Hard Light Productions Forums
Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Lynx on September 03, 2004, 11:28:29 am
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My Athlon 2400 with a GF 4 460 MX, 256 MB RAM and Win 98 SE performance with newer games, applications etc. isn't satisfying any more, and W98 is getting an ever increasing source of annoyance. Time to upgrade. But since moneay doesn't grow on trees, I have the question: What sould I upgrade first? OS, graphics card or RAM?
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os first, get win 2000 or xp pro.
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Windows 2000 > Windows XP
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Originally posted by Raa
Windows 2000 > Windows XP
:lol: Every single thing I saw about W2000 suggests otherwise. What makes it superior?
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If you buy an OS, get XP Pro. It will serve you better in the long run.
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Originally posted by Lynx
:lol: Every single thing I saw about W2000 suggests otherwise. What makes it superior?
My opinion really. And I don't like how XP will only allow you to install on one PC that will access the net. Nor do I like all of the 'special helper programs' that are with it. And I've never crashed 2k, except for when I tried to partition my HDD... and windows didn't like how the volume file didn't match the actual volumes. :doubt:
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be careful though bill wrote a secret command into every version which allows him to crash computers at will!!!
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Yeah, but he forgot to debug it and never realised the same IO code is used to access main().
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Get more RAM!
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negative. don't upgrade RAM past 256MB when you're still running 98.
i say go OS. your specs can easily handle windows 2000, and will be able to handle XP fairly decently (and afterwards get some more RAM ;) ).
PM me if you decide to go windows 2000 though.
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I have 384, and win98 runs better than it did with 256. Speaking of expereince.
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Originally posted by Raa
My opinion really. And I don't like how XP will only allow you to install on one PC that will access the net. Nor do I like all of the 'special helper programs' that are with it. And I've never crashed 2k, except for when I tried to partition my HDD... and windows didn't like how the volume file didn't match the actual volumes. :doubt:
Granted that's your opinion but I must say that the special helper programs can all be turned off (the first thing I do on a fresh XP install), also XP is very stable indeed (far more than 98) however I have had it crash from time to time while "playing" with it.
Of course, those are my own opinions as well and should be taken with a pinch of salt.
Lynx - how much cash do you have to spend on this and what would you like to get out of your upgraded machine (that is - do you plan on playing Doom 3 with this thing, or sticking with something older / less demanding)?
I'd go for this order:
OS, graphics card (to a Radeon 9800 - cheap and powerful) and then RAM.
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Hmm... 2000 pro I'd say... XP always crashes for me... *hates it*
Don't really understand how they dare to call XP stable...
oh, well... most people don't get crashes with it so I guess it's my computer:D
I've got win2K pro for 1 year now, and it crashed once, and that was while running fso in a mode my vid doesn't like :p
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My FX5200 128mb is pretty frickin cool. And apparently it's a budget card.
I can spin **** around in EvE without it even batting an eye-lid.
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@Kalifreth: A machine that'd be able to play doom3 smoothly would be nice too, but my first priority is a computer that doesn't crash every five minutes.
OS would be no problems 'cuz I've got some friends working in computer stores, I just don't really know what's the best alternative to W98.
I've got abput 750 Euros to spend on those upgrades.
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Crashes may be caused by your HD.
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With the CPU you have I'd say the GFX card would be a worthwhile upgrade that you would definitely see a performance boost in with games, however if games aren't your priority then I'd say bag yourself some RAM as 256 isn't a large amount really nowadays.
Never buy an OS, that's all I can say, they are pretty damn easy to "acquire" via other means either people you know or places you know.
Until MS make an OS worthy of buying they can **** off.
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[color=66ff00]2k pro = lean mean fighting machine (after much tweaking)
xp pro = no so lean fighting machine (downright pudgy actually) but it's a lot more friendly and looks nicer if you're into that.
But Linux owns both. :D
[/color]
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Originally posted by wolfdog
Hmm... 2000 pro I'd say... XP always crashes for me... *hates it*
Don't really understand how they dare to call XP stable...
oh, well... most people don't get crashes with it so I guess it's my computer:D
I've got win2K pro for 1 year now, and it crashed once, and that was while running fso in a mode my vid doesn't like :p
If XP is crashing, then you have something wrong with your system. XP doesn't just crash on its own.
@Kalifreth: A machine that'd be able to play doom3 smoothly would be nice too, but my first priority is a computer that doesn't crash every five minutes.
I have Windows 98 original and it never locks up.
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Originally posted by Stealth
negative. don't upgrade RAM past 256MB when you're still running 98.
Why?
