Upgrade CPU or GPU

Rule-R · Dec 17, 2010

Its been a while since ive posted on TPU's forum. Back in the days i was fiddeling around with ATI Radeon 9550 and 9600 biosses.

I still value what TPU stands for, thus now when i have to decide what to upgrade on my build i come back here :cool:

Build dating from October 2007:

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (Zalman CNPS9700 LED)
MB: Asus P5K
Mem: Kingston Dual Chanel 2x1GB, DDR2, PC8500
HDD1: Seagate Barracuda ES, 250GB, 7200rpm, 16MB buffer
HDD2: Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB, 5400rpm, 64MB buffer (Currently RMA, replaced by Western Digital 250GB)
GPU: Asus EN8800GT, 512MB GDDR3 PCI-E (Zalman VF1000 LED)
PSU: Be Quiet! Straight Power 600W
Sound: Creative X-Fi XtremeMusic

Back from the old days i still know how to make a good build, or a value for the buck build (my in-laws pc). I know my PC needs upgrades and i allready have ordered some, but start to wonder whether its the right choice atm.

Ordered for €450:

Intel Core i5 760
Scythe Mugen 2 Rev. B
Arctic Silver 5
Asus P7H55
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB
Corsair XMS 3 2x2GB DDR3 PC16000

Should i drop this order and get me a nice vidcard, hdd and computer case?

RuleR

erocker · Dec 17, 2010

Get yourself a nice videocard. The rest of your system is just fine as long as you keep that quad overclocked above at least 3.2ghz. 3.8ghz+ would be ideal. :toast:

Get yourself 4gb's of RAM as well.

Smety · Dec 17, 2010

I'm gonna have to agree with erocker here. You should be able to overclock that i5 to 3.4GHz or higher with ease. Get a nice graphic card, overclock the CPU, and you're ready to roll

lepra24 · Dec 17, 2010

Agree, get a GPU

Black Panther · Dec 17, 2010

+1 from personal gaming experience your cpu is ~~fine~~ more than fine. Get a gpu and budget permitting a faster drive.

douglatins · Dec 17, 2010

4gb and a gtx460 or a 6950

Rule-R · Dec 18, 2010

This is my main concern: my case keeps my current rig ok. In the summer it will go to the edge. Overclocking is no option atm. Cant be bothered either actually just want the damn thing to run. Id rather upgrade the CPU now with a better cooler, and just before the winter hook me up some nice GPU.

Deleted member 74752 · Dec 18, 2010

Even a 5850 would be a substantial upgrade for you. I have a q6600 and a 5770 I can throw together to test if you like.

Smety · Dec 18, 2010

Rule-R said:
This is my main concern: my case keeps my current rig ok. In the summer it will go to the edge. Overclocking is no option atm. Cant be bothered either actually just want the damn thing to run. Id rather upgrade the CPU now with a better cooler, and just before the winter hook me up some nice GPU.

That's quite alright. Don't worry about overclocking for now then. Get a nicer GPU and when you have the money buy a better heatsink/fan (or water cool it) for your processor and then overclock

canadien · Dec 22, 2010

Hi, I have a Q6600. I was going to ask someplace (where should I ask) about cooling a Q6600.

I would suggest to the OP to buy a cheap case such as the Antec 300 or something similar. In my area, it's about $50 and so I hope to get better cooling after I move the rig over.

I agree with the others, upgrade the graphics card since you can move that to any new rig you build - the video cards always change, too, but it should last much longer.

I think I would also move to 4GB of RAM like another poster said. I wouldn't upgrade the HDD unless you move to a SSD. That's with extra money, though.

I am wondering what is the best cooler to use with a Q6600 and which fans? Would you have a dual fan setup with fans on both sides of the heatsink? I bought a Sycthe Flex-E or whatever it's called and was going to use that. I read that Noctua fans are the best for heatsinks, though, but they're expensive.

Anyway, just thought I'd offer my two cents. Hope it helps.

brandonwh64 · Dec 22, 2010

I suggest a HAF 922 with a Corsair A70 or a H50, i would use 4x120mm fans at 100CFM on all open fan ports also MX-2 paste for the cooler

Rule-R · Dec 24, 2010

I have bought:

Intel Core i5 760
Scythe Mugen 2 Rev. B
Arctic Silver 5
Asus P7H55
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB
Corsair XMS 3 2x2GB DDR3 PC16000

because i have a financial bonus!!!
I am planning on upgrading the GPU ~~somewhere next year. I want to wait for the 560 and look what it does compared to the 570 and 580.~~

I will also include a case, ~~maybe an SSD~~ and if needed some coolers.

Rule-R · Dec 27, 2010

Planning on buying an ASUS Ati 6950 and the Cooler Master CM 690 II Advanced.

For optimal airflow, what fans do i need to order extra?

