Upgrading my socket 775-based pc.

[Fefster]

Ok so,these are my components right now and have been for almost 5 years(except the graphics card):Gigabyte ga-965p-s3;c2d e6300@2,5(ram won't let me go over this frequency);2gb ddr2 667;radeon hd 4670;shitty no name 500w psu,super old 15" 1024x768 monitor.I've become a light-gamer in the last couple of years:mainly cod,css(games that i can easily max out) and bc2(it struggles even on low settings at this res).So if i want to actually enjoy a modern videogame(i'm planning on playing a lot of BF3) i have to pretty much upgrade everything,but my budget is tight so this is what i came up with if i stick to my 775 mobo:1)used q6600 g0 steppinghoping to get it to at least 3,4ghz stable(60 euros)2)used or new 4gb ddr2-800(40 if used,50 if new)3)a solid 80+ 450/500w psu (50 euros)
4)hyper 212 cooler (30 eur) 5)cheapest 1080p monitor Asus VW227D(100 euros)
6)get whatever gpu performs faster in the 100-120 euro category in a couple of months.This would cost me about 400 euros.What do you guys think about this?Switching to phenomII doesn't seem like a smart move since(correct me if i'm wrong)it's slower clock for clock compared to a c2q and i'd also have to spend at least 110 euros since i'd have to buy a new mobo.I thought about going for a SB build but i'd have to spend way more money and i'd also have to buy a gpu that can keep up with SB.Am i completely insane or does this seem like a reasonable idea?Keep in mind that i will keep the gpu till the 7xxx series comes out just to see prices drop and i won't keep this build for more than 2 years.Thank you.

 

[Davidh373]

So you have 400 ehh? I think you should skip some of the frilly items and get a decent modern chipset like a socket 1155. Lemme see what I can get you. We may have to stretch/ wait on your budget, because 400 euro is a bit low. I'm thinking like 50 euro more though. an upgrade will be posted shortly.

 

[Davidh373]

I don't know any European websites off the top of my head, but just apply these same parts to your budget and you should come out pretty close (prolly a lil' over though )

Motherboard (Gigabyte 1155)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-520-_-Product

CPU (i5 2500K)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-072-_-Product

RAM (any 1.5V DDR3 will work. I don't think GSkill sells in Europe)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-422-_-Product

PSU

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-027-_-Product

Now their is an alternative. For your budget we can always get a better PSU and GPU, So here is what I thought for this one.

GPU

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-418-_-Product

PSU

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...%20corsair

This way you can get the 1080p monitor you want, then save the extra 100 euro. You'll need about 350 for an i5 2500k, z68 mobo, and Ram. Forget about the fancy coolers and overclocking until you feel this system is getting sluggish, then put around 60 euro into a heatsink and some nice fans.

Now if you cant find these parts over there, decent alternatives for Gigabyte mobos at that price are ASRock, ASUS, and MSI. Make sure you get a z68. Good brands of power supplies include Enermax, XFX, Corsair, Seasonic, and Antec.

As for the GPU, you can get pretty much any brand.

My reasoning here is that with the upgrades you are getting, you aren't going to be able to play anything modern on that monitor until you upgrade everything again. Sure, the C2Q is great, but it isn't going to last very long. Your system is just old, so choose to buy parts you can slip into another round of upgrades, so you don't stick yourself into the same situation you're in now 1-2 years down the road. Don't put any money into old technology, even if it is a decent boost above what you have now, because you overpay for the benefits.

So I urge you to tread one of my two paths. Either get the less expensive GPU + PSU and monitor now, or go for a Chipset upgrade first and wait. Honestly, I think for you the GPU upgrade is the wisest, as you want to play at 1080p on a new monitor it seems.

 

[Fefster]

Thanks for your very exhaustive answer.If i get a 1155 based system with a monitor i can't go lower than 570 euros.Remember that in europe components are more expensive than in the us.The cheapest 2500k that i can find in my country is 175 euros,245 dollars for you guys.And that is way too much for me.
What is the other upgrade path that you suggested?gpu psu and monitor now?the gpu would be heavily bottlenecked by the cpu.

