I'm feeling like an upgrade

[Eric-the-Red]

OK, I have a pretty dated system: I'm running a 900 MHz AMD Athlon (T-bird) processor on a VIA Kt133 motherboard with 256mb of PC 133 RAM. The only thing that keeps me going is my 128mb Radeon 9700; I love that card!

So anyways I'm WAY short on cash but really feeling like an upgrade. It looks like I can put a 1.33 GHz Athlon processor in my system and an additional 512mb RAM for only around $90. Do you guys think it's worth it for another 433 MHz and more RAM, or should I just save my money for another year or so when I splurge and spend $1,200 on a whole new system?

The most graphically intense game I'm playing right now is Morrowind, but I'm worried about some newer titles. I'll probably pick up Gothic 2 soon and who knows what else in the coming year. What do you guys think? I'm about to spend the $90 to keep me competitive for a while longer yet...

[moya]

The RAM might help with some of the newer titles (Gothic 2 is especially RAM hungry - 512mb minimum to play that one acceptably). However, I don't think you'll notice much difference with the extra 433 MHz to be honest.

My advice: If it's gonna be another year before you can afford a system anyway, spend on the RAM now to tide you over and save the rest (and don't eat, and get two jobs!). Obviously, you'll probably not be able to play some of the newer games that come out between now and then at the highest detail level, but you should be able to run many recent games at least acceptably.

By the way, you'd probably be able to get a pretty decent system for less than your estimated figure; $850-900 would probably be closer to the mark. Nothing cutting edge clearly, but decent enough.

[Eric-the-Red]

Thanks Moya, that's what most other people have been telling me as well. A friend of mine is going to give me a 256mb PC 133 chip :), so that's what I'll be doing for now, and I think I'll just forego the processor upgrade alltogether until I can get a really nice motherboard/processor for like $500.

I'm back in school trying to become an engineer...it's hard, and I'm poor again...:'(. But when it's over I should be sitting pretty.

[Aku]

Ditto. Just do the cheap upgrades, and then spring for the new machine next year. I milked my P3 600 all the way to last summer. The trick is to play all the older games that you never got around to playing because you were too busy buying the new games. Old machines are a blessing in disguise - they make you play the games that you overlooked, which are sometimes the best games. :)

[Eric-the-Red]

Ditto. Just do the cheap upgrades, and then spring for the new machine next year. I milked my P3 600 all the way to last summer. The trick is to play all the older games that you never got around to playing because you were too busy buying the new games. Old machines are a blessing in disguise - they make you play the games that you overlooked, which are sometimes the best games. :)
That's completely true, like Morrowind. I never got into it before, but I'm really loving it now. As long as I can play Morrowind and then Gothic 2 when I finish that I'll be happy for a while...I'm also replaying Fallout and Arcanum, so I'm pretty happy.

[Aku]

That's completely true, like Morrowind. I never got into it before, but I'm really loving it now. As long as I can play Morrowind and then Gothic 2 when I finish that I'll be happy for a while...I'm also replaying Fallout and Arcanum, so I'm pretty happy.

Fallout and Arcanum are two of my old favorites. I was tempted to replay both of them recently. I started playing Might and Magic 7 again to do some of the things I missed the first time around, but I've stalled on that one. I almost picked up Morrowind GOTY last week. It was a tough call, but I got Civ 3 Conquests instead. I haven't regretted it. But Morrowind is still on my to-do list. That's okay, it wasn't until last year that I played the whole Baldur's Gate series - five years after the first one came out, lol.

BTW, how do you play Arcanum? I was a technologist all the way. Guns and robots - it was cool.

[Eric-the-Red]

Fallout and Arcanum are two of my old favorites. I was tempted to replay both of them recently. I started playing Might and Magic 7 again to do some of the things I missed the first time around, but I've stalled on that one. I almost picked up Morrowind GOTY last week. It was a tough call, but I got Civ 3 Conquests instead. I haven't regretted it. But Morrowind is still on my to-do list. That's okay, it wasn't until last year that I played the whole Baldur's Gate series - five years after the first one came out, lol.

BTW, how do you play Arcanum? I was a technologist all the way. Guns and robots - it was cool.

Well, the first time through I was playing as a mage, got about halfway done and had to reformat my computer, etc., and so I started over...The second time through I played as a slightly different Mage; basically the only way I can describe the character I made is to call him a GOD. That's one cool thing about the game that I loved; by level 20 or so I was completely uber and towards the end of the game I was just god-like. That's also one thing that I DIDN'T like about the game; as an all-powerful mage, it just seemed too easy. If I play it again I'm not sure how I'm going to do it; maybe as a techie, maybe a Thief/Archer type, who knows?

And the original Fallout...wow what a perfect game, despite its age...I hope we get Fallout 3.

[Aku]

That's one cool thing about the game that I loved; by level 20 or so I was completely uber and towards the end of the game I was just god-like. That's also one thing that I DIDN'T like about the game; as an all-powerful mage, it just seemed too easy. If I play it again I'm not sure how I'm going to do it; maybe as a techie, maybe a Thief/Archer type, who knows?

Yes, Arcanum gets a bit too easy toward the end. RPGs like Baldur's Gate and Wizardry 8 are much more challenging. In my game, I built an army of metal monsters, then unleashed them in every battle, while my main character just stood behind them and sniped at targets. It was beautiful.