PCs: Should YOU Upgrade?

Sat Dec 27, 2003 1:12 pm by Esquilax

This thread is designed to provide some information for those people interested in upgrading their computer in the near future. As there are a number of new technologies arriving soon (aren't there always?), I felt that I should let any interested party know what to expect, in order that they do not purchase any components that will rapidly become out of date (moreso than usual). Eg. Why purchase a top-of-the-line graphics card, when AGP is about to be supplanted? To start, I think that I should mention the following;

1. 64-Bit Processors
2. PCI-Express
3. "Blue-laser" DVD Writers
4. The BTX form factor
5. DDR2 (RAM)

There are many others to mention, but I think that these are the main ones. To quickly summarise;

64-Bit Processors - These CPUs possess excellent performance, and are a good investment for the future. However, there are few OS's that support 64-bit addressing (such as Unix) at this stage, and few games/software packages. These CPUs are also very expensive, and are not recommended for the average user.

2. PCI-Express - The new bus standard that is designed to supplant PCI and AGP. It is rumoured that nVidia and ATI are going to use this standard for their new graphics cards. This standard offers excellent performance, however it is likely to be expensive, and is not really available as yet.

3. "Blue-laser" DVD Writers - Can store significantly more information on a conventional DVD. They will be expensive, and it will take some time for them to become mainstream. Any DVDs written on these drives will not be able to be read with conventional "red-laser" drives.

4. The BTX form factor - This is the next motherboard form factor, and is designed to provide better cooling and efficiency. The new boards are not available yet, and are likely to be expensive, furthermore, a new case will need to be purchased to support the new form factor. The benefit is that BTX boards are supposed to natively support PCI-Express.

5. DDR2 (RAM) - The next generation of Synchronous RAM. It is much faster than normal DDR, and should be available soon. It is already being used on some graphics cards. This RAM will of course, be expensive at first, and also creates more heat that DDR.

By the way, the above information should be correct as of this date, however I'm sure that Taw will let me know if there are any errors

. I hope that this thread helps anyone considering an upgrade.

If any of the Mods lock this thread, I'll scream!

Esquilax

============================================================
The geek shall inherit the earth. - McBain.

Edited by - esquilax on 27-12-2003 13:14:50

Edited by - esquilax on 27-12-2003 13:17:28

Sat Dec 27, 2003 1:47 pm by freighter fighter

uh me no understand, can you make it simpler?

It is better to aim for the stars and hit the tops of the trees than to aim for nothing and hit it dead on.

Sat Dec 27, 2003 1:53 pm by Tawakalna

yes, but will I be able to run Privateer? I have a 386SX-20 with 4mb 30pin RAM, 512mb HDD, and a Trident ISA 256kB v/card. I'm looking forward to Doom 2, I think I might get 2mb Matrox Mystique so my system will really kick @$$!

are these new 14.4kbps modems any good? I need to get on some BBS.

This new W'95 is really weird, good job you can boot to DOS with it instead.

Sat Dec 27, 2003 2:12 pm by Indy11

@Esq:

Aren't the most important upgrade issues, the system bus and the proc? DDR2 is already available with current motherboards aren't they?

Also, timing. If you have a rig today which is on the verge of nervous collapse, so to speak, your choices are limited to what's available today. You can try to be insightful and position yourself with hardware that will be upgradable into the next generation technologies but your kind of s-o-l on things like system buses, proc's and RAM aren't you?

Edited by - Indy11 on 27-12-2003 16:24:46

Sat Dec 27, 2003 4:34 pm by Warlord Bob

I just watched some guys on TV run a cd up to like 28,000 RPM and the things shattered. new fancy 52x drives spin them up to 30,000. Those fragments move so fast they'll dent your case

Sat Dec 27, 2003 6:41 pm by BlazeME

52x isn't new. Keep up with the times Bob.

@Esq: So your telling us that we shouldn't upgrade to this stuff?

BlazeME: Flameus Muchus n00bus

Sun Dec 28, 2003 12:14 am by Esquilax

ff - ? Are you joking, or did you have a question about one of the above items?