Smety · Dec 27, 2010

With that case I'd say you don't need any extra cooling. You already have a 140mm front and top fan, as well as a 120mm exhaust fan. So, I think you're good

Rule-R · Dec 28, 2010

I have 3 more 120's laying around so that beast is gonna blow! Is a 3rd party gpu cooler needed these days or are the stock coolers better than say 3 years ago?

Smety · Dec 28, 2010

I've never used anything but a stock cooler. I would just use that.

jasper1605 · Dec 28, 2010

6950s stocks are more than plenty for cooling the card. If you want aftermarket, you'd really only see a big jump if you went to a WC loop

Rule-R · Dec 28, 2010

Ok i installed the goods yesterday, couldnt get to it in Christmas weekend. Found out that i really really need that case. Can't close my old AeroCool Jetmaster Jr. with the Scythe Mugen 2. Otherwise its running like a dream!

Rule-R · Dec 28, 2010

jasper1605 said:
6950s stocks are more than plenty for cooling the card. If you want aftermarket, you'd really only see a big jump if you went to a WC loop

I won't say i never will, but not atm. Might slam a nice cooler on it when it proves to get hot in summer.

Rule-R · Dec 31, 2010

OK!

CoolerMaster CM690 II Advanced and XFX ATI Radeon HD6950 in the pocket.
I also think my RMA 1TB Western Digital has returned! Finally!

Will all put it together next week.

Have my fiancé at my place atm, so will be busy with her instead my rig hehe (A)
She was like wut?!?! Why is your pc thát quiet all of a sudden? Hehehe its silent as vacuum compared with the old zalman CPU cooler.

WordToYoMamma · Jan 3, 2011

Upgrade your GPU and if you have the spare cash definitely invest in new RAM

GSquadron · Jan 3, 2011

Rule-R · Jan 4, 2011

WordToYoMamma said:
Upgrade your GPU and if you have the spare cash definitely invest in new RAM

Got me the whole package.

New HDD, GPU, CPU, Case, Mobo, RAM and CPU cooler.

I will post pictures of the rig when i have it ready.
I worked on it yesterday and I want to do my cable management a bit better than i am used to so i havent finished. I also removed the removable part of the drive bay to optimize airflow and installed a few extra case fans. At this moment it has 2x140 and 3x120.

[H]@RD5TUFF · Jan 4, 2011

Grab a nice GPu like a 460. :toast:

Rule-R · Jan 4, 2011

[H]@RD5TUFF said:
Grab a nice GPu like a 460.

I received my very own XFX Ati Radeon HD6950 on oldyears-day!

System Name	i5Panther
Processor	Intel i5 760 @ 4Ghz (Scythe Mugen 2 Rev. B)
Motherboard	ASUS P7H55
Cooling	Front: 1x140mm, Left Side: 1x140mm Right Side: 1x80mm, Rear: 120mm Top: 2x140mm, Bottom: 2x120mm
Memory	Corsair Vengeance LP 2x4GB DC DDR3 PC12800 @1600Mhz
Video Card(s)	XFX AMD Radeon HD 6950 (Unlocked Shaders, 880/1375)
Storage	Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB 32MB/Wester Digital Caviar Green 1TB 64MB
Display(s)	Iiyama E2002WS-B1 20"
Case	Cooler Master CM 690 II Advanced
Audio Device(s)	Creative X-Fi XtremeMusic (Logitech X-530 5.1)
Power Supply	Corsair ModXStream Pro 700w
Software	Windows 7 x64 Ultimate
Benchmark Scores	P6040 - 3DMark11

Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Motherboard	ASUS TUF x670e
Cooling	EK AIO 360. Phantek T30 fans.
Memory	32GB G.Skill 6000Mhz
Video Card(s)	Asus RTX 4090
Storage	WD m.2
Display(s)	LG C2 Evo OLED 42"
Case	Lian Li PC 011 Dynamic Evo
Audio Device(s)	Topping E70 DAC, SMSL SP200 Headphone Amp.
Power Supply	FSP Hydro Ti PRO 1000W
Mouse	Razer Basilisk V3 Pro
Keyboard	Tester84
Software	Windows 11

System Name	Desktop
Processor	Intel Core i7-970 @ 4.0GHz
Motherboard	Asus Rampage III Formula
Cooling	Corsair H50 CPU Cooler
Memory	6GB Corsair Dominator (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1600
Video Card(s)	EVGA GeForce GTX 580 Superclocked 1536MB
Storage	Intel 40GB X25-V SSD (Boot) \| WD 1TB Caviar Black HD (Data)
Display(s)	Samsung PX2370 23" LED
Case	Fractal Design Arc Midi
Audio Device(s)	SupremeFX X-Fi 2
Power Supply	Fractal Design Netwon R2 800W 80 Plus
Software	Windows 7 Ultimate

