To upgrade or not, that is the question!

[Dannar26]

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

Gaming primarily. The wife does some photo shop work as well.

2. What YOUR budget is.

The budget is tough to say. I'm trying to re-use as much as I can to knock the price down. I'd say around 500, but it would be awesome to go in for less.

3.What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

I'm in north eastern (PA) of the United States

4. IF YOU have a brand preference.

I am not brand myopic.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

As stated previously, I want to re-use all I can. Here's what I have:


CPU – Intel Core Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4 LGA 775

MoBo – Asus Striker II NSE LGA 7775 NVIDIA nForce 790 SLI AXT intel board

Memory – Patriot Viper DDR3 1600 4 gigs, 2 sticks at 2 gigs per (7 CAS latency and an unusually high voltage, 2.0V)

Video Card – (this thing is a whale) EVGA 896-P3-1257-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 Superclocked Edition 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI EX 2.0x16 HDCP and SLI ready.

Storage – WD Caviar Blue WD3200AAJS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA

Power – Thermaltake W0106RU 700W

OS – Win XP


I want to reuse the video card, the RAM, the power source, and possibly the HDD. Bolded for effect.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

I have yet to overclock. I'm not against it. Just a bit too scared to do it myself.

8. What resolution will you be using?

1600x900 is as far as my monitor goes. Curse you lack of 1080p!

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?

No rush at all. Present computer is fine. If there's something really good coming down the line in a few months, I'll totally hold off. I'm trying to make an informed decision here.

10. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system?

Every computer I own or interact with has windows XP. I think it's about time to get 7 going, being stuck in the past with a cap of 3 gigs of ram is a bit lame, not to mention being stuck in a 32 bit environment.

The reason I listed all of my current components is because I initially planned on just grabbing windows 7 and some extra ram and calling it a day. None of my friends really seem enthused by this decision, and I keep getting feed back to the tune of “dont sink money into this, just save up and get a new one.”

My wife's mother-in-law picked up a new dell from best buy yesterday (i3, 6 gigs ram, 1TB hd), and if I could put a video card in this thing, I'm sure it would be quite awesome. She paid 600...but it was for the entire setup, 1080 P 21inch monitor and KSM. Just got me thinking.

Pending what you guys think of the video card, I imagine that a new mobo and CPU would go a long way to making my own rig a lot better. But I don't know what to look at. It's obvious that I'm going the cheaper route here. I know that intel has the market right now with its i(x) chips. AMD isn't good like it was back in the early part of the 2000's. The FX-4100 seemes like a good bang-to-buck ratio buy, because the intel core i's are a bit salty.

I thank you for reading this far. You deserve a pat on the back for your efforts, and possibly a biscuit. So, what do you think I should do?

 

[Seattle51]

First off, I am a noob builder.....just built my first computer. I did a lot of research, mostly reviewing posts on this forum though.

If you can get yourself to a Micro Center you can get:

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0371775

and

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354589,

If you buy the MOBO and CPU together they will give you an additional $50 dollars off.....

That $250 spent will really kick up your system....

 

[fralexandr]

since the upgrade isn't too pressing, you could wait for ivybridge, save up a bit more money, and do a completely new build and give your wife the old computer (or something)

ivybridge is ~3 months out and has some minor improvements i.e. 10-15% performance, a pretty significant load power consumption savings, somewhat beefier integrated GPU (not really important since you'll be using a dedicated one... unless DESKTOP OPTIMUS ever comes out... although it probably won't support the gtx 280)

also, you're planning on upgrading a GAMING computer and not upgrading the GPU?
probably all for the best though, maybe wait for the 7850/70 and kepler

 

[Ken g6]

I initially planned on just grabbing windows 7 and some extra ram and calling it a day.

Actually, this doesn't look like a bad idea to me. You can do a number of upgrades with what you've got, without blocking a new CPU/mobo, because DDR3, PCIe, and heat sinks aren't going out of style.

Amazingly, your mobo takes DDR3, so you can get 8GB no problem.

You didn't list your case or heat sink, but at some point I'd recommend getting a modern aftermarket heat sink that's compatible with LGA775 and LGA1155 and trying overclocking.

Upgrading the GPU was the first thing I thought of, but you really ought to wait for Kepler to see how prices will shake out.

 

[mfenn]

There is a Microcenter near King of Prussia, so upgrading the CPU and mobo is definitely reasonable. The combo that Seattle51 listed is good.

i5 2500K + P8Z68-V LX $250 @ MC
PNY DDR3 1333 8GB $35 - your RAM is too high voltage

Does your budget include Windows 7? Also, what types of games do you play? A GTX 260 Core 216 is getting a little long in the tooth at this point.

 

[Slugbait]

I'm leaning toward Ken_g6, with a different suggestion.

Basically, get the RAM and Win7. Optional: get a beefy HSF and overclock.

