Upgrade Bug !!

[gsethi]

Ok..I asked this question a few months ago and decision was to wait. I am again getting the upgrade bug considering that my current rig is about 3+ yrs old.

current rig:
Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 @ 3.20Ghz
6GB DDR2 RAM (2x 1gb, 2x 2gb)
Gigabyte P35-DS3L motherboard
BFG 8800GT Video card 512MB

Screen size is 24" 1920x1200 resolution

Should I stick with current rig little longer or go ahead and upgrade ?
Main Games I play:
AA
COD3 and COD4
Battlefied BC2 (when released)

Opinions pls....I believe that with current DDR2 prices, I should be able to sell my DDR2 ram and get DDR3 RAM for roughly the same price ?

 

[AlucardX]

my system is a similar build, and i don't think we're due for a full upgrade yet. the only thing you should be spending money on is a new video card.

i have a E6850 @ 3.6GHZ, 2gb ram, and 8800 GTS 320MB. From the benchmark's I've read my CPU is still great and really just need a new video card soon.

either an ati 5850 or wait for nV ferni's in april/may..

 

[InfoTiger]

What frame rate @ 1920x1200 with your games?

 

[tno]

It does really seem that Intel may have hit a slight usable performance wall. Since Conroe, almost all of there mainstream processors have been "enough." Even your aging E6400 is plenty fast enough for almost all users. For gaming, putting all of your money into a video card will do plenty.

I had a similar question earlier and seemed to find consensus that upgrading from a good "enough" system probably won't pay real dividends. The only reason you should consider upgrading is to add features. Features you ask? Thinking of doing some encoding/transcoding or video editing? What about some overclocking? Want to make your computer silent? Need something more mobile? Want something more efficient?

There are plenty of reasons to go quad core, and if you fit any of those, then go for it. But really if you're happy with the machine, and what you do with your machine, then save your money till Sandy Bridge. One thing I've been considering, is looking into efficiency through ADDING machines instead of upgrading my current ones.

For instance, I have a main rig and an HTPC rig. My main rig (Q9300, HD4890) is mostly for gaming, web surfing, watching some videos and doing homework. My HTPC rig is our main TV machine (E8400, Nvidia onboard graphics, four HD tuners, four SD tuners) and also SERVES all of our media from almost 4TB of hard drive space. I'm quite happy with what I've got, but could it be more efficient? I don't need to power up my main rig just to write a lab report or check my e-mail; I should probably get a lightweight efficient laptop. I don't need to leave my somewhat power hungry HTPC on all the time just to have access to all of my media; I should probably get a NAS or a lightweight server. There could be some projects like that you could use to settle your bug.

tno

 

[tweakboy]

Your CPU is fine, upgrade on RAM and a future video card. Not right now.... You can wait.. I mean COD mw2 runs smooth as silk on your setup.....stick with it a bit longer..

 

[Munky]

Are you not happy with the performance you're getting, or just feeling the upgrade itch?

If you're looking to max out the latest games, a dual core is no longer enough, and neither is a 8800gt for 1920 rez.

 

[alyarb]

upgrade the GPU first.

 

[faxon]

i would say if your rig runs fine now, then keep saving that money up. the more you save up the better an upgrade you will be able to do when the time comes. if you MUST get a nice piece of tech now, get yourself an SSD. OCZ's Sold 2 drivers are out now and they are cheaper than the agility drives cause they use intel's 34nm flash. for $299 you can get a 120gb drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-476-_-Product

 

[gsethi]

thanks guys...I guess I will wait further till Sandy comes out.

It seems like I should only upgrade the GPU for now. What GPU should I step upto from 8800GT ? or should I wait couple of months till Fermi comes out ?

Games work fine for now...just slight hickup here and there. Most heavy stuff I do on the system is gaming (COD etc) but I need it to be on 24/7 to be able to remote access it.

tweakboy said to upgrade the RAM...I think 6GB should be plenty enough, right ? I dont need to overclock the RAM anyways since there is very little performance gain. Maybe, I should reformat and upgrade to Windows 7 from Vista (have a disk lying but am just too lazy to do complete reformat). Was thinking of doing a reformat when upgrading hardware.

 

[Skott]

To answer the question as to 'Do I need to upgrade now?' in the cheapest sense would be to go ahead and get a new GPU. Use it and see how your rig performs on the games you like now and whenever a new one comes out. If you are happy with performance nothing more needs to be done but if you find performance lacking then go ahead and upgrade the rest of your components and just reuse the new card. Thats probably the cheapest way to determine if you need a partial or full upgrade.

Well, you can buy now or wait for Fermi. Considering March is not far off a wait, if you can, would probably be ideal since pricing on existing GPUs could very well change. The question is can you wait two more months?

 

[Mwing]

gpu 5850 or 5870
then ssd

wait for sandy bridge

upgrade the whole thing when price is fair, you will get sata3 and usb3 also

 

[aclim]

upgrade to a 5850, and maybe try picking up a q6600 or some other quad if you can get cheap. Should hold you over a while and play any game this year at that res. Thats what im planing on doing

 

[Hey Zeus]

Wait for the 5830

 

[JMapleton]

Agree with others, wait for Sandy.

 

[nyker96]

crush that bug! better stuff is coming 32nm ...

 

[EnzoLT]

Wait for the 5830

best advice ive seen in this thread so far

 

[zerocool84]

best advice ive seen in this thread so far

but I don't think it's going to launch at the price that everyone says it's supposed to be

 

[EnzoLT]

well we're just going to have to wait and see now right?

 

[AzN]

Same boat as you. My CPU is doing quite well even with modern games except for GTA4. Yeah my core components is over 3yrs old too.

Your 8800gt is the weakest link when it comes to gaming @1920x1200. I would upgrade that. 5850 or when 5830 comes out and you would be set for a while.

I was looking at Qxx00 series for quad loving but it's really not worth it for the price to shell out. You could easily get I5 750 system for not much more once you sell your old parts. I too had a little bit of an itch so I bought a E5200 hoping to get 4ghz out of it in the mean time. All in all $10 spent to upgrade once I sell my CPU. Might be an idea for you as well.