AMD 64 X2 4800+ 939
DFI Lanpart NF4 Ultra-D UT
2gb OCZ DDR400 PC3200
Asus X850pro 256mb (currently overclocked)
250gb Segate 7200 sata
160gb Segate 7200 sata
Pioneer 16X DVDRW Dual Layer
Ritmo Floppy Drive
Thermaltake 420w PSU
Thermaltake Soprano Case
17'' Samsung SyncMaster 730B - 8ms - DVI
5.1 Altec Lansing
Logitech G7 - LE
Logitech Media Keyboard Elite - corded.
(yes im stuck on the 939 socket!
In light of all the new titles comming out in the following months, and an up-comming birthday, I have been considering an upgrade of my PSU, video card and possibly a HD TV (to replace my norm 15'' CRT TV, for my Xbox 360 and PC).
First off: PSU
Im aware that for a new video card I WILL need a better PSU:
Currently at the local MSY computer store a Thermaltake Toughpower 600w fpr $158 seems like the best choice, over an Antec or Coolmaster. Is it?
Here is the catlouge: http://msy.com.au/Parts/PARTS.pdf
(PSUs are on the 2nd page, right hand side)
The VGA:
Now im tied between an 8800 and 2900. While my current monitor only supports 1240 X 1024, If I end up getting a larger monitor - or 1080p / 1080i HD TV I would like the option to acess higher resolutions without as much of a performance hit:
Thus my choice is between:
640mb Generic 8800 GTS $484
or
512mb 2900XT Xpert Vision $475
from MSY: http://msy.com.au/Parts/PARTS.pdf
Now im not too sure if my motherboard being a Nvidia Nforce one will play a factor in performance, or if my RAM or CPU will bottleneck the GPU - but I really need adivce in these areas.
Im happy to o for whichever performs better overall.
I might possibly get a 8800 GTX, if their price drops closer to the $500 mark, or should I wait until the G90 series comes out?
Monitor / HD TV.
Now this is where things could get problematic.
I was considering a large gaming montitor, but decided against it, in favour for a HD TV - As my current TV set is a tiny 15'' one, I own an Xbox 360 (which I have connected to my current 17'' LCD montitor), and my PC can connect to one - LCD TV performance seems comparible to a montitors.
The TV size I am aiming for can range from 32'', 36'' or 40''- Of which a montior costs almost the same, as a HD TV.
I have been considering a Samsung Samsung LA32R71BDX LCD TV
(review) http://www.cnet.com.au/tvs/lcd/0,239035307,240091164,00.htm
It is 32'', has 8ms second response time 'game mode', PC input, HDMI input, 720p to 1080i rez, built in HD Digital tuner, and from what I have heard looks great - and is great for console games..... I do know the sound quality is so - so - but I will be using my 5.1 audio instead.
Price wise ive seen it for $1600, but im sure I can bargin down, and shop around for a price a few hundred $ less.
As for my 17'' monitor - i'll use it as a secondary.
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So this is my planned upgrade - coupled with a new wireless keyboard, I hope to be able to sit on a comfy couch, or in bed, and play Bioshock, Sup Com, Crysis and Hell Gate, on a large screen.
If any personal experience counts - my cousin has done a similar thing, although he has a 7900 GS, AMD X2 3800, and a cheapie 38'' LCD TV, with no HDMI, but PC input. And games look suprisingly great - 720p only though.
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My question is: Is there certain PSUs I should look out for, which video card is a better purcahse, and is a HD TV worthy as both a gaming TV, and monitor - if so are there any different TVs or montitors that would do a better job?
Thanks for ANY replies or advice! NEED advice for a new upgrade! - Video Card + HD TV(?)
Ok where to start...First off: the PSU and vid card. Now I am assuming that you have a lot of money for all these things but will still inform you of different alternations to the PSU as well as the Video card.I recently purchased a PSU as well for the future when I get a new video card as well. It is also 600watts and is thermaltake. The only difference in our PSU's is the price. I bought mine off of newegg.com for only 60 bucks while youwill be purchasing yours for 100$ more...so check out newegg for some better deals.Now for your video card...I would say get the 8800GTS 640mb because it is a DX10 card and runs better than the other card. Though I would recommend the GTS, your pc may bottleneck it. Having the 640mb vcard will perform well on your HDTV because of the extra vram as well as its speed and power. Last of all, the HDTV. Nothing to say here. That samsung is as good as they get at 32.in. unless of course you get 1080P.Well good luck with your purchases :DNEED advice for a new upgrade! - Video Card + HD TV(?)
[QUOTE=''Ichalabon'']Ok where to start...First off: the PSU and vid card. Now I am assuming that you have a lot of money for all these things but will still inform you of different alternations to the PSU as well as the Video card.I recently purchased a PSU as well for the future when I get a new video card as well. It is also 600watts and is thermaltake. The only difference in our PSU's is the price. I bought mine off of newegg.com for only 60 bucks while youwill be purchasing yours for 100$ more...so check out newegg for some better deals.Now for your video card...I would say get the 8800GTS 640mb because it is a DX10 card and runs better than the other card. Though I would recommend the GTS, your pc may bottleneck it. Having the 640mb vcard will perform well on your HDTV because of the extra vram as well as its speed and power. Last of all, the HDTV. Nothing to say here. That samsung is as good as they get at 32.in. unless of course you get 1080P.Well good luck with your purchases :D[/QUOTE]He lives in Australia and MSY is probably the cheapest place in Australia for most computer parts...also no newegg.
Haha sweet, thanks for replying!Well PC parts in Australia are expensive compared to US ones - hence the difference between $160 AU, vs $60 US for the PSU - even if the AUssie $ is worth .84 us cents.I would consider ordering of Newegg, the only problem is shipping costs - if the hardware stuffs up, and time it takes to ship. I could atlernativley hop on the train for a few stops and go to the cheapest PC hardware joint in the state though :PI guess a thermaltake is the way to go, comming from your experience with it, and yes I do want it to last... However my Mobo doesent have SLI - so even though it is a disadvantage I wont have to worry about power consumtion of 2 VGAs.Ive read the 8800 running better than the 2900, but ive heard conflicting reports of how the 2900 out preforms it. This is where im in a pickle....The 2900 having a HDMI port is also dandy, but yes 8800 has more memory... Though clock speed wise, and memory bandwith i'll have to check.As for going with the HD TV both cards are deifntaly up for the job (perhaps the 2900 morso because of HDMI), but yes it all boils down to which performs better with graphically intensive games.As for LCD TVs, so thats noice, samsung is the way to go - though if I do go 1080p which would be a better model, hell is there any LCD TV in particular that could be of particular recommendation, or just general brand name?
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