Can you give me an idea of how much of an upgrade this would be?

[xboxist]

Current system:

P4 3.0 Ghz
1 GB DDR-400
6800 GT


System considering putting together:

E6600
2 GB DDR2-667
x1900xt



New system would be primarily for surfing, gaming, and some Photoshop applications from time to time. I know it is an upgrade, but will there be a "WOW!" factor involved?

 

[Regs]

As soon as you said P4 it was over.

You'll see at least a 50 percent boost in most games at the least. And for web surfing (java applets, flash, etc) well you wouldn't even need to upgrade.

The core duo will also run cooler and use less energy.

 

[harpoon84]

For gaming and PS, yes.

For surfing, umm, no.

 

[xboxist]

When I play some games, and I have to tab out into Windows to use a web browser or something, it can often take a looong time for everything to draw and because usable. The longer I've been in the game, the longer it takes for my desktop to draw and for using the browser to become smooth.

Which component upgrade will help alleviate this the most, if anything? The CPU, RAM, or GPU?

And thanks so far!

 

[Regs]

That's CPU/RAM and the bus that resides between the two. The more Ram and Ram bandwidth you have will make it easier on windows to keep the tasks "paged" locally in the RAM. Usually 1-2 GBytes of ram will help in that regard.

Dual core may offer you some help in that part as well.

 

[buck]

Originally posted by: Regs
That's CPU/RAM and the bus that resides between the two. The more Ram and Ram bandwidth you have will make it easier on windows to keep the tasks "paged" locally in the RAM. Usually 1-2 GBytes of ram will help in that regard.

Dual core may offer you some help in that part as well.

I saw a big difference alt tabbing out of games (CSS) just going from 3800+ venice. In fact for CSS i saw a big boost in FPS.

 

[Keysplayr]

Originally posted by: xboxist
Current system:

P4 3.0 Ghz
1 GB DDR-400
6800 GT


System considering putting together:

E6600
2 GB DDR2-667
x1900xt



New system would be primarily for surfing, gaming, and some Photoshop applications from time to time. I know it is an upgrade, but will there be a "WOW!" factor involved?

WOW squared!! Especially with that vid card upgrade for gaming.