Upgrade advice - CPU/GPU/PSU

Ok, so here in Australia the government has just gives out huge amounts of cash to everyone for Christmas.

I get $1000 in the bank tomorrow and, since I've already bought all my Christmas presents etc. am going to upgrade my computer.

My monitor, speakers, keyboard, mouse and case are all fine. Only about 8 - 12 months old. I've got 2gb ddr2 ram, which on XP is enough, and an Am2 chipset motherboard.

The 3 things I want to upgrade are:

Video Card
Processor
and consequently, I'll need to up my PSU as well.

I've currently got:
AMD Am2 dual core 6000+
1st edition Nvidia 8800gts (I don't know the vram... between 200 and 400).
450watt psu.

The 3 I picked out to upgrade to are:


(From gamedude.com.au. About $40 than my original link at Umart)


Now, will I see a significant improvement in my gaming from this upgrade? I'm sure I will, but I don't want to be upgrading too soon. Should I wait for another 6 months?

For me, I upgrade whenever I can no longer run the newest games on max settings.

I just got GTA4 and It runs on some horrible resolution on medium/low. That tells me an upgrade is really really needed.

Any advice? If you really know your computer parts please browse through the website I linked to and see if there is anything better bang for buck wise.

Thanks.



[edit on 17-12-2008 by fooffstarr]

In my opinion, you should make sure your ram is up to par.

I am saying you need minimum 2 gig's and preferably 4 gig's.

I am not a big fan of phenom processors-they are slow, faulty and produce lots of heat.

An intel quad would be a much better choice.

I have seen motherboard/quad combo's for like $170

Q6600 is older, but still a power house unit, it's newer replacement q9300 is about the same performance.
It is newer and faster, but lacks the large cache of the Q6600.

Bye the way, In know your case is rellittvely new, but I still suggest you upgrade you upgrade your case to a "coolerMaser" haf.

Below looks like the recommended specs.

→ OS: Windows XP SP2
→ Processor: Dual core processor (Intel Pentium D or better)
→ RAM: 2GB
→ Hard Drive: 18GB free hard disk space
→ Video Card: 512MB Direct3D 10 compatible video card or Direct3D 9 card compatible with Shader
→ Drive: DVD-ROM dual-layer drive

Have you upgraded your video card driver lately? You have a fairly stout system, I couldn't imagine you needing to run the game on a really crappy resolution.

Troy

[edit on 17-12-2008 by cybertroy]

All my mates are having the same problems with GTA4... it is just really badly ported from console to PC.

It has one of those horrible presets that won't let you raise any settings above it's 'detected settings'... and for my PC it detects the settings as medium to low.

It isn't just GTA4 though... Being a self-confessed nerd I'm hoping to keep my PC as up to date as possible.


I know also about how much Intel are better than AMD, like was said above. Thing is I just got this motherboard and processor about 6 months ago and it seems such a waste to get an entire new motherboard when this one can stay.

Oh and one more question. How much ram can Windows XP SP3 32bit recognise? It might be just an urban legend but i've been told it can't use more than 3gb of ram.

[edit on 17-12-2008 by fooffstarr]

Maybe there will be a patch soon.

The physical limit seems to be 4 gigs.

www.microsoft.com...

Troy

Sweet.

Well I've found a cheaper dealer once again, and have come up with my final selections.

All I need to know is: Are they compatible?

Are these 4 parts compatible with one another?

If not, why not?

Since your looking at getting this much, have you looked into barebones kits or package deals?

You might even find better prices with package deals.

Troy

reply to post by cybertroy


Yeah, checked all the dealers.

Problem is that every kit has a sub-par graphics card with an above average processor. There is no kits below the cost of these parts that is strong in every element.

I'd rather pay another $100 to have the top of everything, rather than one or 2 sub-par parts.

So will those 4 bits be compatible?

reply to post by fooffstarr


I thought you weren't buying a new motherboard? If you are going to go ahead and spend $115.00 on a new mobo, why not go with an intel board and get a Intel chip? You get a lot more bang for your buck with the new Intel chips. If you are really feeling crazy, try to get a new core i7 set up. I think it would be too expensive though.

You can still get a good deal on a penryn quad and compatible mobo though. That is what I would recommend.

reply to post by Karlhungis


Discovered last night that although my mobo is AM2+, it isn't compatible with the new Phenom processors... so a new mobo is necessary.

