Upgrade CPU or upgrade memory?

[atgmartin]

OK, so let's say you have $150 and you want to upgrade your rig a little. You can get an AthlonXP 2200+, or 512MB of Corsair PC2700 cas 2.0. Which one will make more of a performance impact in this system?

AXP1600+
Soltek SL75DRV5 (KT333)
256MB Crucial PC2100
Visiontek GeForce4 Ti 4600
SoundBlaster Audigy Gamer
Maxtor 40GB ATA100
Plextor CDRW/DVD-ROM
Antec Case, 350W PS, 3 Case fans.

[sifis_samos]

Well since XP1600 overclocks very well i would overclock it to XP1800 or so.Then i would get 256extra Crucial RAM+Another Bigger HardDisk! [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Blade78]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr> Well since XP1600 overclocks very well i would overclock it to XP1800 or so.Then i would get 256extra Crucial RAM+Another Bigger HardDisk! <hr></blockquote>

Nope. You'll surely get more performance with the 2200+, the plain logic being that you can OC it as well. Maybe not AS well, but extreme OCing implies extreme cost as well.

Cheers,
Blade

[garyboz]

If you have an AGOIA or AROIA 1600 then overclock it. My 1600 does 2200 speeds air cooled (no extreme costs involved Thermalright AX-7 $25 and a $5 53cfm fan). Now if you're not unlocking the core then you might need high end memory to do it.

Plain logic doesn't apply to overclocking. Different steppings yield different results. This isn't the overclocking forum so I won't go into detail here but lets just say that many people have difficulty overclocking the 2200 at all (although some can).

I just went from 256MB to 512MB on my "2200" setup and it make a BIG difference at least for me. When I was stressing my computer before there were times when it would get sluggish. Now I can throw anything at it and it just keeps chugging along. Yesterday I was folding with extra memory turned on, reading a website that would be sensored here, downloading 2 600+MB ISO's, with my TV player playing on my second monitor while burning CD's in the background! And it didn't slow down the slightest bit.

I have a guy who's going to buy my old ram off of me and I'm going to get some Corsair in two weeks.

[sifis_samos]

Blade78 i didn't mean to say that he should overclock to XP2200!!When u overclock to XP1800 it is not extreme overclocking it is rather normal as the temp diference is very little!So adding 256MB DDR to the existing 256 it will boost the system quite mutch!

[Tiger Tom]

all the guys make good points, so from a looking to the future point of view I would go with the 2200+. good luck. tom

[atgmartin]

Thanks to all of you! I think it's quite clear that I should just get both! Eventually...

[Blade78]

Sounds good! ;)


PS:
<blockquote>quote:</font><hr> Blade78 i didn't mean to say that he should overclock to XP2200!!When u overclock to XP1800 it is not extreme overclocking it is rather normal as the temp diference is very little!So adding 256MB DDR to the existing 256 it will boost the system quite mutch! <hr></blockquote>

No offense, Sifi_samos, your idea makes sense... [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Astute33]

Which is better also depends on what OS and apps you use.

Some OS like WinXP needs more RAM while Win98 will require less. IMO, just save the $$ unless you really find your system too slow. You could get much better stuff with the same amount of $ a few months later.

[atgmartin]

Yeah, I'm using WinXP Pro, so I don't know if 256MB is really cutting it. I guess it's fine, and I'm really in no hurry. I figure that within a couple of months, AXP2200+ will be <than $100, and the PC2700 will be damn close. I appreciate all the feedback.