Upgrade advice needed

Dacelonid

Am at the stage again when it is time to upgrade the auld beige box.

This is my current configuration, which I use mostly to play games, specifally the likes of Crysis, Farcry, Bioshock, ArmA II, etc.

Item|Current Config
CPU|Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz
Cooler|Artic Freezer pro 7 (I think)
Ram|4 x Crucial DDR2 BallistiX PC6400 1024MB
PSU|Corsair Powersupply 520W Black, ATX/EPS
Monitor|Dell 19" 1280x1024
Gfx|XFX GeForce 8800GT 600M 512MB GDDR3,
MB|Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3, P965, Socket-775
HDD|Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB SATA2
Case|Turbine V54 Gaming case


In my opinion, the current bottlenecks are the motherboard and memory and those are the ones I need to replace, but given the new games coming out I reckon I'll need to up the graphics card as well. The case is also pretty crap and I am thinking of moving to an Antec, but it is not a necessity really I guess

So bearing in mind this is generally a gaming rig and will be needed for the next generation of FPS's that are going to be arriving over the next year or so, what would people suggest for upgrade.

I have a preference for nVidia cards over ati so no reccomendations of ati please.

Also I will be uping to 24" monitor soon so that is probably a factor in choice of gfx card.

Budget is in the €400 - €500 range (excluding the monitor)

Thanks
Ken

Dacelonid

Having had a look around, I reckon these are the ones that I would be drawn too. The only issue is, I am not sure about the motherboard, what is a good motherboard make, or what should I be looking for. Other than that I would imagine that the following three components would give me machine a shot in the arm
Item|New Config|Link
Gfx|EVGA GeForce GTX 260 896MB PhysX CUDA|http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=422880
Mobo|ASUS P5Q Deluxe, P45, Socket-775|http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=352402&view=detailed#ProductTabs
Mem|Crucial DDR2 PC8500 2GB CL7 * 4|http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=343934

As I said I would have a question mark over the Motherboard, also would I need to replace the current 520W Corsair PSW or is that still powerful enough to run the new configuration.
Also what are people thoughts on teh GFX, I know it is a bit old, but I remember reading great revews of the 216 core GTX260's and it is in the right price range for me.

All of that will set me back ~€450 on Komplett, so it is in the right range.

massy086

like the board alright and the gpu but it would be worth while spending more on ram http://www.memoryc.com/computermemory/ddr2ram/4gbgskil8500pkseries.html or this http://www.memoryc.com/computermemory/ddr2ram/4gboczpc28500reapercl5kit.html dont forget you will still get a couple of bucks for your old parts on adverts witch will all count on the new build and the antec 300 is real cheap ant mo great case iv got it and the ocz reaper ram very happy with both

Solitaire

Are you OCing that CPU?

Mobo is certainly a bit long in the tooth... get a cheapish P35 or P43/45. 8800GT isn't bad yet, it'll just suck supreme when you get your shiny new monitor. GTX260 will do okay at 1080p, just make sure you get the upgraded 55nm version! If its much bigger than 1920*1200 then you might have to go for a GTX275 though. And I doubt you can improve on RAM that much... cheap PC8500 CL5 is probably the way to go as I doubt getting ultra-low-latency or ultra-high-speed stuff will give you enough bang-for-buck.

In any case the old Corsair with its 40 amps of 12V capacity should easily handle your new parts if going the GTX260 route. A single GTX275 is still doable if you don't go mental overvolting it or anything crazy like that

StopNotWorking

Maybe look into a cheaper version of the P5Q. I've had my pro one for a few months and I dont think I will ever get around to using the second pci-e slot. Save yourself some money and drop down from the deluxe model. Money saved can go towards a better GPU or cooler for the CPU(So you can OC it ).

uberpixie

Dacelonid wrote: »

In my opinion, the current bottlenecks are the motherboard and memory and those are the ones I need to replace, but given the new games coming out I reckon I'll need to up the graphics card as well. The case is also pretty crap and I am thinking of moving to an Antec, but it is not a necessity really I guess

Your main bottle neck is the gfx card.....
Upgrade to a much better one and your PC will fly in games by comparison.

1) get a new gfx card for around €200, plenty of good cards in that price range.

2) Get a new case: will improve the cooling, reduce PC noise etc.. Antec do make good cases, the antec 300 is only around €50 and is fantastic value for money. An antec 1200/900/193 would be good options also if you are willing to spend the money.

(have a antec p180 myself and it was well worth the expense. Really has good airflow and really helps reducing noise.)

3) Only get a new motherboard if you require some feature thats not on yours. A Q6600 is one of the best chips intel have made in socket 775 and there is not much else thats better or worth spending silly money on getting: some of the new fancy 45nm quads are worse by comparison especially when you start to overclock.

An option would be to get a new cpu cooler and overclock your cpu a little.
You should be able to get to 3.0ghz easily on any half dacent motherboard.

4) Ram is fine, PSU is fine, I wouldn't bother changing either.

Dacelonid wrote: »

I have a preference for nVidia cards over ati so no reccomendations of ati please.

No offense but that is a very silly stand to take: I always buy the best bang for the buck ATI or Nvidia, which ever is better at the time.

Atm ATI are offering the better bang for the buck: a 4870 can be gotten for under €130, a 4890 for under €170.

Still if you insist on going the green team: have a look at a 260 or a GTX 275. Either should do you nicely without breaking the bank.

If you are going the 24" I would consider a 4890/GTX275 as a good minimum: anything less will struggle.

I would consider a 4870X2 or a GTX295 but one of these cards on their own will eat in to most of your budget, a 4870X2 is around €350, a 295 will be around €430.