Hey i have a basic system i built my self and there is one problem. I play ut 04 and the game freeses almost like its loading during a game. it does a bit at the start of any level but its real bad when its a big level or there is a lot of players. I have a AMD athlon xp 2000+, Saphire atlantis se 9200 pro (very close to a radeon 9200se) 512 mb ddr. Im using a k7s5a pro mobo and a max of AGP 4X. Is the loading problem from the agp speed, because the gfx card can work on a AGP 8X slot. doas that mean a new mobo needed and if yes would "ECS KT-600 Socket A" @ 60$ canadian be a good choice.

The K7S5A Pro was a great board. Your whole system is a bit dated, but it should be able to handle most games, just not on high settings. I'd say the weak link in the chain is your 64-bit video card. But even though the card is weak, your system shouldn't lock up because of it...there's something else causing that.

Have you checked your temps? Tested your RAM? Updated your drivers? Scanned for viruses & spyware? Turned off background programs? Defragged the system?

Asus A7N8X-X
1800+ @ 8 x 210MHz
512MB PC3200
Asus Ti4800SE 128MB
WinME/WinXP Pro

Try the newest Hyperion Via chipset drivers. If you already have, try going a version or two back - I've seen new releases of the Hyperion cause weird problems like this.

MCSE, MCSA Messaging, baby!

Yo wats the Hyperion Via chipset drivers. My comp was fully scanned feb 23 05 in the morning for viruses and spyware using ad-aware 6 and microsofts beta. My amd has no after market cooling and it is running at an impressive 28 C. Is the agp speed affecting it ? I dont have problems on smaller levels and less players, and my cpu should be good enough. if its my mobo shuld i get the one i mentioned and a radeon 9600 (or better). I'm only 14 so if i upgrade its coming out of my 5000$. I only want to spend 1000$

I think your board is based on the SiS chipset, so you don't need Hyperion drivers, they're for VIA based boards.

And it's not a 4X vs 8X issue. The speed difference between the two is based more in theory than in reality.

I've been pushing the Radeon 9550 128MB/128-bit card as the best thing going in budget cards right now. Newegg has a several for under $80 shipped. It's basically an underclocked 9600. Have a look at this budget card comparison:

http://www.tweaktown.com/document.php?dType=article&dId=649

Asus A7N8X-X
1800+ @ 8 x 210MHz
512MB PC3200
Asus Ti4800SE 128MB
WinME/WinXP Pro

Well i live in Rockland, its real close to ottawa and there is this place called Deals direct with good prices sometimes www.dealsdirect.com

I was thinking about geting this upgrade bundle
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ - S754 (with retail HSF)
Asus K8N-E DLX Motherboard
- NFORCE / Audio / GB Lan / SATA
512MB PC3200 OEM DDR (life)
Antec Sonata Tower Case (with 380W ps)

The bundle comes at 619$ (cad)

I was also going t get a ATI Sapphire Radeon 9550 AGP 256MB for 114$ (cad)

Im only 14, so dont blame me

AMD athlon xp 2000+
ECS K7S5A Pro
512 MB DDR ram
Sapphire atlantis 9200se
8 GB quantum fireball
30 GB Maxtor Diamondmax 60 GB Maxtor Diamondmax

I would advise against the A64 Socket 754...the upgrade path is severely limited. All new A64's have moved to the Socket 939 format & there will be no advancements in S754 CPUs beyond what is currently available.

Asus A7N8X-X
1800+ @ 8 x 210MHz
512MB PC3200
Asus Ti4800SE 128MB
WinME/WinXP Pro

Forgot to mention...the extra ca$h you'll pay for a 256MB 9550 is money wasted. Get a 128MB card & be absolutely sure it's 128-bit. If you get a 64-bit card, you're gonna be very unhappy with the performance.

Asus A7N8X-X
1800+ @ 8 x 210MHz
512MB PC3200
Asus Ti4800SE 128MB
WinME/WinXP Pro

Mike, the new system specs you're looking at are great, now just hook it up with a GeForce FX. I'm pretty sure that because you have an nVidia chipset, they should get along rather well.

If there was such a thing as an ATI chipset, I would reccomend getting an ATI video card with it. But there isn't so go with the nVidias. Just wanted to say that.

The more posts I read from Mitch (by knobknoster), the less I think he knows.

Asus A7N8X-X
1800+ @ 8 x 210MHz
512MB PC3200
Asus Ti4800SE 128MB
WinME/WinXP Pro

Hey well that was the best bundle so that would mean that i need to get single parts so i dont relly care. And i our small town i have the 2nd best computer lol. but to be serious im thinking about a tablet pc for school. i was thinking about the avertec 3500. Anyways thats for later my newer system would be this

ATI All-in-Wonder Radeon 9600 AGP 128MB RETAIL $218.85

AMD Athlon64 3000 XP 640K S939 RETAIL $199.95

Asus A8V Deluxe K8T800 PRO S939 Motherboard $176.75

total 600$ (cad)

Will my pc work with a 512mb PC2700 ram, im shure its not nearly as fast as the bus speed of the 3000+ so am i recommended to get new ram ? Also i might want to overclock and does the processor support the dual channel feature. I like the all-in-wonder for the tv and dual monitor support

Im only 14, so dont blame me

AMD athlon xp 2000+
ECS K7S5A Pro
512 MB DDR ram
Sapphire atlantis 9200se
8 GB quantum fireball
30 GB Maxtor Diamondmax 60 GB Maxtor Diamondmax

"The more posts I read from Mitch (by knobknoster), the less I think he knows."

