Best upgrade

ShadowFold · Apr 26, 2009, 08:36 PM

Here's my friends computer specs

AMD Athlon X2 3800+
AsRock GF6100 AM2
2gb DDR2-667
HD 3450 512mb
Ultra 400w 20a +12v

I was thinking of upgrading the GPU, most he can spend is 50$ so I found this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131151
He's just playing l4d and oblivion.. Or should I get him a CPU upgrade like this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103300

He's getting a job in the summer and should have a really nice rig when he gets paid..

Sihastru · Apr 26, 2009, 08:45 PM

I think upgrading the CPU would not be the best idea.

Instead of the 4650 the 4670 will give you better framerates (get the DDR3 version, not the DDR2 one): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131146

But he should really try to strech it to a 4830: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131129

It's not that expensive and the card is a lot better then the alternatives. Anything more powerful would be held behind by the CPU (2GHz dual core). I had a 8800GTS 512 on an X2 3800+ and it wasn't going anywhere fast.

ShadowFold · Apr 26, 2009, 08:47 PM

I just found this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161252
I can give him 10$ and he can afford it since it's got free shipping

technicks · Apr 26, 2009, 08:49 PM

Get him the cpu. And then look for a videocard when he has some cash to spend again.
He could then sell his old cpu for $40 or something and only has to pay a few bucks for a new videocard.

JrRacinFan · Apr 26, 2009, 08:51 PM

Think you can push for a lil extra budget?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161252

technicks · Apr 26, 2009, 08:51 PM

lol^

ShadowFold · Apr 26, 2009, 08:51 PM

Already linked and yea I will pay for the rest

Free shipping really seals the deal!

Sihastru · Apr 26, 2009, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by technicks

Get him the cpu. And then look for a videocard when he has some cash to spend again.
He could then sell his old cpu for $40 or something and only has to pay a few bucks for a new videocard.

Unfortunately he doesn't have that luxury. He can get only one of the two for now. And the X2 3800 is not that slow. It can cope with a low to mid segment graphics card.

ShadowFold, I think the 4670 I linked is a bit cheaper after rebates.

JrRacinFan · Apr 26, 2009, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShadowFold

Already linked and yea I will pay for the rest

Free shipping really seals the deal!

Reason why I mentioned it twice! It is a very nice card for price.

rockfella · Apr 26, 2009, 09:49 PM

Upgrade whole PC man.

LittleLizard · Apr 26, 2009, 10:01 PM

yeah, the 4670 isnt that bad, in fact i would kill someone for one. oh, but if u can lend him 15 instead of 10... http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=85826. 8800gt is almost as good if not better than a 4830 and at that price, go for it.

Sihastru · Apr 27, 2009, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LittleLizard

yeah, the 4670 isnt that bad, in fact i would kill someone for one. oh, but if u can lend him 15 instead of 10... http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=85826. 8800gt is almost as good if not better than a 4830 and at that price, go for it.

I second that.

ShadowFold · Apr 27, 2009, 07:19 AM

I don't think we're gonna upgrade it at all now. He's running Half Life 2 and Team Fortress 2 very well. I'm gonna get him to buy Left 4 Dead and BattleField 2 first to see if he needs to upgrade at all.

Morrison5891 · Apr 27, 2009, 07:48 AM

if he does.... I would consider the 7750BE

_jM · Apr 27, 2009, 11:01 AM

isn't the 7750 the one that has the locked-out cores. If Im correct, I would go with the CPU as well and try to un-lock the other cores.

Sihastru · Apr 27, 2009, 12:02 PM

Guys, you can have the Mother of all Processors, if you don't have a decent video card then you can't really play your games... When games are concerned, do you think about the processor or about the video card first? Do you think that having a dual core or a quad core will give you significantly higher framerates on a low to mid end graphics card?

He's interested in playing his games, not bench SuperPI...

zithe · Apr 27, 2009, 12:36 PM

I think 9600GT is 74.99 on newegg right now. Can't link, at school.

Apr 26, 2009, 08:36 PM	#1
ShadowFold Eligible for custom title Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 12,855 (6.51/day) Thanks: 1,381 Thanked 1,681 Times in 1,498 Posts System Specs	Best upgrade Here's my friends computer specs AMD Athlon X2 3800+ AsRock GF6100 AM2 2gb DDR2-667 HD 3450 512mb Ultra 400w 20a +12v I was thinking of upgrading the GPU, most he can spend is 50$ so I found this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131151 He's just playing l4d and oblivion.. Or should I get him a CPU upgrade like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103300 He's getting a job in the summer and should have a really nice rig when he gets paid..

