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Upgrading my 3 year old rig - $500 budget

J

jjb0070

Member
Hi fellas! I've been getting the itch to upgrade to a sweet C2D system for, well, the past 2 years, but now I think the prices are right to pull the trigger. The last straw was playing Fallout 3 on medium and noticing that the draw distance was utterly hideous, with enemies getting the drop on me before my friggin graphics card had even rendered them.

Here's my old/current system:
CPU: Opteron 170 CCBBE 0610 DPMW (stock 2.0Ghz, OC'd to 2.5Ghz)
Motherboard: EVGA 123-K8-NF47-AX
Memory: 2x1gb Kingston HyperX pc3200
Graphics Card: NVidia EVGA GeForce 7800GT (modded HSF)
Hard Drive: 720gb (4 HDDs)
Sound Card: Soundblaster Audigy (with breakout box)
Power Supply: XClio 450BL
Case: Antec Sonata II
CPU cooling: Tuniq Tower 120
GPU cooling: AC AcceleroX HSF
OS: Windows XP SP3
Monitor: NEC Multisync FE2111SB 23" CRT

I'm dropping AMD entirely (obviously), but I'll be recycling the hard drives, monitor, DVD drive, sound card, a Tuniq Tower 120, and the power supply. Here's the options I'm looking at right now:

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 - $165

Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P - $130 (20 MIR)

RAM: Mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) - $58 (20 MIR)

Video Card: ASUS EAH4850 Radeon HD 4850 512MB - $160 (30 MIR)

Total - $513 ($443 after rebates)

I'm also considering this Newegg combo special for $266:
<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductCombos.aspx?Item=N82E16813131347&SubCategory=280&SortField=0&PageSize=10&page=1">ASUS P5Q SE PLUS LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard AND
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz BX80570E8500 - Retail</a>

----------

Thoughts? Will this basic setup last me another 3 years for basic 3D gaming (with some room to grow, but realizing that I don't have to have everything maxed out)? Suggestions for improvement/cheaper prices? Am I really that stupid to recycle this 450W power supply? Should I suck it up and wait for Black Friday, knowing that half the time the really insane deals are long gone by time I get around to looking at them?

Thanks for all your help - I appreciate it.
 
Overclocking ? What resolution you playing at ? When's black friday ?

You could drop to a e7200 and if you don't care for crossfire, drop down to a cheaper mobo, like this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813131347

What I'm trying to do is, save some money, so you can buy a better videocard ( HD4870 or GTX260 216) which both can be had for roughly $200 ( might have to use MS cashback through ebay for that ) but definately check it out. The videocard is what will keep your rig running, the other components are less important.
 
Well, since I have no intention of getting rid of my CRT in the near future I run games (when possible, which hasn't been lately) at a goal of 1600 x 1200.

I'm not a crazy overclocker (though I do do it where I'm able), so it would only be on air and with the knowledge that my case doesn't have room for more than 2 120mm fans.

Black Friday is 11/28/08, so ~2 weeks from now.
 
Wait for black friday, you've held out 3 years, 2 more weeks won't kill you.

1600*1200, HD4850 should be fine, but won't be for 3 years. HD4870 will last longer for sure.

Get a e7200 and OC it to 3.0ghz, which is peanuts on air. It can do 3.6ghz or even 3.8ghz on your tuniq tower. But, 3.0ghz or 3.2ghz should be more than plenty for a long time.
 
my opteron 165 is still a champ and I run Fallout 3 (1024x768 everything on high.... still looks good) with a similar system with the big exception is that I have a 8800 GTS (G92). Maybe just upgrade the videocard instead?


 
That could be it. I've got everything set on medium with no AA or other fun stuff, and it's only running 800*600. If I just settled for a 4850 (currently eying this Sapphire) I would obviously be CPU bottlenecked, but I just figured I wouldn't notice any real appreciable gains because the rest (CPU/RAM) is so 'old' that I would be better off upgrading everything all at once. If I did this and actually had some appreciable difference (which 1024*768 would be), then I could pick up some C2D/quad stuff 6 months from now and save some cash.
 
