Some upgrade questions

[dkev]

I currently have an Athlon 64 6400+ X2, Gigabyte mobo with 430 chipset, and a 8600 GT.
I am getting a Gigabyte 785G mobo that is backward compatible with my current cpu. I am also getting a 700watt CM PSU. I was looking at getting a Phenom 550 and an ATI 4850 vid card. I am trying to decide if it would be better to stick with this upgrade or keep my current cpu and jump up to a 4890 vid card. I do some gaming. COD MW2 will be the main game I play this year on it. Other then that, I really don't do a lot of CPU intensive stuff. And the stuff I do, my current CPU doesn't have much problem with. The nice thing about the new mobo is, I can upgrade to AM3 later and it will do xfire. There's been a couple guys helping me on some other issues related to this upgrade that I want to thank. So what do you guys think?

 

[obobski]

I would look at other PSUs, this is not to say Cooler Master is bad, far from it, but at that price point, there may be better (thats my sole point here), like Corsair for example

regarding the upgrade, a 4870 might be worth a look, its inbetween on pricing and features

might also wanna wait a few days for the new AMD launch, worst case scenario it just drops prices for you

CPU wise, if the 6400 works fine, I'd stay put, why waste resources (this is the hippie in me: don't buy what you dont need, dont overconsume, etc), but if you want more performance, get the 550 (This is the OC'er/enthusiast in me)

 

[dkev]

I would look at other PSUs, this is not to say Cooler Master is bad, far from it, but at that price point, there may be better (thats my sole point here), like Corsair for example

regarding the upgrade, a 4870 might be worth a look, its inbetween on pricing and features

might also wanna wait a few days for the new AMD launch, worst case scenario it just drops prices for you

CPU wise, if the 6400 works fine, I'd stay put, why waste resources (this is the hippie in me: don't buy what you dont need, dont overconsume, etc), but if you want more performance, get the 550 (This is the OC'er/enthusiast in me)

Well that's what I'm trying to figure out. Do I get a bigger performance jump with a higher end card and an older cpu or a current gen cpu and a mid range card. As far as the PSU, I get a combo break with my new case so it's not as expensive.
I should point out, I have a $500 budget. I don't get to upgrade very often anymore (about 2 years since my last one) so I'm trying to get the biggest bang for the buck.

 

[Dangman]

Well that's what I'm trying to figure out. Do I get a bigger performance jump with a higher end card and an older cpu or a current gen cpu and a mid range card. As far as the PSU, I get a combo break with my new case so it's not as expensive.
I should point out, I have a $500 budget. I don't get to upgrade very often anymore (about 2 years since my last one) so I'm trying to get the biggest bang for the buck.

Your older CPU, the X2 6000+, would limit the performance of the HD4890 or even the HD4850. A newer CPU + mid-range GPU would probably give you a more noticeable performance than the HD4890 plus the X2 6000+. However the higher res of your monitor would require a more beefier video card such as the HD4870 1GB

 

[dkev]

well my 6400+ is 3.2ghz. I don't usually play beyond 1200x1024. Don't know why, that's just the res I like to play at.

 

[HardwareGuru]

1280 x 1024 res on a 24" WS display? With $500 budget, you might as well upgrade your cpu now. I would say for a good bang for your buck performance with money left over, go with these.

PSU - Antec EA650 for $74.99 at Best Buy

CPU/MOBO - AMD X2 550 + Gigabyte GA-MA785G both for $152.98

VIDEO CARD - XFX Radeon HD 4870 1GB for $144.99 w/free shipping

Total: $372.96 before shipping & taxes

 

[dkev]

1280 x 1024 res on a 24" WS display? With $500 budget, you might as well upgrade your cpu now. I would say for a good bang for your buck performance with money left over, go with these.

PSU - Antec EA650 for $74.99 at Best Buy

CPU/MOBO - AMD X2 550 + Gigabyte GA-MA785G both for $152.98

VIDEO CARD - XFX Radeon HD 4870 1GB for $144.99 w/free shipping

Total: $372.96 before shipping & taxes

Nice. I'll be getting a CM Scout from Frys. So that brings me in right on budget.