Time for an upgrade!

[JE78]

Here's what I have now:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6400
Asus P5N-E SLI
G.Skill 2GB DDR2 800Mhz
ATI 1950 Pro PCI-E
Cooler Master Centurion 5
1x Seagate 320gb SATA2
2x WD 200gb IDE
NEC 3500 DVD-RW
Windows Vista Home Premium

I'm not sure what to upgrade but i'd like to beable to run COD4 and 5 at around high settings. Right now I run COD4 at around medium but on cretin maps it gets choppy. COD is the most graphics intense game I run so i'm basing everything off of that. I'm thinking of just upgrading the graphics card and adding another 2GB of ram but i'm wondering if I upgrade the GPU if the CPU will hold it back. Just looking for options right now, suggestions welcome. Thanks.

 

[zerocool84]

Videocard

Your cpu isn't that bad and you can overclock it or just get a better one later but it's fine for COD4. Check out the sticky Attention System Builders for some videocards. It all depends on how much you want to spend.

 

[Denithor]

Yep, your GPU is holding you back. What resolution do you use for gaming? If 1680x1050 (22" LCD) or below go for either a 9800GT (~$110AR) or a 4850 (~140AR). If 1920x1200 or above go for GTX 260 or 1GB 4870.

And overclock that e6400. 3GHz is an easy target and will noticeably improve the performance of your whole system.

 

[JE78]

My max resolution is 1680x1050 on a 22" LCD Could you suggest a GPU with a ATI chipset? Each time I decide to give nVidia a try something goes wrong so i'd like to stay with ATI, thanks. Also, its been a while, could some one point me to a overclicking site for the 6400? Thanks.

EDIT: just realized 4850/4870 are ATI cards, sorry its been a while.

 

[JE78]

I'm about to place my order, is this the ASUS the best 4850 ATI card to get? http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814121253

 

[Denithor]

Asus 4850 w/aftermarket cooler $150AR

Better cooling. As these cards are known for high temps, this is somewhat important.

And for overclocking instructions go to the CPU & Overclocking forum and see the stickied guide there.

 

[JE78]

Thanks, I tried my hand at overclocking last night, increased my FSB to 1450 and increased the Vcore voltage to 1.40 and i'm running 6400 at 2.9 now with an idle temp of 46c. 3.1 is my goal, i'm just worried about temps.

 

[JE78]

The Asus cards seem to run pretty hot from the reviews on NewEgg. Has anyone had any experience with them?

 

[flxnimprtmscl]

Originally posted by: JE78
Thanks, I tried my hand at overclocking last night, increased my FSB to 1450 and increased the Vcore voltage to 1.40 and i'm running 6400 at 2.9 now with an idle temp of 46c. 3.1 is my goal, i'm just worried about temps.

That voltage is pretty high for 2.9. Go search for some e6400 overclocking threads in the CPUs and overclocking forum here. Not to mention the "How to Overclock your Dual/Quad Core" sticky at the top. I'd drop those volts down to at least 1.3 until you get better cooling. I'm assuming you're on a stock hsf judging from your temps.

 

[JE78]

Actually I have a ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro. After I installed it my temps only dropped a few degrees celsius.

 

[JE78]

I tried to bump up to 3.0 but can't get it stable. I put it back at 2.9 but it kept locking up on me when I lowered the voltage on the Vcore. So i'm back to 2.9 at 1.4 on the Vcore, idle at 46c and 51c at load.