Upgrade options

[mb1980y]

Hi all

Just need some opinions on what upgrades would be worth getting for the below spec, I dont plan on buying a replacement machine for a while so want to get the most of what I can from the below.

Details are -

ASUS Formula blitz | Q6600 b3 @ 2.4ghz | OCZ 2048MB DDR2 PC8800 Gold Edition | WD RAPTOR 76GB & 320gb Hitachi | 512MB XFX HD4850 DDR5 PCI-E | Thermaltake Big Typhoon | XP

Areas I'm thinking are memory ( 4gb ) and going for windows 7 64bit

Thanks

 

[V_R]

Budget?

Could Overclock the CPU if your confident?

Maybe get a new graphics card, 5850?

 

[mb1980y]

no more than say £300 - 400. basically want to try and make it last for another 2 years if possible

Oh I've never overclocked before, I wanted to but at the time didnt feel it was needed.

 

[V_R]

Are you a gamer by the way?

Well Win 7 is a very nice upgrade from XP. I missed Vista out and did just that. I've never looked back.

Home Premium is ~90 quid give or take, you wont need Pro or Ultimate.

Going to 4GB RAM is a must if your a gamer, also if your going 64bit (which there is no reason not to these days) that will be a perfect match.

Only issue is that now we have DDR3, DDR2 is actually getting more expensive.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-199-OC&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=813

That is your RAM i assume?

Maybe a new GFX if your looking to go that far? A 5850 is a good mid-high range card.

 

[mb1980y]

yeah I'm a gamer

The memory I got is - OCZ 2048MB DDR2 PC8800 Gold Edition (OCZ2G11002GK), which I dont think you can even buy anymore.

I use to have a Asus 8800 GTX which blew up on me, then in a rush I got the card listed in my spec, seems to me that card isnt exactly perfect.

So maybe this would be enough to maybe see me a couple more years

- http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-149-OC&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=817
- http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-148-XF
- http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SW-124-MS

And maybe learn how to oc the cpu a bit.

 

[V_R]

A fine selection.

I assume that RAM is compatible with your existing two, but i'd double check first, just to be safe.

Amazon do have 7 for about 9 quid cheaper that OcUK if you would rather get it from there, just a heads up.

Just a quick note on the OCing, well its your own choice, just read read and then read somemore before you start.

Oh and that B3 chip you have runs a little hotter than the newer D0 Q6600's, something to take into consideration.

Maybe see how you go with the upgrades if you go that way, then if you fancy it try upping the cpu a little.

 

[mb1980y]

Thanks for the advice.

 

[V_R]

Ah sorry i was a little busy when i posted earlier (was @work)

I see that is a 4gb kit and not a 2gb kit like i first though. In that case, just ebay the old stuff and recoupe a little of the cost.

If you get stuck just pop back and we will be happy to help.

 

[mb1980y]

Thats fine,

just one more question, if I was to say want to do a full upgrade, basically buy a new PC say towards the end of 2011 start of 2012, would it be a waste to spend £400 on a mini upgrade now ?

Just trying to weigh my options, I'm aware of the sandy bridge processors that are due out next year I think.

I don't think my current spec would hold out well for another 1.5 years / 2 years to play the latest games etc.

Thanks

 

[V_R]

Well...............

You know how pc's are, you can buy something and in a week it will/can be outdated... Its the nature of the beast.

It wont hurt buying win7 as you can use the retail version on another rig, just not at the same time obviously. You would have to do a fresh install on the new machine if and when.

The GPU could be used again, if you so wish.


Tbh that is a question that you need to answer yourself really, could you afford it, would you want to do it? Etc.

 

[mb1980y]

things have changed slightly and will buy a new system instead as they money I have might not be available for when I need to do a full upgrade, best take the chance while I can. And will just sell off the old rig to get some cash back.

For mainly gaming only I have selected the below

Intel Core i7 930 2.80GHz
Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R
Corsair XMS3 (3x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Triple Channel
Akasa Venom CPU Cooler
Gainward GeForce GTX 480 1536MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card
BenQ G2420HDBL 24" Widescreen LED Monitor
Crucial RealSSD C300 64GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive
Coolermaster CM-690 II Advanced Dominator Case
Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache
Samsung SH-B083L/BSBP 8x BluRay ROM / 16x DVD±RW Drive
Logitech G11 Gaming Keyboard
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit

good selection ?

Thanks

 

[V_R]

Cant see much wrong with it tbh, a nice system.

You building it or buying it?

What sort of budget are you looking at?

 

[mb1980y]

Gonna give it a go and build it, never built before but feel confident enough.

Never overclocked either so something I guess I may have to look into.

budget £1250 to £1500

 

[floppybootstomp]

Nice choice of parts

 

[mb1980y]

thinking of changing the cooler to the corsair H50, is it worth using the push pull setup ?

 

[V_R]

I very nearly got that for the rig in my sig. went for the Noctua in the end. From what i've read if your overclocking then the push pull method seems to be preferred. If not then the standard setup is fine.

 

[mb1980y]

I will probably overclock at some point

so now I need an extra fan, any suggestions ?

Also connecting this I assume would be to plug the pump into the CPU header and connect both fans to the motherboard headers or a fan controller ?

 

[V_R]

Fan suggestions...

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=701&catid=57&subid=4&sortby=priceDesc

Any of the Noctua's will be great, Or the Akasa Viper's or Apache Blacks, all get very highly recommended. Sharkoon Silent Eagles are good too.

Yeah i'd assume the connections are fairly simple, cant remember off the top of my head.