Want to upgrade my already semi-high end PC

J

Jarmel

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 13, 2010
Messages
136
Specs:

i7 870 ( OC to 4.0)
6 gigs of DDR 3 ram
2 TB HD
2 Blu-Ray drives
2 5870s in Crossfire
1000 Watt Kingston Power supply


So what upgrade would increase my performance the most?
 
What are you running that you need more performance out of that system?
 
I already own the i7 870. The reason I went for it was because it was better for use outside of gaming applications.

I just feel the need to upgrade. My rig is almost a year old and I was wondering if there was anything I can do to increase the performance apart from essentially tossing the whole machine out and getting a new motherboard for the 980x and getting dual 5970s.

My monitor is 2600x1600 (3008wfp) and I'm worried that the rig won't allow me top performance at that resolution.
 
Upgrading for the sake of upgrading is a bit silly don't you think? I suppose I'm guilty of it too, though...

...so I think you should get a SSD.
 
cbliss1000 said:
Upgrading for the sake of upgrading is a bit silly don't you think? I suppose I'm guilty of it too, though...

...so I think you should get a SSD.
Click to expand...

The main issue I have with SSDs is the outrageous amount of money you're paying for the amount of space you're getting. However would my performance in games or just overall usage really benefit from a SSD?

Well Metro 2033 destroyed my PC so after that I started prowling again for upgrades and the 980x looked ok until some articles I saw stated that it wouldn't do much in regards to performance.
 
Most folks just load their OS + a few critical apps on their SSD. This makes "general" computing feel much snappier, and the games you install on it will load significantly faster.
 
1000 Watt Kingston Power supply
Click to expand...

I think this needs to go... and fast.



Seriously, spending all that money on the computer and then choosing some crappy no name PSU? That's criminal.
 
cbliss1000 said:
Most folks just load their OS + a few critical apps on their SSD. This makes "general" computing feel much snappier, and the games you install on it will load significantly faster.
Click to expand...

So if I just install the OS, it would make basic stuff such as web browsing snappier? Do I need to put games on the SSD too to get the faster load times?

Sorry it's Kingwin Mach 1 1000w ATX Modular Power Supply.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817121037
 
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Jarmel said:
So if I just install the OS, it would make basic stuff such as web browsing snappier? Do I need to put games on the SSD too to get the faster load times?

Sorry it's Kingwin Mach 1 1000w ATX Modular Power Supply.
Click to expand...

It'll make everything more snappier. No you don't need the games on the SSD.

Yeah replace the PSU. You're looking at early hardware death if you don't replace the PSU:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=155

I recommend the Corsair 1000HX as a replacement.

Beside the new PSU and possibly SSD, there's not much you can do to improve your gaming performance short of getting GTX 480 SLI.
 
Well it looks like I'm picking up a SSD. Any recommendations on that?

In regards to dual 480 setup, the mental problem is that I have to buy both to see an increase. Also makes my 5870s worthless unless I sell them on Ebay. That by itself would not be too horrific, but are there any refreshes coming out relatively soon that will be a major jump from current Crossfire setup?
 
Jarmel said:
Well it looks like I'm picking up a SSD. Any recommendations on that?
Click to expand...
And a new PSU as well. Don't forget that.

SSD wise, I recommend this:
$225 - Intel SSDSA2MH080G2R5 2.5" 80GB SSD

Jarmel said:
In regards to dual 480 setup, the mental problem is that I have to buy both to see an increase. Also makes my 5870s worthless unless I sell them on Ebay. That by itself would not be too horrific, but are there any refreshes coming out relatively soon that will be a major jump from current Crossfire setup?
Click to expand...

There's suppose to be an AMD refresh coming out sometime later this year. No exact dates. Dunno if't gonna be a major jump over your current Crossfire setup.
 
SSD all the way. and since it looks like you are wanting to burn money get 2 intel SSD's and raid 0 them.
 
