It s a question that all hardcore gamers are constantly considering. I have found that I am either working on putting together some upgrade or conniving with my wife for some future upgrade. This article deals with my decision process, the actual upgrade and some of the benchmarks after the upgrade. Decisions Decisions Anyways getting the most bang for the buck is never a simple question, especially if you are attempting an elegant solution, rather than the throw money at it trick. But before you get to that stage you have to know what to get.
Research is the key.
I wanted to buy something that could be overclocked since I knew that I needed at least speeds over 600mhz to really justify getting rid of my Celeron 366 oc d to 458. I also knew that convincing my wife to let me spend over 600 dollars on a 700mhz was completely out of the question. So then it was just a matter of finding articles dealing with Intel s newest cash cow the Coppermine processor. I came to discover that the PIII 500e and PIII 550e Flip Chip Socket Processors might just be the answer I was looking for. They seemed to be imminently overclockable, with some reports of PIII-550e going to 825mhz, and for a given clock speed right there with the Athlon in terms of power.