Considering upgrading my rig...

[deadken]

I will try to keep this short and yet provide all the info needed to give accurate advice:

I typically do 'incremental' upgrades. I change out one part at a time rather then replacing a whole system. My current system does everything I need it to do, but it is a bit 'long-in-the-tooth'. I wouldn't mind upgrading since prices have dropped a bit and I don't need cutting edge to still get huge improvements. What I don't know is what is out there that will give me the most bang-for-the-buck.

Current System:
S754 3400+ @ 2650 (does 2750, but don't need it atm)
Thermalright XP120
Epox S754 NF4-SLI mobo
BFG 8800GTS 640MB O/C
2x1GB OCZ Platinum PC 3200
Creative Labs X-Fi XtremeMusic
Antec 3700AMB case with Antec 380W PS (modded with 2x120MM filtered side intake fans)
3xHD's including one 37GB Raptor
Win XP Pro SP2
Samsung 204b 20.1" LCD @ 16x12


I figure that I will need a new Mobo/CPU/Memory combo, though I could go for a nice X2 CPU and keep my DDR if it has a good price/performance value.

I mostly Game and Surf the net on my PC. I still play BF2, but mostly am playing COD4 right now. I also run F@H 24x7x365. I figure that I could probably keep my Video card, case, PSU, and Sound card, but I am open to suggestions.

I have a new 'toy' to keep me busy and call 'dibs' on my wallet, but I still use my PC more ATM (that is NOT my car, but the same year, model, and color).

Again, any suggestions would be appreciated as you can see I have been out of the loop for a while.
-Thanks, Ken

 

[AsusGuy]

If you want to go AMD I would look at getting a 6000+X2 or a 6400+ X2 those are good CPUs for the price. AM2 AMD 690 GIGABYTE GA-MA69G-S3H is a good motherboard.
For RAM go with GEIL, Mushkin, OCZ etc.. grab some DDR2 800Mhz I got my set of GEIL 2x 2GB for $95.

If you want to go Intel I would consider an E8400 if you can find one, or a E6750. Those seem to be the price performance chips. Quad is not the best deal right now in my opinion.
For Intel motherboards I can recommend the Gigabyte P35-DS3R because I own it. Its a very good stable board and good for OCing.

Hope this helps!

 

[secretanchitman]

swap out cpu, mobo, and memory. c2d, a decent asus, abit, gigabyte, asrock, msi mobo, and some good and cheap 2x1GB (or even 2x2GB) ddr2-800 memory.

 

[Phunk0ne]

do you have a certain budget in mind? (maximum would be helpful)

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: AsusGuy
I can recommend the Gigabyte P35-DS3R because I own it. Its a very good stable board and good for OCing.

Coming from an "AsusGuy", that's got to be a good recommendation. I second it, I have two DS3Rs and love them.

 

[deadken]

Originally posted by: Phunk0ne
do you have a certain budget in mind? (maximum would be helpful)

Not really. I'd guess that perhaps $400 or $500 would be the Maximum that I would want to spend since I can't really forsee seeing any great improvements.

I know it'd be a lot faster. I'm sure it'd benchmark a ton faster, I'd bet that my FPS would improve greatly. But... Honestly, for my uses I don't really see my system as being slow in anything I use it for. Perhaps I'd spend a grand, but I have to totally believe that it would be a mind blowing experience. I'd rather spend more money on my car then my PC at the moment.

I kinda just figured that my CPU has been most certainly bottlenecking my GPU since the day I bought the Video Card. With Mobos and memory prices down so far, why not consider upgrading my PC.

I really would like to drop about $400 on a new distributor. $250 or so to update the tach insides update the clock and repair the fuel sender. $750 on getting my leather seats redone. A few more bucks on a new windshield and $150 on new mirrors. Considering a 'professional quality' paint job will cost me between three and five grand... I really should just keep tossing money on the side for the day I decide to get the paint done. Please notice that I mentioned the appearance items last. I want to drive my car and have fun. This isn't a 'show queen'.

So... To answer your question... I'd spend $200-$250 in a heartbeat (hence mentioning the part about a 'budget foundation' in the summary). I'm kinda still confused as to where I'd like to be with my PC at the moment. Please excuse the ramble... I'm trying to sort out and justify how much I'd spend as I type and I realize how stupid this must read...

 

[dcloud]

Hi ken, I've just spent the last month exhaustively researching components for my new PC and from what I've learned I would recommend the Gigabyte P35-DS3R. This is the mobo I'll be getting soon. I decided on this board because of the Ultra Durable 2 design and the fact that it is $50 cheaper than the Abit IP35 Pro, which is the other board I was considering. I figure it's best to go with a design that is stable and is made from dependable components (Ultra Durable 2 design). Plus the DS3R is favored by just as many people as the IP35 Pro, and I don't need half of what the Abit board carries so why spend the extra cash.

Hope this helps

 

[Capitalizt]

Your video card and mobo are fine, but you could definitely use a faster processor and better RAM. Upgrade to a higher speed X2 and two gigs of DDR800 memory. You can find it the memory for $50 or less after rebate almost anywhere, so there is really no excuse.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

CPU: Intel E2160 - $69
Mobo: Abit IP35-V - $89 - $20MIR = $69
RAM: 4GB (2 x 2GB) OCZ2VU8004GK - $90.99 - $20MIR = $70.99

$248.99 upfront before any taxes and shipping costs
subtract $40 in rebates

Resulting system should place you around 3GHz (don't be fooled by the Pentium branding, its just a nerfed C2D, performance isn't hurt that badly) with stock cooling and even volts if you're lucky, might have to bump volts a little, but then you might not want to do that with stock cooling, all up to you

The RAM isn't the best and it isn't even the best overall deal on DDR2 in recent history, but with a chip that has a default 200MHz FSB you're not going to get any where near 400MHz the ram is capable of when running 1:1, thus even this set has plenty of overhead and could be considered overkill when you could run it @ DDR2 667 1:1 with the CPU @ 9 x 333 and get your 3GHz chip.


Your video card is fine, obviously not as good as an 8800GT but not worth the upgrade unless you sell your GTS.

Soundcard is fine

OS is fine although it wouldn't be able to address all 4GB, you'd at least be ready for a Vista x64 upgrade.

 

[Mondoman]

bf is close to right:
Get the CPU from newegg instead, basically the same price since newegg has free 3-day shipping on this item. Wherever you buy it, make sure you get the Retail Boxed version, not the OEM version, as only the former comes with the CPU cooler.

Since you're on a tight budget, go with this RAM:
2x1GB Corsair XMS2 $31 after rebate, free shipping: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820145590
Stay away from OCZ stuff, as it has compatibility problems much more often than others due to OCZ's habit of selling RAM according to manufacturer-sanctioned overclock specs, not according to DDR2 standard specs. Basically, any RAM needing more than 1.9V in the spec is a manufacturer-sanctioned overclock.
You can always add more RAM down the road; in any case, you will only have about 3GB usable RAM even with 4GB installed when running under 32-bit Windows XP or 32-bit Vista, due to the "32-bit barrier".

On the motherboard side, the "V" version of the Abit IP35 series has some issues and isn't as good as the other versions (see the abit Forums). I'd stick with the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L, which is $89 from Mwave (in that case, get the CPU there, too). If you want RAID and more ports, go with the -DS3R version for an extra $35 or so.

 

[deadken]

Wow! Perfect! Thanks for the input guys!