overhauling computer for performance

[VeeMon]

well it been a routine of 3 years to upgrade my computer and im coming around again to upgrade certain parts.

Im currently using
1gb of Corsair XMS DDR400
Asus SLI Deluxe socket 939
AMD 3000+ 64
and a 6800gs
basically the budget build that has both power and performance back then.

My power supply is a 550watt antec give or take that it is now still good or underpowered due to increase of power consumption.

so i was wondering what kind of CPU would fit in the slot of budget right now but offer performance at the same time. I think the Q6600 is good but is a tad expensive.

trend ive gone through amd 2500+ and 9500pro ----> intel 2.4c and 9800 unlocked ----> amd 64 3000 and 6800gs.

so i was wondering what kind of motherboard/ram/cpu/graphic card combo would work in that i can overclock and get performance to price wise.

Friend just got his xps 1730 with dual 8800gtx and it producing some fine frame rates and i just want to be able to get more than 20 frame rate since i upgraded from my 19inch viewsonic to a 24inch dell. increasing from 1280x1240 to 1900x1200.

 

[chrome-187]

budget ati setup...cpu- q6600 (219) or a E4300 for budget ($70) the q6600 will last longer, motherboard- asus x38 (220) or p35 mobo ($100) the x38 is better for crossfire, ram- 2gb crucial ballistix 6400 (55), video card- 2x3870's (320) or just one (160)...

now for a budget nvidia setup...same cpu, and ram from above...motherboard- evga 680i (150) or evga 750i (190) the 750i is compatible with the 45nm quad core cpu's to whereas the 680i is not, but the 680i can be bought a little cheaper and works well with the 65nm quads...video card- 2x9600gt ($300) or just one (150)...

either setup is nice and would put you well above 20fps...the 3870 is a lil faster then the 9600gt...on a budget those would be more then satisfactory...either one

http://www.techspot.com/article/88-geforce-9600gt-versus-radeon-hd3870/page5.html

 

[ratbuddy]

This probably belongs in general hardware If you post it in the ATI section, people will start getting fairly insane if someone suggests an Nvidia card which tends to be a better value these days

 

[chrome-187]

i added a nice budget nvidia setup as well =)

 

[Kuroimaho]

That was a nice touch.

 

[Super Nade]

Veeman, please do not post the same thread all over the forums, multiple times. I've deleted all the other copies.

 

[chrome-187]

That was a nice touch.

thx killer

 

[VeeMon]

aite it seem that according to people right now 9600gt sli is the best budget setup.

So looks like if ic an get a cheap setup ill go with
Q6600
not sure on mobo yet
2GB of Ram unless 4gb come at 100 or less now
2x 9600gt sli

 

[blazed]

Not a balanced setup for your needs IMO. Biggest thing is the resolution your using, 1900x1200 isn't easy, and this means the most important part of the system is the graphics card. At this resolution, it won't matter if you have a Q6600 quad or the $130 E7200, won't matter 1 bit. Unless you have some other need for a quad get the cheaper E7200 and it will also overclock like crazy, use much less power, and generate much less heat.

Then you can put the money into a better graphics system (2x 9600GT?? horrible recommendation IMO) at the very least you want a single 8800GTS, if you can stretch it for 2 of them you can crank up AA settings as well. Keep in mind that using 2 cards at a time has its drawbacks, mainly the game has to be optimized for SLI in the driver, so certain games might see very little improvment, but even in the best case scenario your looking at maybe 30% frame improvments over a single card.

 

[chrome-187]

much of all the new games support sli...so that really isnt a problem...and all the older games a single plays just fine...and i think 2x9600gt was a really good recommendation for a budget setup...thats wat he wanted was BUDGET=Cheap...and he culd start out with one 9600gt for $115 after MIR and get another l8tr or have 2x9600gt for $230 after MIR..which will kill your recommendation and yours is way more expensive...do some research b4 you trash...k thx

 

[Colton H]

8800GTS's are going for $224.99 AMIR at the egg.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130337

I would go with a single GTS rather then 2 9600GT's. By the time you need another one they will be even cheaper.

 

[VeeMon]

the general basic of this would be for gaming/documentation/Photoshop-illustrator and probably in the future 3d graphic designing and etc.
Game i play are just WoW @ 1920x1200 with max setting which i get about 20fps right now and Warcraft 3. I dont mind getting a card that can cover other game too.

 

[ratbuddy]

8800GTS's are going for $224.99 AMIR at the egg.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130337

I would go with a single GTS rather then 2 9600GT's. By the time you need another one they will be even cheaper.

They're also going for $190 after rebate at newegg..

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133215

 

[blazed]

You can also find a 8800GT 512mb AMIR for as little as $145, that I've seen.

much of all the new games support sli...so that really isnt a problem...and all the older games a single plays just fine...and i think 2x9600gt was a really good recommendation for a budget setup...thats wat he wanted was BUDGET=Cheap...and he culd start out with one 9600gt for $115 after MIR and get another l8tr or have 2x9600gt for $230 after MIR..which will kill your recommendation and yours is way more expensive...do some research b4 you trash...k thx

Any way you put it a 2x9600GT is never the best case scenario. Most games support SLI, what about the others? How about the games that do support SLI but you get performance issues and other glitches when using it, such as horrific minimum FPS numbers and screen tearing. Then you take into account all the problems people are having with their 9600GT cards (including the core clock tied in with PCIe bus issues) and suddenly 2x9600GT isn't looking so hot.

On top of that your buy 1 now 1 later scenario sucks, a single 9600GT is going to struggle with games at 1900x1200, so having 2 would be a necesity. How about buying 1 card that can handle it now (say 8800GT or GTS 512mb) and then when its needed buying another midrange card which will blow any of todays stuff out of the water.

Cheap doesn't have to mean settling for less.

 

[chrome-187]

your still crying wolf over only a 5-10 real world fps difference....yes if he can afford it the 8800gts's would be faster...im not saying the 9600gt is faster...but the price/performance ratio is alot better....if he can afford 2x8800gts's yes thats the better solution...

 

[bLack0ut]

WoW doesn't need a high end video card, but it does suck memory like no other. All it needs is > 2 GB Ram and a decent vid card, like an 8800gt or 9600gt