But get a big-ass, color-accurate, performance monitor. Your current monitor would become your secondary monitor (seriously, besides my HTPCs, I haven't had a single-monitor setup since the 20th century...how retro!). That monitor would follow you regardless of future upgrades.

Then decide later if you really need more muscle. Cuz right now, you're kinda in the middle, which ain't that bad.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

I'm leaning toward Ken_g6, with a different suggestion.

Basically, get the RAM and Win7. Optional: get a beefy HSF and overclock.

But get a big-ass, color-accurate, performance monitor. Your current monitor would become your secondary monitor (seriously, besides my HTPCs, I haven't had a single-monitor setup since the 20th century...how retro!). That monitor would follow you regardless of future upgrades.

Then decide later if you really need more muscle. Cuz right now, you're kinda in the middle, which ain't that bad.

:thumbsup:
Your Quad is still good, just have to OC that baby

 

[Dannar26]

My typical gaming involves WoW, SC2, Minecraft, and Diablo 3 when it gets here. The games run fine, but WoW in particular takes AGES to load up. Maybe that's a bottleneck of my HDD? I also liked the idea of loading Win7 on a small SSD and using my present HDD for storage of my junk (my music; her pictures).

The heat sink is...::cowers::...the OEM one >.< Don't hit me!

The case is a black mesh cooler master. Breathes nicely, but I feel that it may collect dust more quickly. I'll have to edit in the exact model...using tapatalk from my phone at work.

I see someone reccomended different RAM. I feared I might have to scrap the existing stuff due to the hard-to-match timings and voltage. But you're suggesting I get a different speed of ddr3? 1333 instead of 1600? Why would I do that...the price? If someone could educate my nubbiness...

And for getting 7...OEM or the full version? With all the negative attention on 8, I guess the next rig I build will also go for 7. Just hate spending $200 on the OS...

Duely blundered from my thunderdolt

 

[Slugbait]

...but WoW in particular takes AGES to load up. Maybe that's a bottleneck of my HDD?

Correct. Even when it was first released, it wasn't one of the faster drives out there. You'll see a 50% increase in performance with a Spinpoint F3 1TB.

Also, I dunno about the Blues, but my old 80G Raptor was dog slow in IDE mode...at first I was thinking, "I spent all that extra money for THIS?" But once I re-installed the OS with AHCI, it kicked the doors down. So if you're running in IDE mode, you might be sacrificing a lot of performance.

I also liked the idea of loading Win7 on a small SSD and using my present HDD for storage of my junk (my music; her pictures).

If the present drive would also contain apps, I'd say skip the SSD. After boot is finished, you're still left with poor performance. If going SSD, make it big enough to install your games and apps as well...the faster apps/games load and respond, the less time you spend waiting.

 

[Ken g6]

The heat sink is...::cowers::...the OEM one

Well, alright, then. You need to get a new heat sink before you think about overclocking. How big is your case? Pretty much any standard tower case (that can fit a DVD drive the standard way) can fit a Xigmatek Loki. If your case has 120mm fans it can probably fit a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus or Evo. All of them are likely to work with new processors, but I think the Cooler Masters are more likely to work farther into the future.

 

[DominionSeraph]

The games run fine, but WoW in particular takes AGES to load up.

Defrag and remove unneeded addons.

If you want to get clever:
Format.
Make 20GB partition for XP
Make ~90GB partition for WoW. (to allow room for patching/further expansions)
210GB for everything else.

This will keep WoW near the fastest part of your hard drive and keep its files close together on the disk.

 

[mfenn]

An SSD will definitely help WoW load times, so that's a definite possibility. A 120GB one will run you $160 or so.

I see someone reccomended different RAM. I feared I might have to scrap the existing stuff due to the hard-to-match timings and voltage. But you're suggesting I get a different speed of ddr3? 1333 instead of 1600? Why would I do that...the price? If someone could educate my nubbiness...

Yes, I recommended 1333 due to cost. There is really no difference between 1333 and 1600 when paired with a Sandy Bridge processor. You would need new RAM for a Sandy Bridge setup because 2.0 V is much too high for the Sandy Bridge memory controller.

 

[Geofram]

My typical gaming involves WoW, SC2, Minecraft, and Diablo 3 when it gets here. The games run fine, but WoW in particular takes AGES to load up.

One other thing to note, if you went to Windows 7 (64 bit). I've heard lots of good things about the 64 bit WoW client loading much faster than the 32 bit one. You'd need to find the link in the forums to download it, but it works well - I've been using the 64 bit client since it was released without any issues.

 

[Dannar26]

Here's the newegg link to my case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119137

Yes, I recommended 1333 due to cost. There is really no difference between 1333 and 1600 when paired with a Sandy Bridge processor. You would need new RAM for a Sandy Bridge setup because 2.0 V is much too high for the Sandy Bridge memory controller.