Taw - I knew you were going to turn up! Yeah, those 14.4 Kbps modems are the fastest thing on the market today

.

Indy - Bus and CPU speeds are very important, however older components can reduce performance as there may be system bottle-necks. Eg. A fast CPU is great, but if your RAM can't keep up with the bus speed, and then you may have a problem. IT's always tricky when buying for the future, however I just thought that people who are thinking of upgrading might want to wait for some of the technology mentioned above.

WLB - There have been a number of reports of exploding CDs caused by Acer and other brands of CD-ROM drives rotating too quickly. It can be a problem, but is rare nowadays because, as Blaze states, 52x is the common speed these days.

Blaze - Yes and no. I am not trying to discourage anyone from upgrading, however I thought that it might be helpful to inform people as to the newer technologies that are becoming available. That way, a person could, at least for a little while, stay current with computer tech.

Esquilax

============================================================
The geek shall inherit the earth. - McBain.

Sun Dec 28, 2003 12:55 am by Tawakalna

esq, I cannot resist the tech threads. try as I might, I always end up in them somwhere. U know how it is. Still, u don't arf save me a lot of typing

Sun Dec 28, 2003 7:33 am by Stinger

Someone just read the latest magazine Maximum PC cover to cover!

I agree, it's GREAT bathroom reading material!

Rob "Stinger" Lordier
Moderator - Lancers Reactor
Creator Privateer FAQ
no good deed will ever go unpunished
"Corwin02 spell-checked" for ackuracee

Sun Dec 28, 2003 12:12 pm by Tawakalna

now that's informative. I've linkyd to it already! it'll save me hours of tedious explanations.

Sun Dec 28, 2003 8:00 pm by Geekus Maximus

Cd's Rarely shatter belive me I have a 56x cd-rom drive

Pci-Express I'd wait a year before I went for it ddr2 sounds quite good if it lives up to the hype. 64 bit rules. Now if I only had more money...

Demouser: I have no wish to join the play, but rather to see it enacted. My only concern is to avoid having the lands of Microsoftia bare down on myself.

Spammers: have C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Freelancer\DATA\AUDIO\MUSIC\music_failure.wav playing back in ther head when they visit TLR

Mods have C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Freelancer\DATA\AUDIO\MUSIC\music_victory.wav playing in their heads every time they remove Spammers

Mon Dec 29, 2003 1:51 am by Esquilax

Taw - I DO know how it is, and I'm glad to be of service. Besides, I'm always up for a bit of typing practice

. Since you haven't disagreed with anything that I have posted in this thread, shall I assume that you agree with my views? I always like to know whether or not I'm "on the money" as they say.

Stinger - Maximum PC ? Never heard of it. I DO have a current subscription to "Australian Personal Computer" (APC), but it is not always terribly informative. Sometimes it is aimed a little too much at the mainstream crowd. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

Taw - You linked to what? Maximum PC or this thread?

Geek - I'm convinced that I saw an 64x CD-Rom Drive advertised about two years ago. Strangely though, I haven't seen it since. As for PCI-Express, I agree, but due to the encapsulated design of the new standard, it should be very fast and reliable. PCI-Express actually sends data in a fashion that is very similar to TCP/IP. I can't wait to see some reviews!

Esquilax

============================================================
The geek shall inherit the earth. - McBain.

Mon Dec 29, 2003 7:17 am by Puke Barwalker

Rule #1: As soon as you buy the hottest, fastest, coolest PC on the market, a better model will come out the next week.

Rule #2: As soon as you buy your new PC, the same model will immediately go on sale for much less money.

Been there, seen it.

Jose Chavez: "Trent! It's good to see my kind of scum."

Mon Dec 29, 2003 9:42 am by BlazeME

We've all seen it. My computer costed me £900 and now you can buy it for £500.

BlazeME: Flameus Muchus n00bus

Mon Dec 29, 2003 11:22 am by Tawakalna

i find no fault with anything you've said so far. esq, and it's a useful thread for anyone thinking of going out and splodging the best part of a grand.

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