Amd 3.2 Ghz

[ChandlerL 3]

>Hi all,>If I changed my cpu to a amd 3.2Ghz from a 2.6Ghz, would I>notice much difference.>My setup is,>Amd 2.6Ghz>gforce 5600 ultra>1 gig ram>Gigabyte Triton ga-7vt600.>Appreciate any advice.>MartynFor what's it worth, sir, here's a short answer:(not "THE" short answer. I would never be so presumptious. ;))Fortunately, you will "see" a difference if you upgrade your CPU and SHIFT-Z and check out where the frame rate is floating. Whether you "feel" the improvement is very subjective. The Athlon XP 3200 is a very capable chip and any upgrade in megahertz will improve your experience. HOWEVER, (you saw this coming, didn't ya? ;)) assuming you're not inheriting the chip from a dead relative or stealing it from your local computer store, you're looking to pony up around $325-$350. Considering your, relatively modest video card (and I stress relatively -- not raggin on your rig ;)), (a 5600 Ultra 'flipchip') in my humble opinon, you're better off allocating the 300+ dollars for a superior video solution.Again, don't get me wrong, you have a nice setup there, but it seems to me that you're graphics card is keeping you from greatness. :)Y'should probably look at a Radeon 9800 Pro 256MB or a Geforce FX 5900 256MB (depending on your preference). Both recommendations compete at the same price point as your CPU upgrade. The Geforce 5900 is NOT the same card as the 5600 Ultra. It's not just a difference in GPU megahertz (raw speed) as one would assume-- the two cards have a different infrastructure in processing vertex and pixel shaders (the 'goods' as I like to call it). In addition, I'm sure if you ask the sharp people around here (there are many) about the Radeon, you'll come to understand the superiority of their solution as well.Bottom line: The CPU upgrade will help you. Heck! A hard drive upgrade will help! I'm confident that the video card upgrade will help you more. All are worthy.Cheers!

[Guest baksteen33]

Hello MartynReading this thread, I decided to pull out the FS2004 Box again. Let me see... Video Card: It says 8 MB..! And poor (after more investments perhaps) you, are being told to consider a 9800XT 256 MB! Now, first to your CPU-Question, that's easy: If I'm properly informed, and apply the '100% More MHz = Ca. 40% More Computing Power Rule' (Damian Clark will back this), your upgrade will provide a power increase of roughly 10%. Thus, you will not notice the difference. Your FlyTendo will be faster, but you won't notice and be able to sense it. To really feel the push from where you are now, applying the 'You Need To Increase Power By At Least 30% To Notice Rule,' you should be aiming to purchase a 4.0 GHz roughly... Please follow this link to view the product : HihiNote: As for CPU-upgrading, you could wait till next Febuary, since price slashes will then occur again. 2nd, your video card. Yep, a new one, could represent an immediate improvement. As everybody has identified, your weekest component seems to be the veeedeo card. It look,s as if ATI's technology has a leading edge and is vastly superior at present. They're wacking Nvidea big times. Geforces do all kinds of 'funny things' with clouds etc. However, I do not beleive, only the 9800pros and XTs will do your job properly. I'm convinced you could comfortably go with a 9600XT, provided you run it above 1024x and not higher than 1240x resolutions (with AA). For the 1600x etc resolutions, you will need the 9800s (with AA). Your display(s) (or plans) could and should come into consideration here too. As an alternative, meanwhile, only use straight 2x or 4x AA-mode with your Nvidea, nothing else. Or don't 'use' clouds. Another thought is, how long will you use this puter or component? If 'only' 12-18 months, again, you should be fine with a 9600 pro or XT. If you want to go for two years or more, without further video card expenses, go for the 9800 pro or XT (or perhapse even the non-pro). And please, in case you go the 9800-way, don't forget to check your power supply, before mounting these 'animals.' Also consult the VIA homepage regarding compatibility issues. One last consideration is, that the 9600/9800-series is one of the last (if not the last) of the AGP species... PCI-Express etc is just around the corner. The upcoming ATI-chip is going to be introduced on one of the new interfaces, not AGP anymore. 4x AGP to 8x was just cosmetic. New interfaces will offer a multifold in bandwidth. AGP is not dead yet, but it is smelling funny... In fact, we're entering a multiple transition phase right now. Therefore personally, I wouldn't put too much money into 'to be phased-out' top-notch technology. It might not last. We're going from ATX to BTX in the next 12-36 months. From 32-bit hardware to 64-bit in the next 1-4 years. From PCI-AGP to PCI-Express and PCI-66 and what have you, starting big next year. More energy saving features... I'm convinced, we'll never see anything as power-consuming, as our present ATX-FlyTendos, in the future again... We're going from Windows to Linux... Bold one, h

[Guest groundpounder75]

In my opinion, if you can wait for a 64 bit system, then that would be the thing to do. I wouldn't waste money on a new system now. Things are changing to fast to be blowing money on something that will be outdated in less than 12 months. Win XP 64 bit is due next summer and maybe, but I doubt it, FS could be re-compiled to run on 64 bit machines. Intel has a 64 bit chip coming out soon also. This is when you will notice an amazing difference. I wish FS could run on a Mac G5. That would put an end to all of these questions.

[Guest baksteen33]

G'day ArthurThat's exactly what I meant. However, don't believe the transition from 32 to 64-bit hardware will be a quick one. I guess, the last ones amongst us, will only do so in 3-4 years from now. Apart from that, what I'm trying to stress is, we're in m u l t i p l e transition. ATX to BTX, Win32 to Win64, AGP to PCI what have you. An indication, I very often miss in the 'Do you think this upgrade will help'-posts, is the max budget in mind... It's useless to advise anybody on buying a 500$ component, if the concerned 'only' intends to invest 200$. Please everybody, include a financial guideline, if asking these kind of questions in the future. Nobody will jump on you, because you cannot buy the best and the finest. Also, any upgrade-talk could/should be accompanied by a timeframe of use of the particular system. If you're planning to buy a new FlyTendo in ca. 12 months anyway, it wouldn't make sense at all (IMHO), to, for example, purchase a 9800XT 256MB right now. Unless you're wealthy and don't care or you need the 1600x resolutions. Example, a 9800XT on an 18 inch TFT, is overkill, as far as I'm informed. A 9600XT (or pro, perhaps even np), will do the job just as well at that (fixed) resolution (1240x). And this little detail can be a hell of a cost-saver... Take careKind regardsJaap