Or anyone else wanting to build an upgrade for Quakecon, for that matter:
Tom's Hardware has a guide for building a very suitable gaming pc for under $1000. That's from scratch. So if you've already got some parts that carry over, then that's even less money to spend. They have some great recommendations on parts that have all been tested, work well, and are cheap. Just because I feel like talking hardware for a bit, here's some specs:
Athlon XP 2600+
Biostar Nforce2 Ultra mobo
2x256 Kingston PC3200 DDR (dual-channel)
CoolerMaster Aero7
2x80GB WD 8MB cache drives
Gigabyte Radeon 9600XT 128
Samsung Combo DVDROM/CDRW
Enermax Case (mid-tower, 350W, windows and fans)
Logitech Cordless Comfort Duo (MX700 and natural-style keyboard)
Viewsonic 19" monitor (the article cheats and got a used one, but they assumed $150 for a new or good used monitor) That's a *complete* system for $960, by Tom's estimates. Take out the case, kb/mouse, burner, and monitor and you're talking $620 for a hardware overhaul on the inside and you're getting an extremely capable overclocker in the process (good cooler, 333MHz CPU, 400 memory). So, kids, those of you wanting to potentially rock the Doom3/CS2 boat at Quakecon, get crackin'.
Biostar Nforce2 Ultra mobo
2x256 Kingston PC3200 DDR (dual-channel)
CoolerMaster Aero7
2x80GB WD 8MB cache drives
Gigabyte Radeon 9600XT 128
Samsung Combo DVDROM/CDRW
Enermax Case (mid-tower, 350W, windows and fans)
Logitech Cordless Comfort Duo (MX700 and natural-style keyboard)
Viewsonic 19" monitor (the article cheats and got a used one, but they assumed $150 for a new or good used monitor) That's a *complete* system for $960, by Tom's estimates. Take out the case, kb/mouse, burner, and monitor and you're talking $620 for a hardware overhaul on the inside and you're getting an extremely capable overclocker in the process (good cooler, 333MHz CPU, 400 memory). So, kids, those of you wanting to potentially rock the Doom3/CS2 boat at Quakecon, get crackin'.