Please advise me - Upgrade

[GilgaMesh]

Here is my heap. Help me get the best out of it. Don't mind spending a bit

If you need more info let me know

--------[ Summary - DESKTOP ]-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Computer:

Computer Type ACPI Multiprocessor PC

Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

OS Service Pack Service Pack 3

DirectX 4.09.00.0904 (DirectX 9.0c)

Computer Name DESKTOP

User Name Jason

Motherboard:

CPU Type Intel Pentium 4, 3200 MHz (16 x 200)

Motherboard Name MSI 865PEM2-ILS (MS-6743) (3 PCI, 1 AGP, 1 CNR, 4 DDR DIMM, Audio, LAN, IEEE-1394)

Motherboard Chipset Intel Springdale i865PE

System Memory 1024 MB (PC3200 DDR SDRAM)

BIOS Type Award (06/17/03)

Communication Port Communications Port (COM1)

Communication Port Communications Port (COM2)

Communication Port Bluetooth Communications Port (COM6)

Communication Port Bluetooth Communications Port (COM9)

Communication Port ECP Printer Port (LPT1)

Display:

Video Adapter NVIDIA GeForce 6600 (256 MB)

3D Accelerator nVIDIA GeForce 6600 AGP

Monitor Founder FG981-W2 30 83 55 75 1440 900 L19 MODEL-FG981-W2 (90069JA007578)

Multimedia:

Audio Adapter C-Media CMI9739(A) @ Intel 82801EB ICH5 - AC'97 Audio Controller [A-2/A-3]

Storage:

IDE Controller Intel® 82801EB Ultra ATA Storage Controllers

IDE Controller Intel® 82801EB Ultra ATA Storage Controllers

SCSI/RAID Controller AIN9WQCU IDE Controller

Floppy Drive Floppy disk drive

Disk Drive SAMSUNG HD400LD (400 GB, 7200 RPM, Ultra-ATA/100)

Disk Drive WDC WD1600BB-00DAA3 (149 GB, IDE)

Optical Drive PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-106D (DVD+RW:4x/2.4x, DVD-RW:4x/2x, DVD-ROM:12x, CD:16x/10x/32x DVD+RW/DVD-RW)

Optical Drive VD5741H JFJ544R SCSI CdRom Device

SMART Hard Disks Status OK

Partitions:

C: (NTFS) 65491 MB (17992 MB free)

D: (NTFS) 381551 MB (114787 MB free)

E: (NTFS) 10001 MB (9470 MB free)

F: (NTFS) 37118 MB (33778 MB free)

G: (NTFS) 40013 MB (36761 MB free)

Total Size 521.7 GB (207.8 GB free)

Input:

Keyboard HID Keyboard Device

Mouse PS/2 Compatible Mouse

Network:

Network Adapter Belkin F5D9000 Wireless G+ MIMO Desktop PCI Card (192.168.2.2)

Network Adapter Bluetooth LAN Access Server Driver - Packet Scheduler Miniport

Network Adapter Intel® PRO/100 VE Network Connection

Modem Bluetooth Modem

Peripherals:

Printer Auto Microsoft XPS Document Writer on EQUIUM

Printer Auto Send To OneNote 2007 on EQUIUM

Printer Microsoft XPS Document Writer

Printer Send To OneNote 2007

FireWire Controller NEC uPD72874 IEEE1394 OHCI 1.1 3-port PHY-Link Controller

USB1 Controller Intel 82801EB ICH5 - USB Controller [A-2/A-3]

USB1 Controller Intel 82801EB ICH5 - USB Controller [A-2/A-3]

USB1 Controller Intel 82801EB ICH5 - USB Controller [A-2/A-3]

USB1 Controller Intel 82801EB ICH5 - USB Controller [A-2/A-3]

USB2 Controller Intel 82801EB ICH5 - Enhanced USB2 Controller [A-2/A-3]

USB Device Belkin Bluetooth 2.0 USB Adapter

USB Device Generic USB Hub

USB Device SoC PC-Camera

USB Device USB Composite Device

USB Device USB Human Interface Device

USB Device USB Human Interface Device

[+PeterUK MVC]

If your not in to gaming (newer) then another 1GB RAM stick other then that its not worth spending money on it with:

DDR replaced by DDR2/DDR3

IDE by SATA

AGP by PCI-e

[GilgaMesh]

I am into gaming cheers for the reply, I'll look into these.

[gwai lo]

He meant just get more RAM if you need it. If you don't need it (is your system...sluggish if you try to do RAM intensive things?), then don't bother throwing any more money in.

[tsupersonic]

Right now, the 6600 is holding you back. Look into ATI's 3xxx series, they have an AGP card. Also, Nvidia's 7 series also feature an AGP card. If you have PCI-E on your mobo, get a PCI-E card.

But, the P4 is going to hold you back in the long run.

[GilgaMesh]

What if I was to upgrade the mobo, get a pci-e card, new proccessor and some new ram. Anything else I need? :s

[gwai lo]

Possibly a new power supply.

Hey look at that, it's a full system overhaul.

[GilgaMesh]

Looks like it >< where do I start? Can't just pump the cash in all at once. Let's say no more than ?200 for now.

[gwai lo]

Save your money then.

What's wrong with your current setup anyway?

[GilgaMesh]

can't handle better games. plus it's nice to have a up to date system.

[gwai lo]

Save your money then, if you look in the guide stickied at the top there are graphs that indicate performance versus the amount of money invested. You're not investing enough money to really make your returns worth it (in my opinion anyway).

[utdarkviper]

Plus if you start buying components early (as in before you are going to build) then your parts will become outdated much easier. I suggest setting a goal of ~?500 and just pick out your components once you hit your goal:))