 

[sm625]

I'd get any old socket am3 chip off ebay, and I'd build a BD-compatible system based off that chip. Then upgrade to bd later on. I just bought an athlon X2-245 for $30. I am using it to reduce the heat output on one of my lan gaming pcs, but it could easily fill the role of a BD-standin. I suppose one could do the same with a celeron 1155, but as of yet they are still too expensive to be a stand-in for a 2500k. Cant beat $30.

 

[Fefster]

Thanks for your input sm625:but honestly i don't see the point of getting an am3+ mobo since i don't really know the price nor even the performance of BD.And there would be no performance difference with my e6300 with an athlon II.One thing that i wanna ask you guys:is the i3 2100 a viable processor for heavily threaded games like battlefield? It would cost me about 90 euros less and maybe,by a longshot i could afford it.Don't really dig the non-K series chips tho.And also:how does a q6600 oc'd @3.4ghz fare against a phenom 955 or an i5 750?

 

[Davidh373]

The cheapest 2500k that i can find in my country is 175 euros

Then save for it, get the GPU/PSU and save.

What is the other upgrade path that you suggested?gpu psu and monitor now?the gpu would be heavily bottlenecked by the cpu.

on a C2D @ 2.5Ghz? I don't see why. I mean sure, at those resolutrions it's going to get a little hairy, but the thing is you wanted to put 100 euro into a GPU, which would mean you aren't going to do much better than your 4670. Anything you get at that range is trumped by the 6870 even with the bottleneck I'm not sure will exist.

I'd get any old socket am3 chip off ebay, and I'd build a BD-compatible system based off that chip. Then upgrade to bd later on. I just bought an athlon X2-245 for $30. I am using it to reduce the heat output on one of my lan gaming pcs, but it could easily fill the role of a BD-standin. I suppose one could do the same with a celeron 1155, but as of yet they are still too expensive to be a stand-in for a 2500k. Cant beat $30.

Bulldozer isn't a good option for him. AM3+ is going to cut some of Bulldozers features (from what I've heard) and start at $200. So that will put him in the same boat as the Sandy Bridge.

I don't see how anything on AM3 trumps a C2D. Yes, clocks are faster, but clock for clock the C2 series gets pretty competitive with the Athlons.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/105?vs=61

So basically dude, you're kind of stuck like I said. You need a new computer, but can only afford half of one. You can't afford a full upgrade that is going to benefit you in any way. Pick the half that suits you best. IMO, that is the one with the GPU. That is the one which will give you immediate returns.

 

[Puppies04]

Thanks for your very exhaustive answer.If i get a 1155 based system with a monitor i can't go lower than 570 euros.Remember that in europe components are more expensive than in the us.The cheapest 2500k that i can find in my country is 175 euros,245 dollars for you guys.And that is way too much for me.
What is the other upgrade path that you suggested?gpu psu and monitor now?the gpu would be heavily bottlenecked by the cpu.

hmm... you mean you can't go lower than 570 with *any* 1155 cpu or the i5 2500k. What about an i5 2400 or 2300 even an i3 2120. All of these cpus are going to not only give you a significant boost performance wise they are also going to give you an upgrade path that is as pain free as possible.

 

[DaveSimmons]

I'd try to get an i5 for quad-core and turbo boost.

But with an i5-2400 you can save a bit on the motherboard and get a H61 or H67 chipset instead of P67 / Z68. That does mean if you want to move to a K chip later you'd need a new motherboard, but it doesn't sound like that would happen for you any time soon.

Also, the stock cooler is fine for i3 / i5.

