Cheapest upgrade?

[runzwithsizorz]

For future upgrade

Do not want to change GTX 460 sli
Following are the specs for current PC used for gaming, web browsing:


EVGA 123-YW-E175-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI FTW ATX Intel


Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor BX80570E8400 (OC 3.6)


G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPI


Vigor Monsoon III LT Dual 120mm Fan CPU Cooler Socket 1366 Ready
GTX 460 x 2 SLI

Do not care if it's Intel or AMD processor. Would like to play Star Citizen at decent res. fps; 1080p

 

[DSF]

Are you in need of an upgrade for the things you do right now? From what I can see Star Citizen isn't supposed to release until late 2014, so there's no real point in buying upgrades right now if that's your main goal.

 

[runzwithsizorz]

And Beta testing?

 

[Termie]

If you're running 460 SLI with an e8400, you need to do an upgrade right now, because you're just burning up a lot of energy and creating plenty of waste heat with the second 460. I used to run an OC'd e8400 with a single GTX460, and it was badly bottlenecked.

Why not just upgrade to a 4670K now, taking advantage of a bundle deal at Newegg?

 

[T_Yamamoto]

I would personally move over to Haswell and get a bundle.

Cheapest would be selling the 460s and buying a 7870 or something along those lines

 

[runzwithsizorz]

Why not just upgrade to a 4670K now, taking advantage of a bundle deal at Newegg?

What bundle? You mean the Haswell? Keeping the 460's?

 

[Termie]

What bundle? You mean the Haswell? Keeping the 460's?

Yeah, I'd go with one of these bundles: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2326525

You can keep the 460s for now - they are equivalent to a single 7870, which means they are still pretty potent. The VRAM could cause trouble, but not as much trouble as running modern games on a dual-core CPU, so spend the money on a platform upgrade.

You'll need some DDR3 as well - you can typically find 8GB for under $60 if you look around for a hot deal. Your total upgrade cost would be $400, and it would be like a whole new machine.

If that's over your budget, you get by with an AMD setup, perhaps an FX-6300 and AMD 970 motherboard, plus 8GB of RAM, for $250. Still a huge upgrade from what you have - the FX-6300 is about equivalent to an older i5-760.

If you feel like being really crafty, go for the AMD FX-8320, which is on sale right now for $145: http://www.amazon.com/AMD-FX-8320-Ei...eywords=fx6300

Then add this MSI 970 motherboard for $70: http://www.amazon.com/MSI-Computer-C...ywords=amd+970

Add Corsair memory for $60: http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Vengea...words=ddr3+8gb

Out the door for $275.

 

[runzwithsizorz]

()Thank you...I will look into those suggestions. Runz just built a new gaming rig for me, so I guess we can spring for an upgrade for him!

Wife of Runz

 

[runzwithsizorz]

You'll need some DDR3 as well - you can typically find 8GB for under $60 if you look around for a hot deal. Your total upgrade cost would be $400, and it would be like a whole new machine.

Well, that's what I did. Now I'll wait for the 10.00 gift card and order ram.