System Name	Lepra
Processor	E7300 -OC 3,8ghz
Motherboard	MSI P35 Neo2/Fr
Cooling	Thermalright SI-128 SE
Memory	Kingston HyperX 4GB DDR2 800MHz CL5 Dual Channel Kit
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte GeForce 8800GT Zalman 512MB DDR3 256-bit
Storage	Western Digital 320GB SATA-II 7200RPM 16MB Caviar SE16
Display(s)	Philips 200CW ,20"
Case	Spire ServerCase SwordFin SP-9007B
Audio Device(s)	Creative AUDIGY SE
Power Supply	Corsair CMPSU-550VX
Software	Windows 7 64-bit

System Name	Black Panther
Processor	i9 9900k
Motherboard	Gigabyte Z390 AORUS PRO Wifi 1.0
Cooling	NZXT Kraken X72 360mm
Memory	2 x 8GB Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro DDR4 3600Mhz
Video Card(s)	Palit RTX2080 Ti Dual 11GB DDR6
Storage	Samsung EVO 970 500GB SSD M.2 & 2TB Seagate Barracuda 7200rpm
Display(s)	32'' Gigabyte G32QC 2560x1440 165Hz
Case	NZXT H710i Black
Audio Device(s)	Razer Electra V2 & Z5500 Speakers
Power Supply	Seasonic Focus GX-850 Gold 80+
Mouse	Some Corsair lost the box forgot the model
Keyboard	Motospeed
Software	Windows 10

Upgrade CPU or GPU

Rule-R

erocker

*

Smety

New Member

lepra24

New Member

Black Panther

douglatins

Rule-R

Deleted member 74752

Guest

Smety

New Member

canadien

brandonwh64

Addicted to Bacon and StarCrunches!!!

Rule-R

Rule-R

Smety

New Member

Rule-R

Smety

New Member

jasper1605

Rule-R

Rule-R

Rule-R

WordToYoMamma

New Member

GSquadron

Rule-R

[H]@RD5TUFF

Rule-R

System Name	Sovereign // HTPC
Processor	i7 3770k 4.2 // i7 3770k 4.2
Motherboard	Maximus V Gene // Sabertooth Z77
Cooling	Noctua D14 // Intel HSF
Memory	16GB Samsung // 16GB VengeanceLP
Video Card(s)	Deciding // 660 DC2
Storage	OS (X25-M), Data (Seagate 1TB) // Samsung 840 120GB & bunch of drives
Display(s)	Samsung T240HD // LG TV
Case	TJ08e // Grandia GD08
Audio Device(s)	DT880 Pro 250 ohm // TV speakers
Power Supply	Seasonic Plat 1000 // Seasonic Gold 760
Software	Windows 8 Pro x64 // Windows 7 Pro x64

System Name	Vegnagun
Processor	Ryzen 5950x
Motherboard	Asus B550 Gaming-E
Cooling	Noctua NH-U14
Memory	4x8 G. Skill 3800mhz CL14
Video Card(s)	EVGA RTX 3080 FTW3
Storage	WD SN850 2tb
Display(s)	Viotek 1080p 120hz
Case	Fractal Design Define 7
Power Supply	Corsair AX850
Mouse	Logitech
Keyboard	Logitech 815 tactile
Software	Windows 10 Education
Benchmark Scores	top 1% in the world for weekly score in Killzone 2 :)

System Name	Dark Stealth
Processor	Ryzen 5 5600x
Motherboard	Gigabyte B450M Gaming rev 1.0
Cooling	Snowman, arctic p12 x2 fans
Memory	16x2 DDR4 Corsair Dominator Pro
Video Card(s)	3080 10gb
Storage	2TB NVME PCIE 4.0 Crucial P3 Plus, 1TB Crucial MX500 SSD, 4TB WD RED HDD
Display(s)	HP Omen 34c (34" monitor 3440x1440 165Hz VA panel)
Case	Zalman S2
Power Supply	Corsair 750TX
Mouse	Logitech pro superlight, mx mouse s3, Razer Basiliskx with battery
Keyboard	Custom mechanical keyboard tm680
Software	Windows 11
Benchmark Scores	70-80 fps 3440x1440 on cyberpunk 2077 max settings

System Name	White Boy
Processor	Core i7 3770k @4.6 Ghz
Motherboard	ASUS P8Z77-I Deluxe
Cooling	CORSAIR H100
Memory	CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB @ 2177
Video Card(s)	EVGA GTX 680 CLASSIEFIED @ 1250 Core
Storage	2 Samsung 830 256 GB (Raid 0) 1 Hitachi 4 TB
Display(s)	1 Dell 30U11 30"
Case	BIT FENIX Prodigy
Audio Device(s)	none
Power Supply	SeaSonic X750 Gold 750W Modular
Software	Windows Pro 7 64 bit \|\| Ubuntu 64 Bit
Benchmark Scores	2017 Unigine Heaven :: P37239 3D Mark Vantage