Time to upgrade?

Currently I am running:

Opty 165 @ 2.8 GHz.
2GB DDR500
Asus A8N32-SLI D
7800 GT
Antec 550 watt SLi PSU

I know DX10 games are out (Bioshock (only shaders tho)) and there are more on the way. My predicament is that I don't want to jump on a DX10 card until the prices drop (aka ATI gets off their but and makes some competition). I was thinking about getting the core system and holding off on the video card for a while. Here is what I am considering:

SILVERSTONE OP750 ATX12V / EPS12V 750W Power Supply 90 - 264 V RoHS, FCC, CE - Retail
OCZ Platinum Revision 2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
EVGA 122-CK-NF67-T1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i LT SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 Conroe 2.33GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail

Good? Bad? Ugly? I would like to see that CPU up to like 3.0 to 3.2 GHz under my Ultra 120. Possible?

Should I go with a 680i so I can SLi later or some other chip set? I am eyeing an 8800 Ultra but may go with an 8800 GTS and wait on the 8900's if and when they come out. This wont be for a little while though.

I figured getting this stuff first would let me work out Vista and my OC before jumping in the DX10 gaming world.

My second option is to simply throw a DX10 card in my current system. Good idea? Will I be able to run DX10 games with good detail at 1680x1050?

I am really stuck here, help me plz!

I'm all for the P35 chipset at the moment, and Asus P5K series. But that won't work with SLI.

I'm pretty sure most E6550s could run at 3.2, I myself run my E2140 at 3.2 on my P5K board right now.

I wouldn't be surprised to see 3.4-3.6 with a bit of luck. I can get mine stable at 3.3 and probably 3.4 with more volts, but it gets too hot for comfort even with my Scythe Infinity.

That RAM though, is it rated for 1000Mhz operation at all? My Patriot RAM runs 4-4-4-12 at 800Mhz for example, but does 1000Mhz fine at 5-5-5-15. Memory that goes over 800 effortlessly won't hurt your OC...

I'm doing it like you btw, well almost, I got myself a cheap 8600GT to voltmod and overclock until I see what DX10 cards will show around christmas and early next year. My previous card was an X1600Pro though so even before voltmod+OC (and my old card was voltmodded too) it's still faster.

PMental said:

That RAM though, is it rated for 1000Mhz operation at all? My Patriot RAM runs 4-4-4-12 at 800Mhz for example, but does 1000Mhz fine at 5-5-5-15. Memory that goes over 800 effortlessly won't hurt your OC...

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Humm, I was unsure about the RAM. I am totally new to the DDR2 world. What would you suggest?

I agree with PM, go with the P35 chipset. Unless you are doing SLI, go with either the Asus P5K series or Abit IP35 series. Yes, 3.2 gig is almost a given with the E6550 with decent cooling. With a little luck and high end air cooling, 3.5 gig is not out of reach with either of these mobos.

For RAM, Crucial Ballistix DDR2-800 is a good bargain. You'll want something that'll do DDR2-1000 speed if you expect 500 FSB out of an E6550 (3.5 gig). The Ballistix will do it with a bump in voltage.

batboy said:

I agree with PM, go with the P35 chipset. Unless you are doing SLI, go with either the Asus P5K series or Abit IP35 series. Yes, 3.2 gig is almost a given with the E6550 with decent cooling. With a little luck and high end air cooling, 3.5 gig is not out of reach with either of these mobos.

For RAM, Crucial Ballistix DDR2-800 is a good bargain. You'll want something that'll do DDR2-1000 speed if you expect 500 FSB out of an E6550 (3.5 gig). The Ballistix will do it with a bump in voltage.

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Cool thanks for the info on the RAM. Any other opinions?

i suggest these
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231114
high binned promos ic's that reach the same speeds as some D9 based ram with need alot less voltage.

other wise go with the crucial balli's or these gskill hz's
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231065

my gskill hz's are doing ddr2-1118 5-5-5-14 @2.25 volts.

My Balixtix will do 1000@ 4-4-4-12 2.1v and 1200 @ 5-5-5-15 2.1v

Those G. Skill sticks that Evil mentioned are very good. I was recommending those until Crucial dropped their prices. Get the Ballistix or G. Skill, depending on which is the current bargain. Both are excellent overclockers.

are you planning on doing SLI?

if not I would go with a P35 board which will give you higher FSB which you will need with a low multiplier of the 6550 if you want to get to any decent clock speed.

if you do want SLI and 680i then I would bump the cpu to at least a 6750 which will give you an 8 multiplier. For example with the 6550 you would need a wooping 500MHz FSB just to get to 3.5GHz not to mention the stress on your memory.

EDIT: If you do want SLI, I would go with this EVGA 680i A1 which from what I have been hearing has been overclocking VERY well
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188013

I am not that set on having SLI, just thought it might be a good option. If I can get a better board for the $ then I can skip SLi w/o thinking twice. I have a 22" monitor and I don't plan getting a bigger one for a good long while. That being said I don't forsee needing SLi. That and the power requirments for 2 G80's is insane. Looks like the P35 is the way to go. Does the ABIT clock better than the Asus? I currently have an Asus board and I have had a lot of luck with it. I also tend to buy Asus. Has Abit gotten better? I know the few Skt A Abit boards by Abit I have used were flaky at best.

Is there any reason to consider DDR3 at this point or before the end of the year?

I can't say one is better than the other in all things. They each have their advantages and disadvantages. Asus P5K probably has slightly better memory overclocking at high speeds. If you like Asus, then by all means go with it.

DDR3 is next year's upgrade, in my opinion. If I were buying within the next couple of months, I'd definitely stay with DDR2.

I have an Antec Turepower II 550 watt PSU will it hold up to the load of a C2D and an 8800? Do I really need a new one?

http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=22550

Immortal_Hero said:

I have an Antec Turepower II 550 watt PSU will it hold up to the load of a C2D and an 8800? Do I really need a new one?

http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=22550

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I'm running a similar setup with an Antec true power II 500 Watt without issue. Granted, I'm not OCing my CPU as high as you would like, but I have had no issues what so ever with this PSU with the settings in my sig. You should be fine, unless you're looking at the SLI setup.