Effective/ Economical Upgrade

[Solek]

What would be an effective and economical upgrade to my current system:
e6600 not oc'd
2gb ddr2 800 pc2 6400
over 1tb hd space
gigagbyte dq6 rev 1.0
evga 7900 gt not oc'd
antec smartpower 500w(it might to 550w)

I use this system for music recording/digital signal processing and some FPS gaming. FEAR/bioshock/red orchestra/etc... (would like to keep up with future optimal system requirements)
i was thinking something along the lines of:
q6600

1 gb Ram

2 of these msi vid cards

Would like more suggestions or criticism etc,. I would like to keep the costs hovering around the $200-300 area.

thanks.
Listen to my band too if you'd like

 

[DSF]

What's running slowly?

 

[Solek]

Nothing is running too slowly exactly... I just think if I could upgrade to increase my systems performance that I would like to do so. Like I said in the previous post my audio programs use the most processing power (I wouldnt mind them to perform faster). My 7900 gt is beginning to show it's age... I'm just looking for a cheap and effective upgrade to boost performance in those applications. Or maybe it would be better to wait a few years and do a completely new build? What are your thoughts?

 

[zerocool84]

First things first and overclock the E6600 and it will easily hit 3GHz. Xfire/SLI is never the most economical way to upgrade either. Look into single cards. It depends what rez you play at and the games you play aren't that graphically demanding anyways.

 

[Solek]

ok... so I should obviously overclock the e6600 and look into single graphic cards. i have a 24 inch dell monitor and would like to play new FPS games at a decent resolution at high-MAX settings.

what single graphics card do you recommend for under $300? anythingelse I could upgrade to improve my system or is it too late in the game to invest more money i this thing?

 

[Denithor]

G.Skill 2x2GB DDR2-800 $40
Xigmatek S1283 $37
Powercolor 4870 1GB $210AR

More RAM so you don't bottleneck. Buy the 2x2GB kit, some motherboards have problems overclocking with 4x1GB.

Better cooler, because you need to OC your CPU. Shoot for 3.0-3.6GHz (fsb 333 to 400 range). 3GHz will be easy, you may have to tweak more for 3.6GHz.

Great video card, best value available today. Runs about equal to GTX 260/216 but costs $40 less. Will make your games look great on that 24" LCD.

 

[Solek]

Originally posted by: Denithor
G.Skill 2x2GB DDR2-800 $40
Xigmatek S1283 $37
Powercolor 4870 1GB $210AR

More RAM so you don't bottleneck. Buy the 2x2GB kit, some motherboards have problems overclocking with 4x1GB.

Better cooler, because you need to OC your CPU. Shoot for 3.0-3.6GHz (fsb 333 to 400 range). 3GHz will be easy, you may have to tweak more for 3.6GHz.

Great video card, best value available today. Runs about equal to GTX 260/216 but costs $40 less. Will make your games look great on that 24" LCD.

ok... i have a fan... it's a arctic cooler 7 or something.... anyway.... i oc'd to 3.3 but i can't only get it to 3.15 stable... it doesnt seem to run much better....

about the RAM... i'm running XP so is there any point to get 4gb? what if i just get the 1 gb ram i cited above is that even worth it?

the graphics card looks good but is it worth in the longterm?

 

[Denithor]

Yes it's worth it. But the reason I suggested the 2x2GB is because if you add a third stick you may not even be able to hit 3GHz stable...

...and trust me, once you put a different video card in there, you'll notice the difference in CPU speed. A 3GHz C2D pushes a 4870 a lot harder than a 2.4GHz chip can.

 

[Solek]

In your opinion, how long could i reasonably go without needing another upgrade if i purchased the aforementioned RAM and GPU? I basically need this thing for sound recording/processing and I like to play the latest FPS on a 24 in monitor on max settings on occasion. Any thoughts?

 

[Denithor]

Well, I think you're going to need upgrades for games much sooner than for recording/processing work. A speedy dual right now is adequate for 95% of games but several have been released that play (much) better on quads and that will increase over time.

And note, the GPU is typically a lot more important for games than the CPU. At >3GHz I would guess your e6600 should last you probably at least another year or so before you would seriously consider replacing it. The 4870, probably a year-ish (depending, of course, on your choice of games). Remember you can always turn down resolution (1680x1050 scales well onto a 1920x1200 screen) to extend the useable life of your gear.

EDIT: In short - do these upgrades & you're probably good for 1.5 years, at which time expect a full overhaul.