Should I upgrade?

[currahee440]

Alright guys so I posted earlier about getting an HD 5770, I'll be able to test it out and see how well it performs on my box.

Currently I have
Core 2 Duo E8200
5GB DDR2 800MHz
1.5TB total HDD space
430W Antec Earthwatts PSU
Intel G33 mobo

So my roommate who wants to play SC2 on max, is interested in buying my box for $400. Which means I'll have some moolah to spend on a new computer. I've been tinkering with stuff on newegg and I'm split between two systems. I need an opinion on the chipset/mobos though, I don't look at mobo reviews.

AMD Phenom II X6 1055T System
785G mobo

Intel Core i5 760 System
Intel H55 Mobo

Other parts (shared between the two setups)
GeIL 4GB DDR3 RAM
RAIDMAX Tornado Case
OCZ Stealth 500W

So what do you guys think? I'm going to slap a Radeon HD 5770 into that machine. Do you think it looks good? Should I go with the Core i5 or Phenom II X6? The X6 costs like $560 and the Core i5 costs $550.

Is it a worthwhile upgrade from a Core 2 Duo E8200?

Oh and please don't mind the case I just added on there for now, I'm going to have a deeper look into case airflow design later on it's just something i tacked on.

[slyfox2151]

well im going to add my 2 cents

imo yeah its worth the upgrade,


but dont expect a gient incress with gaming.

personaly i would go the AMD x6 route witch i will be doing soon when upgrade.


you should see a noticeable incress in other area's such as encoding, video editing unraring ect as you will have more core's to spread the work around...

is the i5 total price? or just the cpu...

im guessing total price INC mobo.

[currahee440]

Thanks for the quick response Yup the prices are total- everything included. Anandtech's benchmarks show that the i5 system is actually better than the X6 system in games and multithread performanace. But I'm sure that would change if programs start to take advantage of multiple cores.

I'm against getting a Phenom II X4, mostly because the performance increase from a C2D to PII X4 is somewhat negligible. Maybe like 20%.

[slyfox2151]

well i cant remember where but there was a discusion going on here on tpu about the x6 vs the i7.... there were a few people who said there was a very small difference between the 2 in performance and it would come down to personal preference or $$$...

ill see what i can find.

[Fourstaff]

What are you going to do on your system, btw?

[currahee440]

Just gaming, though I do occassionally do things where I would love to have extra cores like video encoding and audio encoding. Nothing too advanced. And I would love to see E:TW run smoothly when I max out all units on both sides

[Lionheart]

I would go with e AMD system bro, but wateva is cheaper for you

[r9]

From this choice AMD.

[anonemus]

For PSU you might consider this modular version

OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ600MXSP 600W ATX12V V2.2 / E...

[vaiopup]

Corsair or Seasonic every time

[currahee440]

Aren't OCZ PSUs made by Seasonic?

[_JP_]

+1 on Corsair! The best PSUs I've ever seen...

OCZ makes good PSUs, just not very reliable...

OCZ might share PSU board designs with seasonic...Lots of manufacturers do that.

And my 2 cents:

If you're going with a 6-core AMD, don't put it on a "cheap" 785G, please choose a 790FX or higher (preferably 880G or 890), otherwise it could be like fitting a Ferrari engine in a FIAT 500 when thinking of overclocking, or not...If you catch the drift (I can use other car manufacturers, if you want...).
RAM is fine...although I would recommend G-Skill or simmilar.
The case is unknown to me (price/quality ratio), so...it's ok...
The PSU I've already said it...

[anonemus]

Originally Posted by currahee440

Aren't OCZ PSUs made by Seasonic?

Nope. They use various OEMs and for the ModXStream-Pro they went with Sirtec. If the OP can stretch his budget, go for Corsair

[Aleksander]

I strongly recommend not to upgrade

[AlienIsGOD]

Originally Posted by Aleksander Dishnica

I strongly recommend not to upgrade

Why? a simple statement with no reasons to back it up doesn't help the OP

[brandonwh64]

Even tho that ASRock board is a good AMD board (I got the GMH/128m version), you cannot use the DDR3 in it cause it only uses DDR2.

[Aleksander]

Well spending a lot of money for a little more performance, is a reason that the OP opened this thread, so better not to upgrade.

