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How do you think my upgrade is?
Hades_Warpig
Member Posts: 265
in Hardware
Well, I thought it's about time for a nice computer upgrade, only the cpu/gpu/mobo though.
Right now I have:
CPU: AMD Athlon X2 5400+
GPU: 8800GTX
And I honestly can't remember what my motherboard is, nothing to fancy.
I was thinking of upgrading to a Q9550, 4870 1gig and a P5Q Pro.
I think that's really all I can afford to do, so does it looks like a solid upgrade?
Comments
It's not bad on paper at all.
Personally I would look at a Q9450 with 2 clicks you could easily overclock it to 3ghz. The xtra RAM on the video card is only really needed if you game at 16x12 or higher res.
I suggest a GTX260. They come in two flavors- vanilla and a beefier version with extra scalar processors; the model will say something to the effect of GTX260 216 (# of SPs)
I bought one a little while back after finding them on sale at BFG tech's web site via slickdeals. It cost me 220 dollars out the door and came with a free copy of far cry 2.... which sucks but hey it was free.
I was also considering the 4870 1GB- but if they are still 300ish; forget it. The difference between the two cards is minimal and varies based on game's driver preference.
Sure those components are slightly superior to your current setup but there isn't enough information about your current setup to compare and justify replacing it for the proposed new hardware.
How long have you been using your current build?
The two components from your 'old' computer have lasting potential, unless you're a 'videophile' and can't help the craving for better graphics then I can't stop you. However, do please consider if the price is worth the marginal performance gain.
I have been on the same system for the last three years approaching four.
System specs. from early 2005.
______________________________
ASUS K8N (built-in 7.1 sound, 10/100 ethernet & has been replaced once)
Socket 754 AMD Athlon 64 3200 (clocked at 2.3ghz)
2gb of DDR 400 (started with 512mb)
Seagate 200gb ATA-133 7200rpm HDD
ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128mb 256-bit (replaced fan)
Antec 350W PSU
Sound Blaster Audigy SE (afterthought component)
Includes basic media hardware & case.
Cost between $1000 & $800. Minus the monitor/keyboard/mouse/speakers/OS.
This above system has performed well for me with above average settings in mostly Half-Life 2 based games and max for older games, it only lacks power for the newer games but I haven't gone for them due to the graphics being cherished more than game play.
I'm pointing this out because from the looks of the information you provided, the current system has lasting potential for most games. I suggest waiting longer to see what comes over the horizon and if you like it but knowingly can't afford it, the hardware you want to buy now will be cheaper.
Study the price for performance gain and lasting potential.
I think your computer will be nice after upgrating,you know, i have used my computer for 3 years and almost no upgrating...
maybe i will consider upgrating it....if i can afforld that.
This is not 2007, the extra ram on the HD4870 has a huge impact on games it underperforms in. At this point I cannot suggest using a Core2 processor/mobo. Even though its only been out for a couple years, Intel decided to obsolete it when they released the Core i7. The price difference between a Q9550 w/P5Q, runs about the same as a Core i7 920 w/ X58 mobo. Also the new Phenom 2s look to be more powerful then Core2 from initial testing. They were able to get one above 6GHz overclock. Something not achievable using a Core2.
Passed 4 cores, the architecture on the Core2 is too redundant. The new game engines being developed now are based on utilizing an L3 Cache heavily instead of an L2 as both AMD and Intel are now making the L3 Cache large and L2 small.
you should get a new motherboard and run a intel i7 cpu.
intel i7 is great! i suggest that, too.
Everyone has opinions on this stuff. I would check out the two sites below they have never given me bad advice.
http://www.tomshardware.com/us/ - good general guide on all things computer hardware
http://www.sharkyextreme.com/- gamer specific guide with recommendations for a value, economy, and high end gaming rig. I don't always agree but the high end guide is as fun for me to read as the hot rod mags are for some guys
Good luck!
Solid processor with a possibility to overclock.
The GFX card is not bad either, personally I would get a GTX 260 instead but that's me (well I have a GTX 280), I like ATIs hardware but the drivers are not as good, there are hopefully some good tweaked ones but I don't know if there are any ones out for 4870 yet that are really good.
Just go for it, see that you have 4 gigs of RAM too and you will have a nice rigg.
Heres is a direct link to toms hardwares GFX cards chart BTW, like the above guy said, they are good to compare stuff so you get the most bang for the buck.
Oh, yeah and the motherboard.. That's an ASUS card, right? They are expensive but have the same components as MSI and Gigabyte. Get one of those instead, same stuff in them, I reccomend MSI, I like their on board cooling system, nice when you clock.
Also check your power unit, you need at least 500W as a minimum for a 4870 card, I reccomend at least 550W. Corsair makes the most priceworthy if you need a new one. You might have enough already but don't bet on it, the new GFX cards use a lot of power.
You're running a very nice system right now. The performance increase you're going to get is not as great as you would imagine. It's NOT going to be like a night/day difference. Stick with what you've got for now and see what's coming in the nearish future for hardware. How much RAM are you running now? Which OS are you using?
If you're running a 32bit OS like XP, XP Pro, or Vista (I hope not... oh god not Vista...) then you should be running 4 gigs of RAM to get the most out of the system. No need for more as these OS' can't use more than a total of 4gigs.
If you're running a 64bit OS like XP 64, Vista 64, or Linux you should run 8gigs if you can (or more in some cases)
Enough RAM in a system to allow the OS and programs to breathe as easy as possible makes a HUGE difference in how a computers speed utilized.
If your OS is an old install (XP or VISTA) then formatting and reinstalling of the OS can speed a system up greatly.
Background processes: The more programs that're running the background (web browsers, mp3 players, even just Explorer windows) will sap system resources left over for the games you're wanting to run. Vista is REALLY bad about this as it loads more background processes than's needed to run the universe.
Defrag your hard drive!!!! OMG will this kill your performance. Fragmented data on the hard drive make a huge difference on the computer's performance.
I dunno, it's up to you, but I'd not go beyond the above for now. I think you'll be disappointed in the results. If you've got money to burn then get each new video card that comes out. I prefer sanity... no matter how good a piece of computer equipment is, it'll be garage sale material in 5 years. In 10 years it'll be used to level a wobbly table or keep a door open by being used as a wedge.
Enjoy.
Sarkazmo
P.S. BTW, you're gonna need a new Power Supply as well... and probably new RAM... so you might as well get that fancy case you've always wanted... and those glowing fans... and that new monitor... and remember the G9 mouse and DasKeyboard...
P.P.S. It never stops...
Let slip the Guinea Pigs of War!!!
Thanks for all the good replies guys, I'm kind of stumped on what I'm going to do, And yes, I'm on 32 bit vista currently. Not sure what my plans are right now.