I know Intel are meant to be better, but price wise they just aren't feasible. To get one with equal power (on paper anyway) as the AMD I've selected I've got to spend between 100 and 200 more. It just isn't worth it, not to mention I don't have the cash.

I just had a quick check and the cheapest quad I could find (in $AUD) is $296. All it's details on paper are only about 3/4 of the Phenom. As I suspected, to get one that is equal will set me back around $420. Can't afford it.

Thanks for the suggestion though... but can someone just tell me if those 4 parts are compatible. I want to place the order tomorrow.

Do not get AMD. AMD are terrible. They get less performance per cycle than even Kentsfield / Conroe, perhaps even Allendale. They do not overclock as well either. Do yourself a favour, and do not buy AMD.

Intel Core i7 940 Nehalem
OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
ASUS P6T Deluxe/OC Palm LGA 1366 Intel X58
Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000GLFS 300GB
EVGA GeForce GTX 280 SSC Edition 1GB
PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W
Thermalright 120 Extreme 1366 edition to overclock 3.6ghz +.

To expensive?

Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem
OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
ASUS P6T Deluxe/OC Palm LGA 1366 Intel X58
ANY HARD DISK
Radeon 4870 or Nvidia GTX 260 Core 216 (GTX 260+)
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W
Thermalright 120 Extreme 1366 edition to overclock 3.6ghz +.

__________________________________________________
Within $1000 this time...

Get Intel Q6600. .... At its stock speed of 2.4ghz it will be about the same as AMD 9750, or slightly faster. Assuming you got a good batch, it will overclock to 3.2ghz on stock cooling, or 3ghz if you get a bad batch. At them speeds it's about the same performance as a Q9450 and QX6850; processors that are hundreds of dollars more expensive. AMD's do not overclock even nearly as well.

Q6600 from a decent store should be no more than $300 AUD. 9950 is identical in price. 9750 is about $250 AUD. If it's more find another store...
www.staticice.com.au Australian search engine. Obviously if the cost of shipping outweighs the cost advantages...

Just remember the Q6600 is a two year old processor. It will be out of date soon... unless you overclock. With OCZ VENDETTA 2 it will go to 3.6ghz, from 2.4. That's 50% faster than the AMD 9950 for $50 more on the cooler. At them speeds it will eat the QX9650, QX9770, and even the Core i7 920 for breakfast.

If your memory sucks and is DDR2-667 or slower, then you're unlikely to be abled to overclock much more than 3ghz. DDR2-800 will get you to 3.6ghz.

Asus P5QL motherboard. Don't skimp here or else you won't be abled to upgrade AGAIN.

Radeon 4870 or Nvidia GTX 260 Core 216 (GTX 260+). 4870 is usually cheaper. 512 version should be about $350 AUD, 1gb version $420 AUD.

I don't know much about that powersupply. Should work I guess. Never heard of that brand though. If the quality sucks they can stop working and take the PC with it.

If Intel still doesn't work then I cannot answer your compatibility questions. I don't do AMD, my basic tech knowledge prevents me from learning about such bad hardware.

[edit on 18/12/2008 by C0bzz]

I can't agree with your choices.

If he is buying a motherboard, now....

Like I said, Q6600 processor/motherboard combo-I see them all the time advertised at 175-200 dollars.

Get 4 gigs ram (ddr2-800), it is cheap.
Try to find balistix ram on sale (they have 4444-12 timings) and they run very well.

The price for the 260 gtx is WAY overpriced, WAY!!!!

You will want a 750 watt powersupply (the 260 can take 300+ watts all by itself!!!)

Here is something Coob did not tell you.
You canot have more than 4 gig's ram on a 32bit operarting system.
To use more, you need a 64 bit operating system-DON"T DO IT!!!!!!

I also recommend a antec 9700 processor cooler.

I also reccomend a CoolerMaster HAF case, these parts will make a lot of heat.
Gaming with these parts will make much more heat

Screw that graphics card, the 4850x2 beats it and is very close the the 4870x2

You NEED 4gb in order to fully work your system, its WELL worth it.

Other than that, if your into gaming, ditch that processor and pick up a intel dual core setup. They overclock better, and are faster than AMD.

Quad cores are NOT needed for gaming. You wont notice any improvement in virtually any game with a quad core vs a good dual core.

Like I said, Q6600 processor/motherboard combo-I see them all the time advertised at 175-200 dollars.

175 - 200 dollars USD. Not AUD.

You will want a 750 watt powersupply (the 260 can take 300+ watts all by itself!!!)