System Name:	The ShadowFold Draconis (Ordering soon)
Processor:	AMD Phenom II X6 1055T 2.8ghz
Motherboard:	ASUS M4A87TD EVO AM3 AMD 870
Cooling:	Stock
Memory:	Kingston ValueRAM 4GB DDR3-1333
Video Card:	XFX ATi Radeon HD 5850 1gb
Hard Disk:	Western Digital 640gb
Optical Drive:	LG DVD Burner SATA
CRT/LCD Model:	Acer 21.5" 5ms Full HD 1920x1080P
Case:	Antec Nine-Hundred
Sound Card:	Onboard + Creative "Fatal1ty" Headset
PSU:	Antec Earthwatts 650w
Software:	Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
Benchmarks:	-❶-❸-❸-❼-

Apr 26, 2009, 08:45 PM	#2
Sihastru Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: You are here. Posts: 318 (0.21/day) Thanks: 80 Thanked 62 Times in 44 Posts System Specs	I think upgrading the CPU would not be the best idea. Instead of the 4650 the 4670 will give you better framerates (get the DDR3 version, not the DDR2 one): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131146 But he should really try to strech it to a 4830: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131129 It's not that expensive and the card is a lot better then the alternatives. Anything more powerful would be held behind by the CPU (2GHz dual core). I had a 8800GTS 512 on an X2 3800+ and it wasn't going anywhere fast. __________________ There are more things in heaven and earth then are dreamt of in your philosophy.

System Name:	Prometheus
Processor:	Intel i7 3820
Motherboard:	Asus P9X79
Cooling:	Corsair H80
Memory:	Kingston HyperX T1 Black Edition 32GB
Video Card:	2 x Asus GTX 680 SLI
Hard Disk:	2 x Intel 330 240GB RAID0 + 2 x WD 1TB Green RAID1
Optical Drive:	Sony/Optiarc DVDRW
CRT/LCD Model:	Dell 3007WFP-HC2
Case:	Silverstone Fortress FT02B USB 3.0
Sound Card:	Asus Xonar DX
PSU:	Corsair AX850
Software:	Microsoft Windows 7 Professional x64

System Name:	The ShadowFold Draconis (Ordering soon)
Processor:	AMD Phenom II X6 1055T 2.8ghz
Motherboard:	ASUS M4A87TD EVO AM3 AMD 870
Cooling:	Stock
Memory:	Kingston ValueRAM 4GB DDR3-1333
Video Card:	XFX ATi Radeon HD 5850 1gb
Hard Disk:	Western Digital 640gb
Optical Drive:	LG DVD Burner SATA
CRT/LCD Model:	Acer 21.5" 5ms Full HD 1920x1080P
Case:	Antec Nine-Hundred
Sound Card:	Onboard + Creative "Fatal1ty" Headset
PSU:	Antec Earthwatts 650w
Software:	Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
Benchmarks:	-❶-❸-❸-❼-

Apr 26, 2009, 08:47 PM	#3
ShadowFold Eligible for custom title Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 12,855 (6.51/day) Thanks: 1,381 Thanked 1,681 Times in 1,498 Posts System Specs	I just found this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161252 I can give him 10$ and he can afford it since it's got free shipping

Apr 26, 2009, 08:49 PM	#4
technicks Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Enschede, The Netherlands Posts: 2,737 (1.06/day) Thanks: 268 Thanked 265 Times in 228 Posts System Specs	Get him the cpu. And then look for a videocard when he has some cash to spend again. He could then sell his old cpu for $40 or something and only has to pay a few bucks for a new videocard.

