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Is this upgrade wasting my money!? Help save my budget!

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bnason

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May 23, 2008
Caveat: I'm a newb who just browses forums every couple of years looking for build advice. Here's my dilemma. Bought AOC. Runs like crap on my 24" monitor. So thinking it's time to invest in new hardware.

This is what I have now, purchased about 2 years ago, running XP:
CPU AMD x2 4400+
Mobo Abit a8n SLI
RAM DDR2 800 chips
PSU OCZ 600W Gamestream
GPU eVGA 7800GT
PSU OCZ Gamestream (600W)

Plus a few odds and ends I could carry over.

If I upgrade to the high-performance system linked here:
http://pcstats.com/ShoppingList.cfm

How much performance gain will I get? Is it enough to justify the cost?
I'm a newb when it comes to hardware, so any and all help is appreciated. I've been agonizing over an upgrade for awhile but not sure I'm gonna' get enough bang for the buck to justify it. I've also been reading that Intel is coming out with new chipsets *real* soon!?

If not building a new system... what shall I do with myself!!! :p Wait or upgrade or build new?"

Ben
 
Average. I'd replace the 680i with something a bit newer though, perhaps a 780i, or an intel chipset. And 232 bucks is just too expensive for 4gb of ddr2 800. Also replace the 8800GTX with a much cheaper 8800GT (will overclock much higher than that GTX core rev).

It will be a LARGE jump past what you have now.
 
Couple of q's -- thanks for the quick reply already!

(1) What are the pro/cons of going with the nVidia 780i, versus the intel chipsets (x35?)
(2) Is buying a video card now worth it? Heard that nVidia has new stuff coming out this summer (x280 or something?)
(3) Where do I get the performance jump from this? Is it mostly the AMD x2 -> Core Duo?

Ben
 
bnason said:
Couple of q's -- thanks for the quick reply already!

(1) What are the pro/cons of going with the nVidia 780i, versus the intel chipsets (x35?)
(2) Is buying a video card now worth it? Heard that nVidia has new stuff coming out this summer (x280 or something?)
(3) Where do I get the performance jump from this? Is it mostly the AMD x2 -> Core Duo?

Ben
Click to expand...

1. SLI, unlinked fsb/memory, and looks like better fsb speeds compared to the 680i's. Other than that, so far they seem on par, though the 780i has a ton of voltage droop. :bang head

2. 8800GT's are so cheap right now, well worth purchasing. Simply upgrade in the future, and resell the 8800.

4. It's a combination of Core 2 architecture and the video card (for games). The 8800's require a lot of CPU power for optimal performance.
 
bnason said:
Caveat: I'm a newb who just browses forums every couple of years looking for build advice.
Click to expand...


If so, stay here on this forum and do some regualr research in your spare time and you'll find yourself more and more educated about PC's everyday!

It's not too hard to stay caught up with the Tech scene, especialy if your budgeted. You came to a good and friendly forum for build advice. Now when you start OC'ing, we can REALLY help you out. ;)

Oh, and :welcome: !
 
i wouldnt go 780i though, cause if your waiting a bit to use sli. will you then spend more money to go tri-sli? just get the 750i FTW, that is what 680i should have been.
 
Another Q -- is the 9800 GTX a good buy vs. the 8800s? A local retailer is selling them for $299 -- only $50 more than the 800 GTS?

Other than that, it looks like an upgrade into the E8500 / E8400 is a no-brainer with the GPU upgrade as well. From looking at benchmarks, it's like... almost 1.5x - 2x performance boost over my current rig.

A couple more qs:

(1) 750/780 nvidia mobo versus the p35/x35... always had nvidia boards with my trust AMD chips in the past. What's the major pros that the intel boards bring to the table?
 
I have both a 8800gtx and 8800gt, and the gtx outshines the gt at 1920x1200 resolutions, even with a 100MHz core advantage on the GT.
 
750i/780i for sli,has better ocing then 600's

P35 great budget single card board with good ocing, oc's the same for the most part like X38's. X38/X48 are boards if you want to run CF/X-fire from ATI.... both chipsets can be had with ddr3, if you want sli and ddr3 then 790i is what your after.

if he price difference is small for 8800GT vs 9800GTX. i would get the GTX...
 
Taking a look at that setup -- it looks kinda' outdated now. Assume I have $1500 to spend and that I already have a 9800gtx (trading a friend my Wii for one!) -- what would you do to get me updated to play AOC! :p

Gonna' go whole hog and get a new case and PSU. What mobo/cpu/ram/HDD/case would you get for $1500?
 
bnason said:
R U Serious? :p
Click to expand...

yeah, i'm very serious, lol. if $1500 is your budget, you've got a lot of headroom for upgrading. i spent $650 on the rig in my sig, so if you've got more than twice my budget then by all means you have enough to go all out. then again, it also depends on what you're using your PC for. since it's probably for gaming, the two SLI'd 9800GTX's will give you the performance gain you want plus some more on the side for future games. i'm assuming you don't have to purchase a new monitor and $1500 for a tower alone is plenty to get some of the best parts that will last you well into the next couple of years.
 
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