Upgrading, opinions?

[MLG The Canadian]

So after days of gathering information and comparing prices, I've decided to replace my current ram (3.0GB Dual-Channel DDR2 @ 399MHz (5-5-5-18)), my current processor (Intel Core2Quad Q9300 @2.50GHz) and my current motherboard (ASUS P5Q-E (LGA 775)).

I'm replacing my ram with:
Kingston HyperX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model KHX1600C8D3K2/4GX

I'm replacing my processor with:
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX

I'm replacing my motherboard with:
ASUS M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3 AM3 AMD 880G HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

Grand total with taxes and shipping comes to about 500 dollars even.
I made sure that everything is compatible but I'm still learning so if anyone sees flaws please point them out!

Obviously I'll be gaming, and I currently have an ATI HD 4870 1GiB, which performs great, so I don't think I'll be doing any GPU upgrades for a while.

 

[blkhogan]

I see for about $20 more you could pick up a X6. http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103851 The 965 is still a great choice though.

 

[MLG The Canadian]

That would be a very worthwhile 20 dollars wouldn't it. Would I really utilize Six-Core? Futureproofing is always nice..

The stock heatsink/fan that comes with the Six core Phenom II is probably good enough. Newegg reviews rave about it.. any opinions on that?

 

[dr_dream]

You can either go for a six-core 1055T CPU or get an Intel platform with a Core i5 750 CPU and a Gigabyte P55A-UD3 or ASUS P7P55D (both at $150). I would go for an Intel platform because it is overall superior to AMD, better performances, except application which can use more than 4 cores (but there are of such apps).
Or, or You can have a little patience and go for a Core i5 760 which will be out very soon. The only difference compared to the i5 750 is the frequency of 2.80 GHz. The new i5 760 should do a bit better in overclocking, even if the i5 750 usually gets past 4 GHz

 

[MLG The Canadian]

Sorry, I'm not going Intel. Thanks for your input though!

 

[LittleLizard]

For games, the X6 doesnt have much of a performance improvement (right now!). IMO its a pretty good selection but i would say a 955 B3 stepping. its basically a 965 underclocked so you can get it to the same speed (because both have unlocked multipliers) and its a few dollars cheaper.

 

[GSquadron]

The core i3 is the best dual core yet. There is going to come another which is better, but i think the processor you are upgrading wont be as good as your own processor, resulting in a "downgrade" in games. The max core a game is going to give best performance is a triple core. So shoot for a triple core as there wont be any games which will utilize the fourth core for a very long time.

 

[MLG The Canadian]

Wait, you're telling me to ditch my quad core for a tricore?

Why on earth would I do that?

For games, the X6 doesnt have much of a performance improvement (right now!). IMO its a pretty good selection but i would say a 955 B3 stepping. its basically a 965 underclocked so you can get it to the same speed (because both have unlocked multipliers) and its a few dollars cheaper.

I'm doing this for the long run too. Right now I get, what 5.00ghz with my quad @ 2.50 because two of the cores are locked right? Wouldn't 8.4 or whatever it works out to with the Six-Core be an upgrade? I don't have troubles running games right now, with the exception of like.. Grand Theft Auto 4 and for some reason The Sims 3. Everything else I can run at full high settings and resolution and pull like 60+ fps.

But, with that said, I know how these things work and in the past year and a half since I've had this machine I've seen the minimum requirements for intensive games go up, and up and up and I know where it's going. If I buy this, wouldn't it be a good buy considering how long I would have it? I'm not looking for cheap, immediate results, I'm looking for something that will give me equal or SLIGHTLY better performance than I get now because it isn't full utilized yet, but in the long run I'll be able to enjoy the product without replacing it in 8 months.

I could be completely wrong, but I really think this makes sense.. doesn't it?

 

[dr_dream]

upgrading from what you have, doesn't really make sense.. especially when you say that in most game you have 60+ fps..
Wait for AMD's upcoming Bulldozer CPUs, they might be a greater improvement

 

[happita]

upgrading from what you have, doesn't really make sense.. especially when you say that in most game you have 60+ fps..
Wait for AMD's upcoming Bulldozer CPUs, they might be a greater improvement

I agree with what he says. Your current C2Q is more than sufficient enough for games at the moment. I would say overclock just a slight bit to say maybe 3.0Ghz and you would see a decent performance boost in the games that you currently play.

 

[MLG The Canadian]

I'm not familiar with overclocking unfortunately, what about the motherboard and RAM? My rig isn't that great, I must be able to upgrade something.. 've been DIEING to upgrade something on my machine. I'm turning 19 soon and I'm eligible for a credit card so I can finally purchase something online..

 

[MLG The Canadian]

Scrap everything.

You guys are right, this isn't practical. I don't have troubles running anything but like- Crysis and GTA4 which I don't even play.

if I'm going to upgrade anything it'll be my GPU and my PSU.

 

[dr_dream]

Smart choice, don't waste your money like that. Wait at least for 2011 --> AMD Bulldozer. Sandy Bridge will also be there

 

[BarbaricSoul]

Scrap everything.

You guys are right, this isn't practical. I don't have troubles running anything but like- Crysis and GTA4 which I don't even play.

if I'm going to upgrade anything it'll be my GPU and my PSU.

I think that's the right thing to do. Your current CPU is plenty powerful for any game out today. Maybe learn to OC it alittle(if you could get it to around 3.5ghz you'd be set for a good long time). Save up alittle money and throw a 5870 or GTX480 in there and a nice 750-850 PSU in there from a good brand like Corsair, PC Power and Cooling , Seasonic, or any of the high quality PSU manufacturers.

 

[El_Mayo]

Does your RAM really run at 399mhz? That's awfully low [?]

 

[GSquadron]

Mine runs in 333mhz, just for instance....

 

[MLG The Canadian]

This is a CPU-Z reading, so I run at 800mhz.

Are my clocks slow?

 

[Dent1]

This is a CPU-Z reading, so I run at 800mhz.

Are my clocks slow?

I've decided to replace my current ram (3.0GB Dual-Channel DDR2 @ 399MHz (5-5-5-18))

DDR means Double Date Rate, so 400Mhz means 400MHz X 2 and therefore effectively 800MHz, so your speed is normal.

 

[MLG The Canadian]

Yep! What about the clocks?

 

[MLG The Canadian]

This is a CPU-Z reading, so I run at 800mhz.

Are my clocks slow?

 

[Dent1]

I'm not sure what you are asking here, but yes your memory is running @ 800Mhz, the timings will adjust itself automatically normally, they look normal.


In your system speficiation you said that you have a 4800 series, which card is it specifically? 4830? 4850? 4870?, 4870X2? If you are unsure use GPU-Z to check!

http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/1837/TechPowerUp_GPU-Z_v0.4.4.html

If you've got a 4870 I would just overclock the processor and call it a day. The only logical upgrade path would be an ATI 58xx.

 

[MLG The Canadian]

It's a 4870, and I was trying to say in my previous post that I already knew that haha

I'm terrified of messing up, but I see TPU has a great OC guide so I might give it a shot.

 

[Zen_]

I have the older 785G EVO board with mixed feelings. It works fine and has lots of features for the price but is a mediocre overclocker. Given the chance I'd probably spring for the MSI 870A-G54 or Gigabyte GA-870A-UD3 instead.

 

[CounterZeus]

your cpu is still quite good and the upgrade isn't worth that much money. Hold on till prices drop and go for i7/bulldozer next year with a new videocard, or OC cpu and buy a new videocard

don't go for a six core if it's only for gaming, but buy a faster quad.

 

[GSquadron]

just for instance....