Upgrading my system

[Krez]

Hi,

I'm thinking about upgrading my system, but I'm not sure which choice would be better. Should I upgrade my processor, or get more ram? Heres my system:

Gigabyte M55-SLi AM2
3800+ X2 AM2
Buffalo Firestix DDR2-800 2x512MB

I would either get the 5200+ X2 (2.6ghz 2x1mb l2 cache) or get 2x1 GB Corsair xsms2 DDR2-800.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820145034

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820145034

Now, for the Ram I have a few questions. Will this ram be compatible with my buffalo stuff? And, is this the best ram in its price range? I don't overclock btw.

Which choice would get me better performance?

Thank you!

 

[jkresh]

The ram should work with the ram you already have. As to which would be the bigger performance boost it depends on what you do. 1gig of ram is low but acceptable today (2 is better, and for vista go for as much as you can), the cpu upgrade is likely to make the biggest difference unless you are constantly running out of ram (open up task manager with your usual load of programs and see how much ram is used).

 

[Krez]

Basically all I do is game. ram helps with loading times and exiting speed in applications, correct?

 

[MarcVenice]

overclock the x2 3800+ a little if you want more cpu speed. You'll get an easy extra 400mhz out of it, if not 600-800, making it a moot point to buy a faster x2.