What improvement can I expect

[smartis]

My current PC is creaking a bit, mainly due to high memory usage so it's time to upgrade.

What sort of percentage improvement over my current system can I expect with a Conroe 6600, 2Gb RAM and a 7900GT?

I'm doing photo editing, general internet stuff and it would be nice to play modern games again. Max Payne and RTCW (which I still play) were the last action type games I had and I'm looking forward to seeing how things have improved.

I'm thinking of keeping my CRT - it's a great monitor and I have the desk space. Decent refresh rates are only available at lower resolutions though - 1280 x 1024 is probably the highest. Is it really worth getting a flat screen?

 

[defakto]

*edit misread*

It'll be quite the performance difference, basically night and day.

 

[Mayhs]

are you using the rig in your sig?..

if so the performance upgrade for you will be unimaginable to say the least

 

[smartis]

Yes I am using it and it does the job quite nicely except playing new games which I miss a bit.
Running a firewall and antivirus while listening to MP3 and messing on the internet is taxing it though.

I know it's going to be good, just looking for some help in imagining it

Not long now, hehe.

 

[Mayhs]

lol the performance upgrade will be indescribable...im happy for you man ...

lol in games you wll actually be able to differentiate between a wall and a door now

 

[Boardin087]

okay, the difference is basicly the same as..... barry bonds when he played for the pirates...... and barry bonds now.

 

[AltTabbins]

The ram will do you some good, but that videocard will bottleneck..

 

[Boardin087]

The ram will do you some good, but that videocard will bottleneck..

the videocard will bottleneck? what do u propose he does..... with dx10 cards coming out later no reason to waste ona 7950 or 7900gt's in SLI IMO.

 

[smartis]

The ram will do you some good, but that videocard will bottleneck..

Well, I've managed on the GeForce 2 for quite a while so I think I can probably live with that ;-) I might even just put in a 7600GT until DX10 cards are out and well supported with decent drivers. Spending $700+ dollars on a 7950 (UK prices) isn't on my radar.

PC Games aren't a huge part of my life although it will be nice to play new stuff again.

My critical requirement is multi-tasking. Editing multiple big photos, ripping MP3s, running firewall and antivirus, poking around the internet etc.

Any AMD dual core would do the job with a bit more memory but I'm treating myself to something that will be future-proof-ish if needed. To be honest I rarely upgrade - normally buy a whole new set-up every three years.

Haven't built a PC for years - the last one as far as I remember is the 486DX66 sat in the corner.
It's been interesting cruising the forums and researching the latest stuff though. I just wonder how much benefit most people get from top end tech. Will spending a lot more for better quality/slightly faster/lower latency RAM for instance give more of a benefit than spending it on a faster broadband connection for instance? I doubt it for the majority.

PS I don't know who Barry Bonds is but I get the idea.

 

[synaps3]

Here is an analogy of the change you will get:
Stock 1995 Honda Civic = old system
Ferrari Enzo = new system.

My guess is you will get around a 5-10x perfomance leap.

The 2Gb RAM will be good for multitasking and image manipulation. I have a 7600GT, and it works great. You will not be disappointed.

 

[Boardin087]

Barry bonds is a baseball player that went from about 130 lbs and then used steriods and is now in the range of 200 or so (just a guess)

 

[Mayhs]

nice to know your from the uk too smartis ...

whoever said the gcard will be a bottleneck needs to be 'wrung' like a bottleneck

7900gt is more than enough for the wait to dx10...id advise to get that and then get dx10 cards mid 2007...dint jump on the early band wagon...

 

[Boardin087]

nice to know your from the uk too smartis ...

whoever said the gcard will be a bottleneck needs to be 'wrung' like a bottleneck

7900gt is more than enough for the wait to dx10...id advise to get that and then get dx10 cards mid 2007...dint jump on the early band wagon...

hah, if your talking abotu cards better then a 7900gt. there isn't a wagon to jump into. more like a unicycle

 

[Mayhs]

hah, if your talking abotu cards better then a 7900gt. there isn't a wagon to jump into. more like a unicycle

lol

 

[synaps3]

rofl (not literally, of course)