Now this RAM setup goes hand-in-hand with your CPU reccomendation, right? So if I stay with my current quad...does it too not benefit from the higher RAM speeds?

Your CPU reccomendation will work with my current mobo?

Sorry I'm nit-picking the point. When it comes to technology, I'm only 3 clicks away from being a hoarder. I guess I hate throwing out the old RAM. But for 35 bucks for what, 8 gigs? I'd be a fool not to, eh?

Guess I'm stuck eating the full price of windows, no matter what I do, eh?

Duely blundered from my thunderdolt

 

[lehtv]

He recommended a CPU + motherboard combo.

i5 2500K + P8Z68-V LX $250 @ MC

 

[tynopik]

My typical gaming involves WoW, SC2, Minecraft, and Diablo 3 when it gets here. The games run fine

then don't upgrade

wait a year and get a new haswell+win8 system (and monitor)

 

[Dannar26]

Put that way, it seems foolish, doesn't it? Just like the guy that mentioned upgrading a gaming system and neglecting the video card. The irony doesn't escape me.

Two reasons behind my drive to do this: Jumping to win 7 because I feel that xp is becoming outdated, and it's trapping my system in a 32 bit environ.

Secondly, RAM is cheap. Who wouldn't make the jump to 8 gigs for 35 bucks?

And with a little OC, I'll be futureproofing my machine in a cheap way, no?

Duely blundered from my thunderdolt

 

[tynopik]

Two reasons behind my drive to do this: Jumping to win 7 because I feel that xp is becoming outdated, and it's trapping my system in a 32 bit environ.

Is there some tangible reason besides you 'feel' it's becoming outdated?

Secondly, RAM is cheap. Who wouldn't make the jump to 8 gigs for 35 bucks?

Because it's not just $35, it's $135 once you include windows

 

[Slugbait]

Secondly, RAM is cheap. Who wouldn't make the jump to 8 gigs for 35 bucks?

And don't wait to pull the trigger, prices are about to go up.

And with a little OC, I'll be futureproofing my machine in a cheap way, no?

No, at best you're just extending the life of your machine, but really you're just squeezing more umph out of it. Besides, there is no such thing as "future-proof".

 

[mfenn]

Here's the newegg link to my case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119137



Now this RAM setup goes hand-in-hand with your CPU reccomendation, right? So if I stay with my current quad...does it too not benefit from the higher RAM speeds?

Your CPU reccomendation will work with my current mobo?

Sorry I'm nit-picking the point. When it comes to technology, I'm only 3 clicks away from being a hoarder. I guess I hate throwing out the old RAM. But for 35 bucks for what, 8 gigs? I'd be a fool not to, eh?

Guess I'm stuck eating the full price of windows, no matter what I do, eh?

Duely blundered from my thunderdolt

A Core 2 can benefit from higher memory clocks, but really we're talking a few percent in benchmarks here. The relative difference on a Sandy Bridge system is lower.

Your current mobo is LGA 775, which is not supported by newer Intel CPUs. You will need to get a new CPU and mobo together if that's what you decide to do. The need to upgrade the RAM only comes in if you want to upgrade the CPU.

 

[Dannar26]

Is there some tangible reason besides you 'feel' it's becoming outdated?

Yes. When I interact with a vista or 7 system, I feel much more noobish. It's a matter of retraining, I realize.

More importantly, it's about the carrot-on-a-stick mentality. My system isn't reaching its full potential due to an older OS. Whether or not that full potential is amazingly better (32bit to 64 bit, and 3 gigs to 4 of RAM) than what I've got now is the real question.

If I buy the full version of Win7, I'll be able to install it to more than one computer (though one at a time, of course). So in a way, I'll already be buying a "part" for my next rig. Right?

Note: The future proof comment was semantics. What I really meant was that overclocking can help me eke out more performance and extend the useful life of my machine.

Duely blundered from my thunderdolt

 

[mfenn]

Yes, you can move a retail license from machine to machine.

 

[Dannar26]

Got it.

So, if I just upgrade windows and stick with my current CPU and mobo, would it make sense to go with your previous 1333 reccomendation and give the 1600 to charity?

Duely blundered from my thunderdolt

 

[mfenn]

The situation is that you can't use your DDR3 1600 at 2.0V with Sandy Bridge. 1.65V is pushing it, 2.0V is just crazy. You could try to undervolt it and see if you could get it stable at 1333 1.5V. Really though you should get some new RAM given the way prices are right now.

 

[Dannar26]

At the risk of beating dead horses...

Can I keep my present RAM, and get 8 gigs (2 x4 gigs) of RAM with slower latency and lesser voltage, such as:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820220570

...without making my 'puter asplode? It's the same manufacturer, for what it's worth.

It seems odd that *newer* boards like these sandybridge guys handle lesser voltaged, slower RAM than what I'm rockin' from '09....