At the risk of sounding like an idiot but what difference would the PSU make? I've always been under the impression that as long as you have a solid PSU and that you weren't using too much wattage then everything was fine. The only major complaint I saw in that review was something about ripple but the guy said the PSU was fine just not excellent.

Would raid with SSD help at all?
 
Simply put, poor quality power supplies can't handle the full load that they're rated for. Plus, all power supplies "break down" and generate less power over time (the bad ones, naturally, seem to break down faster), which limits their long-term effectiveness. That becomes a huge factor if/when you decide to introduce a new, power-hungry component at some point in the future; four or five years from now, that kilowatt power supply may not be able to handle an overclocked system and/or a single high-end video card.

RAID 0 using two SSDs would increase the SSDs' read and write speeds, but you would lose TRIM support as a result.
 
Jarmel said:
At the risk o sounding like an idiot but what difference wouldnthe PSU make? I've always been under the impression that as long as you have a solid PSU and the you weren't using too much wattage then everything was fine. The only major complaint I saw in that review was something about ripple but the guy said the PSU was fine just not excellent.
Click to expand...

Read the review more carefully and don't just jump ahead to the conclusion. While your impression is right, the problem is that you don't have a solid PSU at all and your build is using a ton of wattage. Ripple, or voltage fluctuations, can slowly kill hardware if they're not within ATX specifications. If you had read the review, you would have seen that the ripple readings for the PSU began to vary wildly at Test 4 (795W load) and was barely within spec at test 5 (990W load). So for all intents and purposes that's basically a 800W PSU you have there.

Consider your current power usage:
277W - Intel Core i7 860 OC'd to 4Ghz at full load + mobo + RAM
470W - 2 x HD 5870 at full load
---
Total: 747W

So you're pretty much at the borderline of the safety limits of that PSU.

In addition, to the ripple issues, there were temperature issues as well with that PSU:
The hot box takes no prisoners, and just about caused the death of our beloved Mach 1. Look at that... seventy-four degrees at the exhaust by test five. That's insanely hot when one considers the hot box temperature had not yet reached fifty degrees. Friends, I don't know that I would expect this unit to run full power under these conditions all the time, even if my sample managed to do it without letting all the magic smoke out.
Click to expand...

Considering that other 1000W PSUs only 58C at fulll 1000W load at 50C within the hot box, that's not a good sign that the Kingwin will last much long. Even at 800W as indicated by the review of the 800W version of that 1000W:
http://hardocp.com/article/2007/10/24/kingwin_abt800ma1s_mach_1_800w_psu/1

So in other words, not a solid PSU and that you are risking early hardware death should A) the ripple issues starts extending down to the lower wattage loads and/or B) the PSU gets so hot that it ends up burning itself out.
 
Danny Bui said:
*snip*
Click to expand...

Ok that's what I need to know. I'll place an order next week for the Corsair.

I feel I should list all my accessories and full details on my components so that everybody has a better idea of what I'm working with.

1 G19 Keyboard
1 3008wfp
1 R.A.T.7(I'm already aware of the Philip's Twin-eye sensor problem but comfort wins on this one over my G9)
4 Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002 (2 are not hooked up due to space arrangement in case as well as lack of ports on motherboard)
8gb G.SKILL Trident (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000)
1 MB MSI P55-GD80 1156 RT
2 Pioneer Blu-ray drives
2 5870 Xfx Crossfire
1 i7 870
1 Noctua NH-U12P SE 2 CPU Cooler
1 Coolermaster CSX case

Now from what I read about the Trim, it has to do with deletion on SSDs and if I let junk build up it would harm the overall speed?
 
So in that case it might just be better to go with just the 80gb for now. What about my ram? Should I look into upgrades there?
 
What about ports for the SSD? I've used all my SATA ports on my motherboard.
 
Simple pci sata controller should work. I would give you a direct link, but on my droid atm.
 
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