What's better for performance?

[MiStA PePPa]

What has the largest impact on performance?

Gfx card, RAM, Processor.

I already maxed out my system memory (1gig) so what I really want to know is, is it worth upgrading my Gforce fx 6200 card, or my Athlon 3200+ processor (buying a new computer)?

If the card is worth upgrading, what do you suggest under 200$ ?

[MindlessOath]

well its all differnt and they also combine with each other. it also depends on what your doing.

some people wont see any differnce upgrading more memory, but they think it will.  it all depends if they are using that memory or not and if they are using then is it performing at faster timings?

processor is probably the best upgrade, because without a faster processor your video card will be set back with it, meaning your cpu will limit your grfx card.  so if you get a banging fast grfx card, you wont be able to use its full potential until you upgrade the cpu.

if you have an amd athlon xp then get a new computer based on the amd64 technology or the intel core2 duo tech.  then you can take advantage of a better grfx card down the line.

ram will help - most people will recomend a ram amount - and its based off of what applications your using.  if you use alot of applications more ram is needed, if your using more memory intense applications like database applications then more memory and faster memory.

if your running winxp 512mb of memory should be manditory, if your big into games then 1gb should be manditory because of the relastate games are taking up these days.  it goes up from there.

1gb should be good for any system running windows xp, anything more will help, but you probably wont see much benifit from it at all. if max mem on your motherboard is 1gb then really consider upgrading, that means its a bit old in my opinion.

from what i see above - the cpu you have is almost top of the line (i dont remember) for the amd athalon xp line of cpu's, so upgrade the grfx for about 200$ and you should be fine for the time being, you should see some benifit from that at least.

[MiStA PePPa]

That is what I was thinking about doing, but I wasn't sure if the cpu was to crappy to even think about a new card before I buy a new pc.

Also, the card I am using has SLI, would it be a better idea to buy the same card again and use the SLI feature, or just upgrade to one beefier card?

[Lazerblade]

System RAM maxed at 1GB? That's gotta be a pre-fab system then. Dell, HP, or Gateway? No real gamer rig comes with less than 3 banks, with each bank capable of holding at least 512MB. And most if not all motherboards that can run a CPU above 2gHz can run at least 2GB of RAM. Which begs the question- what motherboard do you have?

Memory upgrades affect performance more than most gamers will admit at first. Games these days only require 512MB. 4 years ago, hell even 2 years ago, minimum specs were floating between 128 and 256 with 512 being recommended. But the recommended specs on most newer games range from 1GB up to 2GB. CPU has a large impact too, but for any visual enhancement, the vidcard is where it's at. I'm running 1GB of RAM, an x700, and an Athlon XP 2600+. My vidcard is my strongest component, with RAM coming in second. The CPU in my rig is slower than the average Dylan-wannabe "my son is going to an Ivy league school" yuppie's computer. But it runs GRAW and many other modern games just fine.

I'd look into a new motherboard that supports DDR2, something with maybe 3 or 4 banks that supports up to 4GB of RAM. Beyond that, you should be fine for now. Unless that 6200 is of the SE variety. Then upgrade to something with beef for video. Something with 256MB or more onboard VRAM. I'm sure we can give you some suggestions in that field.

[MiStA PePPa]

I know you are going to cringe when you read this. but I have a prefab by...E-machines.
the card does have 256mb. you have about the same set up as I do now with the exception of a better card. I can play GRAW, but it runs too slow for an enjoyable SP campaign, and I have to tweak the settings all the way down to have a chance in multiplayer. I am not to hot on graphics, I just want to be able to play some of the more hardy games soon, like GRAW 2, and STALKER. I play mostly multiplayer, so I don't notice eye candy as much.

I guess I will upgrade my card, and maybe my mother board at the same time as my cpu in the future. The question for now is, should I take advantage of my cards SLI, or just get a new one?

[MiStA PePPa]

How does this look:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138027

as a combo I can get it for $150. This es very doable for me. Plus I found that the motherboard I have does not support SLI anyways.

This paired with a new gfx card and maybe some RAM, may be a better way to go rather than buying a new rig altogether.

Is this card any good?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143067


All together it comes to about $260, a lot cheaper than buying a new pc.

[Lazerblade]

Looks like a good set-up. You'll need some new DDR2 RAM to take full advantage of the mobo capabilities, but it's certainly a huge step up from what you have now in the way of pure processing power, upgradeability, and potential. I'd dig around a little, check the reviews, user comments, etc..., Biostar is a good name and I've heard of BFG before. So you should be fine there.

Ugh. And when those do ship to ya, take your old eMachine parts, put them in the cardboard shipping box, soak with lighter fluid or carb cleaner, and light those bitches.

[MindlessOath]

BIOSTAR TForce 6100 AM2 Socket AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Micro ATX RoHs compliant AMD Motherboard - Retail
you will likly need a new cpu - this one looks like its an AM2 socket - do you have am2 socket cpu from amd? i know u said you have a gateway computer - that doesnt help

anyways, biostar is a OEM board that goes into most buisness computers or something like hp (but hp doesnt use them off brands will) so it lacks speacial features usually. but they are usually really reliable.  when you buy biostar you buy something thats not fast but its sttable.

i do belive bfg is not a bad brand iirc. but check to see if that 7300gs is going to be worth the money - is it better by a larger margin than your 6200 you currently have?

dont be afraid to go with the new intel core2 duo - they are pritty nice and im 100% amd guy.  they both have there ups and downs here and there, this round intel has the crown - but it wont be for long when amd comes out with new stuff.

[MindlessOath]

if you have TWO PCI-E slots (not pci and not agp) then i suggest trying it out.
however i have seen many problems with SLI (not only sli but crossfire from ati too)... its sometimes not worth the time cause sometimes it doesnt work well, and takes a while to setup it might not be worth the trouble.  

but hey thats just my thought on sli.  if SLI works for the games you want (supported by nvidia) and they will fit on your motherboard - then go for it, it will bring a few frames per secound up and you will be able to run at higher resolutions (if thats something you do) - and have more eye candy.

is it worth it? well how much is a new video card- you say 6200? you have to find one then and check the price, check the reviews and see what the performance is for that card, then compair it to annother card in your price range - if that differnt card in your price range is just as good as the SLI setup, then just buy the single card and sell your old one on ebay.