Possible 2009 Upgrades

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FreakingHell

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Well, I am thinking about doing some upgrades at some point this year. I don't want to do an entirely new build, I don't have the money for what I'd want and I'm holding off for 32nm CPUs, 40nm and DX11 GPUs. But now I'm thinking I can do some upgrades that will hold me off until I am in college(~2 years), because at that point I will be doing my gaming on a laptop. So here is what I have and what I am looking at getting...

Oh, because I bought from Dell(I'm an idiot, I know), I'm stuck with a BTX form factor case, motherboard, and PSU, so If I upgrade anything, I have to upgrade all of the above.

Current Rig
---------------
Intel Q6600 @ stock
Intel X38 Mobo
3GB's 800Mhz DDR2
Nvidia 8800GT @ stock
1x 320GB 7200RPM SATA II HDD
1x 1TB 7200RPM SATA II HDD
a no-name brand 420Watt PSU

Upgrades
---------------
EVGA 750i SLI FTW mobo
4GB's Corsair Dominator DDR2 @ 1066(Maybe 8GB's)
an 9800GT to SLI with my 8800GT
PC Power & Cooling 910W PSU
Antec 1200 ATX Full Tower

Opinions/Comments/Suggests/etc?
 
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my suggestion would be 2 have ur os cd key on u as well as the cd since u will have 2 reformat the drives. also if u wanna save ne thing, burn as much stuff as possible, that way u can re-install em when ur system is built.
 
Well I use the 1TB drive for backup and storage so that's not a problem.

But now that you mention it...the OS is OEM so I will have to obtain another copy. :(

Guess that means I'll be waiting for Win7 as I'm not buying another copy of Vista(not that I don't like it, it just seems pointless 4 months before a new OS).
 
I guess I don't really see the point in putting all that money into your computer right now. All you get in the end is a 9800GT in SLI with your 8800GT. Are there really any games that you need this for? The 8800GT is still a pretty good card, and should be able to run everything you throw at it.

My suggestion is to wait for now. New processors and motherboards will be out soon, and you will be better off getting the current stuff then at lower prices. A quad core and 8800GT is already good stuff.

Your system should last until college, and the money you have saved can be tossed at something else.
 
I am in the almost exact same postion, if I want to upgrade anything I have to buy a whole new case/mobo/psu lol.
 
Ryken said:
I guess I don't really see the point in putting all that money into your computer right now. All you get in the end is a 9800GT in SLI with your 8800GT. Are there really any games that you need this for? The 8800GT is still a pretty good card, and should be able to run everything you throw at it.

My suggestion is to wait for now. New processors and motherboards will be out soon, and you will be better off getting the current stuff then at lower prices. A quad core and 8800GT is already good stuff.

Your system should last until college, and the money you have saved can be tossed at something else.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the feedback.

When I build a new computer I am going to need a new Case and PSU then anyways, so I can easily justify getting those, without even mentioning that all my temps are high because my current case has terrible airflow and ventilation, and the fact that my PSU is already extremely weak.

The rest doesn't cost too much...

A new motherboard will give me the ability to overclock, as my current motherboard has locked BIOS. That will be nice.
 
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In that case, get a new case and power supply, but I'd skip on the rest.

No need for 900W imo, very much overkill unless you are three way SLI'ing GTX 280s. I'd suggest the PC Power and Cooling 750W PS. It can be had for $90 after MIR compared to $200, and it has 60A on a single 12V rail as opposed to 74A for the expensive one. Not much sacrifice in performance for a heckuva lot less money.

(I'm from Minnesota, I can say heckuva if I want to)
 
Snipeye said:
I was going to give a different recommendation than Ryken, but I realized that there's not enough information given.

What kind of budget are you working with? Are you preparing to buy/install Windows 7 when it comes out in October? What OS are you using right now?

The only thing I can easily recommend upgrading now is the Power Supply as that's a piece of hardware that's not wholly based on the above questioned. A 750watt PSU will work fine unless you plan on using an upper tier quad core with dual Nvidia 280s or better. I'm using a 750w Xigmatek PSU that actually has detachable cables so there's no clutter or wiring cleaning needed once done upgrading.

