Suggestions as to what to upgrade first

[Eomer of Aldburg]

It's been several years since I've really been into computers and upgrades. Here is the computer I want to upgrade this year. I have a low res 720P HDTV so most of my gaming is done at 1366 X 768. I'd really like to get a CPU + MB for no more then 250$ and a videocard for about 200-300$

Intel E6420 @ 3.04Ghz
Gigabyte Socket 775 MB
3GB G Skill DDR2 Ram
EVGA 8800GTS 640MB
2 X 500GB HDD
1 X 160Gb HDD
An older Hiper 580 Watts PSU

I just bought a new 2TB HDD for more space, arriving Monday 6/13. I am thinking of maybe upgrading to a quadcore and keeping my motherboard. I am also wondering about an Intel Core i5-760 Lynnfield 2.8GHz but they are a little out of my price range. What about an AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz? For videocard I was thinking a Radeon HD 6950 maybe this one?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-523-_-Product

 

[mfenn]

First things first, I would probably upgrade the PSU. It doesn't need to be higher capacity than the one you have, but it should be newer and have a higher rating on the 12V for a modern system. Check out the Antec HCG 520W.

As for the CPU, you'll either need to save up a bit more or spend some of the GPU money on the CPU (just give us an overall budget to work with, arbitrarily dividing things up before you start is silly). This is because of two factors:
(a) You're not going to get significantly better performance per clock out of a DDR2 (read: AMD) platform.
(b) You've got DDR2 and would need to buy DDR3.

$295 gets you a nice i5 2400 + GA-Z68-D3H motherboard and $60 gets you 8GB of G.Skill DDR3 1333.

Your GPU choice looks good however and should last you quite a while at 720P.

 

[fffblackmage]

+1 to mfenn's recommendations.

I do think that the 6950 is rather overkill for 720p gaming though. If need be, I would sacrifice the gpu a bit to make sure you get the SB platform.

 

[Eomer of Aldburg]

This is the PSU I'm using
http://www.extremeoverclocking.com/reviews/cases/Hiper_TypeR_580W_1.html

My budget would be around 500$ Would the motherboard that came with that combo be able to overclock the i5?

I split it up because I planning on upgrading part of my PC now and the rest of it later in fall because it's a bit easier on my budget, ( I also hardly use my computer during summer) and could spend a little more like 600$. Should I simply save up the money and upgrade it all at once around September?

If the above is a good idea, should I upgrade the CPU/MB/Ram first or the GPU?

Thanks for the replies guys.

 

[Morg.]

If you can wait, wait.

If you don't want to wait, the answer is extremely simple, GPU will always make the biggest difference.

Unlike what fffstuff said, the 720p argument is irrelevant, your Gfx will not play MEtro 2033 on very high, an hd 6950 will do it easily.

With 500 bucks, I would buy :
I5-2500k : 175
Gigabyte P67 D3 B3: 105
Gigabyte HD6950 : 220

And then I would go and steal money to buy some DDR3 Ram - I'd advise 8 gig at this point but you can do with 4 in the near future -> don't forget the 64bit OS.

And then I would sell some drugs to kids in order to buy the Mugen 2 Rev.B to overclock said I5-2500k -> it's enough to reach 5ghz (if you also bought AS5 tim).

Besides, don't listen to G.Skill fans they're mad : Corsair, G.Skill, Mushkin, OCz are all fine as long as you don't find webpages talking about serious recurring issues when you google the following : (<Ram name> problem) and (<Ram name> <Motherboard name> problem).

Also, don't listen to Antec fans, it's not really the most interesting PSU vendor - check out the others and the reviews - or buy Corsair.

That PSU can do it, it's only 20 watts below what I recommend to OC and unlock above configuration, I just wouldn't like using such a low efficiency PSU due to the cooling requirements.

I didn't see anything about a computer case ?

