Upgrade thoughts/help

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So, I've been itching to do some form of upgrade to my pc. The two upgrade I'm considering, for the time being, are pretty incremental.

  • Go from 2gb of RAM to 4gb
  • Upgrade my processor to a faster quad from my e6400.
RAM is fairly cheap at the moment, and I could grab a 4gb kit for around $60. I think this would make my system a bit snappier. Downside is if I go to a different socket sometime in the future (not likely very soon), then I blew money on a part I can't reuse.

I've also been considering jumping to a Q9550 (from newegg I guess? Where are these priced well these days?) from my e6400, which is only at 2.8 gHz (it was never a great OC'er, hope it isn't my board - Giga 965P-DS3). Again, I have the same worry as above if I decide to make the jump to the new socket. This probably isn't too likely, as I'm not playing any games that will really stress my system. I'll probably grab Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 when they come out, but for the moment I've been playing TF2 and CSS. I'll probably go back and work through Oblivion again at some point too.

I think I'm pretty settled on the RAM, it should be a nice upgrade, especially when I hop onto Windows 7 next month. Does anyone have thoughts on the processor upgrade (I'd probably get an AC Freezer 7 Pro at the same time)? Do you think the prices will go down a bit over the next few months and I should wait since I don't really NEED it at the moment? The 9550 seems a bit overpriced on newegg at the moment considering the new releases.
 
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lt_shiro said:
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1349433

please answer these questions.
Click to expand...

Most of those are not applicable, since this is not a new build. I don't know why people always post that as a blanket "fill this out" when my original post contained enough information, but I'll humor you.

#1 is essentially answered in my original post, the primary use is gaming, sometimes I occasionally do things in Photoshop.

#2 - Budget doesn't really matter as far as the parts I've listed, I'm more concerned with longevity issues I raised in my original thread.

#3 - Continental US.

#4-6 see original post

#7 - 19" for now, will probably move to a 22" widescreen at some point. Not really an issue here, my video card is fine for the time being.

#8 - answered in the original post, the question was buy now or wait for price drops.

#9 -10 are N/A, I already have a computer.
 
Prices at NE are stabilized, thier not going anywhere but up for the dead socket (775). Your best bet would be for a mobo/cpu/ram upgrade, because anything you buy now is money wasted imo.

i5/i7 in a few months is where you will want to shop, and it wont be too much more than you want to spend:

i5-750 209.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215

2X2gb ram 72.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148150


or

Q9950 219.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115041

2X2gb 54.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148111

Less than 10.00 difference.
So you could spend the money on hardware that is already obsolete, or add some more $$ and build a current generation machine.

my .02
 
gwarren007 said:
So you could spend the money on hardware that is already obsolete, or add some more $$ and build a current generation machine.

my .02
Click to expand...

Aye, but you forgot the cost of the mobo. If I was going to go with the new core, I'd grab the 860 for the HT. I mean I guess I could go for the i5, but if I'm switching to a new socket I think I'd rather have the i7. So then I'd have $300 for the CPU, $100 for a decent set of RAM, and then another $160 for the mobo.

Although, I guess a total of $560 isn't a WHOLE lot more than the $280 I was considering. Maybe I'll just hold off on upgrading for now and move to the new generation in a few months, maybe with some tax refund money. All that would be a bit much in addition to the monitor and hard drive I was considering adding (more storage, yay!). Any other thoughts?
 
I didn't forget the price of the mobo, i was comparing the prices the prices you would spend on the old hardware and some new, "or add some more $$ and build a current generation machine."
 
joeshmo1985 said:
Most of those are not applicable, since this is not a new build. I don't know why people always post that as a blanket "fill this out" when my original post contained enough information, but I'll humor you.

#1 is essentially answered in my original post, the primary use is gaming, sometimes I occasionally do things in Photoshop.

#2 - Budget doesn't really matter as far as the parts I've listed, I'm more concerned with longevity issues I raised in my original thread.

#3 - Continental US.

#4-6 see original post

#7 - 19" for now, will probably move to a 22" widescreen at some point. Not really an issue here, my video card is fine for the time being.

#8 - answered in the original post, the question was buy now or wait for price drops.

#9 -10 are N/A, I already have a computer.
Click to expand...

I don't think you need new board and cpu.

Get 4 GB kit with Coolermaster Hyper 212 plus or Xigmatek Dark Knight and overclock your cpu to 3 GHz.
 
Which revision is your board? Unless it's revision 1.3, you would be able to use any Intel Core 2 Quad processor available (after updating your BIOS to the latest version available). (Considering the fact that Socket 775, as a whole, has now reached EOL status, you should consider buying a used quad-core processor. Regardless, a RAM upgrade wouldn't hurt.)

However, at this point, it would probably be better for you to upgrade to the current generation of processors (either Intel Core i5/i7 or AMD Phenom/Athlon II).
 
lt_shiro said:
I don't think you need new board and cpu.

Get 4 GB kit with Coolermaster Hyper 212 plus or Xigmatek Dark Knight and overclock your cpu to 3 GHz.
Click to expand...

Oh I don't actually need a new heatsink, the one I have is just fairly dated and, at least in my opinion, not as effective as some of the newer ones available. Temps aren't really an issue, but they could always be better.

I have tried overclocking my CPU further, it just doesn't cooperate once I get around 3 GHz, I'll get occasional reboots, even if I raise the voltage further.
 
1+ tiraides, if your cpu isn't going to get too 3 GHz. I would go with either Phenom2 or i5 build at this point.
 
tiraides said:
However, at this point, it would probably be better for you to upgrade to the current generation of processors (either Intel Core i5/i7 or AMD Phenom/Athlon II).
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm thinking this may be the best course of action. I'll probably get my new monitor (a nice Dell 2209wa the next time it's on sale) and a hard drive shortly and hold off on a more complete upgrade for 6 or 7 months to let prices of the new i5 and i7s come down a bit.

I would consider a switch to AMD, but intel seems to be (IMO) handily besting them as of late. I guess I'll wait and see what's out in 6 or 7 months since I don't really need to do the upgrade for something specific at this point (other than general system speed).
 
That E6400 should definitely reach much higher than 2.8Ghz. If not, you need a new cooler -- at LEAST an AC Freezer 7 Pro. I had my E6400 + DS3 up to 3.6Ghz with a Ninja, and it was pretty easy to OC. Even the late model "allendale" E6420s could reach at least 3.2Ghz. Bill Parrish has an OC'ing guide for the Gigabyte boards -- I suggest reading it and going for the simple 8x400, bump the vCore up to 1.3v, +.01v FSB and MCH, lock PCI-E at 100, and DRAM Multiplier at 2x, and you should be good to go. Prime test for 24+ hours of course. Make sure temps don't go over 65°C during prime.

$60 for DDR2 4GB is expensive. Try the FS/T forums instead, since most RAM has a lifetime warranty. You should be able to find 4GB for $35 at most. I've bought and sold some 4GB kits for $30, actually. ;)

The highest chip your board supports, officially, is a Kentsfield (Q6600/Q6700/etc) -- none of the Yorkfields are supported on the P965 Express.

IMO, your best option if you want to keep your board, is a used Q6600, an HDT-S1283V, and 4GB of RAM. Sell your 2GB kit, since using 4 sticks stresses out that board too much (MCH needs more voltage for 4 sticks). That should run you around $200 after selling your 2GB kit for $15. OC that Q6600 to 3.2Ghz and it should last you another 2 yrs or so, depending on your usage.
 
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