Upgrade Itch

[KaylanCloud]

I posted this on the Overclockers forum as well so there may be some overlap if you also use that forum

Hey guys,

Well I am sat here suffering from what I can only describe as an upgrade itch,

I simply fancy an upgrade from my current spec below :-

Base Unit

*******

Cpu : AMD Phenom II X2 Dual Core 550 @ 3.6Ghz

Cooler : Noctua NH-U12P

Mobo : Gigabyte GA-MA770-UD3

Ram : OCZ Gold 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 PC6400 4-4-4-18 @ stock

Hdd#1 : Intel X25-M Mainstream 80GB SSD

Hdd#2 : Samsung F4 2TB

Hdd#3 : Samsung F3 1TB

Hdd#4 : Samsung F3 1TB

Gfx : XFX Ati Radeon HD4870 1GB @ stock

Dvd : Samsung SH-S223Q

Psu : Enermax Noisetaker V1 600W

Case : Akasa Eclipse 62

Peripherals

********

Speakers : Generic 5.1 Surround Sound System

Headset : Generic Wireless Stereo Headset

Monitor : Belinea 2225S1W 1680x1050

Keyboard : Logitech G15 V1

Mouse : Logitech MX Revolution

Now as to what the rig is used for, in order of priority - Gaming, Movies, Internet / Office.

I typically like to spend around £100-150 with the possibility of stretching to £200 for a particularly nice bit of kit.

So the main thing I'm after is opinions / advice on what you guys would upgrade,

coupled with your reasons + suggestions on new kit.

Some idea's I've had of my own include a HD Monitor (Samsung P2450H), PSU (Antec 650W / Corsair HX650), GFX Card (GTX460/470) and CPU (Quad / Hex Core).

2nd Base Unit

*************

Cpu : Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 @ Stock (Has been overclocked with the Noctua before)

Cooler : Stock Cooler

Mobo : Asus P5N-E Sli

Ram : Geil 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 PC6400 @ Stock

Hdd#1 : Samsung F3 1TB

Gfx : BFG nVidia Geforce 8800 GTS 320mb

Dvd : Generic CD-RW

Psu : Enermax Liberty 400W

Case : Generic Case

 

[FunkyMonkey90]

If I was you i'd go for a new GFX card as most games don't NEED more thn 2 cores to run fine

 

[thestepster]

try and pick up another 4870 for xfire (second hand they seem really cheap not and awsome bang for buck) and get an hd screen

the psu should handle both cards

 

[KaylanCloud]

try and pick up another 4870 for xfire (second hand they seem really cheap not and awsome bang for buck) and get an hd screen

the psu should handle both cards

Cheers for that idea, I have just received a hd screen in the form of a Samsung P2450H so that is part 1 done.

As for xfire, I think my current motherboard only has the single PCI Express x16 slot

so xfire would require the purchase of a new motherboard unfortunately.

I was however eyeing up a GTX460 as a direct replacement for the 4870, but with the GTX560 releasing soon enough I think ill wait and see the cost involved for one of those.

 

[thestepster]

ah thats poo its only got one, makes me feel spoilt with having 4 on my mobo

the 460's are good and cheap, but a 560 mate ur talkin around the £220 mark for one

 

[marick626]

Get rid of the ssd, you don't need it. Use the money for something useful like an HD screen. No point in having a powerful computer if you can't properly see the games.

 

[hmmblah]

I'd say leave everything as is and save your pennies for a platform upgrade. You could go with a 460 now and use it in the next build, but I'd wait. Your monitor is fine IMO. You could re-use your SSD and hard drives in the next build. Really no point to do small incremental upgrades on an old platform. I know the itch is there, we all get it, but you will see so much more if you were to wait and save up.

 

[INMATE183]

I'd say leave everything as is and save your pennies for a platform upgrade. You could go with a 460 now and use it in the next build, but I'd wait. Your monitor is fine IMO. You could re-use your SSD and hard drives in the next build. Really no point to do small incremental upgrades on an old platform. I know the itch is there, we all get it, but you will see so much more if you were to wait and save up.

Wise words I completly agree. Bare in mind there are issues with nvidia 460 cards on the 790 chipsets so id imagine it wouldnt be plug and play with a 770?

If you want to buy somthing get somthing you can use on your next build like a cooler or a sound card, they last a good few builds

But defo wait for a complete re build as hmmblah says.

 

[KaylanCloud]

Some interesting reading there, I was not aware of the AMD Chipset + nVidia Fermi problems

if there is indeed a problem here then my choice would be to either go for the AMD equivalent gfx card (5850) or indeed a platform upgrade.

By waiting for a platform upgrade am I thinking along the terms of Sandybridge here? As mentioned previously my main use of the rig 'gaming' doesn't seem to require much more than a dual core, with clock speed / core architecture being more important. The idea of getting a new gfx card was so that it could benefit me now and in the future if and when I do change platforms.

As for not requiring an SSD I can hand on heart say this is one of the best purchases I had made in a while, the whole OS and anything else installed on the SSD just feels more responsive and loads a lot quicker. The only downside is the capacity of the drive if I'm honest I wish I bought something a bit larger.

I've also updated my OP with the monitor upgraded and current cooler added, along with the specs of my 2nd comp in case that would benefit more from an upgrade.