Graphics card or CPU

[Dan UK]

im pretty bored and was just wondering what you think i would be better off getting a new processor or a graphics card. i have a 1.8 ghz amd processor and an ati radion 9550, this card looks like good value for money http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NVIDIA-GeForce...QQcmdZViewItem

[[R-CON]ZZEZ]

Your better off saving the money for a new computer, an upgrade won't do you any good with that system.
7600GT is a 'ok' card, I have no experience with it but from what I was told it can't run PR on maxxed details at high resolution with decent frame rates.

As far as I know, theres a X1950PRO APG, its the best AGP card afaik and it will give your system a breath of new air.

[Harrod200]

For £900 about a year ago I got;
AMD 64 X2 5000+
4GB DDR
8800GTX
720W PSU

Unless you have one component in an otherwise good system that's causing a bottleneck, IMO it's best to save up some money then get a whole new system at once, rather than buying parts 1 at a time, when a few months down the line they'll likely have dropped in price a fair bit.

[Dan UK]

ok cheers i better get saving then wouldnt it be cheaper to just keep upgrading my components rather then by a whole new system?

[LekyIRL]

You must have a system similar to mine.
I think it would be best to just get a new PC,it's last a few years if you "splash the cash"

[Harrod200]

Originally Posted by Dan UK

ok cheers i better get saving then wouldnt it be cheaper to just keep upgrading my components rather then by a whole new system?

Well if you buy say a CPU now, then;
a) it won't do much good, since the rest of your computer will act as a bottleneck, so you won't get your money's worth
b) when you finally get all the components to get the most out of it, it'll probably be half the price it was when you bought it
c) by keeping your current motherboard and interface types (CPU port and GFX port) you're limiting your options for upgrading later down the line and will need another new component.

The main components that need upgrading in a PC are
CPU
RAM
GFX
PSU (If you are using a basic one, under 500W)
Motherboard (if you're using an old port like AGP which has limited bandwidth, or an old CPU. Ideally you'll only buy a new Mobo at the same time as the CPU)

Motherboards are not to expensive alone, but they clock up since you need more stuff. For example if you buy a new motherboard with a PCI-E slot for decent GFX to replace your AGP one, you then need that GFX card straight away, since you can't use your old one. If you have an old style of RAM (current is DDR2) then you'll need that if you upgrade, if your CPU is old, you'll need a new one of those to match the port.

No need to go buying a new Hard Drive or optical drives unless they're too small/slow for your needs.

Overall it's definately better IMO to save up then splash out rather than buying parts here and there.

[Dan UK]

ok thanks pal i see what you meen about buying a fresh system instead now. something well woth saving for though i suppose, i should manage to get one in around 2 years lol