So:
Stage 1: replace just motherboard / CPU / RAM with an i5-2400 and H61/H67 with 4 GB DDR3. Sell your existing parts.
Stage 2: new PSU and graphics card
Stage 3: new monitor

 

[Fefster]

Thanks for the answers guys.Here in my country the difference between the i5 2300 and the 2500k is just 20 euros,so it is not worth it at all.The only way to really cut the total cost with a 1155 build is getting an i3 2100 + h67 mobo which should save me about 110 euros over a 2500k + z68.Also about the cpu bottleneck:when playing bc2,it seriously seems that the cpu is holding me back,hell even my friend with an e2180@2.8 (which should have similar performance to my cpu) and a 5770 is suffering serious cpu bottleneck.I can get a 6850 or a 460 1gb for 120 euros,that would seem like a huge upgrade from a 4670.I could go i3 if i stretched a little but what matters to me is performance:seems to me that a q6600 heavily oc'd can keep up with 1st gen i5s and oc'd phenom II's.The only thing holding me back from the i3 2100 is not having the possibility to overclock it.

 

[DaveSimmons]

The 13 is also only dual-core which is slowly starting to matter for a few games.

It seems a shame to put more money into a 775 CPU and RAM when you have to get a stable 25%+ overclock for it to help, and who knows how much more life you have in the CPU and motherboard. With the i5-2500K even at stock speed you have a CPU that will last years and can always be overclocked later if you need to.

Have you added the money you'll get from selling the current CPU / RAM / motherboard into your budget?

 

[Fefster]

if i'm selling,i'm selling the whole thing for about 200 euros(already have a buyer),but that means that i'll have to get a new case,new HDD and a new disc drive too.That would put me 60 euros over budget,or if i go i3 i could save a lot of money.But no,truth is if i go for a 1155 system i'm getting the 2500k,other choices don't make sense.

 

[mfenn]

if i'm selling,i'm selling the whole thing for about 200 euros(already have a buyer),but that means that i'll have to get a new case,new HDD and a new disc drive too.That would put me 60 euros over budget,or if i go i3 i could save a lot of money.But no,truth is if i go for a 1155 system i'm getting the 2500k,other choices don't make sense.

That's not really true. The two choices as I see it are the i3 2100 and i5 2500K. Sure the i3 2100 is a dual-core, but a Sandy Bridge dual core is about the same speed as a C2Q quad. BUT, the i3 puts you on a modern platform.

 

[Fefster]

The i3 2100,while being obviously really fast,will be obsolete rather quickly since it's a dual core and has no oc capability and will also penalize gamers in heavily threaded titles.Also it doesn't really matter if it puts me in a modern chipset:in 2 years socket 1155 will be obsolete and the upgrade path will be closed(look at 1156).If i stick to c2q i get similar if not better performance and i will be upgrading to the next best thing in 2 years.

 

[piasabird]

Well if your chipset can handle it, an E8400 processor might be nice. Just pair that with a better video card.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115037

The larger cache size should really make a difference playing games.

It is kind of a shame to not go with a new system with a 2d generation core 2 duo or Quad. The newer quads with turbo probably are so much faster that they look a lot better. You might be better off just saving a little more money up and waiting. If you look on some sight like E-bay maybe you can find some gamer selling his old E-8400 and save some money. Just a suggestion.

 

[Fefster]

Thanks for the suggestion,but my mobo is not compatible with the e8400.I kinda set my mind on a budget 1155 build right now but i can't seem to find bc2 benchmarks with the i3 2100.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Bad Company 2?

IMO you'd be better off with a true 4 core based system..

while i am a big UT3 player, I've played BF:BC2 on Rig2 with daul GPUs and it was tough on my system, imo.

 

[mfenn]

Thanks for the suggestion,but my mobo is not compatible with the e8400.I kinda set my mind on a budget 1155 build right now but i can't seem to find bc2 benchmarks with the i3 2100.

Given no GPU bottlenecks, the i5 2500K will be faster, no question.

However, you will be GPU-limited with a Radeon 4670 or any other 100 euro card. Going with the i3 2100 lets you increase your GPU budget, giving you better overall framerates.

 

[Davidh373]

while i am a big UT3 player, I've played BF:BC2 on Rig2 with daul GPUs and it was tough on my system, imo.

Seriously?... Woh... It runs smooth as butter on mine at 1080p while watching a 1080p video on the side. Might be something wrong...