First, as you stated, get the most RAM you can -
especially with XP!  Absolutely get the latest and
greatest video card.  Everyone has their favorite so
dig around in the reviews!  Once you have video out to
your tv you will wonder why that isn't the first thing
you added to your pc!  I have sound out to my stereo
as well, you can connect to home theatre, which adds
another whole dimension.

I recently added a 160GB Maxtor HD (at a cost of $230)
on which resides my applications and games. I also
dual boot XP and 98 which are on a 15GB HD.  In my
naivete I thought this may slow down things,
especially games, but that hasn't been the case at
all.


> > Date:    Mon, 24 Jun 2002 10:18:39 -0500
> From:    Neal Collins <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: What should I look at upgrading?
>
> Hi all,
> Looking to upgrade my computer (or get a new one if
> that would be
> cheaper) to improve applications (office, internet
> surfing, etc..nothing
> real intensive) and to improve gaming.
> I have a pretty good system, but my thirst for
> staying on top of
> technology is overwhelming and stems from being a
> Home Theater nut.
> My current system is a Gateway P4 1.3ghz, Intel
> Monterrey motherboard
> with 850 chipset, 128mb pc 800 rdram, one 20 gig and
> one 30 gig Western
> Digital 5400 rpm hard drives, GeForce2MX 32mb video
> card, Soundblaster
> Live sound card, modem, network card, dvd rom drive,
> Yamaha lightspeed
> cd burner, 17 inch monitor. I'm running Win 98 and
> WinXP pro in a dual
> boot.
> Additional ram is at the top of the list for sure,
> but should I go for
> something beyond that? Faster processor? Should I
> get the latest and
> greatest in video cards..maybe one with video out to
> hook up to my 46
> inch High Def tv for big screen gaming?
> Just looking for some suggestions.  Been looking at
> high end pc's (ie
> Alienware, voodoo), but that’s a lot of cash for a
> gaming computer.
> Thanks for any help,
>
> Neal Collins


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