I am all upgraded. Here are my specs:
MSI 865 Neo2-PE (Platinum ed.) (link)
P4 3.2 Prescott
1GB Dual Channel PC3200
Radeon 9800Pro (not upgraded)
- just to finish off my specs I am also rocking an Audigy 2, onboard gigabit NIC, 250GB Hitachi and 160GB Seagate, NEC 16X DVD+/-RW +9, 2nd NEC DVD-ROM in a 420W powered Enlight ATX case.
First let me just say that I am not done upgrading yet because I have got to get a new fan. This retail Presoctt fan is fine while the side panel is off but as soon as I slap it on it goes up to hyper speed which whines to the point of making my ears bleed. And if that wasn't bad enough ias it cool down it slows and then heats and speeds so the whine is multi pitched. ahhh!
On with the benchmarks.
No real dramatic changes. It is obviously the video card that is pushing the numbers these days but the dual channel RAM, 8X AGP, quicker bus, and extra 400MHz did help a bit.
I ran this little test to see how new drivers affected the scores pre-upgrade.Pre Upgrade - Catalyst 4.9
3DMark05 Score: 2151
GT1: 8.1 fps
GT2: 6.3 fps
GT3: 12.5 fps
CPU Score: 2760
CPU Test 1: 1.4 fps
CPU Test 2: 2.5 fps
Doom3 High Quality score [2nd] = 47.4
3DMark03: 5656
And then benched after I had upgraded but before reinstalling windows.Pre-Upgrade - Catalyst 4.10
3DMark05 Score: 2134
GT1: 8.0 fps
GT2: 6.3 fps
GT3: 12.4 fps
CPU Score: 2812
CPU Test 1: 1.4 fps
CPU Test 2: 2.4 fps
Doom3 High Quality score [2nd] = 42.3
3DMark03: 5686
Game4: 37.4 fps
CPU Score 605
Finally I reinstalled Windows from scratch, which puts me where i am now.Post-Upgrade, Pre-Reinstall
3DMark05 Score: 2275
GT1: 9.0 fps
GT2: 6.6 fps
GT3: 12.7 fps
CPU Score: 3647
CPU Test 1: 1.9 fps
CPU Test 2: 3.2 fps
Doom3 High Quality score [2nd] = Corrupted by leaving Vsync on - score came out in low 30s
3DMark03: 5997
Game4: 37.5 fps
CPU Score 845
Woo I like that Doom 3 score. I ran it 4 times trying to get that extra 1/10th. Interesting that the reinstall really didn't do anything (except make my scores go down) but it was overdue anyway.Post-Upgrade, Post-Reinstall (cat 4.10)
3DMark05 Score: 2269
GT1: 9.1 fps
GT2: 6.5 fps
GT3: 12.7 fps
CPU Score: 3930
CPU Test 1: 2.1 fps
CPU Test 2: 3.3 fps
Doom3 High Quality score [2nd] = 49.9
3DMark03: 5973
Game4: 37.4 fps
CPU Score 843
Overall it is looking good. I'll likely bump up to the next gen of video card when one falls into my lap or when the big BTX upgrade happens sometime in the next year. In the meantime, bring on Half-life 2!!