What to upgrade next?
GnomeWizardd
Member 4 LifeAkron, PA Icrontian
in Hardware
Here is my current build.
Core 2 duo E6600 at 3.0
Asus P5K-E
4gb Ram DDR 2 ram
760TI 2gb
500GB 7200 HDD
I have about 200 bucks what should I invest in?
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Comments
200 could yield you a AMD chip and a mobo but your RAM would have to upgraded and though would shoot you over budget. An SSD would defiantly provide a noticeable boost in system performance and tie you over until you're ready to pull the trigger on a core upgrade.
CPU and motherboard to a modern era. Microcenter has pretty good combo deals if there is one near you (and still might be better with shipping)
Microcenter Intel bundles
Microcenter AMD bundles
Newegg bundles
This tom's hardware page will give you a general performance ranking for your CPU vs others in the market. Price goes up as you go higher in the list. This is another resource that helps visualize the performance ranks (down the list makes them better)
If you just want a straight recommendation, this is a solid bundle (should take you a to a "Cart" page, but is only available for in-store pickup.
Save more money. You'll have to replace CPU, motherboard, and RAM to do anything with an appreciable short or long term benefit.
No modern motherboard supports DDR2 or your current CPU. Unless you go with @Sonorous suggestion of an SSD you'll be left with an incomplete system at $200.
What is the intended purpose of this system? If it's gaming, definitely save more and upgrade to an LGA1150 i5 or i7 CPU.
(edited to expand the thought)
I game but mainly Diablo 3 and SC2 thought of Titanfall but really dont have the time Diablo 3 and SC2 are maxed out and get good Frames. A SSD is where i was thinking but was not sure
Build yourself a nice sound system.
Speakers $127
Pioneer SP-BS22-LR Andrew Jones Designed Bookshelf Loudspeakers -
These are amazing speakers for the money
Amp$22
Small amp to drive the speakers
USB DAC$28
Behringer UCA202 Audio Interface
USB Digital to Analog converter
RCA Cable $7 (you can get cheaper at monoprice)
Speaker Cable $10 (you can get cheaper at monoprice)
Total price for kick-ass 2.0 sound system better than any "Computer" sound system you can buy $194
I have the Lepai amp with Harmon Kardon HKB6 speakers also a set of bose companion 5's
Assuming the SSD replaces your primary hard drive, you'll see the system boot noticeably faster and programs installed to the SSD will load faster. It won't improve game performance outside of load times though. It's about the only useful upgrade within your budget.
I agree with the others, SSD is the best place for the money. Otherwise, save your money for current technology Mobo/CPU/RAM.
what would be a good combo of CPU mobo and ram for a decent price?
This is where I would start:
Core i5-4430 $189.99
ECS H87H3-M3 $55.99
G.SKILL Ares 8GB (2x4GB) $78.99
I don't have any specific recommendations but check out Logical Increments - the "Fair" line has an AMD X4-750K + MSI A88X-G43 + 4 GB of RAM listed at exactly $200. The site in general is good for figuring out upgrade paths and is updated frequently.
Edit: OK, I guess I did have a specific recommendation but I can't vouch for that CPU or mobo.
If you don't mind sloppy secondhands, I haven't booted up this thing in awhile and could part with it for $200:
Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Processor BX80605I7860
Intel BOXDP55KG LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard
Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 7750 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card (11202-05-20G)
It's not gangbusters but it least gets you from an 8 yr old computer to a 4 yr old one.
That would be a great solution for you, GW.
Dras you have a PM
All money Spent and go to Dras. Now time to save for a SSD
That's an awesome deal, I would have bought it if you didn't GW. I am also in the market for something around the same specs dras was offering and my budget is similar to yours. I am also rocking a Core 2 Duo still.
those C2D are probaly the longest lasting chips I have ever used, Never really saw a reason to upgrade like the generations in the past
Same here, but it is starting to show it's age at this point since it's almost 10 years old.
Loving the new setup ( bought Mobo CPU and Ram from Dras ) . slapped it together last night and other than having to buy a new CPU cooler ( the one I had wouldnt fit ) it's golden. Then sold my old C2D Mobo and Ram for 100 bucks and covered almost half my expenses!
Glad it all worked out for you. Also, glad you refrained from sneezing on your new mobo while it was running!