Suggestions for upgrade

[br0f]

So I kind of got that you guys don't really like this kind of post, but I would like some input from a knowledgeable community on my computer before I buy an upgrade.

I bought the computer in 2008 and I've added just one upgrade since. It is a dell XPS 630i, and the specs are:
Corsair 850-Watt TX
Intel Q6600 @ 2.7ghz
4gb DDR2 stock ram @ 800mhz
OEM Mobo, nforce 650i (watered down)
GTX 580

Lately, I have not been satisfied with the performance of the PC. It cannot achieve 60fps in Black ops or MW3, barely gets 60 in minecraft, barely ever rises ever 45 in Crysis 2 and overall framerate is very inconsistent.
I think this is a combination of the incompetency of the RAM, CPU, and especially the motherboard.

1. What PC will be used for: Gaming

2. Budget: 600-700$

3. Country I will be ordering parts from: US

4. Brand preferences: Nvidia and Intel

5. Current parts I will be using: My GPU, PSU, hard drive, sound card, and disk drive.

6. Have I searched similar threads?: Yes

7. Do I plan on overclocking?: Yes

8. Resolution I play on: 1920x1200

9. WHEN do I plan to build it?: December 2011

 

[Puppies04]

So I kind of got that you guys don't really like this kind of post, but I would like some input from a knowledgeable community on my computer before I buy an upgrade.

No idea where you got that idea from but do yourself a favour and copy/paste and fill in the sticky from the top of this forum and please read guidelines before posting in a forum as you obviously didn't.

 

[br0f]

I read it, and tried to answer all the questions. I didn't know that I had to actually copy and paste it.

 

[janas19]

Advice: check Craigslist for local sellers of 775 boards and RAM. A $100 upgrade of mobo and RAM may give you the freshen-up you are wanting.

I don't think the Q6600 is a bottleneck, can anyone else verify this??

 

[DesiPower]

I think CPU will be a bottleneck, its time to upgrade. If I understand this correctly, you already have GPU and want to spend additional $600-700, thats a great budget! here are some ideas

ASUS P8Z68-V/GEN3 - $189
i5-2500K - $225
Crucial M4 SSD 128GB - $210
G.SKILL Sniper 8GB - $42

The total is still under 700, is you need OS and Case you might want to look for a different SSD...

 

[lehtv]

^ Agree in principle, but too expensive mobo, Asrock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 would be fine, or Asrock Z68 Pro3 or Asus P8Z68-V LE if there's no need for dual-GPU.

Sexy Crucial 1600MHz RAM for $40. Or G.Skill Sniper 1600 for $44.

 

[mfenn]

The parts that lehtv suggested are good, but I don't know if you need an upgrade just yet.

The parts that you posted should perform much better than what you're seeing. In particular, Black Ops and MW3 are not terribly intensive (a single 2500K core is good for over 100FPS). Have you tried doing a clean install of Windows?

 

[br0f]

Yes mfenn, I've tried everything. I heard from other customers of this system that the stock mobo is crap.

 

[Subyman]

I agree with mfenn, something fishy is going on here. That rig shouldn't be running minecraft with any stuttering and should rip COD up. I would follow his recommendation of reinstalling windows and reinstalling all of your drivers. Double check inside windows that you indeed have those specs. I've heard of people purchasing machines and never actually checking that the machine they received has the parts they ordered only to later find out there had been a mess up.

I just don't see how the mobo could have that drastic of an effect unless it has like a 2x PCIe channel...

 

[mfenn]

Yes mfenn, I've tried everything. I heard from other customers of this system that the stock mobo is crap.

Have you tried turning off your OC? It could be that you're putting out too much heat and causing the Q6600 to throttle. Check your temps with CoreTemp or HWMonitor both OCed and at stock.

 

[br0f]

I am entirely sure that these are my specs. The mobo has an 8x PCIe channel, which I think robs me of a few fps. I'll try monitoring the CPU temp and turning down the OC. Thanks for all the help.

 

[br0f]

After playing Minecraft for 5 minutes, my CPU temp was 70 degrees... I'll definitely turn down the OC.

 

[br0f]

Performance increased only slightly.

 

[mfenn]

What are the new temps?

 

[br0f]

Thank you everyone for the suggestions, I have ordered and received the upgraded parts:
P8Z68-V pro
I7 2600k
8gb DDR3 Ballistix 1600mhz

I have never installed a mobo before and I ran into some trouble. The system passes POST, and shows a display, but after the first splash screen I get a "CPU over-temperature error."

In setup it says the temperature is 96C. I know that this cannot be true, because it never varies a tenth of a percent, and I waited about half an hour and started it back up and the temperature was exactly the same. Afterwards when I try to start windows it will get to the windows splash screen and crash. I have tried safe mode and the same problem occurred. I checked the heatsink's connection, and it was as tight as possible.

I am very appreciative of the help given to me in picking out these parts, and I will be very happy if I can get some help figuring this out.

 

[br0f]

Never mind, I just didn't tighten the heatsink. And again, I cannot thank all of you enough!

 

[mfenn]

Never mind, I just didn't tighten the heatsink. And again, I cannot thank all of you enough!

Yep, that'll do it every time. :awe: It's a testament to the thermal management in modern processors that the chip just stopped instead of burning itself up. Glad you got everything working!