Note: Loooong Post Follows. Lazy readers exit now! ;-)
Well, I've decided that if possible I'd like to purchase my upgrade
parts this upcoming week. However, I'd like some input and hopefully
some info on what I'm planning from any and all FIRST. No, I'm not
planning on building the hottest, fastest, etc, only want to run my fav
sims better (N2, ICR2, GP2),as well as handle some of the newer ones on
the horizon (UB F1? N3? etc). I want to stay under $500. If I can get
two years out this upgrade before buying a new system... I'll feel that
it's been a success. My present machine is an all stock PBell w/P75,
1.2G HD, 16 Meg Ram, Sound144 game card (has lived up to it's "100%
SnBlaster compatible" claim) Cirrus Logic SVGA vid card w/1 Meg mem,
Win95. I've said all this so you can see the reasoning behind the
following:
I plan to go with a new mainboard w/P200. First question, is it worth
the $ to go with MMX? What does it do?
Can I use my existing Ram chips, or will I have to go with new ones?
(Or does that come with a mainboard?)
What is EDO ram? Is a board so spec'd dedicated to EDO ram chips?
Would my Ram chips be compatible on an EDO board? (I plan on having 24
or 36 Ram.)
Will my vidcard be okay, or will only 1 meg of ram ***my upgrade? If
so, is such memory expandable with plug-in chips? If not, can a
particular 3D card serve as a dual-purpose replacement?
How involved is a mainboard swap out? (I've installed/configured disk
drives before, but a mainboard?) How do you configure it once
installed?
What's the average price for installation (only)?
I realize the above are big questions... but before I lay out my hard
earned cash on a pile of parts... I'd kind of like to get an idea of
what I'm getting into. Thanks in advance...
Andre