Best Bang For Buck Upgrade

reggy29

n00b
Joined
Aug 2, 2009
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4
Hi, this is my first ever post and i need some expert opinion as to whether this upgrade is worthwhile. I don't want to spend a fortune but future proof my current system for another 2 years, specifically used for Gaming, FPS and Flight Sims. Current specs as follows - GAP35-S3 Rev 1 MB , E6750 CPU, 2GB DDR800 Ram, Ge Force 8800 GTS 640Mb, Thermaltake Toughpower 600W PSU, AOC 22" Monitor 1680 x 1050. Win XP home as OS.

Proposed upgrade - E8400 CPU which I believe my current MB will support but maybe Bios Upgrade required?
Ge Force GTX 275 896Mb or ATI 4890 1Gb & extra 2GB RAM

All up this will cost me approx NZD$800 but if this future proofs me for another 2 years for gaming I will be happy. Oh and not interested in overclocking, everything will run at stock. My biggest worry is the CPU will bottleneck with these cards but I don't want the hassle of overclocking.

Regards:confused:
 
Overclocking Core 2 Duo's is actually pretty easy, and personally I wouldn't bother with the CPU upgrade. I'd get a new GPU, a good 4GB DDR2 kit, and Windows 7 64-bit (to take advantage of 4GB of RAM and allow for DX10+).
 
Overclock your CPU (are you on stock cooling?), buy a 265/275/285 on clearance, call it a day.
 
Crispy is so right on this. O/C the cpu is a free boost in performance. It's pointless you spend money for another dual core cpu like the E8400 when you can just O/C your E6750 and achieve similar results. Also, your GPU is in dire need of an upgrade. These 2 areas is all you need to focus on for now. 2GB of RAM is good already for a 32 bit O/S such as XP.

Overclock your CPU (are you on stock cooling?), buy a 265/275/285 on clearance, call it a day.
 
I concur with everyone so far: The jump from the E6750 to the E8400 isn't substantial to justify the costs. At most you gain about a 10 to 15% performance increase which can easily be made up by overclocking the E6750.

Also, there is no such thing as future proofing when it comes to PCs.

GPU wise, between the GTX 275 and HD4890, get which ever one is cheaper.
 
Futureproof for 2 years of gaming?

You'd be best off just playing at a LAN Cafe.
 
Futureproof for 2 years of gaming?

You'd be best off just playing at a LAN Cafe.

Agreed.

Nothing is future proof just like how the 8800's werent when everyone said that they were.

"DUDE! My 8800 Ultra will last me another 3 years with dx10!!!!!!"

Come to find out a couple months later that the 8800s werent the baddest on the block anymore.
 
Well to be fair, the 8800 series did have a good run. It's still a good card.
 
My 8800GTX still amazes me every once and a while with new games, but I am deffinatley feeling the itch for a new card....must...wait...for....DX11....2010....so....far...away...:p

lol
 
I concur with everyone so far: The jump from the E6750 to the E8400 isn't substantial to justify the costs. At most you gain about a 10 to 15% performance increase which can easily be made up by overclocking the E6750.

Also, there is no such thing as future proofing when it comes to PCs.

GPU wise, between the GTX 275 and HD4890, get which ever one is cheaper.

I agree with Danny, HG, and everyone else. My E6750 reached 3.8Ghz with some work, but 3.2Ghz was a cakewalk. I simply set the FSB to 400 and DRAM multiplier to 2x and was good to go. Though, as already mentioned, you might want a better cooler than the stock one. IIRC, Flight Sims run better with quad cores, so if any CPU upgrade is in your plans, it should be to a quad; but before going with such a costly upgrade, simply OC your current CPU first to see how well that improves performance. A good, cheap cooler for you should be one of these: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro, Cooler Master Hyper TX2, Xigmatek HDT-S1283/S1283V, OCZ Vendetta2, or Cooler Master Hyper 212.

Definitely pick up more RAM, and whichever card is cheaper of the two (275 or 4890).
 
Thanks for the advice everyone. I will just upgrade the Video card to a GTX 275 as it seems to perform better at my Monitor res of 1680 x 1050 than the ATI, add the extra memory which is incredibly cheap at the moment and plunge into the unknown of overclocking. The more I have researched, it seems pretty straightforward to O/C to 3Ghz on this CPU and I will add better cooling.

Cheers All.
 
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