MURcarnage wrote:
Ok, my buddy read all the replies and came to the conclusion that it wouldn't be worth it to purchase a whole new system with all the new technology coming out the following year.
He basically wants something to tide him over until DX10 is out, so he can just build his system then.
His current computer was a gift, so it's...ok. It's a Dell Dimension 8200 (4+ years old?). System Specs:
P4 2.53GHz w/ 533MHz FSB
512MB RDRAM 184-Pin (16bit PC800)
Nvidia GeForce 4600ti 128MB DDR2
It's old, but it's still somewhat decent. He says the main bottlenecks are the RAM and the Video Card, so he wants to upgrade those. He's thinking about the 6800xt since it includes Shader Model 3.0, while the ATIs x800 series cards do not. Also, doubleing his RAM would be a good step forward. He's unsure what his current PSU is capable of, so he's considering upgrading that aswell.
It's my belief that waiting is NEVER worth it. I build systems for everyone I know... my parents, some friends, and clients. Back when the a64 chips first came out I could have built a VERY low end a64 system for 30% to 40% more than the XP 3200 system. Looking back on it I'm still sure I made the correct decision. It's cheaper to build a NEW system every few years that's 1 or 2 steps down from the "bleeding edge".
In your friends current situation I would recommend 1 of 2 things. Either keep the existing system exactly how it is (unless you come across the necessary upgrades VERY VERY cheap) or tell him to decide how much he wants to spend and start building a new system. You have to have the debate... what's the cut off amount for how much money should he sink into a POS computer to "band-aid" it? $200, $300?
In the $500 neighborhood he can build a COMPLETE new semperon system that will play BF2 good (not GREAT mind you!), for $800 to $900 he should be able to build a system that can laugh at anything for the next 2 years DX10 or not.
Here's the parts list of what I recommend. The price is inflated since newegg does not have the best prices anymore. If you watch a good deal site like fatwallet and buy these parts when they go on sale you should be able to do it for under $1000.
http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/wis … er=3443584