Been out of the PC loop for a while...Questions

[Oyeve]

Ok, I have been out of the PC loop for a little over a year. The PC in my sig below has been in developement for well over a year. I have lost work twice in that time and have had more important things on my mind than my PC. But now that I am employed again I was about to finish my build when I started coming back to AT and noticed everything has changed in the PC world! LGA 1156??? Is 775 officially dead? is it even worth finishing my build? (in sig below) Or should I start from scratch? Is my PC below even good anymore? hehe, probably is, I am about to start PC gaming again and my video card (still in box) is probably several generations old. Sigh, anyway. Upgrade suggestions are welcome. Thanks. Its good to be back!

 

[Arkaign]

20" Wide Monitor? Probably 1680x1050?

Honestly the system looks pretty good overall. At that res I'd recommend grabbing a 5770, or perhaps a 4870/4890 (your PSU looks to be plenty). The 3870 isn't bad but if you're serious about gaming it's probably the weakest link in the list there.

About the only other thing you might consider would be a new 1TB WD Black for your main drive, it will be notably quicker than the old drives there (areal/platter density FTW), and maybe an SSD next year sometime when the prices get better and the tech gets more mature.

 

[SanDiegoPC]

If that chip is a virgin, then perhaps you could sell it? The i7 series is an awesome product and I am incredibly happy with mine. I was using an overclocked Quad-6600 for a while and this system runs circles around that one.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I second the idea of selling the E6850, you might be able to get big bucks for it from someone that wants to upgrade, but their motherboard cannot take 45nm chips.

Then again, does your motherboard take 45nm chips? I think it does.
Buy a Q9550 with the money you get from the E6850. Overclock it to 3.8Ghz or more. Be happy with your rig.

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,

You have a perfectly good system for your needs. You don't need a quadcore to game. A high clocked dualcore is more than enough. The rest of your components are perfectly good too. This is still a better than typical machine for most people who play games. The only thing you need to brush up on is your GPU. An ATI HD5770 ($155) would be a great advancement. Or if you really want to blow things out of the water, get a HD5850 ($300). Or if you aren't interested in best-for-your-cash and follow brand loyalty, then look at the GTX260 ($180) or the GTX275 ($250). And of course, a solid PSU to power them (in case your PSU doesn't have the appropriate 6 pin connectors).

Very best,

 

[Oyeve]

Thanks for the tips guys. I did get 1 1TB WD black last year and a WD 640GB and a WD 750GB as well. I wont be using the drives in my sig (havent even checked my sig in a while ) I figured the video card was the weakest. Its still in the box, opened, but used once to see if it works. My mobo can take a 45nm chip. I have a PC at work with an E8500 in it that I may swap with my E6850 chip. not much faster but it does have a larger L2 cache and is 45nm. I will look into a newer GPU. My PSU is still pretty kickass even tho its a coulpa years old. 750W and all the connections I need including 2 6pin pcie power connectors. Its good to get that upgrade feeling again.....been a long time. Gonna get Win7 too.