Help Me Upgrade???

[Sckitty]

I am upgrading my computer and i was wondering what i should use. I was thinking about using 2gigs of DDR2 I know that it is expensive but I want the best. The reason for so much is the fact that i am doing 3d design and part gaming, I want the best of both worlds . I din't know what mother board to use, should i stay with my soyo or should i go in a different direction. I want 200gigs of HD and my big question is that should i use Nvidia or Radeon? This is going to be the best computer that I have ever owned and i want it to last for a good long time befor i have to buy another one.

[Cache-man]

I would go with a newer mobo from the likes of Asus or DFI, or Gigabyte.
As for memory, yeah DDR2 seems a safe bet for futureproofing and although it is very expensive now, if you wait till nearer the end of the year till it starts to become more standard stuff then prices should really drop. And while 2GB may be Overkill for most daily routines, you will see a marked difference in your 3D Graphics design, and in some games engines.....so, if you can afford it, and think you'll use it then why not get 2GB, just make sure it's branded mem from a reputable company.
Harddisks - I would have at least 2 drives - 1 for system files (maybe 80GB - 120 GB), and the other for storage (120GB+), this will help speed up your configuration whilst offering a little data redundancy protection. You could also add a third drive for backing up onto, and/or you could use Raptor drives for ultimate in HDD speed (10,000rpm).
The golden question - nVidia or ATi? Personally I like nVidia, as I have always used them and they always have good press. ATi too have lots of good press and have their own army of devotees. There really isn't a lot to choose between them, they are both reputable quality brands. So my advice is set your budget for a card and simply pick the best one you can afford from either brand at the time!!!

[Sckitty]

Thanks for the information and I will take into consideration when I build my new computer this summer. I need this new computer this summer because the cone that I am using now is a royal pain, i am still having the restarting problem. I think that I have a bad stick of ram or power supply, and I can't really fix it right now. The hole issue with the nVida of ATi is i think that I will go with the nVidia, the Radeon x8oo is a good card but I am with you on this and like the nVidia. The only reason that I even bought that card was because it was cheaper then the other card that I was going to buy. I think that I will not use P4 because i really havn't used them befor. Are thease Raptor drivew expencive? Right now money is no issue, and I don't care how much money it will take I just want a computer that is awsome and work right. I hate how my computer works right now :'(!

[Cache-man]

If you're not going for a P4, then what CPU are you thinking of? Athlon64?
Raptors are expensive for the capacity they offer but are the fastest available, and in a RAID0 array, they're like lightning! Well worth the extra if you got the cash to splash.
If you let me know your topline budget for a system, I'll price up a recommended system for you, of what I persannly would choose!

[Sckitty]

I was thinking about going with the Athlon xp.
My topline budget would be what ever I want to spend on it, this is going to be the way that I make some of my money and my recreation, so I want the best out right now so I don't have to upgrade for a wile.

[lazlow]

AFAIK DDR2 isn't compatible with Athlons? Though I could be wrong 

[Sckitty]

Opps , maybe i should go with an Intel then.

[Cache-man]

Personally, I would go with Intel, as that is just my CPU of choice, although the Athlon 64 does have a lot going for it, and DDR2 memory still hasn't quite caught on enough yet to become mainstream. Intel's new range of 6xx series P4's though, do have 64bit capabilities like the Athlon64, but are a tad more expensive!

[Sckitty]

Well curently I am running a SOYO SY-KT600 Plus v2.o, I know that it as far as I can tell supports ide raid 0. I also have 512 400Mhz duel channel RAM. Like I have stated befor I am also running Athlon XP 3200.

[Mark]

Im supprised your current PC is too slow for you, I guess you must be running some pretty demanding software.  Have you tried overclocking it yet?  Athlon XP's usually overclock well it all depends on which stepping of CPU you have got, the later steppings overclock far better than the early ones. 

I myself am not a PC gamer so I can't comment on the requirements of the latest games.

[Sckitty]

I have been thinking of overclocking it but i dont want to break something this is already messed up as it is . Think that it will help any?

[Cache-man]

OCing will certainly not help any existing problems you have, and you may find that OCing actually voids the warranties of some/most of your components! So, it's not for the faint hearted.
Once your system runs well at normal speeeds, then you should look into the options of overclocking.

[Sckitty]

Hehe...gess you are right again boss.

[Mark]

Overclocking should only be done on a PC that is stable I'm affraid.

Providing you overclock in small increments and monitor the peroformance of the PC its very unlikely you will damage anything.  E.g increase the fsb to 201 MHz use the PC for a few hours on a demanding application then try increasing to 202Mhz.  This process can contiune until the PC shows signs of instabiltiy or the system temperatures are getting high.
Normally the blocker for increasing the FSB over 210MHz is the size of your CPU heatsink, I don't lilke to push the processor temp over 80 degrees so the highest i have ever had my FSB was 213MHz on a standard AMD CPU fan.  With a better HSF is will go furter, but as im not a gamer I dont need to push it any furter yet.

Its true that overclocking voids warrenties, but proving overclocking was the reason for the failure would be very difficult to do.   
Besides you only overclock when you PC is too slow for you, hence if you blow it up all you have to do is buy some new componets which will be faster anyway.

[Mark]

Forgot to mention that some main boards come with software that can automatically overclock the PC and test for the upper limits.  My gigabyte does this.

If your board has Nvidia chips on it then you may wish to have a look at thier NTune software as I does a similar thing.

Just to cover my arse if you blow it up its not my fault.