the above posters...you'll need to upgrade everything if you wanna play those next gen games well. __________________ Spoiler ITG Audio & HT Enthusiast Mazda MX5 aka "Sophie" Bose Secrets: Click HERE! Terry's Secret Gender Guild PC pics: Click here (9mb) AMD 4400+ X2\|2GB PC3200 Ram\|Asus A8N SLI w/ Zalman NB47 Dell 2405FPW\|Galaxy 8800GT 512MB 150GB Raptor & 500GB WD\|400GB & 500GB Seagate\|Benq DW1650 & DW1655 X-Fi Xtreme Music\|Panasonic XR55\|Mirage AVS500\|Infinity Primus 150\|Energy S8.2 Antec P180\|Seasonic S12 500W\|AC Freezer 64 Pro MS Natural Ergo 4000\|Logitech G5\|Func 1030 Last edited by soupnazi; 02-27-2004 at 01:11 PM.

02-27-2004, 04:53 PM	#6
thebove Evil Monkey Shark Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: West Bloomfield, MI Posts: 6,820	i say it's the memory....that old pc133 is probably crippling your system compared to what some good ddr would do for ya. as far as pure gaming performance goes, getting ddr and a new mobo (unless your motherboard supports both) isn't gonna do too much, but it may help a little. __________________ Abit IP35 Pro - Core2Duo E8400 - 4GB Crucial Ballistix 1066 - ATI 4850HD - 2xRaptor 150GB RAID-0 Dave? Dave?! Dave's not here...

02-27-2004, 06:17 PM	#9
Smythe Hammerhead Shark Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Under "T" for THE MONARCH! Posts: 1,259	Yeah, basically the only thing you could keep until a later time is the graphics card. If you want DDR memory, you'll have to upgrade the motherboard. If you want a faster processor, you'll have to upgrade the motherboard. If you upgrade the motherboard, it would be wise to get DDR RAM and a new processor. __________________ SharkyExtreme 3DMark Team Sharky Forums Folding Team

02-27-2004, 01:25 PM	#5
SAF Reef Shark Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 324	I'd suggest new video card. Try putting a nice vid. card in your old rig, if it cures your FarCry problem - great, if not you can put this card in your new rig when you decide to upgrade.

02-27-2004, 05:49 PM	#7
rasputinj Sleeps with the Fishes Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 220	your motherboard and cpu need to upgraded, your FSB is only 133. Get a 2500+ barton, with a decent motherboard and some DDR RAM. The Ti4200 is a good video card, compared with the rest of the system, it is fast.

02-27-2004, 06:30 PM	#10
davnport Hammerhead Shark Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 1,401	shuttle an35n ultra- $62 amd athlon 2400 Mobile- $77 1x512 pc 3200 buffalo tech or crucial- ~$88 that about $230 for a nice upgrade. You might be able to hold on to the graphics card. I would test it and see what results you get. If you need more, now or even in a month or two you should be able to find great deals on the 9800pro. If money is a limiting factor, the list above would be my priority. That would give you a cheap rig that could easily last a couple of years if not longer, especially if when you need more speed you o/c that cpu and get some nice cooling. Good luck man __________________ Main Rig Abit NF7-s v2 \| AMD Barton 2500+ \| 2x 512 Corsair XMS PC3200LL \| ATI 9700pro \| WD SE 120Gb & Maxtor 250Gb \| NEC 2500A 8x \| Antec SuperLanboy \| Thermalright SP-97 & enermax 90mm \| Logitech MX Duo \| APC Back-UPS XS 800 Home Theatre: 50" Proscan projection TV-> Harmon Kardon AVR-230-> JBL SCS160si Computer Audio: E-MU 0404-> Switchbox-> ZA Pimeta-> TBA/AL ATP3s Portable: iRiver H-120-> Shure E3 MEMBER OF THE SHARKY FORUMS FOLDING TEAM Interested in learning more about FOLDING? Check out this flash!

02-27-2004, 07:47 PM	#13
Geoffreyeolson Hammerhead Shark Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Oregon! Posts: 1,826	If your on a tight budget you can just run to frys and get a cheap mobo combo for under 80 bucks. Plus you wont have to upgrade your ram at the same time either if you get a k7s5a. those boards support both ddr and sdram. I did that when I had an old 900 mhz duron. OMG the diff. in performance was like night and day and it only costed me 90 bucks to do it at the time. Then you can later on upgrade the ram, the mobo(k7s5a isn't a very good board) vid card and etc after that. EDIT: That same mobo combo I got now only costs like 65 bucks. It was an athlon 220 and k7s5a pro. I would also maybe hold on to that vid card for a little longer. I think it may still have enough power to play farcry. __________________ Don't do it again. - Wurm Last edited by Geoffreyeolson; 02-27-2004 at 07:54 PM.

02-28-2004, 06:14 PM	#15
Sharkticon Goldfish Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 66	I'm thinking of building a SFF unit and i've been worried about my power suppile not giving me enough juice so maybe this is a way i can save some thanks for the tip!

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