Smack2k wrote:

Building a 2003 era PC..... […]
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Building a 2003 era PC.....

MOBO - ASUS A7N8X-X Board
Graphics - ATI 9800 Pro
RAM - 2.5 GB

For the proc, I currently have an AMD 2400+ - AXDC2400DKV3C Processor set for it. Thinking of getting an AMD 3200+ -AXDA3200DKV4E Proc for it.....

Is that upgrade worth spending the money on? Or will I do OK with the proc I have for 2002-2003 era gaming?

Yes it's worth the money as they only cost $15 with shipping.

You can expect about 20 - 25% better performance which come in handy if you want to play a year 2004 game like Doom 3. A Socket A system with an Athlon XP 3200+ and a Radeon 9800 Pro should handle all games from year 2001 - 2004 without any issues.

Overclocking your "Thorton" 2400+ is another option that is totally free!

I found a 3200+ for 10 bucks shipped...

But while I wait....would overclocking the 2400+ get me close to the 3200?

Smack2k wrote:

I found a 3200+ for 10 bucks shipped...

But while I wait....would overclocking the 2400+ get me close to the 3200?

Your Thorthon 2400+ is locked with a 15x multiplier so you will only get up to about 15x150 = 2250MHz without good cooling and more voltage so it wont be as fast as the 3200+ @ 11x200, the difference isn't huge though. The Barton Athlon XP 3200+ has 512KB cache which together with the 200 MHz FSB improves the performance a bit.

Thanks

I guess I will get everything else ready to go and wait for the proc to arrive in a week or two...

No point in installing the 2400+ for just a few days...