Most efficient upgrade for my rig?

D

Dark12

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Dec 13, 2003
Messages
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Hey all. My current rig is in my sig.
I was just curious what upgrade is next for me to get closer to that next-gen performance. I generally like to stay one or two generations behind for cost reasons, so after running the Final Fantasy benchmark and scoring a 2600 I feel like its time to move up a little.
Usually, I like to upgrade just one part of my PC at a time, but I am open to all suggestions. For example if SandyBridge is recommended I would obviously be willing to buy a new mobo and ram.
I feel like I am being limited by my video card though. Even though it used to be a beast, I am afraid it is just getting too old to impress me anymore. I would be willing to wait for 6 series AMD if I can keep the cost below ~$250.
Anyway, I game at 1920x1080 with the highest quality I am able to use. Eyefinity/3D doesn't appeal to me. I only use my pc for gaming and browsing the interwebs. PSU is a decent 750w.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions or comments!
 
both your cpu and video are decently fast, if you don't upgrade too often I'd skip this gen and wait for sandy bridge / 6xxx amd cards.
 
Thank you for the responses. :-D
So you folks don't think dual channel DDR2 is a limiting me that much either?

I am definitely willing to wait for the 6xxx cards from AMD. I am just kind of worried about cost. It seems like the 5770 equivalent of the 6 series will be about as powerful as a 5850. Is it worth the wait since it will likely cost only $75 less than a 5850?
I am not entirely sure what other features the 6 series will add so maybe I will do that.
I am glad to hear my Q9550 is still good. It seems like that would be the most expensive thing to replace since it's about as high-end as you can get for the socket.
 
I just sold my xfx 4890 a few weeks ago running at the same res. as you are. That card is still plenty fast for a dx10 card. I don't think you would see much of any performance increase if you upgraded now. Wait for the 6000 series and see what that does to prices of say a 5850 or 5870.
 
I would not upgrade my system based on a benchmark. I'd upgrade based on how it runs the games and applications I use. 4890's are good cards, even today. The one caveat is that there were a lot of XFX 4890's that due to cost cutting decisions by xfx, performed worse than 4870's. It is entirely possible you may have one of those dud cards. Do a google search on the matter and you'll find lots of threads about it and perhaps help you identify if you have such a card.
 
Interesting RamonGTP. Thanks for that.
I got my XFX4890 around release, but I got the same card for my card just recently and it is definitely slower. I will check it out.
 
With your CPU overclocked you still have lots of room to improve your graphics subsystem, Waiting until the AMD 6800 series comes out and then upgrading will keep your system current enough to run your resolution monitor with all the eye candy on high in the newest games. If you don't buy an AMD 6800 when they are released, then the massive price drops as a result of its release will open the door for cheap GPU upgrades.
 
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