[_JP_]

Uhh...OP said he was going to sell his PC to his roommate and getting a new one, so...you know...read the thread.
And as long as the system is 3 years or older it's always ok to upgrade if there is a wish for it. (but that's just my opinion)

[currahee440]

Originally Posted by brandonwh64

Even tho that ASRock board is a good AMD board (I got the GMH/128m version), you cannot use the DDR3 in it cause it only uses DDR2.

LOL I so TOTALLY forgot about that. I originally had it paired with DDR2 specifically for that reason but at JP's recommendation for a better mobo, I'll look into the 800 series.

Originally Posted by _JP_

Uhh...OP said he was going to sell his PC to his roommate and getting a new one, so...you know...read the thread.
And as long as the system is 3 years or older it's always ok to upgrade if there is a wish for it. (but that's just my opinion)

Yeah I'm still having fits about it. The computer is only two years old, still way too young. I'm going to see if slapping in a 5770 will bring it more useful life. I've been a little discontent with the CPU. I've been thinking about switching out the mobo (since its an HP PC so no OC + shitty airflow) with a new case and mobo, but well I looked at the P45 mobos, might as well get a new mobo for a new CPU right? I've been thinking about just plopping a Core 2 Quad but then I think for the money Core 2 Quads are overpriced and not to mention that Phenom II X4s can get the job done for less money.

[_JP_]

Originally Posted by currahee440

Yeah I'm still having fits about it. The computer is only two years old, still way too young. I'm going to see if slapping in a 5770 will bring it more useful life. I've been a little discontent with the CPU.

Yeah, a lot can still happen until your PC turns 3. A HD 5770 will bring more game performance but the current CPU might slow things down...but only a bit. Most likely, you won't even notice it, unless you play very high rez games @ maxed settings. The E8200 is a good CPU, shame it's clock isn't higher.

Originally Posted by currahee440

(...) might as well get a new mobo for a new CPU right?

Right! Couldn't agree more.

Originally Posted by currahee440

I've been thinking about just plopping a Core 2 Quad but then I think for the money Core 2 Quads are overpriced and not to mention that Phenom II X4s can get the job done for less money.

Too true. That's why it's better to be either a AMD x4/x6 or a i5. I would still go with the AMD solution, since you're planning to pair it with a 5770.

[currahee440]

lol I'm aiming for a worthwhile upgrade so I just don't want to stop at a Core 2 performance ^^ So Phenom II X4s are out of the question.... no offense I think Phenom II X4s are good, but I could just throw in a Core 2 Quad and spend just about the same amount.

I'm leaning towards the X6 even if it's a tad more expensive.

Come on. 6 cores! Who can say they have 6 cores :P

[xBruce88x]

hmm.. i've got a quad, a hyper threaded p4, a celeron 520, and a p4 1.5 (and variouse other older cpus), so technically I have 7 cores, 8 threads. but 6 cores on one chip... nah i don't have one yet.

I really hope they make an Athlon X6 (cheaper)

@OP, my current rig there on the left (specs) plays SC2 beta on the max settings, but there is some slowdown on larger maps when there are a lot of cloaked units. I'm sure a card about the speed of a 9800GT would more than make up for this. mostly happens when i play protoss and the mothership recalls in a lot of units at once, or while they're moving under the mothership.

[Aleksander]

@_JP_
Hey even if he wants to sell his PC it doesn't mean he will earn enough money to buy a whole new system, he will need to add 3/4 or 2/3 of the money to buy a new computer. So i think you just want to reply as a G-Gangsta, but ya know, no gangstas welcomed against me :P

[i3uu]

Being an owner of a raidmax case, I'm not a big fan of it. I'd definitely recommend looking into getting another one. My case was all messed up when I got it but didn't even realize half of it until a few months later so it was pointless to rma it. For example, the POS (I mean PSU) that came with it was DOA and the wires for the front jacks were all messed up too (audio that should come out right side comes out left and vice versa).

But you already know about the case so yea

[_JP_]

G-Gangsta?
I didn't catch what you meant by that...
I'm sorry, I didn't meant to be rude.

I know he won't make enough money to build a new rig (400 bucks only covers half, maybe...), but he's willing to upgrade if the change is evident. And you've got to agree that changing from what he has to a x6 + a HD 5770 is an improvement, a good one.
If he doesn't have the cash to start now...just play the waiting game...

@ currahee440 - Forgot to mention, a Phenom x6 preforms best with chipset combos like this:
Northbridge: 880G; 890GX and 890FX
Southbridge: SB850

I'm saying this because there are combos that include the SB710/SB750 and since you will want performance at all levels, you'll get better off with the ones I said.