What is my Bottleneck?

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keywo

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Nov 27, 2009
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This is my system - built from new, used and OLD parts.

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 @ 3.0GHz (Second hand - $90 AUDollars)
Intel Stock cooler (I don't need to overclock)
Gigabyte GA-G41MT-ES2L
2GB DDR3 PC3 6400 OCZ Gold Series (1 stick)
Integrated Intel X4500 Graphics
Seagate U6 60GB IDE HDD (OLD)
No Name P4 PSU 400W


I game a little - mostly old stuff, Halo is the game I play the most, TM Nations Forever is second in line.

Other then that, I watch DVD's, listen to music, work in Office (97, this is the easiest to use, IMO).

I need to upgrade some parts to make my system a little more modern.

I suspect I need a new HDD and PSU, and a DVD-RW Drive (I use a USB one).

What are my real bottlenecks in my system, for the tasks I do?

Please list which parts I have that you think are the worst, and which part is the best here.

Thanks guys.
 
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Graphics and HD are definitely keeping you down a bit. Also ram. What settings are you able to play Halo and other games at? Do you feel like you are lagging or that you want to increase the quality?

Here is what I would upgrade:
- Caviar Blue 500GB

- Corsair CMPSU-400CX 400w

- Samsung DVD Burner

By far the biggest upgrade would be the HD for normal everyday use. Programs will load faster, system will boot faster, overall better performance, and of course, more SPACE!

Also I would try to find another 2gb stick of matching OCZ Gold (are you sure its PC3 6400?). I'm not sure if you can just toss another 2gb stick of a different speed in there without encountering problems, maybe someone else could chime in on this.

Also if you want a bit more gaming performance here are some cards:
- Sapphire HD4670 (I use this for gaming and it is honestly pretty good, I play at 1680x1050 and I play a lot of modern games, TF2, grid, Mass Effect 1/2 smooth with decent quality).
- XFX HD5670 (Slightly updated 4670 with DDR5 and DX11, competes with the 9800GT which can be had for the same price.)
And for a bit more you can get
- XFX 4850
 
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Alright, Halo runs at full settings @ 1024x768 with little noticeable lag unless I run into a group of 5-10 enemies, where I estimate it drops to 10-12FPS until I defeat the enemies. TM Forever, at Medium settings, scores 23.4FPS and is OK, but the much prettier 'High' settings score only 13FPS. I really want better quality in TM and better framerates in Halo.

The RAM is definately PC3 6400, and I think I am happy with 2GB until I do up the other components, after that I may game a little more.

The Hard Drive is really slow and I can hear it 5mtrs away! It's going to be upgraded after the PSU, the Motherboard manual recommends a 500W PSU, and I need a new one to upgrade my HDD/Optical because it doesn't have SATA connectors.

Do you think my CPU was worth the price I paid? (Second hand, $90 AU)
 
keywo said:
Alright, Halo runs at full settings @ 1024x768 with little noticeable lag unless I run into a group of 5-10 enemies, where I estimate it drops to 10-12FPS until I defeat the enemies. TM Forever, at Medium settings, scores 23.4FPS and is OK, but the much prettier 'High' settings score only 13FPS. I really want better quality in TM and better framerates in Halo.

The RAM is definately PC3 6400, and I think I am happy with 2GB until I do up the other components, after that I may game a little more.

The Hard Drive is really slow and I can hear it 5mtrs away! It's going to be upgraded after the PSU, the Motherboard manual recommends a 500W PSU, and I need a new one to upgrade my HDD/Optical because it doesn't have SATA connectors.

Do you think my CPU was worth the price I paid? (Second hand, $90 AU)
Click to expand...

I would grab the 4670, caviar blue 500gb, and the corsair 400w or antec 430w suggested above.

At that resolution you should be fine with a cheaper card like the 4670 and like I said, I run it in my system and I play much newer games at a higher resolution with good fps.
 
Adding more ram would be one of the first things I'd do in that system. The first would be upgrading the hard drive. Also, ignore wattage on PSU's. It's virtually meaningless unless you're cross-comparing within a single quality brand line. Both the Antec and Corsair will provide plenty of power for your needs. Also consider the nVidia GT240 or 4770 for a vid. Although I think the 5750 is the best option for you.
 
I am looking for something cheap in the Graphics cards - Is a GT220 worth the price over the integrated graphics?

Or a 4350?

I'm on XP - How would 7HP go on this system? (Current and after recommended upgrades)
 
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Could I whack a 4350 in this PC? Does it require any extra power connectors to run? Do you think my PSU could handle it?
 
The 4350 won't hurt if you are getting it free but don't buy one the gain would be marginal at best. At the minimum you would want a 4650, 4670. If you're considering a new 220 I would look for a used 8800GT which will be much better than all of those, you can find them for very good deals.

And yes you got a good deal on your cpu, it's also very overclockable.
 
keywo said:
Could I whack a 4350 in this PC? Does it require any extra power connectors to run? Do you think my PSU could handle it?
Click to expand...

Probably.

I would not continue using that no-name P4 PSU for long, no matter what upgrade you do. You're just asking for trouble. So NO MATTER WHAT, replace that PSU FIRST.

Current system would be okay-ish with 7HP. But the upgrades will definitely make 7HP fly.
 
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