Now, the OS question is important because it DIRECTLY AFFECTS what kind of RAM we can recommend. If you're using a 32bit XP system, 2GB is the recommended amount for a good system, and 3.5GB is only recognized by the OS (so buying 2x2GB DDR2 800MHz RAM, for example, will max out the amount of RAM your OS can recognize). On the other hand, using VISTA, double everything compared to XP. 4GB recommended, 8GB is the actual max. Additionally, the motherboard you choose to use has what kind of RAM it recognizes natively, usually saying DDR2 800/1066/1333MHz, for example. Others would be lower, or higher.

Finally, hold off upgrading the 9800GT to SLI it with the 8800GT because you don't really get much gain for that buy. Why? Because the 9800GT will actually downclock itself to match the 8800GT to actually make the SLI work. If you're going to upgrade, buy an equally cheap 8800GT or buy a more powerful, single video card that will beat dual 8800GTs in SLI. I actually went from a 8800GTS 320MB card to a 9800GX2 about 8 months ago. The 8800GTS I had since mid-late 2006. For comparison, I went from mid-low graphics for CoD4 to get 30-45fps to high-midhigh grapichs at +100fps.

If you can answer the questions I asked earlier, I'm sure we can give you some really good recommendations.
Click to expand...

First off, a 9800GT IS an 8800GT. It was a rebrand. There will be no downclocking unless I purchase an overclocked 9800GT(which I won't).

I believe I answered at least 2 of your questions in one of my posts already.

Blah blah blah, I know what I'm doing. I'm not asking if the hardware is compatible; I'm asking if anybody has better ideas.

Don't really have a budget, but I know I don't want to spend the money it would take to upgrade to an i7 as that would require DDR3 memory and a new CPU, both of which would be too expensive for me.
 
I don't think its really worth it right now. I'm in pretty much the same boat as you, with a Q6600 @ 3.0 and an 8800GT. I run COD4 at max at 1920x1200 at about 85 frames.

Basically, unless you are really unhappy with the performance, I would just leave it alone.
 
lol can i have your old stuff

seriously im in a stupid scenario...my card isn't bad for the games i play (tho i'd like better) but my cpu is whats holding me back most. however to upgrade that i'll need to upgrade my mobo since its a 939 slot, which is pretty damn hard to find a cheap good cpu for.
now in order to upgrade my vid card i'll need a new PSU since i only have 25 amps on the 12V rail, and most good cards like the 8800 and up require at least 26+
 
If you don't really want to build a completely new system and are relatively happy and will continue to be for at least awhile I would just look at reusable upgrades. Things like a case, PSU and possibly a GPU (although I would personally wait a few months and buy from the next gen after they have been out for awhile and some of the bugs worked out).

Can't go wrong with whatever you decide really, and total upgrade would be great but so would just doing a few reusable pieces now and doing the rest when your good and ready.

Best of luck, I'm always contemplating upgrades even when what I just bought is bleeding edge :P
 
FreakingHell said:
Well, I am thinking about doing some upgrades at some point this year. I don't want to do an entirely new build, I don't have the money for what I'd want and I'm holding off for 32nm CPUs, 40nm and DX11 GPUs. But now I'm thinking I can do some upgrades that will hold me off until I am in college(~2 years), because at that point I will be doing my gaming on a laptop. So here is what I have and what I am looking at getting...

Oh, because I bought from Dell(I'm an idiot, I know), I'm stuck with a BTX form factor case, motherboard, and PSU, so If I upgrade anything, I have to upgrade all of the above.

Current Rig
---------------
Intel Q6600 @ stock
Intel X38 Mobo
3GB's 800Mhz DDR2
Nvidia 8800GT @ stock
1x 320GB 7200RPM SATA II HDD
1x 1TB 7200RPM SATA II HDD
a no-name brand 420Watt PSU

Upgrades
---------------
EVGA 750i SLI FTW mobo
4GB's Corsair Dominator DDR2 @ 1066(Maybe 8GB's)
an 9800GT to SLI with my 8800GT
PC Power & Cooling 910W PSU
Antec 1200 ATX Full Tower

Opinions/Comments/Suggests/etc?
Click to expand...

Go with smaller case, like an antec 900 or a p182.

Get the 750ftw, but get a 650w modular Thermaltake psu like this one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153040

They are such nice PSUs.. i run my SLi system on them easy money..

Also, go with a single card like a gtx 260 core 216 or a GTX 280.. they can be hadd from like 140-200 for the 260 or 200-250 for the 280 if you shop around.. and sell the 8800gt on ebay or craigslist.

core 216 for 164.99 after MIR:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130434

You should go with a whole new GPU, and go sli with that when you need it..

Just my thoughts.
 
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