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Upgrading

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post #1 of 24

9/11/12 at 1:23am

Thread Starter

bedectalf

Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 11
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Hi guys,

New here

It's been 2 years since I built my last CPU. Now, games kept me thinking if I should already upgrade. Here's my current rig:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 2.5Ghz
MSI G41M-P33
Kingston 4GB (2x2GB) 1333Mhz
Palit GTX 260 216SP 896MB 448bit

Should I upgrade everything or just certain parts? I play games at high settings with no Anti Aliasing but not at 1080p (my monitor is just 20").

Thanks for the comments guys.

post #2 of 24

9/11/12 at 2:56am

ronnin426850
4.0 GHz

Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 5,993
Rep: 382 (Unique: 326)
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What FPS are you getting? That CPU should be fine with even better GPUs, so you might upgrade just that

CPU	Graphics	RAM	Hard Drive
Core 2 Duo P8400	Nvidia 9600M GT	2x2Gb Hynx DDR2	WD Scorpio Blue
OS
Windows 7 x64 Professional
View all

CPU	Motherboard	Graphics	RAM
Intel Pentium G840 DualCore SB 2.8Ghz	AsRock H61M-VS	Sapphire 7770 Vapor-X OC	Kingston HyperX 1600 4Gb
Hard Drive	Optical Drive	Cooling	OS
WD Scorpio Blue 250Gb	LiteOn DVD-RW	stock	Win 7 Home Premium
Monitor	Keyboard	Power	Case
Acer 19" 1440x900	Logitech MX3200	beQuiet 300W	MS-Tech CA-0130 Black
Mouse
Logitech MX300 Laser
View all

CPU	Graphics	RAM	Hard Drive
Core 2 Duo P8400	Nvidia 9600M GT	2x2Gb Hynx DDR2	WD Scorpio Blue
OS
Windows 7 x64 Professional
View all

CPU	Motherboard	Graphics	RAM
Intel Pentium G840 DualCore SB 2.8Ghz	AsRock H61M-VS	Sapphire 7770 Vapor-X OC	Kingston HyperX 1600 4Gb
Hard Drive	Optical Drive	Cooling	OS
WD Scorpio Blue 250Gb	LiteOn DVD-RW	stock	Win 7 Home Premium
Monitor	Keyboard	Power	Case
Acer 19" 1440x900	Logitech MX3200	beQuiet 300W	MS-Tech CA-0130 Black
Mouse
Logitech MX300 Laser
View all

post #3 of 24

9/11/12 at 3:06am

dragosmp
PC Gamer

Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 7,073
Rep: 1152 (Unique: 904)
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You could go for a full upgrade for a few reasons:
*small L2 cache and slow FSB which limits performance of an otherwise good processor (if OCed)
*non-OCable motherboard
So an upgrade to the new Ivy Bridge Core i3 may not be so expensive or a bad idea, but it looks like the GPU is your main brake for games. You could get a 7850 or a 560Ti (about 200$) and run it on your current setup, see how it fares - you can always upgrade the rest if you find the setup still lags.

CPU	Motherboard	Graphics	RAM
Phenom II 940 @3.3GHz 1.25V	Gigabyte 790X-DS4	XFX 5850	8GB OCZ DDR2-800
Hard Drive	Cooling	OS	Monitor
Corsair Force 3	TRUE	Win 7 Pro x64	ACER 23" TN
Power	Case
400W Silverstone Strider	Antec P182
View all

CPU	Motherboard	Graphics	RAM
Phenom II 940 @3.3GHz 1.25V	Gigabyte 790X-DS4	XFX 5850	8GB OCZ DDR2-800
Hard Drive	Cooling	OS	Monitor
Corsair Force 3	TRUE	Win 7 Pro x64	ACER 23" TN
Power	Case
400W Silverstone Strider	Antec P182
View all

post #4 of 24

9/11/12 at 7:22am

Thread Starter

bedectalf

Joined: Sep 2012
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Quote:

Originally Posted by ronnin426850

View Post

What FPS are you getting? That CPU should be fine with even better GPUs, so you might upgrade just that

On a stable setting, about 30-40 FPS which is fine for me. But if there are a lot of effects going on I see some stutter. What GPU (Nvidia) would you suggest? I'm not into the newest ones. Just enough to get decent frames.

post #5 of 24

9/11/12 at 7:25am

ronnin426850
4.0 GHz

Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 5,993
Rep: 382 (Unique: 326)
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Quote:

Originally Posted by bedectalf

View Post

On a stable setting, about 30-40 FPS which is fine for me. But if there are a lot of effects going on I see some stutter. What GPU (Nvidia) would you suggest? I'm not into the newest ones. Just enough to get decent frames.

