deciding on an upgrade

GnomeWizarddGnomeWizardd Member 4 LifeAkron, PA Icrontian
edited May 2009 in Hardware
I am about to do an upgrade in the next 2 months. I am not sure on what to upgrade tho

My specs are in my signature below

I am considering upgrading to a P45 MB the Gigabyte EP45-UD3P

I have heard great things about that board But i didnt know if my ram would be holding me back at all. Its 2x2gb ddr800 and 2 x 1gb ddr800 gskill

I thought of going to a quad 9550 but I game a ton and I figure the E8400 would prolly hit 4ghz

the 9800gtx does about everything i need it too


If u had my system what would u upgrade under 200 bucks


I am also considering the mobo because my bro in law needs a new one cause his wont oc worth a crap

Comments

  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited May 2009
    Your weakest link is your board. And the Gigabyte EP45-UD3P is one of the very best contenders for the price. As a matter of fact I just ordered one as the base for a new system I am building. The other thing you will need to get if you are serious about hitting 4GHz is a new HSF. Your current orb wil certainly fall short of the task. After upgrading those 2 items your system willl be very balanced and much faster then what you have now.

    Your G. Skill will be just fine! But I would just run the 2x 2GB sticks as I tried running 4 vs 6 on my rig and the 4 ran better due to performance issues.
  • GnomeWizarddGnomeWizardd Member 4 Life Akron, PA Icrontian
    edited May 2009
    bought the thermaltake spin Q from buddyj
  • DonutDonut Maine New
    edited May 2009
    Ditto on the 2x2gb, it's still easier to push the fsb with 2 sticks vs. 4 sticks.
  • RyanFodderRyanFodder Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited May 2009
    I'm considering an upgrade as well. I'd like to not have to buy a new processor, but I was definitely in the market for a new Mobo and Video Card(s?)

    I have this setup currently:
    <dl class="list_no_decoration profilefield_list"><dt class="shade" id="profilefield_title_21">Processor</dt><dd id="profilefield_value_21"> Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 3.0GHz </dd><dt class="shade" id="profilefield_title_22">Motherboard</dt><dd id="profilefield_value_22"> MSI P6N SLI-FI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i <!-- //vBulletin.register_control("vB_ProfilefieldEditor", "22"); //--> </dd><dt class="shade" id="profilefield_title_24">Memory</dt><dd id="profilefield_value_24"> G.SKILL 4x1GB PC2 6400 <!-- //vBulletin.register_control("vB_ProfilefieldEditor", "24"); //--> </dd><dt class="shade" id="profilefield_title_23">Video Card</dt><dd id="profilefield_value_23"> EVGA GeForce 8800GTS 640MB
    </dd><dt class="shade" id="profilefield_title_31">Cooling</dt><dd id="profilefield_value_31"> Rosewill 92 mm fan and heatsink <!-- //vBulletin.register_control("vB_ProfilefieldEditor", "31"); //--> </dd><dt class="shade" id="profilefield_title_26">Storage</dt><dd id="profilefield_value_26"> 300 GB total 1.5 GB/s harddrives </dd></dl>Thoughts?
  • GnomeWizarddGnomeWizardd Member 4 Life Akron, PA Icrontian
    edited May 2009
    pretty much the same spot I am if you don't want to upgrade ur CPU, A new mobo would significantly help you. That gigabyte board is a monster, I am picking one up after my B day June 2nd. As long as ur Vid card runs what u need a mobo is the way to go
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    edited May 2009
    4770 times two.
  • GnomeWizarddGnomeWizardd Member 4 Life Akron, PA Icrontian
    edited May 2009
    Yea ok! lots of money this man has not!
  • RyanFodderRyanFodder Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited May 2009
    fatcat wrote:
    4770 times two.


    ???

    I have a bit more money available than $200, but I was thinking that ~$500 was a good limit.