If you don't have one, go for anything like an Anted one hundred, i.E. top and back cpu exhaust, possibility of VGA fan, bottom-mount PSU, enough room for a long GFX.

So definitely :
step1. upgrade GFX
step2. upgrade CPU/MOBO/RAM/Cpu-cooler
step3. if your case sucks, replace it, you don't want an air starved 277 watts GPU or a 90&#176;C sandy bridge
step4. if you get issues with your psu / don't like the 80&#176;C operating temperature, get a modern PSU

Big advantage of doing this is that bulldozer is around the corner, and if you buy around september you'll have the market tidal wave going for you

 

[Eomer of Aldburg]

Thanks Morg. your post was very useful and it contained exactly what I need to know. My case is made from Lian-li and I adore it, I think ill keep using it for the new build.

I'll try saving up the entire lump sum first, If I cant wait, I'll follow your steps.

What exactly do you mean by, "Big advantage of doing this is that bulldozer is around the corner, and if you buy around september you'll have the market tidal wave going for you "? What is Bulldozer?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Besides, don't listen to G.Skill fans they're mad : Corsair, G.Skill, Mushkin, OCz are all fine as long as you don't find webpages talking about serious recurring issues when you google the following : (<Ram name> problem) and (<Ram name> <Motherboard name> problem).

Also, don't listen to Antec fans, it's not really the most interesting PSU vendor - check out the others and the reviews - or buy Corsair.

G.Skill fans mad? No, just satisfied customers.

OP, avoid OCZ RAM, they left the RAM market altogether, because their products had so many issues. The other three RAM brands are fine.

Antec PSUs are generally solid, and generally, they are cheaper than alternatives, like Corsair. If you don't mind paying a premium, though, Corsair are some of the best. (As are Seasonic, XFX, and perhaps Enermax.)

 

[mfenn]

What Larry said.

I'm not sure what kind of lala land Morg is living in where he can get an i5 2500K for $175, but it's about $225 where I've seen.

And it's really interesting that he recommends Corsair over Antec when the both just rebrand Seasonic and CWT power supplies. And it's really interesting that he didn't even bother to look at the specs of the Hiper PSU to see that it only does 380W combined on the 12V rails (which is well a modern PC draws the bulk of its current).

 

[Eomer of Aldburg]

What Larry said.

I'm not sure what kind of lala land Morg is living in where he can get an i5 2500K for $175, but it's about $225 where I've seen.

And it's really interesting that he recommends Corsair over Antec when the both just rebrand Seasonic and CWT power supplies. And it's really interesting that he didn't even bother to look at the specs of the Hiper PSU to see that it only does 380W combined on the 12V rails (which is well a modern PC draws the bulk of its current).

Does that mean I have to replace my PSU as well? How many watts/ amps should a PSU supply over the 12V rails for a 6950 +i5 Series? for the Antec link the specs state: 12V@40A = 480 Watts. Is that correct?

 

[Zap]

Also, don't listen to Antec fans, it's not really the most interesting PSU vendor - check out the others and the reviews - or buy Corsair.

You shouldn't listen to the Corsair fans either. Otherwise you would have been deafened by their howls of rage and gnashing teeth when Corsair released the CX430 power supply. :awe:

Both Corsair and Antec (and most other "brands" on the market) just rebadge PSUs made by Asian manufacturers. Often they use the exact same Asian manufacturers too.

Does that mean I have to replace my PSU as well?

Eh? You're probably fine. That Hiper PSU isn't that great compared to the best that is available now, but it is far from the worst.

Here are my thoughts...

Gaming only at 720p? Your old graphics card is holding you back, but no need to aim too high unless you plan to upgrade your screen in the future. I think even a GTX 460 1GB (but NOT the SE version) would suffice quite nicely.

How is your 3GB RAM configured? What I'm getting at is are you still running in a dual channel configuration? If not, make it so, number one. Even if you have to drop down to 2GB, running in dual channel may give you more performance than the extra GB.