660 is killer. It all depends on the budget really

CPU	Graphics	RAM	Hard Drive
Core 2 Duo P8400	Nvidia 9600M GT	2x2Gb Hynx DDR2	WD Scorpio Blue
OS
Windows 7 x64 Professional
View all

CPU	Motherboard	Graphics	RAM
Intel Pentium G840 DualCore SB 2.8Ghz	AsRock H61M-VS	Sapphire 7770 Vapor-X OC	Kingston HyperX 1600 4Gb
Hard Drive	Optical Drive	Cooling	OS
WD Scorpio Blue 250Gb	LiteOn DVD-RW	stock	Win 7 Home Premium
Monitor	Keyboard	Power	Case
Acer 19" 1440x900	Logitech MX3200	beQuiet 300W	MS-Tech CA-0130 Black
Mouse
Logitech MX300 Laser
View all

CPU	Graphics	RAM	Hard Drive
Core 2 Duo P8400	Nvidia 9600M GT	2x2Gb Hynx DDR2	WD Scorpio Blue
OS
Windows 7 x64 Professional
View all

CPU	Motherboard	Graphics	RAM
Intel Pentium G840 DualCore SB 2.8Ghz	AsRock H61M-VS	Sapphire 7770 Vapor-X OC	Kingston HyperX 1600 4Gb
Hard Drive	Optical Drive	Cooling	OS
WD Scorpio Blue 250Gb	LiteOn DVD-RW	stock	Win 7 Home Premium
Monitor	Keyboard	Power	Case
Acer 19" 1440x900	Logitech MX3200	beQuiet 300W	MS-Tech CA-0130 Black
Mouse
Logitech MX300 Laser
View all

post #6 of 24

9/11/12 at 7:33am

Thread Starter

bedectalf

Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 11
Rep: 0 (Unique: 0)
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Quote:

Originally Posted by dragosmp

View Post

You could go for a full upgrade for a few reasons:
*small L2 cache and slow FSB which limits performance of an otherwise good processor (if OCed)
*non-OCable motherboard
So an upgrade to the new Ivy Bridge Core i3 may not be so expensive or a bad idea, but it looks like the GPU is your main brake for games. You could get a 7850 or a 560Ti (about 200$) and run it on your current setup, see how it fares - you can always upgrade the rest if you find the setup still lags.

Thanks for the tip. I'm able to overclock the procie but never bothered to stay with it anyway. Isn't Core i3 a dual core processor?

post #7 of 24

9/11/12 at 7:34am

ronnin426850
4.0 GHz

Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 5,993
Rep: 382 (Unique: 326)
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Quote:

Originally Posted by bedectalf

View Post

Thanks for the tip. I'm able to overclock the procie but never bothered to stay with it anyway. Isn't Core i3 a dual core processor?

Yes

CPU	Graphics	RAM	Hard Drive
Core 2 Duo P8400	Nvidia 9600M GT	2x2Gb Hynx DDR2	WD Scorpio Blue
OS
Windows 7 x64 Professional
View all

CPU	Motherboard	Graphics	RAM
Intel Pentium G840 DualCore SB 2.8Ghz	AsRock H61M-VS	Sapphire 7770 Vapor-X OC	Kingston HyperX 1600 4Gb
Hard Drive	Optical Drive	Cooling	OS
WD Scorpio Blue 250Gb	LiteOn DVD-RW	stock	Win 7 Home Premium
Monitor	Keyboard	Power	Case
Acer 19" 1440x900	Logitech MX3200	beQuiet 300W	MS-Tech CA-0130 Black
Mouse
Logitech MX300 Laser
View all

CPU	Graphics	RAM	Hard Drive
Core 2 Duo P8400	Nvidia 9600M GT	2x2Gb Hynx DDR2	WD Scorpio Blue
OS
Windows 7 x64 Professional
View all

CPU	Motherboard	Graphics	RAM
Intel Pentium G840 DualCore SB 2.8Ghz	AsRock H61M-VS	Sapphire 7770 Vapor-X OC	Kingston HyperX 1600 4Gb
Hard Drive	Optical Drive	Cooling	OS
WD Scorpio Blue 250Gb	LiteOn DVD-RW	stock	Win 7 Home Premium
Monitor	Keyboard	Power	Case
Acer 19" 1440x900	Logitech MX3200	beQuiet 300W	MS-Tech CA-0130 Black
Mouse
Logitech MX300 Laser
View all

post #8 of 24

9/11/12 at 7:37am

Matt-Matt
ATI Enthusiast

Joined: Jun 2011
Location: Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
Posts: 4,057
Rep: 157 (Unique: 126)
Reviews: 1
Trader Rating: 2
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Quote:

Originally Posted by bedectalf

View Post

Thanks for the tip. I'm able to overclock the procie but never bothered to stay with it anyway. Isn't Core i3 a dual core processor?

Yes it is.. It's got Hyperthreading which sort of acts like a quadcore then. You'd be far better off with an i5 though.
Seeing as you ran stock on the Core 2 Quad for quite some time, I'd suggest to get a H77 board paired with a i5 3450 and 8GB of RAM for a start, that and you'll probably want to jump on a 7950 for $300. If you want nVidia a 660ti is your best bet here, or a GTX670.

