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Original Post
NEGATIVE0 Posted at 7:48 am on Sep. 16, 2008
i need to figure out what i should upgrade first... but i reallyreally want a new vid card, buttt... look.

e6300 c2d @ 1.8ghz
BFG 8800gts 320mb
2 gigs of pc5300 667mhz ram
550w powersupply
p5nsli w/ nforce 570i?
500gb sata2 hd
30gb ide hd

... that would be my setup.

new mobo/ps? the mobo only allows up to 667 ram, and only c2d, not quad.

i'm thinking about getting a 9800gtx 512. would that be worthwhile considering my setup?

Replies
Tursi Askari Posted at 12:03 am on Oct. 3, 2008
Your PSU is fine. First thing to upgrade is graphics. 9800GTX is rubbish, go for the ATi 4850/4870. Next thing would be mobo/CPU/ram in that order. ASUS P5Q Pro is nice, or P5QL Pro if u are cheap. Intel E8400 is a good CPU (quads are overrated for gaming), and some generic DDR2 800 if you wanted to overclock, but your current RAM will work fine at stock.
Rippzter Posted at 12:05 pm on Sep. 19, 2008
If i was you i would get yourself a new CPU as they can be the most expensive thing in a computer. I recommend Core 2 quad
marshmellowman Posted at 6:51 pm on Sep. 16, 2008
Haha, if you have problems starting the computer with all devices connected that's a sign of a lack of power, so you probably do want to upgrade your PSU.

Well which would give the best overall performance? And think about the load on your mobo, will it be able to cope with that? SLI is sometimes not actually that beneficiary performance wise if games can't take advantage of it. In some cases the way games have been coded has actually caused a drop in framerate on an SLI system.

I think it's better to choose one high(er)-end graphics card for more money than a mid-range SLI system for less. There's a reason the 9800gtx costs so much, and more than the SLI system, it's probably better in most cases.

NEGATIVE0 Posted at 8:33 am on Sep. 16, 2008
Quote: from marshmellowman at 12:08 pm on Sep. 16, 2008

To be honest quad core isn't that beneficial over dual core unless you're playing a game (like Crysis) which has been developed specifically to take advantage of quad core. I think upgrading to quad core is probably not worth the money at this point considering you'd have to upgrade your mobo too.

I say go for the 9800gtx. Other than the processor that seems to be the most limiting factor in your setup. I wouldn't worry about your RAM at this point. 667MHz may not be amazing but it works and upgrading from 2GB to 4GB probably won't yield you any perceptible results anyway. You might also want to think about upgrading your PSU considering the 8800GTS uses like 150W by itself, and it seems like it's going to be a demanding system.


you make a valid point. should i bother with the 9800gtx, or go for something like a 260 or 280? i mean, though the 9800gtx is not as purdeh, it'd be cheaper to go sli, or triple sli, or even quad sli! ohhh shit... but, yeah... maybe the low fps i've been getting on the 8800 is just a result of a shitty PS. for the 4v connector on the card i've got a splitter on the PS, and sometimes 'the beast' won't boot unless i unplug the cd-rom drive(loool, too cheap to goto DVD, all i use it for is os installs)

marshmellowman Posted at 8:08 am on Sep. 16, 2008
To be honest quad core isn't that beneficial over dual core unless you're playing a game (like Crysis) which has been developed specifically to take advantage of quad core. I think upgrading to quad core is probably not worth the money at this point considering you'd have to upgrade your mobo too.

I say go for the 9800gtx. Other than the processor that seems to be the most limiting factor in your setup. I wouldn't worry about your RAM at this point. 667MHz may not be amazing but it works and upgrading from 2GB to 4GB probably won't yield you any perceptible results anyway. You might also want to think about upgrading your PSU considering the 8800GTS uses like 150W by itself, and it seems like it's going to be a demanding system.

NEGATIVE0 Posted at 8:07 am on Sep. 16, 2008
Quote: from ManiacPenguins at 12:03 pm on Sep. 16, 2008

The first thing you need to upgrade is your power supply... then you definately need to worry about your proc, and then maybe get a new gfx. I think the 8800 is a decent card...

How much gaming do you do?


alotttt, but the 8800 is xcvzhk.xchvz;kxchvzxjcvhzxcv. i get lower fps in games that i did with my 7600gt 256mb

ManiacPenguins Posted at 8:03 am on Sep. 16, 2008
The first thing you need to upgrade is your power supply... then you definately need to worry about your proc, and then maybe get a new gfx. I think the 8800 is a decent card...

How much gaming do you do?

NEGATIVE0 Posted at 7:55 am on Sep. 16, 2008
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bopass Posted at 7:51 am on Sep. 16, 2008
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dropdead8883 Posted at 7:51 am on Sep. 16, 2008
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