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[chocobogo_rct]

Here is my spec
P4 2.26
256 PC800 RD RAM
GeForce 4 Ti200 64MB
Dual 80GB 7200 HD
SB Live Vale Sound Card
Logitech Cordless Desktop
17" Monitor
WinXp PRo SP1
DT2200 5.1 Speakers.

What I want is some general advice.
My system gets 12000 ish on 3dmark2000 is that good?
Im gonna need to get a sound card that supports my 5.1 speakers cause at the moment only 2 work!! I audigy the best option! What is the best card? Im may be looking for an external box with loads of inputs cause I eventually want to plug my guitar into it and use it as a recording studio.

I recently tried to upgrade my ram by putting 2 more 128 sticks in but they were uncompatible! doh, so im gonna try putting 2 64 in, so that will substantially increase my memory so I dont think that needs upgrading.

I use the Pc for games like UT2003, Q3, Tiger Woods 2003, and fifa2003, they look great at 1024*768 at 16 colors but do lag at 32bit at a higher res. So I am eventually gonna upgrade my video card to the new Fx series or a faster GF4 if they go a lot cheaper due to fx, and advice?

And any general advice on speeding up the PC atall??
Cheers guys

 

[Arris]

Overclock your Ti4200. You should be able to get Ti4600 speeds without problems. That should boost your 3dmark score a bit. Other than that your PC should pretty much run anything out there. If you are looking to upgrade your video card in the near future then don't get an older Directx8 compatible card. Get FX or Radeon 9700 Pro or one of the lower Radeons like the 9500. Other than that a faster processor would improve matters but for the moment you shouldn't really need it.

 

[chocobogo_rct]

BTW I just ranf 3DMark2001 and only got 7598 marks!!!
Is this an acceptable score?

 

[chocobogo_rct]

just set Gforce to act aggressive and got 10430!!!

 

[StormBringer]

Have a look at this thread https://www.techspot.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3477
It may help a little for gaming.

This is just my opinion(and it seems only mine) but, more important than a 3DMark Score, are you happy with your gaming experience? That is what is most important is it not? Don't worry so much about improving a meaningless number, just get the machine to perform the way you want it to perform. It doesn't matter how high 3dMark is, if you aren't happy with the way your games play or look, then you will still have work to do.

One suggestion I would make is to get a bigger monitor. If you are using resolutions of 1024x768 and higher, they would look much better on a larger screen. The Audigy would probably be your best choice for those speakers. If you plan to upgrade speakers in the near future however, you may want the Audigy2, especially if you are going to use the system as a recording studio.

 

[young&wild]

Yeah...forget about the 3dMark2001 sccore thing like what Storm Bridge. Audigy 2 is a great soundcard! Why? It's kind of future proof as it has support for 6.1 speaker and Dolby EX, only card in the market capable of playing DVD-ROM Audio content and loads more of features!

 

[chocobogo_rct]

iS £85.50 inc vat GOOD FOR THAT CARd???
http://www.dabs.com/home.asp?tab=5
SB Audugy 2

But I would like the external box with all the inputs!

 

[Vehementi]

Is that a Geforce3 Ti200, or a GF4 Ti4200?

If it's the former - get a new video card.

If it's the latter - overclock that baby.

Audigy 2 sounds nice. Have fun w/ it! That's a pretty good price IMHO.

 

[StormBringer]

Originally posted by chocobogo_rct

But I would like the external box with all the inputs!

Look for the Platinum version, it is a bit higher in price but it comes with the Audigy Drive. If you aren't familiar with it, it is a panel that fits in a drive bay and has several inputs and outputs.

 

[Arris]

"My system gets 12000 ish on 3dmark2000 is that good?"

Oops I missed that that was a 3dmark2000 score.
If you have a GF4 Ti4200 then you should get a higher score. If its a GF3 Ti200 then consider a new card (Radeon 9500).

 

[chocobogo_rct]

No Its a GeForce 4 Ti4200
This overclocking business! Is it safe?
How do i do it?

 

[Arris]

RivaTuner (can get it from www.guru3d.com).
That has OC options for core and memory in it.
Its fairly safe to do a mild overclock. Most people can run their cards at Ti4600 speeds without generating too much extra heat from the speed increase.

 

[chocobogo_rct]

just checked out the GF FX review
http://reviews.zdnet.co.uk/review/7/1/2634.html

It states that it aint much better that the radeon!
Should I go for the radeon??

 

[Th3M1ghtyD8]

I would stick with your GF4200 until after the Geforce FX and ATi's Radeon R350 comes out, then you should be able to pick up a Radeon 9700 Pro on the cheap, which in most benchmarks is very close to the Geforce FX.

 

[chocobogo_rct]

I'm trying to keep my PC with the Black theme. Everything so far is black so I'm gonna need all black components, I have seen the AUdigy 1 Platinumn has a black front panel but the Audigy 2 has a white one!! Is there a black version?