Has my system hit the upgrade limit?

[JDrew]

Hi everyone,
It's spring, which can only mean that it's time to address the upgrade itch again😉
I have actually come to the conclusion that I do not wish to replace or do a massive update to my current system (specs below). Most games I have on the go or have played recently have run fairly well at 1920x1200 on my Westinghouse L2410NM (mostly FPS, RPG games) which is why I cannot justify a major upgrade - especially when one item might buy me a dozen or more games at the summer Steam sale! 😛
The question I have is whether my current system has any areas that could still benefit from an upgrade to stretch out its useful lifespan for a year or two more while providing a better usage experience (ie improvements only noticeable by benchmarking would not be useful).

I tried to fit this into the question template (below).

Thanks!
Drew

SPECS:
Q9550 @ 3.4ghz w/ Coolermaster Hyper 212+
Gigabyte EP45-UD3R
4GB (2X2) Corsair XMS2 DDR2-PC6400 800mhz
80GB Intel 320 series SSD (for OS and main programs)
640GB WD Black (for storage and games)
GTX 570 Twin Frozr II
Corsair HX650W power supply

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

Gaming; standard web, email, and Word/Excel use

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

roughly ~ $150 to $200 CDN

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

Canada

4. IF you're buying parts OUTSIDE the US, please post a link to the vendor you'll be buying from.
We can't be expected to scour the internet on your behalf, chasing down deals in your specific country... Again, help us, help YOU.

NCIX, Newegg, or TigerDirect are usually my go-to sources

5. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.

No preference

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

As many as possible for now

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

Yes, see specs above

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?

1920x1200

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?

Likely end of April/early May

 

[Sleepingforest]

I see a few potential upgrade spots:

• Watercooling
• Multi-monitor
• Just a newer GPU
• Bigger SSD
• Haswell, not necessarily for speed, but for PCIe 3.0 and USB 3.0
• New case for amenities and better cooling/sound
• Sound system: amp plus headphones
• Mechanical keyboard/gaming mouse

At this point, peripherals are probably a better place for your funds.

 

[aarontpx]

Short of essentially a brand new build...

At this point, peripherals are probably a better place for your funds.

 

[Blain]

Drop in another 4GB XMS2 kit.
Swap out that old Intel SSD for a 128GB Crucial M4.

Newegg 198.48 + shipping

 

[Termie]

In new games, 4GB of RAM will become a limiting factor. You might want to try buying an additional 4GB used due to the high prices of DDR2.

I don't think any other upgrades really make sense. Maybe try a gaming mouse if you don't have one. I find the Logitech g9x much better for gaming than the wireless mice that otherwise work great for general use.

 

[mfenn]

In new games, 4GB of RAM will become a limiting factor. You might want to try buying an additional 4GB used due to the high prices of DDR2.

Agree. RAM was the big thing that jumped out at me as well.

 

[JDrew]

OK - thanks for the feedback. Adding in an extra 4GB of RAM should be fairly straightforward. I wanted to follow up on the comment that peripherals might be a better investment for my setup. Given my setup, what would your opinions be as to swapping out my 24" Westinghouse (bought in summer 2007) for the following:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?p_id=9579&seq=1&format=2

I left my question in the "general hardware" forum as my second concern would be how trying to power a 2560x1440 monitor would affect the performance of my setup as is.

Thanks again,
Drew

 

[Joeydubbs]

I don't know about that particular brand of monitor however, if you are planning on gaming at 1440p you are gonna need a much stronger computer (think rebuild with high end video card)

 

[mfenn]

I don't know about that particular brand of monitor however, if you are planning on gaming at 1440p you are gonna need a much stronger computer (think rebuild with high end video card)

The Monoprice monitor looks like yet another of the innumerable variations on cheap Korean IPS monitors. It's not going to beat your high-end Dell Ultrasharps, but it is a pretty decent deal at $390.

I agree that the OP would need a serious upgrade to actually game at native res, but he can always drop it down to a lower res in games (or run windowed). The extra screen real estate is a nice bonus for general productivity.