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Has MY time come to UPGRADE?? YOUR Opinion please

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DarkFudge2000

Senior member
Folks...I'm a very insecure person and always have that "have to keep up with the Jones" mentality. I've been wrestling with the idea of getting a new computer but have still been on the fence for the last few months

My current system is:

Intel P4 2.8 overclocked to 3.1ghz
Asus P4C800 Deluxe Motherboard
1 Gig of Buffalo PC3700 RAM
NVidia GeForce 6800GS AGP video card with 256 RAM
SATA 300gig Maxtor HD

I'm a big time gamer and currently play stuff like Supreme Commander, Stalker, C&C 3 Tiberium Wars, Test Drive Unleashed, Oblivion, ect , ect....

I've noticed that many of my games settings need to be really tweaked down to get them running at a high 60+fps so my big question is:

What system can I now build, with overclocking in mind to get the MOST BANG for my dollar and not still spend a fortune on the latest cutting edge technology?

I usually love to overclock my video cards and CPUs and try to keep my system parts between $1000 and $1400 tops when I do my periodic system upgrade

I havent been following the latest and hottest cpu trends since the P4 days so I could use a little help in building the affordable dream machine


What are all your opinions?...and do you think its worth it to upgrade from my current system now?

thanks
 
Rumor has it that Intel will be slashing 20-40% off their procs on April 22. The Q6600 is one of those supposedly going for a 40% price cut, making it around $500...but otherwise, no real numbers per proc at this time.

But considering your budget, you'll likely go with a dual-core instead. Even with only a 20% price cut, the E6600 will probably be the "sweet spot" for price/performance.

Right around that time, AMD might release the R600...or they might perpetuate the inherited Bitboys joke. If the R600 is released, the 8800 GTX will likely get a fast, decent reduction in price as well, which together with the CPU price cuts, would set you up nicely...that is, if you can wait another 4-8 weeks.
 
If you wanna spend a lot get a new system - otherwise adding another gig of ram and upgrading your video card will be more than adequate for the next year or so (barring the ability to play games with the extra DX10 features)
 
Job, just remember that I have an AGP video card and that seems to be my system's achilles heal....there arent many AGP options out there today...at least not many that are much better than my 6800 GS


I'm really thinking about simply just rebuilding a new system

Can I use my existing ATX case and Power Supply for today's current cpu and motherboard upgrades?


What is the absolute sweetest spot in terms of price/performance bang for the buck if Im willing to spend $1000

I can use my current 300gig HD, DVD writable drive, Antec 500Watt Smart PSU, and ThermalTake ATX case if these are all compatible
 
Originally posted by: DarkFudge2000
Can I use my existing ATX case and Power Supply for today's current cpu and motherboard upgrades?
Click to expand...
Yes, but depending on the videocard, the PSU may be a bit underpowered.
What is the absolute sweetest spot in terms of price/performance bang for the buck if Im willing to spend $1000
Click to expand...
The E4300, and overclock the bejeezus out of it. That would leave extra room for something in the area of an 8800 GTS.
 
There's a question only you can answer. It'd be silly for PC game mfrs to not build to your specs when you're in the top half in performance for the target market, so you'll still be able to play just at reduced settings and only you can tell if they bother you to the point of upgrade. Lot's of people say why wait when there will be another tech just around the corner, and that philosophy works for them, where I'm more of the school that the longer I wait the more I can save and the better value I'll receive. I'm pretty close to your system and there are things I want to do that I can't, but I don't want to spend that much cash for. But that's me and you are certainly different. I see DX10 as my next upgrade once drivers stabilize (they have somewhat, it seems) and prices fall (even more). I'm waiting out reaching a saturation in the market where there will be more apps designed to take advantage of the architecture. It seems the point where I can't do what I want my system to do. I say wait for evolutionary architectural changes, the system you build will have a longer shelf life that way. At 4 years old this May, aside from a number of upgrades, my PC still does everything I need (not necessarily want) and will make a good PC for a friend when I upgrade.
 
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