Upgrade Options

[chinaman1472]

Woo hoo, another upgrade dilemma for you guys to put your 2 cents in.

A Little Now ($100-150ish):
-Get a Dual Core for my current Socket 939
-Get another 1 GB DDR 400 memory, will most likely have to mix ram sticks
-Wait for Intel Nehalem to show up down the line and make a big upgrade then
-Also, I have a spare Asus A8N-SLi motherboard sitting around

If I go this route, is the Toledo's bigger cache worth the extra bucks?

Go Big Soon (trying to keep it <$500):
-Get a new Penryn, most likely the E8200
-New motherboard (any recommendations?)
-Get 2GB DDR2 800 memory, or if DDR3 memory if prices drop drastically, comparable to DDR2 memory prices

Rest of the components will be reused (CD-Rom, Hard Drives, Power Supply, Video Card, Case). I've always planned to do some mild OCing, but never took the time, so it's pretty likely I'll keep stock speeds, but there's always that chance. Very unlikely that I'll end up using SLi. Gaming is about the most intense application I use, along multi-tasking between internet and other small junk. Also note, my current TV/monitor that I use only allows up to 1360x768.

Thanks for your input.

 

[Horsepower]

If you are anything like me, I start with $150 and spend $500. This chicken and egg question has been constantly asked in this forum since I joined. I finally put myself on a timetable, and do my upgrades once a year. <fwiw>

 

[BurnItDwn]

Buy a low end core 2 duo Cpu.
Buy a cheap mobo that supports core 2 quad.
Buy 2 GB of cheap DDR2 ram.

Sell your current mobo+CPU for cheap
Sell your 1GB of DDR for $60 or $70.

You'll wind out only being out $100ish

At least that's what I'd do ....

 

[Boyo]

I'm waiting for my next upgrade in late 2008.....Better hardware is on the way....

 

[Denithor]

BurnItDown +1

Better hardware is always on the way!

Real question is, does your system do what you need it to today or not? I generally recommend against buying parts for a system that even if upgraded won't be even middle-range (socket 939--even if you go with a high end cpu for this socket you still won't see performance equal to a mid-range C2D system--and you will pay too much for this mediocre result).

I suggest spending a bit more to get a good-quality motherboard as this has a large impact on overclocking potential and overall system stability. Add 2GB DDR2-800 and an e2160, overclock to 3GHz and you have a setup that will blaze through your games nicely for about $230. Sell your current cpu/mobo/ram to offset this cost. Upgrade late next year to a Penryn quad on the cheap.