    I'm currently looking at a GTX285, so I'd need a motherboard that works with my CPU, RAM, and has PCIe 2.0, only requirements.
  • RyanFodderRyanFodder Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited May 2009
    Also, thoughts on this: (since I'm an GeForce Fan)
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813141005
  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited May 2009
    CannonFodder
    I would actually begin by asking where do you want your system to be in about the next year? How much of an overall system upgrade do you want to do by this time next year? Exactly what are you trying to achieve by upgrading? How much more than $500 are you able/ willing to spend?
    Trust me as I always have a method to my madness! ;)
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited May 2009
    Trust me as I always have a method to my madness!
    Trust me, no one can create order out of chaos (madness) like Mt_Goat!
  • RyanFodderRyanFodder Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited May 2009
    Mt_Goat wrote:
    CannonFodder
    I would actually begin by asking where do you want your system to be in about the next year? How much of an overall system upgrade do you want to do by this time next year? Exactly what are you trying to achieve by upgrading? How much more than $500 are you able/ willing to spend?
    Trust me as I always have a method to my madness! ;)

    Well, I have some reasons for the upgrade, but I don't have a specific goal, although I do like playing around a bit. My current machine runs basically everything I want it to, but my video card seems like it is going unstable a bit more than it used to. It has previously been overclocked, but isn't anymore... I can use the extra power for more folding if nothing else, but it is nice to stay relatively current on technologies.

    I guess it just boils down to me wanting to play with my computer a bit. Perhaps I will set up an SLI with my current setup, or go into the watercooling realm. I'm open to possibilities at this point.

    As far as funds go, $500 is a good goal, but if it were something really interesting, and it went a BIT over that, I wouldn't be too upset.

    Thanks for any ideas you might have :)
  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited May 2009
    I was thinking that if you were looking to do a major overhaul within the next year you may want to start by laying the ground work now on an i7 system and use your current vid card till you were ready to upgrade it. Because if you upgrade your current motherboard now that would just be more money in the older platform. Howeve,r if you are OK with it, a new board and vid card will certainly perk things up quite a bit. The
    GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P     That gnome mentioned is an outstanding board ( I just got one to start a new build on myself) is a great board that will take any of the newer CPU's if you so choose to go with at a later date. I would strongly recomend you sell off the 4 1GB sticks of RAM you currently have and purchase a 2x 2GB DDR1066 kit like this G. Skill kit. It will run better, give you better overclocks and be far more stable than what you currently have. Then since you like nVidia and mentioned Foldin @ Home I would look for a 9800GX2 on e bay, craigs list or the forums. It will give you the best bang for the buck. If you prefer to buy new I would recomend one or two EVGA 512-P3-N871-AR GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB cards since they are a better deal for the money than the 200GTX series (rebadged 9800 cards). Then you should make sure your PSU is up to the task or you will have danger on the horizon. ;)

    I hope this helps. :)

    ps;
    Don't worry about SLI if you want max folding potential. The P-45 Intel boards work better than the nVidia based boards too.
  • RyanFodderRyanFodder Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited May 2009
    Ok, wow, that is some awesome advice. For a little less than $500, I get the motherboard, the memory, and two 9800 GTX cards. I will have to add a PSU to the deal, though. Thanks for the advice :)
  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited May 2009
    Just remeber that that is not an SLI board but the chipset is a better performer. The biggest reason for the nVidia cards other than your preference is that they are much better for folding. So your graphics will be running on one card and the second card will only be points production for folding.

    The best recomendation I can make for a PSU is the CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V. It will also be a good investment that can power about any system you might plan in the future.

    I don't know what you are running for a CPU cooler but that may need improvement for OC'ing. Depending on your case you may also need some more fans! ;)
  • GnomeWizarddGnomeWizardd Member 4 Life Akron, PA Icrontian
    edited May 2009
    I also like the corsair PSU's but I personally like the OCZ PSU i haven't had 1 issue with mine.
  • GnomeWizarddGnomeWizardd Member 4 Life Akron, PA Icrontian
    edited May 2009
    CannonFodder wrote:
    I guess it just boils down to me wanting to play with my computer a bit



    thats my method to my madness every day
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