Need upgrade advice ... (reposting)

[Dulak]

(reposting because I didnt see this in the forums after I posted this - delete if dbl)

Want to upgrade cpu/ram/mb ... need help

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atm I'm running 4800+x2 not oced; with 1.5gigs of mix matched ram along with a
asus a8r-mvp.

I also have a 500 watt antec psu and a 8800 gts.

I'm running 5 HDs and 2 dvd roms (power is fine).

I'm only getting between 5-30 fps in age of conan and would like to improve this; I'm due for a upgrade anyways.

Whats my best bang for the buck upgrade atm ...

I havnt used intel since the old celeron days ... but I'm open to switching.

I mutitask ALOT so I'm leaning toward a quad-core cpu even thou games dont fully utalize them atm ... I usually go about 2 years before I upgrade.

Questions:
- So can I still use XP with 4 gigs of mem? And does it still provide as good performance as vista?
- Is intel my best bet? I was looking at something like a q6600 4 gigs of ram (http://www.microdirect.co.uk/(18241)...d-Channel.aspx
not sure if this is good or what.
also what mb goes with that cpu; I hear people say the p35 is good I assume is the DFI? does it matter which one (the site has a lan one or a P35-T2RL one).
oh does the CPU come with its own fan if its retail and is that good enough?
I do plan to OC the chip

- If someone recommends AMD over intel then which chip/mb should I go with and will it give me as good performance? mostly game - watch movies; net and finance stuff.

thanks

 

[tiraides]

Looking at your other thread, I recommend the following....

Since you've said that you like to go at least two years between upgrades, get the Q6600 and a good heatsink/fan combination. Here are some recommendations (the links are provided as reference):

Xigmatek HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle HSF - $37
Tuniq Tower 120 HSF - $50
ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 120mm HSF - $50
Thermalright Ultima-90 HSF - $46 & Panaflo FBA09A12M 92mm Fan - $3
Noctua NH-U12P HSF - $60
Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme HSF - $57 & Scythe S-Flex SFF21E 120MM Case Fan - $14

The DFI P35-T2RL is a good choice, as is the Abit IP35 Pro, the Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3R, and the Asus P5K-E. Basically, choose a P35 board based on which features you need.

Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L Intel P35 Motherboard - $90
MSI P35 Neo2-FR Intel P35 Motherboard - $110
DFI BloodIron P35-T2RL Intel P35 Motherboard - $110
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3R Intel P35 Motherboard - $120
DFI LanParty DK P35-T2RS Intel P35 Motherboard - $130
Asus P5K-E Intel P35 Motherboard - $140
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3P Intel P35 Motherboard - $150
Asus P5K-E/Wifi-AP Intel P35 Motherboard - $150
Abit IP35 Pro Intel P35 Motherboard - $170
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS4 Intel P35 Motherboard - $170

Just to help you out: If you don't need RAID, more than 4 SATA ports and only need semi-decent overclocking, check out the DS3L. If you need 5 SATA ports, 2 eSATA ports, slightly better overclocking, and a second PCI-E x16 port, then get the Neo2-Fr. If you want heavy overclocking options and six SATA ports, check out the Blood Iron. If you like the BloodIron but want significantly better overclock stability and options, go for the LanParty. If you want 8 SATA ports, RAID, legacy ports and high overclocks and optional eSATA, than the DS3R is a good choice. If you want the DS3R but need Firewire and a second PCI-E x16 port, then go for the DS3P. If you like the DS3P but need 3 PCI slots instead of the DS3P's 2 PCI slots and like having non-optional eSATA, go for the Asus P5K-E. If you like the P5K-E but need wifi, then go for the P5K-E/Wifi-AP. If you want something that can overclock pretty damn high along with RAID, eSATA ports and firewire connections, than the IP35 Pro. If you like the DS3P but want better cooling for overclocking, then go for the DS4. Do note that the Asus website can be slow sometimes.

You can use XP (32-bit I presume?) with 4GB of RAM, but since 32-bit operating systems can only read a total of 4GB system memory, the amount of "usable" RAM you'll have will be subtracted by the amount memory other components (like, but not only, the video card) will use.

The best bang-for-buck video card right now is the (G92/512MB) 8800GTS, but new cards are coming starting around mid-June. If you can, wait for the new cards, but the 8800GTS is a good choice on its own (as it can play most games well on a 1920x1200 resolution on its own).