Help on upgrade choices

T

Tordek

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Dec 9, 2003
Messages
1,765
Hi guys/gals,

Here's the deal, my current setup is:

CPU
i5 2500k
MOBO
MSI P67A-GD65 (B3)
RAM
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1600
Super Talent (2x2GB) DDR3 1600
VID CARD
XFX HD-585X-ZAFC Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5
HDDs
120gb Vertex II SSD
320gb WD Caviar Black
1.5tb WD Caviar Green
PSU
1 x OCZ GameXStream 700W PSU
Click to expand...

Notes
Proc and Mobo are on it's way from Newegg right now.
This is a gaming rig that drives a 1920x1080 display. (I know I could probably aim for more resolution but I'm more than comfortable with the current one)

And I'm wondering these 2 questions:
1. Do you think those 4 sticks of ram would be a good pair for the MSI Mobo? or Should I sell them and aim for a 2x4gb kit?
2. Do you think its time to upgrade the video card?

As far as money is concerned, I'm willing to pay around $300 more for upgrades on top of what selling of the current ram and video card would make (somewhere around $150 probably). But, they should be substantial.

Thanks!
 
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What games are you having trouble with? I could suggest a new vid card but your current one should be fine for the vast majority of games on the market right now. At the same time I doubt that a gaming rig would really benefit from having more than 8GB of RAM.

Other than that, your CPU, mobo, HDD and PSU all look fine to me. (but i know little about PSUs)
 
Lycidas said:
What games are you having trouble with? I could suggest a new vid card but your current one should be fine for the vast majority of games on the market right now. At the same time I doubt that a gaming rig would really benefit from having more than 8GB of RAM.

Other than that, your CPU, mobo, HDD and PSU all look fine to me. (but i know little about PSUs)
Click to expand...

Well, it's hard to tell really. The past proc+mobo combo before going sandy bridge was a phenom x2 555 + asus am3 so I'm almost certain I was bottlenecking myself on it.

I was doing fine with games that relied mostly on gpu, but stupid games like WoW or console ports generally kicked the system's ass.
For example, on Dead Space 2 (console port) I wasn't able to go max settings (or even close to) @ 1920x1080. I kinda felt I missed out on the gooeyness because of it.
 
Tordek said:
phenom x2 555 + asus am3 so I'm almost certain I was bottlenecking myself on it.
Click to expand...

I'd have to agree with you here. IMO, I'd just upgrade your video card if you're just looking to upgrade.

GPU wise, AMD drivers are fairly decent these days. Unfortunately Nvidia cards are often overpriced for the performance they offer in games. In other words, AMD currently holds the crown for best bang for the buck performance. For your resolution, I'd aim for the HD 6950 1GB at the least but aim for the HD 6950 2GB for some future proofing.

I also recommend XFX as a brand.
$370 XFX HD-697A-CNFC Radeon HD 6970 2GB
$240 XFX HD 6950 800M 1 GB

Note, I'm pretty bad at finding deals but def go with either a 6950 or a 6970 to get the most bang for your buck.
Also, don't just take one person's advice :p
 
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Are your current sticks of RAM 1.5V ? I made the jump to a 2500k and haven't upgraded my 5850 yet. I'll wait to see what the next refreshes from ATI & NV are like as we get closer to BF3 ;)
 
I've been reading on and opinions seem to be split atm. Some say the upgrade is worth it (from 5850 to 6950) and some say wait for the 7000 series.
Anyone else got any input?
 
Lycidas said:
GPU wise, AMD drivers are fairly decent these days. Unfortunately Nvidia cards are often overpriced for the performance they offer in games. In other words, AMD currently holds the crown for best bang for the buck performance. For your resolution, I'd aim for the HD 6950 1GB at the least but aim for the HD 6950 2GB for some future proofing.

I also recommend XFX as a brand.
$370 XFX HD-697A-CNFC Radeon HD 6970 2GB
$240 XFX HD 6950 800M 1 GB

Note, I'm pretty bad at finding deals but def go with either a 6950 or a 6970 to get the most bang for your buck.
Also, don't just take one person's advice :p
Click to expand...
Ditto! Mine 8800GTX hasn't found a compatible driver version as of yet :| Crysis 2, Crysis WARHEAD and BFBC2 are a trouble in ass crashing anytime. Windows 7 support is pathetic
Tordek said:
This is one: http://www.supertalent.com/datasheets/W1600UX4G7_spec.pdf
This is the other: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231193

Basically, one tested at 1.8v and the other at 1.5v. Have been running the 4 sticks at 1.5v so far.
Click to expand...

Correct me if I am wrong but the more sticks u have, the more clogged the rig becomes in terms of memory lookup. Its like, having 2x2GB is better than 4x1GB, power wise and also performance wise. Similarly if you are going for 8GB memory, I suggest go for 2x4GB rather going for 4x 2GB's.
 
