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[Rizzo]

Good afternoon folks.
I'm looking for some assistance from the more technically able among us to give me some advice on my computer.
My current setup is:
AMD Athlon 64 processor 3000+, 1024 ram, Windows XP, Geforce 6200 Turbo Cache integrated Ramdac, Realtek Audio AC97.
I can run HL2 without antialiasing currently. I'd also like to run FarCry but I know that's beyond my system. I'm also unsure about Quake IV.
I was hoping firstly you people could tell me what the hell most of that crap I just wrote means. What's ramdac? Is my processor good? I know my graphics card is pretty budget. I have no idea what my motherboard is(in terms of make and model).
I've gotten all this info from DXDIAG in the run bar.  
Secondly; What do you recommend I upgrade to make my computer better? I'd really like something that will run all the current gen of games on max if possible but I'd also like to do so cheaply.
Thanks in advance.

[Bunnyman]

Actually, an A64 3000+ and a gig of RAM is a pretty decent setup.  And, hell, I got FarCry running on  a 1.4GHz Athlon T-Bird and a GeForce2, so no sweat there.  Quake4 will be a bit of a stretch, but I would hope that it will run on low settings at least.

The only blatant weakness in your system is the Graphics card, and that isn't *awful.*  I would try to upgrade to a 6600 ($), a 6800GT ($$$), or a 7800 (!!!).  Probably an AGP slot, so the latter is out of the question.

To be honest, I'd get a PCIe mainboard along wiht a 6800 or 7800.  Since you are running an A64 already, any Socket 939 board will do.  Just get an ABIT or ASUS brand board to save yourself the hassle or motherboard replacement...most other brands aren't worth the bother.  A8N series from ASUS is the best in field.

If you're talking serious money, get the A8N SLi, which gives you a pair of PCIe slots, allowing you to expand to a pair of graphics cards in an SLi configuration (in the good old days, it was called Scan Line Interleave...not sure what it means these days).

I'd actually wait on the graphics card, watch prices.  The ATI X1000 series just came out, and hopefully that'll drive down NVidia's prices.

In the future, another gig of ram (These days, arond $100 or so) wouldn't hurt.  I assume you have some open slots for RAM still.

[Rizzo]

I didn't understand a whole lot of what you were saying but sounds good.
So I should go for a better GFX card, eg 6800?
I don't think RAM'll be an issue for a while yet. I believe I've got space for it. I didn't build my computer, my dad did (lovely bloke).
I'm planning to buy any extra components in Singapore. Components aren't area specific so they'll work in my Kiwi computer (right? they must).
I feel such a n00b. I know my software pretty well but hardware defeats me.

[Bunnyman]

As I understand, there's no computer "region code" or somesuch, so have fun in Singapore.

Yes, seek out a motherboard with a 16x PCI-e slot (or two) and a GeForce 6800GT.  More or less.

http://www.hardocp.com/">[H]ardOCP is always a good resource, even if it's somewhat precipitously geeky.  And there are other sites as well.

[Inanimate Object]

I agree that upgrading to a PCI-e board would be the best option, but if you don't want to spend the money or don't know how to install one, you could just get a new AGP video card and be in pretty good shape.

If you do upgrade to a new AGP card, I wouldn't go with anything under a GeForce 6800 though.

[Rizzo]

So with a PCI mother board the graphics card would plug in to that rather than it's own slot?
Most hardware is plug and play right? You just stick it into which ever slot it fits into and follow the instructions from there? They do come with instructions right?

EDIT:  Looking at DXDIAG it says my system manufacturer is K8T890. That matches up pretty closely with this motherboard;
Albatron K8X890 ProII VIA K8T890 $200.64
Good or not good?
Double EDIT:
And these two;
Abit AX8 VIA K8T890 PCI-Express GLAN Firewire ATX
Soltek SL-K890PRO-939 VIA K8T890
How can I tell what I've got without ripping the case open and once I know which I've got, is it a good one?

[Inanimate Object]

PCI-e and PCI are different slots. PCI-e is much faster. So essentially, the card still has a special slot.

As far as I know, PCI-e cards are plug and play. You might have to install drivers from an included CD to get the full set of features, but it should work if you just plug it in.

