Well there's no denying it anymore, my 866Mhz rig is just sad. So I'm re-upping:

2.8Ghz P4
ASUS P4S800 800FSB
512MB DDR RAM
RADEON ?

I'm posting here to get an idea of what LOMAC likes in terms of, RAM/processor cycles/vid card?

What kind of performance can I expect from this setup and what difference would there be between the various RADEON 9600 and 9800 cards. Is the 9800 worth the $150 or so?

Pentium V

get a 2.4C if u want to go the P4 route - and with the right mobo u can stock cool OC it to 3Ghz

I have upgraded to the 9800 Non-pro and haven't looked back. I am currently running it at Pro speeds (380 core/320 memory) by using Powerstrip. If you can find one, get the 9800 non-pro.

Circuit City is carrying the ATI 9800(Non-Pro) now at $249.00 which I think is a good buy. I had an ATI 9600 Pro and took it back when I heard they were going to have the 9800 so cheap. The ATI 9600 Pro was $199.00. Also, ATI has the new 9800XT and 9600XT coming out, so prices will probably drop on the older versions. DON'T BUY the 9800SE - it's not the same as a 9800(Non-Pro)!!

NewEGG is the way to go ordering a whole system though!

That's what I bought, and I can run it up to 3.3Ghz with stock cooling! hahaha -

Buy the 2.4C instead of the 2.8 and use the money saved to buy another 512MB ram.

My upgrade was:

Abit IS7 Motherboard
Intel P4 2.4C
2x512 Corsair ValueSelect 3200 Kit

Total was $451.00 from NewEGG.com , free shipping and had it here in 3 days!

I just built a P4P800 with a 2.4 ht p4 and a geforcefx 5200 and it is fast.

Thanks for all the input, looks like you've all had good results with the 2.4C

I'm going with the 9800 Radeon

One more question on power, is there a minimum amount I'll need to run a high end P4 setup? A friend was saying 400W is min. but I'd rather just keep my 200W current setup if I can. On the other hand I'm spending $450 so messing things up by getting cheap with the power supply is not what I want to do.

Here's to a smooth LOMAC

ACK!!! 200 WATTS is NOT enough these days. Best idea is to buy a new case with a NICE 350-400 watt power supply. My choice is Antec . Very NICE, not a bad price, I've been running one of their old 400 watt SX-840 case for 2+ years just fine.

Ok so 400W system

One last question, -cooling- my old case has only one fan will this be sufficient to cool my new P4 setup?

It really depends how much stuff you cram into the case and how effective the case is at circulating air! I'd have at least 1 fan in front for intake and 1 fan at the rear for exhaust - not including the fan in the power supply.

I've heard that the "new" P4-2.4C are not overclocking nearly as well as they did when the C's came out.

Be careful if you plan on overclocking.

I recommend a Athlon system with the Radeon 9800. Check the tech sites and see the comparisons.

Got mine up to 3.3Ghz testing, and it's about as new as they come! Your mileage MIGHT vary...

Awsome! What are you using for cooling?

Stock Intel HSF! I can boot up to 3.6Ghz, but it'll not pass memtest86 that high. I need better ram!

I can boot and pass memtest86 at 3.42Ghz...at default voltage! But I don't want to risk overheating, so I turn it down to 3Ghz for day to day use.