[AndyMinx]

hello everyone!

Well I was looking to upgrade my PC but im kinda uncertain of what I can do so I'd appreciate any help really!
I mainly use it for gaming so Im looking for anything 2 give me better framerates!
My current spec is:

Asrock K7S8X Motherboard
AMD Athlon XP 3000+ CPU running @ 2.10GHz (400MHz fsb)
ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 256MB AGP Graphics
40Gb 7200RPM HDD
1Gb DDR 333 RAM (2x 512Mb sticks)
3.5" Floppy Drive
8X DVD Re-Writer
52X CD-ROM Drive
550W PSU

What could I upgrade to enhance performance?
Any help would be appreciated!
Regards,

Andrew Minckley

[willsko87]

i cant see much wrong with that...a larger hdd maybe

[Regulus]

That's what I'd say you should upgrade...the Hard Drive. Maybe to 120GB?

[Raekwon]

sounds ok, but there are a few changes that would help.

I woudl get this motherboard, or this one because they are really really stable.

the graphics card should be the 9800Pro 128mb, because it performs better than the 256mb version in most circumstances, because ATi changed the architecture of 256mb.

if you are going to overclock, get good ram, you should go for Corsair or a good brand (OCZ, geil etc.) you will be ok with DDR333, even if you are clocking it to 200Mhz, Provided you dont get cheap, crappy ram like regulus and willsko said, you would probably like to get a bigger harddrive, even if you arent going to use all the space, (you might use more than you think and then you always have room for unexpected stuff) also make sure the hard drive is SATA because it will increase system performance noticably

[wead]

Instead of replacing the Hard Drive why not just get another one and set it as a slave. Or **** if you got money get 3. Also maybe get another gb or ram if it can hold it.

If you comp is running slower than usual theres a good chance its just spyware and adware. Download adaware se from www.lavasoftusa.com its free and it rocks. Check your startup items and dont use IE use mozilla firefox. Make sure your comp is secure with a firewall (i suggest kerio personal firewall), make sure all the drivers dont have updates, perform windows updates. That is if its running slower than usual.

[AndyMinx]

Ok you all seem to agree on a new HDD, so what would be the advantage of a new one on my system?

Andrew Minckley

[willsko87]

fit more games...lol

[AndyMinx]

I only really play a couple of games so i dont really see a need thanks! lol

[Blind_Arrow]

definately a larger hard drive, as u might not find a 40GB available as a new hard drive.

and get wither ATi Radeon 9800 PRO 128MB version (not PRO with 256MB)

or, get 9800XT. (9800PRO with 256MB is slower than both 128MB in PRO and XT is of course faster.)

and BEST is to get some good manufacturer in motherboard. Asus A7N8X is award winning AMD Athlon Flagship, and I'll recommend it eyes shut.

[Elbatrop1]

If you're going to get a new HDD, then make sure to get a SATA HDD. They're faster than regular PATA HDDs. Also, get a HDD that has a decent size cache, 8MB is usually good.