stumped

[dpierce2007]

ok i have been doing a little looking around to upgrading my system and right now my 3d mark score is 10300 when im on futuremarks site comparing my system to other video cards and cpus i really dont see a really big jump in #s. should i be going by those different scores or what. I was looking at the 4870's because my board is ati crossfire and i dont think i want another nvidia cause i can only put one in. So will i see a huge difference going with quad core and a 4870

5600+ at 3.2ghz
4gb crucial ballistix
msi k9a2 plat
8800gts 600/900

[chrome-187]

i think so..more games are coming out with quad core support...yes you'll also see an improvement over the 8800gts

[BossBorot]

you would prob see a larger system performance difference by getting a phenom cpu or switching over to a core 2 system depending on what give better performance/$ (I dont know much about amd now so you would have to ask someone else about that). I basically dont really see a reason to switch from a 8800 to a 48x0 with that cpu.

[deathman20]

Upgrading for both.... yup you'll see a performance increase, but going to quad might not be nessisary at all either. You'll get lower scores in futuremark benches just due to the fact that AMD CPU's aren't doing so hot in that area. Ingame performance is similar to Intel's but still lacking.

If you really want upgrade to the GPU IMO. You'll only major performance boost if you use high res though. Then from there decide if you want to upgrade the CPU.

[jobrien2001]

I think people care too much about 3dmark points. Bottom line is if you are getting the framerates at the resolutions you need on the games you play.

If you are having low performance check your temps, usually the most common problem. If not... check your powersupply... How many watts and how many Amps from the 12v?

Also to answer your question.... yes you will get better performance is a 4870.

I wouldnt buy a quad right now, not enough games benefit from it to justify buying one. And with Nehalem around the corner... I would just put on hold buying a CPU since the MOBO socket is going to change.

[dpierce2007]

there changing the socket again what the hell i cant keep up with amd anymore, might switch. well i have a neo power 550. and my temps running prime were about 53 both cores, i think thats ok. Yeah i didnt see much since in switching to amd quad core yet. so really i wont see much of a difference with gpus cause my screen only goes to 1280*1024. well i might have to make a switch over to intel then. maybe just buy a good SLI board which on e i have no clue cause i have never dealt with them before. a q6600 and another 8800gts

[BossBorot]

if your gaming at that res I would keep your current system as is except for eventually upgrading the cpu down the line. The board you have is nice and leaves room for further cpu upgrades. As for the video card you should be fine with your current one unless your trying to play something like crysis will a lot of settings on. Honestly when it comes to 3dmark scores cpus mean quite a bit more then they do in real games so even though your system might look bad from a 3dmark point of view its more then good enough to take most games at that res.

[jobrien2001]

there changing the socket again what the hell i cant keep up with amd anymore, might switch. well i have a neo power 550. and my temps running prime were about 53 both cores, i think thats ok. Yeah i didnt see much since in switching to amd quad core yet. so really i wont see much of a difference with gpus cause my screen only goes to 1280*1024. well i might have to make a switch over to intel then. maybe just buy a good SLI board which on e i have no clue cause i have never dealt with them before. a q6600 and another 8800gts


AMD is not changing the socket, Intel is (from 775 to 1366). I wouldnt recommend any AMD processor at this time. Unfortunately they are a little behind.