I started researching to upgrade my computer last March and then I got distracted by outside summertime fun. It’s actually pretty old for today’s standards (AMD Athlon 64 3200+) but I cannot justify spending the money to build a completely new system right now. I figured I would just throw a bit more life into it with a new video card, more RAM and probably a clean install of XP 32bit or Vista. I will definitely be staying away from XP 64bit as barely any hardware (Zune, Digital Camera, etc) I own works with it!
- Video Card: SAPPHIRE 100225L Radeon HD 3870 512MB 256-bit GDDR4 PCI Express 2.0 x16 – $74.99 after $15 election day coupon and $15 MIR
- RAM: CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory – $19.99 after MIR
- Total Price: $104.99 + $59.99 = $164.99 – $15 coupon – $15 MIR – $40 MIR = $94.99
The long term plan is to buy a laptop and then convert the desktop into a media center and file server for the living room. However, I still need to buy a HDTV for this to really be worth my time. Deciding what video card to purchase was a very challenging decision as many brands and options currently exist. At first I was only looking at fan-less video cards, then it was the newer line of the ATI HD cards. In the end I read these articles Can Your Old Athlon 64 Still Game? and Best Cards for the Money – Oct ’08 from Tom’s Hardware Guide and decided on the ATI HD 3870 card. This was mainly due to the 55nm process, less power consumption, supposed ability to play Blu-ray without being CPU intensive and finally it was a good price on Newegg. The HD 4850 was also researched as an option, but would be overkill for my processor and my gaming needs. (My favorite game is Sim City 4, although I plan on trying out some more advanced first person shooters when I get the new video card) I’ll run some benchmarks after I get up and running.
i played the original SimCity in the 90’s and until now i still play the latest version of SimCity.,’
i used to play Sim City when i was still in high school and this is simply one of the best games of all times..-.
SimCity is the best, so damn addicting game. i used to play the original version when i was just a kid,~”
SimCity is a classic city simulator game which i used to play in the early 90’s (the original version) ~.-
*;: I am really thankful to this topic because it really gives up to date information -;,
Hello there! Do you use Twitter? I’d like to follow you if that would be ok. I’m undoubtedly enjoying your blog and look forward to new updates.
Hmm it seems like your blog ate my first comment (it was super long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I had written and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog. I too am an aspiring blog writer but I’m still new to everything. Do you have any suggestions for first-time blog writers? I’d definitely appreciate it.
@Zara – It’s an old post.
@Sophia – I do not currently use Twitter.
Sim City is still awesome. I recently bought the Sim City Box edition to legally own all of them.
-D
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