Upgrade or wait to build a new system

[spacekungfuman]

I normally just build a new system every 2-3 years, but the core2duo has remained so viable that I'm thinking of just upgrading my existing system.

Here's my current build (from may 2007):

core2duo e6550
Asus P5B Deluxe/Wifi-AP - this is a P965 motherboard
2 gig corsair xms2 2gb
geforce 8800GTS 640

My power supply is from Ultra. I think it's 550, but it might be 500 or 600.

I'm thinking about getting the following:

core2duo 8500
4 gig ram
radeon 4750 or Geforce 260

Does it make sense to add these parts to my current system? Will I really be missing out by using the P965 motherboard vs a newer one? I take it using ddr2 ram instead of newer ddr3 isn't that big of a performance issue, if ddr3 is even faster at all. Is it a mistake to buy a dual core processor vs a quadcore, and if so, do you think it pays to wait and build a Nehalem system?

Thanks for any input.

edit: I should point out I game on a 22" 1680x1050 monitor, so I don't need to play games are higher resolutions, but I will not play a game at anything lower. Also, the games I see myself playing in the near future are Fallout 3, the witcher: ee, nwn2:soz, stalker and stalker clear sky, left4dead and mirror's edge. There are probably others I forgot to mention.

 

[engiNURD]

I typically tell people to wait as long as they can, buy when they can't wait any longer. Your system isn't even 2yrs old... what is your goal with this upgrade? What is running slow thats prompting you to upgrade?

If it were me, I'd expect the E6550 to last me at least until May'09. Is it OC'd at all? If you want better gaming performance, all you really need is a new vidcard. None of the current vidcards for your res will be limited by the PCI-E1.1 16x speed of your P965, and I doubt anything in the next 8 months will change that -- but I could be wrong.

And no, DDR3 does not offer any performance gains with the Core2 platform... now for Core i7... thats a different story. By May'09, you can build a new Core i7 system, since they should be very affordable by then. They come out this month, btw.

 

[tiraides]

First, check to see whether your motherboard supports the newer processors (if so, it's usually after a BIOS upgrade.) But I defer to enginurd and recommend that you try overclocking your current processor first.

For gaming, upgrading the video card to either the GTX 260 and the HD4870 (which is actually the AMD/ATI equivalent to the GTX 260) would be enough of an upgrade. More RAM would help, especially if you're using Vista.

If you really want to know, a quad core processor is beneficial if you perform heavy video/graphics/image editing, multitasking (running several system-intensive programs at the same time), encoding/decoding, and/or use multiple Virtual Machines. If your system's primary purpose is gaming, you could stick with the dual core.

 

[GonzoP]

Agreed. If that E6550 can be OC'd that's one avenue. Even if it cannot the GTX260 or 4870 would receive enough from the 6550 for 1680x1050 gaming. That would be your cheapest compromise. Adding another 2 gigs is a no brainer. That's less than $25

 

[HardwareGuru]

Agree with the rest. I wouldn't even bother touching your current rig. I would just upgrade your RAM to 4 gigs such as the G. Skills for $50. Might as well since its dirt cheap anyways. Then, upgrade your video card to a GTX260. I say GTX260 because you mention you will want to play Stalker. That game is better optimized on Nvidia chips and therefore will perform better on a GTX 260 vs a HD4870. I would spend the extra and jump on the GTX 260(216 stream processor version) for even more performance. You should see a wicked performance jump from your 640MB 8800GTS to a GTX 260. I play Stalker myself and it is a demanding game on my Q6600 stock Acer system with a 8800GT SC. I run it at 1440 x 900 res on my 24"