Need some help with Upgrades to my X-Qpack System

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Nutzy

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 12, 2003
Messages
229
Right now I have a X-Qpack system with the current specs at:

Case w/ 420w Power Supply
AMD X2 4400+
1 Gig of Corsair XMS
186gig 7200rpm SATA Hardrive
Biostar T-Force Motherboard
1 NEC (4x/2.4x/12x DVD+RW, 4x/2x/12x DVD-RW, 16x/10x/40x CDRW) Drive
1 CDR/CDRW Drive
Nvidia 7600 GT
Creative X-Fi Soundcard

I need some suggestions on should I get a e6600 and some DDR2 800 2x1GB, and a decent mATX mobo only. Or just get a Nvidia 8800 of some type. The only game I play is Counter-Stike Source. I am not sure if I get a card like that if I need a better powersupply, and if so I need some suggestions on one that will fit. Also if the bottle neck of the system will be the cpu, and if it would be worth it or not.
 
ya go with a e6600 and 2 gbs of ram. you will see a big increase in all games, and they run cooler, but theres not too many good matx mobo's out for c2d
 
yeah, and then I can up the system when a new good mATX mobo is out, and have a beast of a card.
 
what psu are you using? hopefully not the one that came with the qpack? if you are, definitely might want to upgrade that before getting the 8800.
 
yeah, right now, but all I have ATM is a 7600GT. I got the suggestion for that Enermax "Liberty" 500w, but also, does anyone know if it would be better to get the x1950?
 
Looking at CPU scores in the ORB at Futuremark, there isn't a huge difference between a non overclocked Core 2 Duo and an X2 that's slightly overclocked. As has been pointed out, though, they do run cooler. That wouldn't justify a CPU+MB upgrade for me personally.

I'd get more RAM and an 8800. You will see an immediate difference.
 
ok guys he only plays source. y would he need a 8800, just save money. but w/e its your call
 
Nutzy said:
The only game I play is Counter-Stike Source.
Click to expand...

Ignore the 8800 then. Yes, its new its shiny and will play DX10 games (when they come out and if you have Vista ;) ) but if your only playing CS:S then you really dont need it.

Upgrade your RAM to 2GB, prices are cheap at the moment and you'll see the biggest improvement. A 7900 or 7950GT would give you a decent graphics boost for a fraction of the cost of an 8800. All depends on what res your playing at to.
 
For the love of God get a new power supply...I can't stress this enough. You have a ticking time bomb with that PSU and you will pay for it in the end. That should be first on the list. Everything else is not that bad...perhaps 2gb of RAM would do you good.
 
Any recommendations on a PSU? One that will fit? Are there any that will fit with full sized CD Rom Drives?
 
What resolution do you game at as this is a key factor in any video upgrade recommendation?

For CS:S I find that 1gb of memory is sufficient and your current CPU is also fine.
I would suggest upgrading your video card and PSU first. The 8800GTS is very reasonable and future proof for upcoming DX10 games. The Enermax Liberty PSU will fit nicely in a Qpack - 500W version should work very well.
 
Are you sure you need to upgrade? I can't imagine CSS running horribly on a 4400+/7600GT rig at 800*600. What kinda framerate are you getting?

You can try what I did... I went for a E4300, P5L-MX, 2x1GB DDR-667, a 8800GTS/320, and an Antec Trio 550. I OC the E4300 to 3.0 GHz and I'm getting 100+ fps (wasn't really watching...), and that's at 1600*900, all settings maxed.
 
getting around 100ish, but sometimes it dips down, and thats with hdr off, and some other config tweaks.
 
I would lean toward upgrading the CPU first. While the 4400+ is by no mean slow, you can get something significantly faster if you're willing to get a C2D to 2.7-3.0, which I believe will help improve minimum framerates.

The 7600GT is still decent and shouldn't have any problem handling CSS @ 800x600.

(And BTW, I have HDR off as well, forgot to mention that in the post above.)
 
Actually a new monitor was an idea, but I have no idea what to look for in a LCD, and its rare to see sites like newegg selling new crts.
 
I don't get why you would upgrade your rig for playing only one game (CSS) at 800 x 600. That's like me upgrading my V6 to a V12 to go 55 MPH
 
But he wants to accelerate from 0-55 in two instead of three seconds :p

Jokes aside, I can totally understand the desire to keep the minimum framerate high. Usually in a games like CSS, framerate dips are very noticable, and can often times be "fatal."
 
Well, another reason is for future games, as well as vista, and I also do some graphic design and movie editing as a hobby, but by no means a main focus.
 
Nutzy said:
Any recommendations on a PSU? One that will fit? Are there any that will fit with full sized CD Rom Drives?
Click to expand...
from experience a regular atx psu will fit with a standard sized optical drive, in some cases you may have to play with the placement of your psu, but it should fit
 
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