What should I consider upgrading?

O

Oddownage

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Apr 30, 2010
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I've been thinking of upgrading my computer here and there to get it to run better. I copy and pasted the questions below just in case I needed to; a little confused here, new to the forums! I don't really plan on doing a new system or any type of overhaul. I guess what i really want to know is what should be my priorities in upgrading.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming, Media, Web
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Within reason. I built my current computer with a 1k budget.
3) Where do you live?
Tampa, FL
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
I've been thinking about getting a 10kRPM hard drive for OS and programs install and using my current 1TB 7200RPM hard drive for data. I've also been considering buying a new VGA.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

My Current Build:

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard


LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS30 - OEM
Item #: N82E16827136152


ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 92mm Fluid Dynamic CPU Cooler
Item #: N82E16835186134


EVGA 512-P3-N879-AR GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card (X2 SLI'd)
Item #: N82E16814130416


EVGA 123-YW-E175-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI FTW ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813188026


Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Item #: N82E16811129021


G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ
Item #: N82E16820231122


Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor Model BX80562Q6600
Item #: N82E16819115017


CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ...
Item #: N82E16817139006


6) Will you be overclocking?
Currently I have my Q6600 at 3.0ghz
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
1920x1080, 23.6in
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
I plan on upgrading anytime.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
***
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? 32bit or 64bit?
64 bit win7
 
First, are you satisfied with the performance of the Q6600 and the 750i FTW? If so, keep them. If not, what level of gaming performance do you want?

Go with an HD 5850, at a minimum, for the video card. You could go with the GTX 470 or GTX 480 if you want to keep the option of SLI available, but right now, the ATI HD 5850 and HD 5870 are the better bang-per-buck cards.

The WD Raptors/VelociRaptors are, in my opinion, a waste of money. Most of today's single- or dual-platter HDDs can compete with the Raptor series HDDs and most SSDs overwhelm them. Get a nice 30-80GB SSD with a good SSD controller (like Intel, Indilinx, or Samsung, among others) and use that as an OS drive instead.
 
Yeah, I guess I'm satisfied with my processor and mobo, though I'm no expert on computers, so I wouldn't really know at what point i would need to upgrade them at.

I might look into getting an ATI card. This is my first build i built and other computers I've had were all nvidia, so i just stuck with that brand. It looks as if my current mobo doesn't support crossfire, unless I'm mistaken, which is kind of disappointing. Can someone confirm this?

I've been looking into an SSD, but i don't really know how to go about setting up a second hard drive. Do i just plug it in and go? What does an SSD controller do?


Sorry for my lack of knowledge in these matters, im researching into a lot of this as i type this.
 
I agree with tiraides. You're correct, the NVIDIA 750i chipset only supports SLI. The only boards that currently support both SLI/Crossfire are the Intel X58/P55-based boards.

Skip the VRaptors, not worth their pricetag. You can see my VRaptor get killed here: http://ssd.alphaq.org. Your F1 is actually pretty fast, so if you want to see a noticeable upgrade, pickup an Intel X25-M 80GB, or two for RAID0. ;) The new Sandforce drives are worth looking at as well, like the Corsair Force and the OCZ Vertex2/Agility2. An SSD would be like another HDD. You'd plug it in and re-install your OS/Apps onto that drive, and use your F1 as a backup OS/Apps drive as well as your storage drive.

What games do you play, and at what settings/res?
 
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I typically play almost any and all Valve games, especially TF2. Currently, I can play TF2 maxed out completely at 1920x1080, as well as most Source games. I will definitely be picking up Diablo 3 whenever that comes out and I usually pick up any decent FPS's that come out.
 
You definitely want to upgrade your GPU, as tiraides suggested.
 
enginurd said:
I agree with tiraides. You're correct, the NVIDIA 750i chipset only supports SLI. The only boards that currently support both SLI/Crossfire are the Intel X58-based boards.
Click to expand...

There are 1156 boards that do as well..
 
True, bastage, but the OP's money would be better spent towards getting a better video card.
 
tiraides said:
True, bastage, but the OP's money would be better spent towards getting a better video card.
Click to expand...

well I never said otherwise.. But I actually don't exactly agree.. Since there is no set forward budget & the 9800 there isn't a slouch I would be looking at going towards a whole new system in steps..

If the budget at the time of purchase is enough to upgrade CPU, Mobo & Ram.. then Do it, If its enough for a 5830 or 5850 then do that.. if its enough for a SSD.. well ya get the story.. I Wouldn't call anything in there far enough out of date to be a major gaming bottleneck if this is to be an ongoing upgrade/build.
 
If the OP was more willing to perform a complete overhaul, I would have made suggestions toward that point. That said, all he really needs now (in terms of improved gaming performance) is a newer, better video card (one, for now). An SSD would shorten load times in games, but it wouldn't impact frame rates much.
 
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A new video card would be a big improvement, and you already have a nice power supply to support it.

I suggest an ATI 5850.
 
Indeed, a budget needs to be set. And yes, sorry, fixed my post above.
 
tiraides said:
If the OP was more willing to perform a complete overhaul, I would have made suggestions toward that point. That said, all he really needs now (in terms of improved gaming performance) is a newer, better video card (one, for now). An SSD would shorten load times in games, but it wouldn't impact frame rates much.
Click to expand...

the OP already said that he plays TF2 & already maxed out.. So if the OP has say 300 to spend well that aint gonna replace the core components so a new Video card would be the prime. But if he has 6 or 7 to spend then replacing the Mobo CPU & mem would be the better route for the long haul.
 
Oddownage, please give us a budget for these "upgrades." We need something to work with.
 
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