System Name:	Lian Li Carbon fiber ed.
Processor:	Intel i5 2500k 4.6Ghz 24/7 Max OC 5Ghz
Motherboard:	Asrock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3
Cooling:	Swiftech blocks, 360 Xflow rad, Swiftech 120 rad, Liang with XSPC res/pump top.
Memory:	8Gb Mushkin 1600Mhz 8-9-8-24
Video Card:	Sapphire HD6950 2Gb
Hard Disk:	OCZ Vertex 4 128 / Western Digital 160
Optical Drive:	Samsung Writemaster (Piece of shit!!!!)
CRT/LCD Model:	ASUS 25,5" wide VW266h
PSU:	Corsair HX620 modular
Software:	Windows 7 64

Apr 26, 2009, 08:51 PM	#5
JrRacinFan Served 5k and counting ... Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Youngstown, OH Posts: 16,121 (7.14/day) Thanks: 4,149 Thanked 4,552 Times in 4,027 Posts System Specs	Think you can push for a lil extra budget? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161252 __________________ Graphics Artists United™ Request Thread Low Cache CPU Club Solaris Utility DVD 3.0 DanishDevil's Logitech Soundroom TPU Video Gallery Sciencemark Revisited

System Name:	Mine; Hers; Our HTPC; NAS Box
Processor:	i7 2600k : i3 2120 : Celeron G440 : P4 2.6Ghz Nwood
Motherboard:	Asrock Z68 Extreme4 : Asus P8P67 Pro : Asrock H61M/U3S3 : Dell
Cooling:	CM 212+ w/ scythe jyuni : Stock : Stock :Stock
Memory:	2x4GB Ripjawx 1866 cl9 : 2x2GB Corsair 1600 cl9 : 2x2GB Ridgebacks 1066 cl5 : 768MB PC3200
Video Card:	Palit GTX560Ti 2Gb : XFX HD5770 : Integrated : Integrated
Hard Disk:	2x 750GB Raid 0 + Maxtor 500GB : WD Black 1TB+Corsair Nova 2 64GB : Toshiba 750GB : Leftover ATA133
Optical Drive:	Lite-On DVD-RW : Samsung DVD-RW : None : None
CRT/LCD Model:	AOC 21" : AOC 20" : Philips 42" HDTV : Headless
Case:	Rocketfish : CM HAF 912 : Bgears Cube Style case : Dell
Sound Card:	X-Fi Xtremegamer : Onboard : Onboard : Onboard
PSU:	Tt 750W Modular : Antec 500W Earthwatts : Corsair CX430 : Dell's OEM

Apr 26, 2009, 09:49 PM	#10
rockfella Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 10 (0.01/day) Thanks: 2 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts System Specs	Upgrade whole PC man. __________________ One who stands on the toilet is "HIGH" on POT! http://www.erodov.com/community/showthread.php?t=5449

System Name:	The Black Horse
Processor:	Q6600 @ 3.6 Ghz (450 X 8)
Motherboard:	ABIT IP 35-E (BIOS 12)
Cooling:	TRU90i + Scythe kaza Jyunki 110cfm fan.
Memory:	1024 X 2 Crucial Ballistix 2.2 V
Video Card:	GeCube 4850 @ stock
Hard Disk:	1.2 TB Hdd
Optical Drive:	Samsung SH-203D SATA, ASUS 52 X Combo IDE.
CRT/LCD Model:	Dell SP2208WFPt
Case:	CM 690 with 4 scythes, 2 coolermaster fans. (ALL Non stock)
Sound Card:	Onboard 7.
PSU:	Corsair VX450W.
Software:	XP Pro SP3 32 Bit, DUAL BOOT, Vista Ultimate 32Bit SP1, MS-Office 2003 ( I still prefer 2003)
Benchmarks:	Got a "golden E2140" was able to hit 450 FSB with E2140 1.5 vcore. http://www.erodov.com/communit

Apr 26, 2009, 10:01 PM	#11
LittleLizard Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Latin America, Uruguay Posts: 3,380 (2.06/day) Thanks: 339 Thanked 584 Times in 516 Posts System Specs	yeah, the 4670 isnt that bad, in fact i would kill someone for one. oh, but if u can lend him 15 instead of 10... http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=85826. 8800gt is almost as good if not better than a 4830 and at that price, go for it. __________________ "oh no, i make a very good person. I eat poop and sleep just like everyone else. My sense of humour just happens to fall under the DnD category of Chaotic Evil." - Mussels "I was expecting a line of EVGA FTW condoms or something like that." - DrPepper "I like my sex like my basketball, one on one, and with as little dribbling as possible" - Robert-The-Rambler

System Name:	The Lizard
Processor:	Intel Core 2 Duo E4600
Motherboard:	Zotac G41 MAT-A-E
Cooling:	Intel Stock Fan
Memory:	2GB Kingston Value DDR2 @ PC2 5300
Video Card:	XFX GeForce 8600 GT 512mb DDR2
Hard Disk:	160GB Samsung F1 Sata
Optical Drive:	Samsung WriteMaster DVD R/RW
CRT/LCD Model:	AOC 917Sw 19' LCD
Case:	Generic Black Case
Sound Card:	Onboard Realtek
PSU:	Biswal 500W
Software:	Windows 7 Ultimate x64

