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I'd appreciate some advice

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  • 22-09-2010 11:59am
    #1
    Butterbumps
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13 ✭


    I'm considering an upgrade sometime in the next couple of months, but I'm not as in the loop on PC hardware as I used to be, so some input on my current vague plans would be much appreciated :)

    My existing setup is:

    Core 2 Duo E6750
    Radeon 4870 1GB
    4GB DDR2 ram

    I gather from some research that the Core i5 760 is about the price/performance sweet spot at the moment, and that an i5 760 + appropriate mobo + 4GB DDR3 will run me somewhere in the region of €400, which is about what I'm willing to spend.

    So I guess what I'm wondering is, is that a reasonable thing to do in the near future? Or is there anything else coming out soon that I'd be better off waiting for? Also, is my video card going to be excessively gimping my system post-upgrade? It would be nice to upgrade that also, but I don't think it's too behind the curve at the moment, and I'm not sure I can afford it on top of all the other stuff anyway.

    Anyway, advice or suggestions are appreciated :)


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    #2
    Icyseanfitz
    Registered Users Posts: 7,410 ✭✭✭Icyseanfitz


    you could also go AMD phenom x4 or even x6 and could still be cheaper than an intel i5 setup, personally thats what i would do first and then save a little bit for a couple of weeks and upgrade the gpu to say something like a 5770 or gtx 460 1 gig (depending who you want to go with), also im not too sure but you will probably have to buy some ddr3 ram for the new motherboard


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    #3
    cherryghost
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 17,134 Mod ✭✭✭✭cherryghost


    What's wrong with the E6750? That baby can hit 3.4ghz easily without any voltage tweaks. You still have a seriously powerful machine there


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    #4
    Monotype
    Registered Users Posts: 6,710 ✭✭✭Monotype


    I agree with cherryghost.
    It seems a waste to upgrade what you have, especially to a new platform. Maybe when the new sockets are established, you'd have some more worthwhile choices.
    If you really need the additional processing power, perhaps keep your eyes open for compatible quad cores.


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    #5
    Butterbumps
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13 ✭Butterbumps


    cherryghost wrote: »
    What's wrong with the E6750? That baby can hit 3.4ghz easily without any voltage tweaks. You still have a seriously powerful machine there

    Well yeah, that's sort of what I'm wondering, would the performance difference be worth upgrading for yet? I assume you're saying it wouldn't.

    Regarding overclocking, I had a lot of stability issues when I tried it (I think at either 3.2 or 3.4ghz, don't remember exactly) so I'm currently running it at stock speed. I don't know what the problem was exactly, but I may try it again with better cooling or something.


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    #6
    Butterbumps
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13 ✭Butterbumps


    Monotype wrote: »
    I agree with cherryghost.
    It seems a waste to upgrade what you have, especially to a new platform. Maybe when the new sockets are established, you'd have some more worthwhile choices.
    If you really need the additional processing power, perhaps keep your eyes open for compatible quad cores.

    Okay, seems reasonable. I don't really need more power, it is always nice though :)


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    #7
    cherryghost
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 17,134 Mod ✭✭✭✭cherryghost


    What exactly will you be using the PC for anyway? Even the E6750 at 3ghz should easily cope with the latest games, as well as video encoding etc. Hell it's almost as fast as some of the AMD tri cores. Overclock it and you're well sorted :pac:

    As for the OC'ing issue, are you using a stock cooler or a custom cooler?


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    #8
    Butterbumps
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13 ✭Butterbumps


    cherryghost wrote: »
    What exactly will you be using the PC for anyway? Even the E6750 at 3ghz should easily cope with the latest games, as well as video encoding etc. Hell it's almost as fast as some of the AMD tri cores. Overclock it and you're well sorted :pac:

    As for the OC'ing issue, are you using a stock cooler or a custom cooler?

    Mostly gaming, the odd bit of video-encoding/editing. And yeah, it's not like I'm having problems running new games, it's more of a case of 'want new shinies' than actually needing to upgrade right now.

    OCing: I was just using the stock cooler, so I suppose it was probably temperature related? I seem to remember the temps being reasonably okay, but it was a while ago, so I may be wrong.

    Anyway, I guess I've been convinced to be satisfied with what I have and keep my money for the moment. ( And by 'keep' I mean 'spend on some other frivolous thing' obviously :) )


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    #9
    Solitaire
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 18,377 Mod ✭✭✭✭Solitaire


    Depending on mobo chipset I'd only recommend a drop-in CPU upgrade up to a cheap second-hand LGA775 quad for multithreaded love. Put nice cooler on, OC to 3GHz+ and enjoy ;) That way you shouldn't need a platform update for a good long while ;)


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    #10
    Butterbumps
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13 ✭Butterbumps


    Solitaire wrote: »
    Depending on mobo chipset I'd only recommend a drop-in CPU upgrade up to a cheap second-hand LGA775 quad for multithreaded love. Put nice cooler on, OC to 3GHz+ and enjoy ;) That way you shouldn't need a platform update for a good long while ;)

    I think for the moment I'm just going to pick up a decent cooler to have another try at OCing my E6750, and see where that gets me. I'll definitely keep a Core 2 Quad in mind though, especially if I see any good deals.

    Thanks for the advice, folks :)


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    #11
    Jonny7
    Registered Users Posts: 6,696 ✭✭✭Jonny7


    Icyseanfitz wrote: »
    you could also go AMD phenom x4 or even x6 and could still be cheaper than an intel i5 setup, personally thats what i would do first and then save a little bit for a couple of weeks and upgrade the gpu to say something like a 5770 or gtx 460 1 gig (depending who you want to go with), also im not too sure but you will probably have to buy some ddr3 ram for the new motherboard

    You don't really upgrade a 4870 to a 5770 :)


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