Depends on the quality and brand of the power supply. GTX 260 needs 36 amps on the +12 rails and needs two six pin connectors. A 750 watt is useless if it fails to provide that - some 460 watt models could power it. I'd recommend Corsair TX650W for single videocard, or, Corsair TX750W for dual videocard. That, or any single rail PC POWER, or SILVERSTONE; power providing of course.

Here is something Coob did not tell you.
You canot have more than 4 gig's ram on a 32bit operarting system.

If he's tight on cash then he can use his current RAM. If it's DDR2-667 he won't be abled to clock much over 3ghz because the lowest memory divider is 1:1.... If his RAM Is any slower than that then it won't clock well either.

I thought the limit was about 3gb?

I also recommend a antec 9700 processor cooler.

Zalman 9700? In any case the OCZ Vendetta 2, Tuniq 120, Thermalright Ultra-120 are superior heatsinks.

Quad cores are NOT needed for gaming. You wont notice any improvement in virtually any game with a quad core vs a good dual core.

Yeah... but you can purchase a Quad core for only slightly more than a dual. Overclocked it will go well past a stock dual, and perhaps to 80% of an overclocked dual. Slightly lower clock speed but twice the cores... Besides, GTA IV runs like garbage on dual cores.

You NEED 4gb in order to fully work your system, its WELL worth it.

2gb is useful for most tasks. However if buying new RAM then I too would suggest 4gb of RAM. Keep in mind, what is possible clock speed and latency wise with two sticks, is usually not possible with four sticks. Therefore, if upgrading with overclocking in mind get 2 x 2gb sticks of DDR2-800 4-4-4-12... preferably DDR2-1066.

Screw that graphics card, the 4850x2 beats it and is very close the the 4870x2

Dual GPU cards often have issues. All I can say is the OP better research the videocards if he / she is looking at a dual GPU solution.

ixbtlabs.com...

[edit on 19/12/2008 by C0bzz]

It's all ordered and payed for now.

I never got a reply to my only question: Would the parts be compatible... so I went elsewhere to find out...

I know you all meant well with the 'X brand is crap, get Y brand' comments, but all I really needed to know was the compatibility chance of my preferred parts.

I've done my research on video cards and processors and as far as I could tell the GTX 260+ with factory overclocked was the best bang for buck single card I could get, and the only processor under $350 that would last for several years was the top Black Edition Phenom.

Most of the Intel parts, as I said in previous posts, were hugely over priced and did not hold up in comparisons to AMD processors $100 or $200 cheaper. For the $300AUD I paid for the Phenom quad 2.4ghz I would have only gotten a Q6600... which is getting old as it is.

Thanks...

I'll let you know how the setup goes when the parts arrive.



[edit on 19-12-2008 by fooffstarr]

www.tomshardware.co.uk...

Benchmark for PCMark gaming suite: Q6600 vs Phenom 9750

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600

4722

AMD Phenom X4 9750

4708

So the Q6600 outperforms the Phenom at stock settings. The Q6600 is easily overclockable so it would blow the doors off of it with not much effort.

The Phenom is 150.00 and the Q6600 is 179.99.

To me the Q6600 is still the better buy.

Most of the Intel parts, as I said in previous posts, were hugely over priced and did not hold up in comparisons to AMD processors $100 or $200 cheaper. For the $300AUD I paid for the Phenom quad 2.4ghz I would have only gotten a Q6600... which is getting old as it is.

That is by all accounts incorrect. Q6600 kills Phenom at 2.4ghz, by most accounts it uses less power too, and overclocks further.

www.bit-tech.net...

www.bit-tech.net...

www.tomshardware.co.uk...

The Intel rigs were using DDR3 while AMD rigs were using DDR2. That may seem biased, but on Intel the object that limits memory bandwidth is the front side bus; not the memory itself. The only advantage DDR3 brings with Core 2 is with memory latency, but this effect is null, as the DDR3-1333 they were using in actuality has slower timings than CAS 4 1066mhz DDR2. Had they of had this DDR2, the intel systems would of performed even better.

www.thetechrepository.com...


Overclocking...
www.bit-tech.net...

2.9ghz barely stable in cold England. I'm on 3.2ghz stable in hot summer Australia, on STOCK cooling. It's not that AMD sucks, it's that the current Phenom series is clearly inferior to the Core 2.

Enjoy your computer.

OMG.... Core i7 920 for $266 USD blows everything out of the water. It's going to be good clocking that thing some time next year.

[edit on 20/12/2008 by C0bzz]