I run 384 and have no problems other that the usual Win98se blue screens. I might upgrade to 2000, but XP with its problems and the fact that you can only install it on one computer make it a software-non grata to me. The only way I would "upgrade" to XP is if it came pre-installed on a computer I bought. Unless something drastic happens, I probably won't upgrade my OS until Longhorn comes out next year.
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Let's see....
My suggestions are, in this order:
1. 2000 or XP
2. 384-768MB of RAM
3. A new graphics card, preferrably at least a 9600XT or 5700 Ultra.
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Originally posted by TopAce
I have 384, and win98 runs better than it did with 256. Speaking of expereince.
Originally posted by Liberator
Why?
and i'm saying if he's already got 256MB RAM, he should upgrade his operating system before upgrading his RAM. i don't care if you've got 4 GB of RAM on a 98 machine... i never said it wasn't possible, i said why do that when you can get a better operating system. i mean what's another 128 MB of RAM going to get him? a 1.2 second faster loading time on Photoshop? please...
Speaking of experience.
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Windows 98 can handle up to 512 MB of RAM with no trouble. Beyond that it will give you problems.
EDIT: Namely this: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;253912&Product=w98
and this: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;311871&Product=w98
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but you're not going to find a really noticeable difference between 256MB on 98 and 512MB on 98, whereas you WOULD notice a difference if you were running, say, XP.
i just say leave the RAM there for the meantime... get 2000 or XP.
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It depends on if he's running SCP or not. :p But he can do both at the same time.
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Depends on how much money you are planning to spend and what the upgrade is for.
If you plan to get a graphics card, you should keep in mind how it is going to work with your mobo and RAM.
If you plan to get a new OS, don't think that it will give you a new performance leap. Especially with your current computer specs.
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This is a bit tricky actually...
Personally I'd upgrade the video card, but the problem is you won't get as much of a boost running, say, a GF6800 on Win98 as you would in 2k/XP.
If you'd asked a few years ago I'd have said get a GF4 Ti4x00, but it would be a bit wasteful now unless you can get one really cheap.
256MB of RAM is a bit on the low side for Win2k, and will probably chug a lot on XP also - I usually recommend anyone getting 2k or XP has at least 512MB RAM, if not more.
Some people can get away with less, (esp. if they have really good fast hard disks, only have 1 partition and one OS, and don't install/uninstall lots of stuff), but generally I find 2k and XP eat RAM like it's going out of fashion (And don't get me started on the stupid disk caching algorithms!).
Unless you're a pedantic bastard like me and go through the Windows Services killing all the ones that shouldn't even be running then OS RAM utilisation alone will hit around 200MB quite easily after a few minutes of 'normal use'.
So, IMHO, if you wanna upgrade Windows, I'd get some more RAM at the same time...
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Originally posted by Kosh
If XP is crashing, then you have something wrong with your system. XP doesn't just crash on its own.
That's a fairytale IMO... if my pc handles 2k without crashing, it should handle XP too, but it doesn't... hardware is about 1/2 year old and i don't have any conflicts. guess XP doesn't like my video card :D
but that's OT...
I think it's true that you won't feel the difference between 256 or more with win98, and also that for both XP and 2000 256 is a little low... ofcourse that also depends on what you're using it for.
I would upgrade both OS and RAM...
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Originally posted by Cyker
So, IMHO, if you wanna upgrade Windows, I'd get some more RAM at the same time...
that i must agree with. both XP and 2000 will run fine on 256MB, but i'd highly recommend 512MB+ for both.
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2000 runs fine on 128MB. It could probably be better, but I have no real trouble with the OS running, along with 3dMax, and itunes simultaneously.
2000 is a pretty good OS for tht alone. ;)
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Originally posted by Stealth
but you're not going to find a really noticeable difference between 256MB on 98 and 512MB on 98, whereas you WOULD notice a difference if you were running, say, XP.
Yes you do, I just upgraded from 256 to 512 a month or so ago and the difference is very noticeable.
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allright, I got XP. It works like a charm, never even crashed once since I'm using it(98 would've annoyed me about 5 times by now). I disabled some of those helper programs since every time I accessed the internet it threw a load of crap at me.
But there's another problem: The intrnet connection doesn't work too good. After some time, I can't open anything anymore. The machine is connected to the net, but if I want to open something, nothing happens. Closing and reopening the connection doesn't work either. Happens both on IE and Firefox. Only restarting helps(and then after some time, it happens all over again). Any help?
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Do a scan for spyware and viruses. Get a third party firewall, i've been told that the one that comes with XP, while better than nothing, is utter ****e.
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Originally posted by Gank
Yes you do, I just upgraded from 256 to 512 a month or so ago and the difference is very noticeable.
on 98? hardly... you need to do some research into how much memory 98 uses.
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Eh, I dont need to do research, I upgraded the memory and **** goes faster, end of story.