Apr 27, 2009, 07:19 AM	#13
ShadowFold Eligible for custom title Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 12,855 (6.51/day) Thanks: 1,381 Thanked 1,681 Times in 1,498 Posts System Specs	I don't think we're gonna upgrade it at all now. He's running Half Life 2 and Team Fortress 2 very well. I'm gonna get him to buy Left 4 Dead and BattleField 2 first to see if he needs to upgrade at all.

Apr 27, 2009, 07:48 AM	#14
Morrison5891 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Bannock County Posts: 751 (0.49/day) Thanks: 3 Thanked 96 Times in 87 Posts System Specs	if he does.... I would consider the 7750BE

Processor:	AMD X2 7750 Kuma BE 2.7 / OC 3.0Ghz
Motherboard:	Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-US2H
Cooling:	Artic Cooling Freezer 64
Memory:	G. Skill 8GB DDR2 800
Video Card:	HIS Hightech Radeon HD 4670 IceQ Turbo 512MB
Hard Disk:	WD Raptor 74GB/WD 320GB/WD 1TBx2
Optical Drive:	x2 LG 22x
CRT/LCD Model:	Dynex 42" 1080p
Case:	Apevia Black X-MASTER Media Center/HTPC Case
Sound Card:	On-board 8 channel with Logitech 5.1 Speakers
PSU:	Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 500W
Software:	Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit

Apr 27, 2009, 11:01 AM	#15
_jM Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Ocala,FL Posts: 1,076 (0.59/day) Thanks: 309 Thanked 174 Times in 157 Posts System Specs	isn't the 7750 the one that has the locked-out cores. If Im correct, I would go with the CPU as well and try to un-lock the other cores. __________________

System Name:	The money pit v.2 (v.1 is the wife!)
Processor:	Core2Quad-Q9550@3.9ghz/1860mhzFSB @1.344v
Motherboard:	ASUS Maximus II Formula = best damn P45 OCer out there!
Cooling:	CoolerMster V8-- Custom WC system on the way! =]
Memory:	8GB DOMINATORS @1100mhz 5-5-5-18
Video Card:	EVGA GTX 280
Hard Disk:	150GB WesternDigital Velociraptor OS Drive/1 WD 500AAKS for Storage
Optical Drive:	Lite-On 22X SATA DVD Burner w/Lightscribe
CRT/LCD Model:	SAMSUNG 2243SWX 22" LCD
Case:	Cooler Master Cosmos S w/custom lighting and cable management
Sound Card:	X-Fi Titanium (Fatality edition) - paired with RAZER Barracuda's
PSU:	CORSAIR HX1000W modular PSU
Software:	Windows 7 RC 7100--eats vista for breakfast lunch and dinner!
Benchmarks:	Coming to a theater near you!

Apr 27, 2009, 12:02 PM	#16
Sihastru Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: You are here. Posts: 318 (0.21/day) Thanks: 80 Thanked 62 Times in 44 Posts System Specs	Guys, you can have the Mother of all Processors, if you don't have a decent video card then you can't really play your games... When games are concerned, do you think about the processor or about the video card first? Do you think that having a dual core or a quad core will give you significantly higher framerates on a low to mid end graphics card? He's interested in playing his games, not bench SuperPI... __________________ There are more things in heaven and earth then are dreamt of in your philosophy.

Apr 27, 2009, 12:36 PM	#17
zithe Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: North Chili, NY Posts: 2,646 (1.47/day) Thanks: 220 Thanked 350 Times in 310 Posts System Specs	I think 9600GT is 74.99 on newegg right now. Can't link, at school. __________________ “Fudzilla Confirms its fake!!! ]” -SammyHayabuza

System Name:	Woot!:D
Processor:	Phenom II 965
Motherboard:	DFI LP DK 790FX-M2RS
Cooling:	CoolerMaster V8
Memory:	8GB DDR2 800
Video Card:	2x Radeon 5850 1GB Crossfire
CRT/LCD Model:	LG 23" 1920x1080
Case:	Thermaltake v6
Sound Card:	SIIG IC-710012-S2 7.1 24-bit 96KHz PCI
PSU:	Corsair TX600W
Software:	Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit

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