Should I upgrade my AMD rig?

[maritrunks]

Ok so this is the current system I have

AMD Athlon 3700+ 2.2Ghz, 1GB RAM, Asus A8N-SLI Mobo, 500GB SATA, Geforce 7900GTO Gfx card

I honestly love my system, it is about 3 years old but runs perfectly from day 1. I don't feel I need an update since all the apps I use run fast. The only time I feel like I need to upgrade is when I play some games such as Gears of War, Crysis Warhead, Unreal 3, etc

The games play on low, and are a bit laggy but playable on my system.

My question is, should I upgrade the entire system which means get a dual core CPU, 2GB DDR2 Ram, and maybe get a 8800GT with it just so I can game without lag, or should I just upgrade the Video card of my existing system.

I don't feel I need a new mobo or CPU (even though it's single core) but if the dual core will greatly improve frame rates and lag in current games, then I may just get a new system.

To upgrade or not to upgrade, that is the question

[toalan]

I am in the same boat, my current PC; X2 4200+, 2 GB ram, 9600 GSO, works wonderfully but I am greedy for more. I can pretty much play all the games I want to play at med-max at 1680x1050 without problems, but it would be nice to be wowed with all the eye candy turned on.

I am going to wait until USB 3.0 shows up before I get a new rig.

I assume you are using DDR1, if it was DDR2 then get 2GB it will make a big difference. DDR1 is not worth putting money into IMHO.

It makes the most sense to either keep you rig as is or just get a new rig, not worth upgrading individual components.

If I were to get a new rig it would be;
-780/785G mobo
-The new athlon dual or quad core chips
-4GB DDR2, DDR3 is still to expensive IMHO
-4870 video card

[Mangez]

Or take advantage of the ridiculously cheap prices of video cards. I have a similar system, upgraded from a 7600gt to a 9600gt, and was absurd how much of a gameplay difference it makes. You can get a super decent card for about $100. If you can find ram, thats always good too.

[Ninjai]

If you get a better video card it's going to be bottlenecked cause of the 3700+ what type of motherboard do you have? As well keep in mind powerful video cards will mostly likely require a powerful psu.

If you're fine with what you have then more power to you but if you would rather play games on at least medium settings and little to no lag what so ever then getting a new system would be a wise choice.

[AFG34]

yea you will be bottlenecked ...I would get a new pc

[Super strokey]

You arent really in the position to upgrade a single component although if you were to I would suggets getting more ram. That being said it would likely be wiser just to get a whole new rig. If you can afford that then dont worry about it at all.

[SinCron]

New video card or whole new rig. You can still sell your existing comp to help pay for the new one.

[ngp]

Get a video card. If it's still not up to par, then you can buy the rest of the computer afterwards.

[maritrunks]

Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions.

I know adding more ram is always a good idea, I know that way back from the 486 days, but the main upgrade I'm concerned about is upgrading to dual core CPU. Is dual core really required for smooth gaming? And if I get a dual core CPU, I would have to get a new socket mobo which is pretty much half the cost of a new rig.

[nomaansikandar]

You can upgrade just to a dual core s939 cpu. You'll have to buy it used cuz they're not sold anymore. They're just kinda on the expensive side.

[mr_raider]

Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions.

I know adding more ram is always a good idea,

Not in your case. I would only upgrade components that are re-usable. Don't touch the CPU, mobo or RAM. If you want, get a new GPU, or PSU. They can transferred forward to a new build. Also an 8800gt is not what II consider bang for the buck these days. The ATI 4870 is selling at quite a discount right now, and considering the prices on the 5xxx series, it would be my first choice.

Don't worry about bottle necks. Change the GPU and if performance is adequate, be happy.