Tech Journal Week 3
Same deal as last week, I have been battling a sinus infection and in the past few days have only started really feeling better so I have waited until now to post. Anyway...
This weeks tech journal is going to focus mostly on PC gaming, as I have done a bit of upgrading lately. (By upgrading I mean changing from this:
AMD Athlon XP 2200+ (Thoroughbred 266 FSB)
ECS K7S5A (SiS Chipset) Mainboard (AGP 4X)
512MB PC2100 DDR
Sapphire Radeon 9550 (As I have mentioned this card before, one of my personal favorites for old games because it was $20 new and has the ability to OC like a madman)
to this:
AMD Athlon XP 2200+ (Thoroughbred 266 FSB)
FIC K7MNF-64 (nForce 2, AGP 8X) ($26)
512MB PC2100 DDR
Sapphire Radeon 9550 (As I have mentioned this card before, one of my personal favorites for old games because it was $20 new and has the ability to OC like a madman)
For a slight improvement).
Here are the few points that I have been thinking about lately.
1. Old PC games are still fun:
And I think a few of you guys will agree with me. I still love Quake 3, Unreal Tournament 2004, Starcraft, etc. I think Stu still loves many old school games as well, including DoD and many RTS type games. I guess the point I am trying to make is that we don't need a super system to play such games.
2. Wait a few years to upgrade because parts are dirt cheap:
As you can see in the system description the Sapphire was $20 on www.newegg.com. The FIC Mainboard was $26 dollars on www.barebonekit.net. I could see putting this type of system together for under $200. (Much cheaper than any commercially available console system with more capabilities).
3. These two points bring me to the conclusion that you can still make a fun PC that will run older games and/or run newer operating systems (not at blazing speed of course but they will still run). Don't waste your money on a system that uses cutting edge technology. Wait a few years and you can get the best of the older stuff for much less.
Finally, here is a good example of what I am talking about: (these are newegg prices from today)
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Brisbane 2.3Ghz $40
Jetway JM26GT4 nForce Socket AM2 mATX motherboard $42
2GB DDR2800 (Many manufacturers) $20
Sapphire Radeon HD4650 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express Video Card ($60)
Assuming you continue to use your old optical drives, hard drive, case etc. You could make quite an upgrade for a grand total of $162 (half the price of any current console).
My recommendation: Now is a good time to upgrade, so consider doing so but also keep the old system parts. Eventually, you'll be able to scrap together a decent system that could be useful to a buddy/wife/girlfriend at a LAN party. (You'd be surprised to see how many ladies will actually participate in a LAN party if you show them how to "kill" something).
As usual, any questions/comments/concerns feel free to ask. This is also a good place to ask about any computer problems you are having lately and get a forum response (that is if Stu joins up with me). That said I would like to extend the olive branch to Stu and ask him to join me next week with part of or all of an article.
Thanks everyone,
Robert S. Roosa, A+, Network+, MOS
Next week: "The Family Computer vs. Your Gaming Computer" or "More on Anti-Spyware/Malware with guest writer Patrick "Stu" Harrison" or both if Stu wants to do the whole "Spyware/Malware..." article.
This weeks tech journal is going to focus mostly on PC gaming, as I have done a bit of upgrading lately. (By upgrading I mean changing from this:
AMD Athlon XP 2200+ (Thoroughbred 266 FSB)
ECS K7S5A (SiS Chipset) Mainboard (AGP 4X)
512MB PC2100 DDR
Sapphire Radeon 9550 (As I have mentioned this card before, one of my personal favorites for old games because it was $20 new and has the ability to OC like a madman)
to this:
AMD Athlon XP 2200+ (Thoroughbred 266 FSB)
FIC K7MNF-64 (nForce 2, AGP 8X) ($26)
512MB PC2100 DDR
Sapphire Radeon 9550 (As I have mentioned this card before, one of my personal favorites for old games because it was $20 new and has the ability to OC like a madman)
For a slight improvement).
Here are the few points that I have been thinking about lately.
1. Old PC games are still fun:
And I think a few of you guys will agree with me. I still love Quake 3, Unreal Tournament 2004, Starcraft, etc. I think Stu still loves many old school games as well, including DoD and many RTS type games. I guess the point I am trying to make is that we don't need a super system to play such games.
2. Wait a few years to upgrade because parts are dirt cheap:
As you can see in the system description the Sapphire was $20 on www.newegg.com. The FIC Mainboard was $26 dollars on www.barebonekit.net. I could see putting this type of system together for under $200. (Much cheaper than any commercially available console system with more capabilities).
3. These two points bring me to the conclusion that you can still make a fun PC that will run older games and/or run newer operating systems (not at blazing speed of course but they will still run). Don't waste your money on a system that uses cutting edge technology. Wait a few years and you can get the best of the older stuff for much less.
Finally, here is a good example of what I am talking about: (these are newegg prices from today)
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Brisbane 2.3Ghz $40
Jetway JM26GT4 nForce Socket AM2 mATX motherboard $42
2GB DDR2800 (Many manufacturers) $20
Sapphire Radeon HD4650 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express Video Card ($60)
Assuming you continue to use your old optical drives, hard drive, case etc. You could make quite an upgrade for a grand total of $162 (half the price of any current console).
My recommendation: Now is a good time to upgrade, so consider doing so but also keep the old system parts. Eventually, you'll be able to scrap together a decent system that could be useful to a buddy/wife/girlfriend at a LAN party. (You'd be surprised to see how many ladies will actually participate in a LAN party if you show them how to "kill" something).
As usual, any questions/comments/concerns feel free to ask. This is also a good place to ask about any computer problems you are having lately and get a forum response (that is if Stu joins up with me). That said I would like to extend the olive branch to Stu and ask him to join me next week with part of or all of an article.
Thanks everyone,
Robert S. Roosa, A+, Network+, MOS
Next week: "The Family Computer vs. Your Gaming Computer" or "More on Anti-Spyware/Malware with guest writer Patrick "Stu" Harrison" or both if Stu wants to do the whole "Spyware/Malware..." article.