Performance? Video -vs- Processor?

[sandman38]

Hello All
I'm taking a pole of sorts or I need to see what you all think?

MY SYSTEM AT PRESENT: (WINXP-Pro)
MOTHERBOARD: MSI KT4VL-6016712 (VIA KT400)
PROCESSOR: AMD Athlon(tm) XP 2000+ 1.7 GHz
VIDEO CARD: MSI NVIDA FX5600 128MB
MEMORY: 800 MB Ram 333Mhz

Everything is running just fine however I wanted to increase performance a bit. I'm can't seem to make up my mind on the following items. Keeping my cost below $200, I've narrowed down to between one of two Video cards or one of two Processors! At present I'm leaning towards the processor, as I'm sort of skeptical about the performance boost between the 5600 and the 5900. What do you think Processor or Video?

1. -
A) Leadtek nVIDIA GeForce FX5900XT Video Card, 128MB DDR, 256-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, Model "WinFast A350XT TDH" -RETAIL

B) MSI nVIDIA GeForce FX 5900XT Video Card, 128MB DDR, DVI/VIVO, 8X AGP, Model "FX5900XT-VTD128" -RETAIL

2. -
A) AMD Athlon XP 2800+ "Barton", 333MHz FSB, 512K Cache Processor

B) AMD Athlon XP 3000+ "Barton", 333MHz FSB, 512K Cache Processor

All the best and thanks for your help!

 

[gobeavers]

That's tough, how much gaming do you do? And how much and of what else do you do on your computer?

"This means that you can play over a network, just not with each other."-PC GAMER review

 

[DonnieDarko]

Why don'y you save 250$ then get a xp-m 2500+ for 88$
<A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-401&depa=1" target="_new">http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-401&depa=1</A>
The get the 5900xt for 175$
<A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-145-072&depa=1" target="_new">http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-145-072&depa=1</A>

It's alittle more than 250$ but you get what i'm saying. Run the mobile cpu at 166*13=2.1-2.2ghz and you being running better than what you currently have. Also you could probably get the 5900xt to 5900 or 5900ultra speeds(with good cooling).

AMD64 2800+
MSI Neo-Fis2r
512mb Kingmax ddr400
Sapphire 9800pro 128mb
10K WD Raptor

 

[bumfodderboy]

i know the fx5200 is kind of a step down, but you can get a nvidia fx5200 w/256mb of ram for $90 at targetpcinc.com.
256mb vid cards are always nice.

 

[DonnieDarko]

wow that was the worst tip i've ever heard. Please don't listen to that kid. The amount of ram has nothing to do with the speed of the card. Comparing a 5200 with a 5900xt is like comparing wiping your ass with sandpaper or toilet paper.
The 5200 is garbage. He already has a 5600 which would wipe the floor with a 5200. But a 5900xt would be a nice step up from a 5600.

AMD64 2800+
MSI Neo-Fis2r
512mb Kingmax ddr400
Sapphire 9800pro 128mb
10K WD Raptor

 

[Crashman]

I have big news for you, 256MB cards are not always nice, the GeForce4 TI4200 64MB has nearly twice the performance of the FX5200 256MB card, with only 1/4 the memory.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[gobeavers]

The art of the common misconception...

"This means that you can play over a network, just not with each other."-PC GAMER review

 

[pauldh]

😱 OH MY

ABIT IS7, P4 2.6C, 512MB Corsair TwinX PC3200LL, Radeon 9800 Pro, Santa Cruz, TruePower 430watt

 

[pauldh]

Have you tried to Overclock that XP2000+? I'd say try that and get a FX5900XT. Or better yet R9800 Pro if you don't mind switching to ATI. If you can't OC at all or don't want to, it is a tough call. Check out available multipliers for your mobo, and if you can adjust them, an unlocked XP2500+ like the mobile version would be quite nice. It would be nice to replace the FX5600. Hmmm, R9600 pro and a XP2500+ or R9800 Pro/FX5900XT and a XP2000+? The first option would let you sell the FX5600 and XP2000 on ebay to make up for the cost. Maybe you'd get enough for your old stuff to step up the video card even higher.

Also, recheck your ram making sure it is PC2700 (DDR333) and the amount of RAM. Can't be 800MB. Is it 3 sticks of 256MB?


ABIT IS7, P4 2.6C, 512MB Corsair TwinX PC3200LL, Radeon 9800 Pro, Santa Cruz, TruePower 430watt

 

[DonnieDarko]

I think it depends on what core his xp 2000+ is. I think it was the thorton that ran pretty hot?

AMD64 2800+
MSI Neo-Fis2r
512mb Kingmax ddr400
Sapphire 9800pro 128mb
10K WD Raptor

 

[pauldh]

Never owned a Thorton, but they are lower voltage than even the TBred I think. So they should run cool. The Hot ones were the original Xp's, the Palomino's. I am on the king palomino now, an XP2100+. I hate it. Runs way too hot for my liking.

ABIT IS7, P4 2.6C, 1GB Corsair XMS 4000 Pro Series, Radeon 9800 Pro, Santa Cruz, TruePower 430watt