[Rizzo]

EDIT:  Looking at DXDIAG it says my system manufacturer is K8T890. That matches up pretty closely with this motherboard;
Albatron K8X890 ProII VIA K8T890 $200.64
Good or not good?
Double EDIT:
And these two;
Abit AX8 VIA K8T890 PCI-Express GLAN Firewire ATX
Soltek SL-K890PRO-939 VIA K8T890
How can I tell what I've got without ripping the case open and once I know which I've got, is it a good one?

[Se7en]

Actually, all you need is a new graphics card. People that are recomending new motherboards do NOT know what they are talking about.

Your current motherboard, cpu, and memory are quite adequate, your only problem is that your graphics card is rather sub-par for gaming.

An AGP card will be quite adequate, since there is absolutely no benefit in upgrading to PCI-E in itself, its just something people can do for futureproofing, IF and ONLY IF their motherboard needs to be replaced anyway.

I recomend a Geforce 6800 GT, which wont break the bank, and will run every current game at high settings.

[Se7en]

And to answer your other questions: RAMDAC is something that only affects 2d graphics, its been many years since it was something you needed to take notice of. Even i have half forgotton now.

Your processor is perfectly good. It is reliatively low end, but its an athlon 64, which is the best architecture going. Its capable of supporting a very fast graphics card, which is what you need for gaming.

Your 6200 graphics card is the worst card in the geforce 6 family. "Turbo Cache" sounds fancy, but what it really means is shared memory. The card has hardly any cache memory of its own, and has to use the main memory as a texture cache, which makes it horribly horribly slow.

To use an analogy, your current system is like riding a pushbike down an empty 3 lane motorway. The basic infastructure you are using isnt as good as a 6 lane motorway, but its still far better than you need.

I suggest iether one of these:
http://www.savastore.com/productinfo/product.aspx?catalog_name=Savastore&product_id=10281826&pid=207&rstrat=3160

Or if you have a little more money, one of these:
http://www.savastore.com/productinfo/product.aspx?catalog_name=Savastore&product_id=10279086&pid=207&rstrat=3160

A nice 6800GT will be more like driving a honda civic down that 3 lane motorway. Not the fastest thing you can buy perhaps, but does the job.

[jhocking]

I recomend a Geforce 9800 GT

A nice 9800GT

I thought this was a typo, until you wrote it twice.  Sure you got the number right?

[Se7en]

No, i didnt. Corrected now. Damn you dyslexia!

[SpacemanSpiff]

Rizzo, getting an AGP card in your case won't be a good idea, you need PCI-E, the K8T890 does not support AGP.
Apart from that, Se7en is completely correct. The 6800 should get the job done nicely.
In case you want to wait a bit, there's a new 6800GS coming, which looks very promising and shouldn't be that expensive.

[Catfish_Man]

A nice 6800GT will be more like driving a honda civic down that 3 lane motorway.

This analogy just makes me boggle at how fast the industry moves...

/me looks sadly at his Radeon 9600 Mobility

[Se7en]

Ah, i missed that bit. Yes, that means a VIA chipset with 16X PCI-E, which makes suggestions of motherboard upgrades even more silly, because its pretty much bang upto date.

Really, the motherboard is the last thing you want to upgrade. First the graphics card, and the CPU would be the next thing if you wanted to go further. There isnt much point in more RAM, since going up to 2GB has a detrimental effect on gaming performance, since it increases latency (makes it slower to respond)

Also, theres a quite big difference between the vanilla 6800, and the 6800 GT. The GT versions of Nvidia cards are significantly faster, and are in a different price range. The GT isnt far short of the "ultra" spec cards, which as the name suggests are the fastest models.

[Rizzo]

Rizzo, getting an AGP card in your case won't be a good idea, you need PCI-E, the K8T890 does not support AGP.
Apart from that, Se7en is completely correct. The 6800 should get the job done nicely.
In case you want to wait a bit, there's a new 6800GS coming, which looks very promising and shouldn't be that expensive.

Yeah I wasn't planning to buy until I go to Singapore in February. So I should get a PCI-e compatable Geforce 6800GT or something of a similar silly end letter?
Mean.
We should turn this into a thread to help people with hardware needs.

[Se7en]

Yes, but you have to watch the silly end letters. They can make the difference between the dogs bollocks and dog shite.

[AdamIsConceited]

I like this thread.