CPU	Motherboard	Graphics	Graphics
Convertible i5 3570k (De-Lidded)	Gigabyte Z77x-D3H	HIS 7950 IceQ @ 1100/1250MHz	Sapphire 7950 DualX @ 1100/1250MHz
RAM	Hard Drive	Hard Drive	Hard Drive
16GB Samsung Eco	Samsung Spinpoint	Western Digital Green	Crucial M4
Hard Drive	Optical Drive	Cooling	Cooling
Seagate Barracuda	2x OEM DVD Drives	Heatkiller Rev 3.0	XSPC RX360
Cooling	Cooling	OS	Monitor
Laing D5 + XSPC Res	Primochill Bloodshed Red Tubing	Windows 7 Pro x64	Asus VEH228H
Keyboard	Power	Case	Mouse
Logitech G510	Silverstone Strider 850W	HAF 932	Logitech G400
Mouse Pad	Audio	Other	Other
SteelSeries QCK Fnatic	Logitech x-230's	Logitech C100 Webcam	TP-Link Wireless N 150MBPS
Other	Other
Bitspower Dual Red/Orange Cathode kit (30cm)	Lamptron CCFL Sound Activated Module
View all

CPU	Motherboard	Graphics	RAM
Intel Pentium E2140	HP OEM Board	HIS Radeon 4350 (Low profile adapter)	4GB DDR2 667
Hard Drive	Optical Drive	Cooling	OS
500GB Hitachi Sata	LG Sata DVD+RW	Stock OEM soloution	Windows 7 Professional
Monitor	Keyboard	Power	Case
42" Toshiba LED TV	Logitech MK260 Wireless Combo	350W OEM	HP Proliant Case
Mouse	Audio	Audio
Logitech MK260 Wireless Combo	Onboard	Onboard
View all

CPU	Motherboard	Graphics	Graphics
Convertible i5 3570k (De-Lidded)	Gigabyte Z77x-D3H	HIS 7950 IceQ @ 1100/1250MHz	Sapphire 7950 DualX @ 1100/1250MHz
RAM	Hard Drive	Hard Drive	Hard Drive
16GB Samsung Eco	Samsung Spinpoint	Western Digital Green	Crucial M4
Hard Drive	Optical Drive	Cooling	Cooling
Seagate Barracuda	2x OEM DVD Drives	Heatkiller Rev 3.0	XSPC RX360
Cooling	Cooling	OS	Monitor
Laing D5 + XSPC Res	Primochill Bloodshed Red Tubing	Windows 7 Pro x64	Asus VEH228H
Keyboard	Power	Case	Mouse
Logitech G510	Silverstone Strider 850W	HAF 932	Logitech G400
Mouse Pad	Audio	Other	Other
SteelSeries QCK Fnatic	Logitech x-230's	Logitech C100 Webcam	TP-Link Wireless N 150MBPS
Other	Other
Bitspower Dual Red/Orange Cathode kit (30cm)	Lamptron CCFL Sound Activated Module
View all

CPU	Motherboard	Graphics	RAM
Intel Pentium E2140	HP OEM Board	HIS Radeon 4350 (Low profile adapter)	4GB DDR2 667
Hard Drive	Optical Drive	Cooling	OS
500GB Hitachi Sata	LG Sata DVD+RW	Stock OEM soloution	Windows 7 Professional
Monitor	Keyboard	Power	Case
42" Toshiba LED TV	Logitech MK260 Wireless Combo	350W OEM	HP Proliant Case
Mouse	Audio	Audio
Logitech MK260 Wireless Combo	Onboard	Onboard
View all

post #9 of 24

9/11/12 at 7:40am

Thread Starter

bedectalf

Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 11
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Quote:

Originally Posted by ronnin426850

View Post

660 is killer. It all depends on the budget really

Yeah. I can only shell out $200 for a card. *sigh*

If I did shell out another $100 I should upgrade for another 2 years.

post #10 of 24

9/11/12 at 7:49am

Thread Starter

bedectalf

Joined: Sep 2012
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Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt-Matt

View Post

Yes it is.. It's got Hyperthreading which sort of acts like a quadcore then. You'd be far better off with an i5 though.
Seeing as you ran stock on the Core 2 Quad for quite some time, I'd suggest to get a H77 board paired with a i5 3450 and 8GB of RAM for a start, that and you'll probably want to jump on a 7950 for $300. If you want nVidia a 660ti is your best bet here, or a GTX670.

It's been running at stock since I bought it. Just tested OC once. And you're right. I intent to stay with 4 physical cores and I'll go for quad i5. I was thinking at GTX 560 but I guess it won't cut it. I'm also staying with monitor (1600x900) until this year I think. Graphic cards really gives me a headache when choosing as I'm on a tight rope at this time. But +2 on 660 right now.

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