Planning a small upgrade.

[KeithTalent]

I've really been out of the loop, but now I'm looking to get a new CPU, GPU and probably hard drive, for gaming at 1920x1200.

My current system is as follows:

Mobo: Intel Badaxe 2 LGA775

CPU: C2D E6600

GPU: HD2900XT

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB

Case: LIAN-LI V Cool PC-V1200 A-PLUS Silver EATX

PSU: ThermalTake Tough Power 1200W

RAM: Corsair Value Select PC2-4200 4GB 4X1GB DDR2-533

OS: Vitsa Ultimate 64

Looking to spend around $500 all in at the absolute max and please keep in mind I am in Canada. If I cannot squeeze in a hard drive for that, then I will just skip it for now.

I am very much out of the loop, but am just trying to get the biggest bang for my buck, so any recommendations would be very much appreciated. Based on my initial research, well I'm not really sure what to do. :hmm:

Thanks in advance.

KT

 

[KeithTalent]

Ok, after a bit of digging around, these caught my eye:

CPU - Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...ufacture=Intel

GPU - XFX Radeon HD 4870 750MHZ 1GB 3.6GHZ GDDR5
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...anufacture=XFX

No idea on hard drives and it looks like most of them would put me over my budget.

Anyone have thoughts? Good value?

KT

Edit: is a 5770 better than a 4870 for gaming in general? I see some conflicting information out there. :hmm:

 

[Jd007]

For the most part the 5770 is about on par with the 4870. When you crank up the AA and resolution (2560 x 1600) though, the higher memory bandwidth of the 4870 starts to kick in and the 5770 loses, but not by too much. However, considering that the 5770 consumes much less power, has DX11 and Eyefinity support, and your screen resolution, I'd say the 5770 is a better choice for you.

That CPU is pretty good (for your platform), and if you can OC it a bit you'll get a really power chip for $200. As for a hard drive, look for Western Digital Caviar Black series.

 

[KeithTalent]

Cool, thanks. I just got an e-mail from NCIX and the 5770 went on sale for $169, so I think I will jump on that.

I do not and will not overclock, so taking that into account, is that CPU still decent or for a few dollars more is it worth going for something else?

Thanks again.

KT

 

[Ichigo]

Cool, thanks. I just got an e-mail from NCIX and the 5770 went on sale for $169, so I think I will jump on that.

I do not and will not overclock, so taking that into account, is that CPU still decent or for a few dollars more is it worth going for something else?

Thanks again.

KT

The Q8300 seems to be $40 cheaper, and then you can get a $300 HD5850. That will definitely net you more gaming performance.

 

[MisterDonut]

Unless you really need the quad core, the E6600 is a classic chip, imo, and runs almost every game out there without a problem. I have a buddy running it on stock with stock cooler, and he has no complaints yet (except the broken pump on his WC setup...which is why it's at stock =/). If you want that extra speed though, MC has 9550's for like $170...

The 5770 is the better choice, but like Ichigo said, if you can move money around for that 5850, it's better to sacrifice some CPU for the GPU.

If there is money left over, go with a WD Caviar Black 640gb or a Samsung Spinpoint. They're close in most of the benchmarks I've read.

 

[KeithTalent]

Well I hopped on the 5770 price, I just could not resist.

I've wanted a quad for a while, but you're right, I'm not really sure I need it.

I was almost thinking of skipping the quad and getting a new HDD and an upgrade to Windows 7. :hmm:

How does this look for an HDD for $99.99 if I go that route:

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...D&promoid=1043

Western Digital WD15EARS Caviar Green 1.5TB SATA 64MB Cache 3.5IN Hard Drive OEM

Thanks for all the help so far! :awe:

KT

 

[MisterDonut]

I haven't benched or read any benches on the Green series, but I believe they're for storage, meaning lower power consumption but not necessarily better performance? But I don't know much about them. From my experience though, the WD Caviar Black or Samsung Spinpoint F3 are both really fast drives, likely some of the fastest mechanical ones out there (other than overpriced Raptors).

Yeah, you might as well wait to see how the 1156 and 1366 sockets move along. No point in buying another 775 if you have to upgrade fairly soon. Save money bro!

 

[KeithTalent]

Good points all around. I did not know anything about these "green" drives, but it appears that one runs at 5,400 RPM, which would make it slower than my current drive and I do not want that.

For the same price I can get a 7,200 RPM 1TB drive: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=31000&vpn=WD1001FALS&manufacture=Western%20Digital%20WD&promoid=1043



So if I pick that up and get a copy of Win7, I can get both for $318, which seems decent, unless anyone else has any bright ideas? :hmm:

KT

 

[jae]

Thats a great drive, if you want to save money and dont really need a full TeraByte of storage, look for the WD Black 640GB or Samsung Spinpoint 500GB.

 

[betasub]

No idea why so many ppl are selecting the Green drives on their first draft list of components - is it because they are significantly cheaper?

Anyway, glad to see that OP is aware that they are slower than the equivalent Black or Blue drives, so Green aren't recommended as boot/OS drives. The low power/heat of Green drives does make them ideal for poorly cooled areas e.g. "silent" systems, external enclosures etc.

 

[Arglebargle]

The value of a quadcore upgrade really depends on what you are playing/using. A sizeable chunk of the games I play now do utilize a multicore setup. (DA:O, GTA4, etc...). If what you play mostly doesn't then it might not be the best use of your upgrade budget.

Either path (quadcore or OS/HD) will improve things. Just different things. Your new 5770 should be a huge jump up, and make the biggest difference.

What version of Win7 are you looking at that costs $200 plus? Are you going to be using the extra features?

 

[KeithTalent]

I installed my 5770 last night and it is very nice. So much quieter and seems to consume much less power than my old 2900XT.

Just finished installing the 1TB 7,200 RPM WD HDD I linked above and Windows 7 Ultimate 64. Got them both all in (including taxes) for $333, which seems decent to me. Sure is nice to have triple the storage I had.

If I can find a cheap/used 775 Quad to plunk into my PC, I'll go ahead and do so, but that's probably not too likely. I think this should handle everything ok for now.

KT

 

[zerocool84]

I installed my 5770 last night and it is very nice. So much quieter and seems to consume much less power than my old 2900XT.

Just finished installing the 1TB 7,200 RPM WD HDD I linked above and Windows 7 Ultimate 64. Got them both all in (including taxes) for $333, which seems decent to me. Sure is nice to have triple the storage I had.

If I can find a cheap/used 775 Quad to plunk into my PC, I'll go ahead and do so, but that's probably not too likely. I think this should handle everything ok for now.

KT

The Newegg prices seem to be cheaper than NCIX.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...ue&Order=PRICE

 

[KeithTalent]

The Newegg prices seem to be cheaper than NCIX.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...ue&Order=PRICE

It does appear to be about $15 cheaper, but NCIX is about 3 minutes from my house, so no shipping and I have it almost instantly. :hmm:

Knowing me I'll end up buying the damn thing by the end of the week anyway.

KT