Once you've gotten your graphics card and made sure you are running RAM in dual channel mode, see how well it plays your games.

For upgrades beyond that, you are looking at a motherboard, CPU and RAM. Since you are still saving up, aim for around $300 AFTER you do the graphics card upgrade. Then, once you have saved up, go for the latest platform. This means socket 1155 or whatever can take Bulldozer (if it is out by then). For socket 1155, $300 can get you a cheap CPU, overclockable motherboard (for when you upgrade CPUs) and 4GB dual channel DDR3.

 

[betasub]

^ I'm still not convinced that dual-channel gives enough of a performance boost (is OP really memory bandwidth limited?), that it's worth dropping from 3GB down to 2GB on a gaming system.

But agree that upgrading the graphics card is the right move, just get something that would fit well with a new screen or new platform.

 

[mfenn]

Does that mean I have to replace my PSU as well? How many watts/ amps should a PSU supply over the 12V rails for a 6950 +i5 Series? for the Antec link the specs state: 12V@40A = 480 Watts. Is that correct?

You should be OK (an i7 and 6950 2GB only draw 292W while playing Crysis). You should keep the knowledge that your PSU is really only a 380W PSU when hooked up to modern hardware because newer stuff draws most everything from the 12V rail.

 

[Eomer of Aldburg]

You should be OK (an i7 and 6950 2GB only draw 292W while playing Crysis). You should keep the knowledge that your PSU is really only a 380W PSU when hooked up to modern hardware because newer stuff draws most everything from the 12V rail.

Thanks will do!

 

[Morg.]

Thanks Morg. your post was very useful and it contained exactly what I need to know. My case is made from Lian-li and I adore it, I think ill keep using it for the new build.

I'll try saving up the entire lump sum first, If I cant wait, I'll follow your steps.

What exactly do you mean by, "Big advantage of doing this is that bulldozer is around the corner, and if you buy around september you'll have the market tidal wave going for you "? What is Bulldozer?

Bulldozer is the new AMD, 32nm, and it's going to make a dent in the market, either by being more interesting at the price point you're looking at, or by lowering the prices of more interesting Intel alternatives, the next big hit anyway.

 

[Morg.]

@Virtual Larry:
Corsair or G.Skill, for the same product, no difference --

Enermax > Antec

@Mfenn:
I live in Europe land, where $$ don't exist and &#8364;&#8364; rock

Your PSU comment is obviously not very ... , 380 watts -95 watts (i52500knonOC) -250watts (6950nonOC) = 35 watts, enough.


All in all, that PSU will hold before you OC, and you'll need both a cooler and another PSU to overclock.

 

[mfenn]

@Mfenn:
I live in Europe land, where $$ don't exist and €€ rock

Your PSU comment is obviously not very ... , 380 watts -95 watts (i52500knonOC) -250watts (6950nonOC) = 35 watts, enough.


All in all, that PSU will hold before you OC, and you'll need both a cooler and another PSU to overclock.

See my post #12 right above yours.

Also, a stock 6950 2GB does not draw 250W. It is PowerTune capped at 200W.

 

[Eomer of Aldburg]

You guys rock! Anandtech once again is definitely the place for solid advise.
I've also decided to wait till Autumn and do a full system upgrade, I think that's the best decision

 

[Zap]

^ I'm still not convinced that dual-channel gives enough of a performance boost (is OP really memory bandwidth limited?), that it's worth dropping from 3GB down to 2GB on a gaming system.

Probably depends on the game and what is running in the background. For instance something like SupCom was known to be real RAM heavy.

Something else to consider is generally speaking no game will ever require over 2GB on its own. Of course you have to add Windows and anything running in the background to that number.

 

[Morg.]

See my post #12 right above yours.

Also, a stock 6950 2GB does not draw 250W. It is PowerTune capped at 200W.

Thanks I'm unfamiliar with stock stuff ... not like I'd ever let a bit of hardware pass through my hands untweaked --