I think you would see a real difference in your current system if you just replaced your GPU. As Slappy said, simply upgrade your video card if you want to save some money (HD 4850 or GeForce 9800GT). If you go above an HD 4850 or GeForce 9800GT, you may have to upgrade your PSU with your current system (overclocked CPU, 4 hard drives, sound card, etc.).

However, if you are set on upgrading your motherboard and CPU, then the E8400/Gigabyte or E8500/Asus combinations would make good choices. If you want to save a little money, then do as MarcVenice suggested and buy an E7200 and overclock it. I have one of these and a cheap ECS MB overclocked to 3.16 GHz. This was one of the easiest overclocks I have done in a long time and the CPU is still running cool. If you want to save even more money, then do as Jaredpace suggested and get a P35 motherboard instead of a P45 motherboard. It would be a quick savings of $40 or $50 and you could put the money toward a faster GPU.

If you are staying with Windows XP (32-bit), then you realize that 4 GB is overkill. But, considering how cheap memory is right now, I can understand buying 4 GB instead of 2 GB.

In any case, the GPU you select will have the biggest impact your gaming performance. This is the bottom line.
 
I hope I don't get yelled at for bumping a dead thread, but I'm in the same position as the OP. My system specs are in my sig.

I've been given the "whatever" from my wife to spend about $400 on upgrading my current system as my Christmas present. All I will be looking for will be CPU, Mobo, RAM, and Video Card. I'll admit I'm an AMD fanboy (check my email address in my profile) and would like to get a 5400+ BE with a 790GX or 790FX/SB750 motherboard. I'm definitely a gamer and want to get the strongest video card that I can fit in my budget. eBay has 30% cashback right now with Live Search and I've also got a 10% off coupon from eBay that expires today, so I don't mind using eBay to get the best price. This needs to last me at least a year (per my wife) and I probably won't get to do any upgrades until then. I might be able to squeeze another video card for Crossfire, but I doubt that. I don't mind getting an Intel chip if that is going to be my best bet. I feel dirty looking through the Intel Motherboards section at newegg, but price/performance is my current focus and brand loyalty takes a back seat for now.

I've strongly considered just keeping my system and upgrading my video card, but I think the rest of my parts would hold me back. Also, my monitor is 1680x1050 which I won't be upgrading. I'm very much looking forward to playing lots of Fallout 3 and Left 4 Dead. I don't really have any desire to play Crysis, but I would like to try Far Cry 2. I would also like to be ready for pretty much anything that comes out next year. Oh, and I'm running 32-bit Vista. I've got a copy of 64-bit Windows XP that I can load to take advantage of 4Gb or I can try to sell some of my current parts to get a 64-bit Vista.

Thanks for your opinions!
 
You're really much better off starting a new thread instead of hijacking an old one that's wrapped up.

Overall your system's not too bad. A 5400+ won't feel much different from your Opty @ 2.5GHz. And if you're still using 32-bit XP 2GB is adequate for most uses (gaming included).

I'd suggest buying a GTX 260 from eBay using the combined 40% off, if you can find one for $150 or less. Otherwise I think I saw a new EVGA at newegg for $170AR in the hot deals forum.

Upgrade your GPU only today and stash the remaining $200 toward a complete overhaul late next year or early 2010. By then another generation of Intel & AMD chips will be out and your money will buy a real upgrade instead of a sidegrade like you would get today.

EDIT: The main reason I'm not suggesting a full upgrade is simply because AMD hasn't made much progress on their cpus since you got your Opty. Clock for clock you will see virtually no improvement and there's not going to be much difference in a 3GHz X2 compared to your current 2.5GHz dual Opty (which has 2x1MB cache IIRC). If you really want to do a full upgrade you'll have to go Intel to see a true improvement in performance.
 
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