New CPU or New Graphic Card?

K

KlausK

My current system has an E6400 (2.13 GHz) and an ATI X1950XT. I can either
upgrade the CPU to an E6750 (2.67GHz) or the graphic card to an HD2900XT
(please don't tell me to get an nvidia card). Which will give me better
gaming experiences?
 
P

Paul

KlausK said:
My current system has an E6400 (2.13 GHz) and an ATI X1950XT. I can either
upgrade the CPU to an E6750 (2.67GHz) or the graphic card to an HD2900XT
(please don't tell me to get an nvidia card). Which will give me better
gaming experiences?

If you examine benchmarks for various games, some games are "GPU limited"
and some are "CPU limited". The answer to your question, really
depends on the gaming title.

You can always try overclocking your processor, if you want a bit more
performance from it.

The HD 2900XT draws a fair amount of +12V power, so you'll need
a capable power supply. I found a measurement mentioned here, of 161W for 3D,
from Xbitlabs. That is 12V @ 13.4 amps and the card has two PCI Express
power connectors. (About 4 amps on slot connector, 6 amps on PCIE #1 and
4 amps on PCIE #2). Your processor draws about 6 amps, allow another 3 amps
for a minimal configuration of storage devices, and the total PSU 12V is
23 amps minimum.

http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=40455

--> http://www.xbitlabs.com/images/video/radeonhd2000/test_results/2900xt_power_full.gif

( http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/r600-architecture_14.html )

The E6750 would have an FSB of FSB1333, and not all older motherboards
can perform at that speed. If you have an older FSB1066 motherboard, then
you'd want something like E6700. Since there would still be some
overclocking headroom on the new processor, you want a motherboard
that can run at faster than the stock FSB speed.

In view of the constantly changing hardware scene, I think I'd hold onto
the money you've got, overclock the E6400, have a bit of fun with it,
and then do a more complete upgrade in the future. A good time to
upgrade, is when some decent gaming titles come along, and you discover
that your current card won't even work at minimal detail settings.
To blindly upgrade, without a tangible target in sight, you might
be disappointed when the very next game comes along.

HTH,
Paul
 
S

sandy58

My current system has an E6400 (2.13 GHz) and an ATI X1950XT. I can either
upgrade the CPU to an E6750 (2.67GHz) or the graphic card to an HD2900XT
(please don't tell me to get an nvidia card). Which will give me better
gaming experiences?

Get a nVidia card. :)
 
K

KlausK

Paul said:
In view of the constantly changing hardware scene, I think I'd hold onto
the money you've got, overclock the E6400, have a bit of fun with it,
and then do a more complete upgrade in the future. A good time to
upgrade, is when some decent gaming titles come along, and you discover
that your current card won't even work at minimal detail settings.
To blindly upgrade, without a tangible target in sight, you might
be disappointed when the very next game comes along.

HTH,
Paul

Thank you very much for your detailed reply! I am not sure my MoBo (Intel
Bad Axe 1) supports the E6750. It's not included in the supported CPUs at
Intel's web site.

Yeah, you're right in that blind upgrading is not something I should do.
 

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