Will this slow me down?

[CAD_roxors]

Im upgrading my system with all new components from Newegg.com, im getting all trusted brands and the like, my friend is helping me out but i was wondering...here are my (future) stats for my comp:
Athalon 1800+
640 ddr pc2100 ram
80gb 7200rpm HD
Sapphire Radeon 9600 256mb

the question is, will my processor slow me down? im a big gamer (well not doom three but alot of other games). im getting a new aspire case (new motherboard too) with room for 4 fans, im getting 1 extra (total of 3) and a heatsink for the processor (another 80mm). will i need to overclock the processor or will it be able to keep up as is? id prefer not to have to overclock it but if i have to, how much would I?

 

[Crashman]

To begin with MOST 256MB 9600 Pro's are clocked SLOWER than the 128MB part. And the 9600 non-PRO is clocked slower still! So you'd be best off with a 9600 Pro 128MB for performance, unless you can find something cheap and old (like a 9700 series card at the same price).

Now, as long as you game at reasonable resolutions, you shouldn't have performance problems in most games.

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[Mr5oh]

These seems like weird selections, any reason you picked those hardware pieces?

Just curious, as if I was going to build something, these wouldn't be my first selection. Whats your budget?

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[CAD_roxors]

well im upgrading to answer your weird components question, i curently have a compaq 1800+ athalon, 384 ram (started with 128, added 256 upon purchase) and a 40gb 5400 hd which i am totally getting rid of, im gonna start clean. i have a radeon 7500. the reason for the new motherboard/case is the motherboard i have now is 4x agp, no 8x which i really really would prefer and only 2 dimm slots, which is less than i want, in general, no room for expansion but my budget was only like 600 bucks at the time. my budget for now is about $300-$350 for upgrades, including new ram, harddrive, video card, case, motherboard and an extra fan and heatsink for the new case. oh and tell me more about how the video cards clock, im not computer illiterate but im not as knowledgable as id like to be (im only 16)

 

[Mr5oh]

Your 1800 should be able to play the games fine, however, it will be the "weak" link in your system. As far as overclocking, probably not necessary, but, some would consider it sort of a "free upgrade."

Really for about $400 you could build a complete new computer (CPU included).

Just make sure your being honest with yourself and what you are wanting to do, as you don't want to be replacing new parts a couple of months down the road.

In general the 256 MB video cards aren't to popular yet, and I don't understand why. You will notice though that the 256 mb cards are only cost a little more than the 128 ones. Think of it this way, you get what you pay for.

You might check out this for stuff about video cards: <A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=363095#363095" target="_new">http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=363095#363095</A>

Relistically if you aren't playing Doom3 getting a really high end card probably isn't nesecesary. I personally am still using a TI4600 card, which gives me very good frame rates in most new games. (I have seen similar cards go for $15-30 on eBay)

My friend has the 9600 256 MB version (I'll try and figure out which one), and really has had no complaints from it. Sure he may not score as high as other cards in benchamrks, but it plays games fine, and that is all that really matters.

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[Spitfire_x86]

the reason for the new motherboard/case is the motherboard i have now is 4x agp, no 8x which i really really would prefer

AGP 8x has 0% performance advantage over AGP 4x

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[CAD_roxors]

alright it recommended the radeon 9550, ill go get that one, i found if for pretty cheap, a saphire model. ald if need be ill tweak my processor a little,i will have plenty of cooling. and what do u mean 8x doesnt have any preforman gain over 4x? i dont doubt u i juts want to know what it all means.

 

[ChipDeath]

He means that only the very best cards available can saturate all the available bandwidth with AGP 4x. And even then the performance gain is tiny (<5%). With the class of Vid card you're looking at you'll not see any difference between 8x and 4x.

It's like increasing the speed limit to 200Mph, but if your car can still only do 70Mph you're not going to get there any quicker.

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Epox 8RDA+ V1.1 w/ Custom NB HS
XP1700+ @200x10 (~2Ghz), 1.4 Vcore
2x256Mb Corsair PC3200LL/1x512Mb Corsair XMS PC4000 2.5-3-3-7
Sapphire 9800Pro @412/740

 

[Scarred_Angel]

Wait..doesn't compaq also use a proprietary MoBo that may not be compatible with other cases?

 

[CAD_roxors]

about the compaq mobo, im getting a new mobo AND a new case, so that compatability problem is fixed i guess, and i understand now about the 4x agp, though its not the only reason im getting a new mobo and case so im still upgrading, good to know though.