And even when he's been utterly proven wrong in the past repeatedly, he still says the same things. This is the third time he has said ATI video cards don't work well with Nvidia chipset motherboards.

ATI cards run fine on Nvidia chipset motherboards!!!

Mitch, why do you insist on repeating this steaming pile of bullcrap?

And BTW, there are ATI chipset motherboards, but they suck.

"...but in my defense, it was dark, I was drunk, and it was delicious!"

And here's just one example of what was written about a board based on the ATI chipset:

"ATI's Radeon IGP 320 combined with the FIC AT-31 motherboard, to put it nicely, is a terrible platform. We haven't had so many problems with a motherboard crashing and giving us strange scores in years, which certainly makes our job interesting, but at the same time, makes us feel sorry for those out there who pick up this platform"

http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view_content.asp?id=radeonigp&page=10&cookie%5Ftest=1

Asus A7N8X-X
1800+ @ 8 x 210MHz
512MB PC3200
Asus Ti4800SE 128MB
WinME/WinXP Pro

Hey well that was the best bundle so that would mean that i need to get single parts so i dont relly care. And i our small town i have the 2nd best computer lol. but to be serious im thinking about a tablet pc for school. i was thinking about the avertec 3500. Anyways thats for later my newer system would be this

ATI All-in-Wonder Radeon 9600 AGP 128MB RETAIL $218.85

AMD Athlon64 3000 XP 640K S939 RETAIL $199.95

Asus A8V Deluxe K8T800 PRO S939 Motherboard $176.75

total 600$ (cad)

would this be good, i will also get a 512 mb ram chip and i relly want the all in wonder for its features

Im only 14, so dont blame me

AMD athlon xp 2000+
ECS K7S5A Pro
512 MB DDR ram
Sapphire atlantis 9200se
8 GB quantum fireball
30 GB Maxtor Diamondmax 60 GB Maxtor Diamondmax

What does the All in Wonder do a Radeon and an add on tv tuner card won't?

No, you need PC3200 for that motherboard and processor.

Go Nforce 3 or 4 chipset motherboard.

"...but in my defense, it was dark, I was drunk, and it was delicious!"

Cheaper to buy a separate AGP video card & a PCI TV tuner...actually, probably cheaper to buy all the components separately. With the socket 939, it's best to buy a matched pair of PC3200 & run in dual channel mode, rather than a single stick in single channel mode. Have a look at this list for an idea:

Retail Athlon64 3000+ at $155:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-501&depa=0

EPoX "EP-9NDA3J" nForce3 ULTRA board at $92.50:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-123-230&depa=0

2x 256MB PC3200 RAM at $70:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-144-309&depa=0

Radeon 9550 128MB/128-bit at $66:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-127-154&depa=0

PCI TV Tuner at $30:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=15-100-129&depa=0

Total cost (US) with shipping...about $450. That's WAY cheaper than what you're considering, plus it includes the RAM! I know Canadian pricing is different, but I suggest you shop around some more.

Asus A7N8X-X
1800+ @ 8 x 210MHz
512MB PC3200
Asus Ti4800SE 128MB
WinME/WinXP Pro

sorry i mistook the all in wonder for a FireGL. I was thinking about a FireGL, mainly for the dual monitor support, better full screen anti-aliasing and for its CAD and 3D moddeling enhancements. Would one be worth it with a better system. I do a lot of rendering and i work with auto cad and unreal 2004 editor

Im only 14, so dont blame me

AMD athlon xp 2000+
ECS K7S5A Pro
512 MB DDR ram
Sapphire atlantis 9200se
8 GB quantum fireball
30 GB Maxtor Diamondmax 60 GB Maxtor Diamondmax

"I was thinking about a FireGL, mainly for the dual monitor support, better full screen anti-aliasing and for its CAD and 3D moddeling enhancements"

YIKES! That's entirely different! If that's the kinda system you wanna build, you'll need as much RAM as you can afford...1GB minimum (2x 512MB)...more is better.

FireGL card's start at about $250 & go as high as $800+

http://www.cadinfo.net/reviews/firegl3.htm

Asus A7N8X-X
1800+ @ 8 x 210MHz
512MB PC3200
Asus Ti4800SE 128MB
WinME/WinXP Pro

Well are the FireGl cards good for gaming, because i almost need to buy a new system. i currently have 1000$ to spend until summer. Since im only 14 i can get about 1000$ total in my 2 month break. So i know i need to get a socket 939 and 1.5 gb ram. got any suggestions ? better to buy online or placec near ottawa ?

Im only 14, so dont blame me

AMD athlon xp 2000+
ECS K7S5A Pro
512 MB DDR ram
Sapphire atlantis 9200se
8 GB quantum fireball
30 GB Maxtor Diamondmax 60 GB Maxtor Diamondmax

p.s i also make 50-60$ a month year round, and even if im 14y old i know quite a lot

Im only 14, so dont blame me

AMD athlon xp 2000+
ECS K7S5A Pro
512 MB DDR ram
Sapphire atlantis 9200se
8 GB quantum fireball
30 GB Maxtor Diamondmax 60 GB Maxtor Diamondmax

FireGL's aren't gaming cards, dude!

"...but in my defense, it was dark, I was drunk, and it was delicious!"

I was pretty shure about about that.

Im only 14, so dont blame me

AMD athlon xp 2000+
ECS K7S5A Pro
512 MB DDR ram
Sapphire atlantis 9200se
8 GB quantum fireball
30 GB Maxtor Diamondmax 60 GB Maxtor Diamondmax