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The build looks good.

For the RAM, the Gskill is fine but do not use the supertalent it requires too much voltage (1.8v) for the 1155 chipset which specs with 1.5v ram. 4gb is fine also unless you have a real need for more ram. The only thing you could really add is a newer gpu but since the one you already have is pretty fast, it would be up to you if going bigger is worth the cash or not.
 
Tordek said:
I've been reading on and opinions seem to be split atm. Some say the upgrade is worth it (from 5850 to 6950) and some say wait for the 7000 series.
Anyone else got any input?
Click to expand...

I have a very similar build to what you're putting together (see my sig.) My 6870 is a tad faster than your 5850 but they're really very similar in performance. I can run Bad Company 2 smoothly at max settings in 32 player multiplayer (strangely the fps does drop a bit in singleplayer when lots of buildings blow up.)

Personally, if I had a 5850, I'd at least wait and see how it runs with your new CPU. Then decide if it's okay for now. If it's not okay, decide if you can wait for the Radeon 7000 series to come out. I haven't seen any performance previews on the 7000 series yet but it's not too far away.
 
Just to emphasize my point a little more, if you're upgrading just to upgrade, then go ahead. However, I still would like to point out that:

Lycidas said:
but your current one (video card) should be fine for the vast majority of games on the market right now.
Click to expand...

so yeah, +1 to what tonytnnt said.
 
Indeed, thx guys. I'm staying with my 5850 for a while.

On another topic, everyone else agrees with this? (I do, but would appreciate the input)
caniba said:
For the RAM, the Gskill is fine but do not use the supertalent it requires too much voltage (1.8v) for the 1155 chipset which specs with 1.5v ram. 4gb is fine also unless you have a real need for more ram. The only thing you could really add is a newer gpu but since the one you already have is pretty fast, it would be up to you if going bigger is worth the cash or not.
Click to expand...
 
Tordek said:
Indeed, thx guys. I'm staying with my 5850 for a while.

On another topic, everyone else agrees with this? (I do, but would appreciate the input)
Click to expand...

I agree. 1.8V does indeed exceed the max RAM voltage for Core i series CPUs which is 1.65V. However we tend to recommend 1.5V RAM to err on the side of caution. So yes I recommend not using that Super Talent RAM at all.

Also, before you do any more upgrade, I highly recommend replacing that PSU. It's based off the FSP Episilon PSU design which has out of spec ripple, or voltage fluctuations, at high loads that can damage or kill your system. Granted, you may not reach such high loads but why use for a PSU that has a higher chance of killing your system?

Something like the Antec Trupower New 650W or the Corsair 650TX V2 would be a good replacement: Both those PSUs actually offer more safe usable power than the GameXStream whose safe max usable power is somewhere around 450W to 500W if brand new. If older than 2-3 years, really not a good idea to keep using it.
 
Danny Bui said:
I agree. 1.8V does indeed exceed the max RAM voltage for Core i series CPUs which is 1.65V. However we tend to recommend 1.5V RAM to err on the side of caution. So yes I recommend not using that Super Talent RAM at all.
Click to expand...

And would you recommend having just 4gb from the g-skill kit or getting 8gb from a new 1.5v kit?
 
Tordek said:
And would you recommend having just 4gb from the g-skill kit or getting 8gb from a new 1.5v kit?
Click to expand...
If you have no plans or need to get/use 16GB of RAM, just reuse that 4GB G.Skill set set with a 2 x 4GB set like this:
$80 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
 
Danny Bui said:
If you have no plans or need to get/use 16GB of RAM, just reuse that 4GB G.Skill set set with a 2 x 4GB set like this:
$80 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
Click to expand...

Um... Danny, I'm confused here. What do you mean?

Edit: Oh wait, you mean a total of 12gb with that set you just linked. ok.
 
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Tordek said:
Um... Danny, I'm confused here. What do you mean?

Edit: Oh wait, you mean a total of 12gb with that set you just linked. ok.
Click to expand...

Yup. If you're fine with a total of 12GB, then go with the 2x4GB set I linked to alongside your current G.Skill RAM. I do not recommend buying another 2x2GB set as that limits you to 8GB of RAM and is a bit of a waste money since a single 4GB stick costs the same.
 
Danny Bui said:
Yup. If you're fine with a total of 12GB, then go with the 2x4GB set I linked to alongside your current G.Skill RAM. I do not recommend buying another 2x2GB set as that limits you to 8GB of RAM and is a bit of a waste money since a single 4GB stick costs the same.
Click to expand...

With this setup, the memory would run @ 1333. Should I consider getting a 1600 kit instead to make it all run at 1600 or is there no real world impact here?
 
Tordek said:
With this setup, the memory would run @ 1333. Should I consider getting a 1600 kit instead to make it all run at 1600 or is there no real world impact here?
Click to expand...

No real world impact here.
 
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