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Does my cpu need upgrading?

THEMIGHTYMAXTOR

THEMIGHTYMAXTOR

THEMIGHTYMAXTOR

Associate
Joined
25 Mar 2008
Posts
133
Hi, I have a system which i absolutely adore! The only thing i realise is needing upgrade for games is my graphics card. The specs are;

AMD 4000+ @ 2.8ghz
Sapphire Pure Innovation Motherboard (Awesome!)
Sapphire 512MB X1800XT OC
2GB CORSAIR XMS XPERT (2-2-2-5)!
Asetek Waterchill Watercooling Full Kit
2 X 34GB RAPTORS

I really want to be able to play crysis on high with as little upgrades as possible, at 1440 x 900 what would be my best upgrade path? Please dont tell me I need a full system replacement I am aware that the hardware is outdated.
 
A dual core cpu could certainly help, even a 3800+ will be good for games that support dual core.

You could also maybe swap out your GFX card for something like a 9600GT / 3870XT :)
 
Well thats what most people have been saying, i'm thinking of getting a 4400 X2 and to start with and then when the 3870XT's drop a bit picking up one of them, that sort of system sould last me a few more years, its just that i've never played crysis and I don't want to buy it unless i can play it on reasonably high settings at 1440 x 900. Does anyone know how my current rig will handle this?
 
Your hardware is absolutely fine! I mean i would have sacrificed losing a limb for that Sapphire board. (All i could ever afford were the crappy Advantage boards that would not clock)

I always thought the white PCB was awesome!

As Meatloaf says... go for an X2 your board should have no problems pumping a slower chip up to decent speeds (for example the best X2 i ever used was a bottom line Opteron 165 which i clocked from 1.8ghz to 3ghz on air) and then add a new GPU.

I reckon an 8800GT would be ideal. However, if that board is a crossfire variant then perhaps an ATi card that you could add to would be a better bet.

gt
 
Yes I love my motherboard its sooo awesome and yes i did practically break all my limbs getting it lool i had it imported from south africa of all places! I don't want to sacrifice my components! Any idea whats the best 939 cpu i could get for my rig and where to get it? I want to spend around £80-100 max!
 
Wow thats pretty awesome and works out the same as my resolution, i may just stick with my 4000+ cause i am not really a multitasker I just game, mabye i should get a graphics card and overclock, i should get a good overclock on pretty much anything with my asetek kit and without buying a cpu i could get a better one aswell, it will definately be ATI though, ive always been loyal! looks like a 3870XT is in order, would this be my best bet?
 
THEMIGHTYMAXTOR said:
I want to spend around £80-100 max!
Click to expand...
To be honest i would go for either a 4200+, 4600+ or if you can track one down a 4400+. You could also use opterons like i did so look for 170's and 175's to give you the best chance to overclock.

These should really not rush you more than £80. I'd also onlky buy 2nd habnd fom a trusetd user. That way you could also track down a proven clocker.

For instance i'd expect to pay £40-£50 for the 4200+, 4600+ and possibly even the Opty 170 if you were lucky.

gt
 
coool thanks for the help gt, im on ebay as we speak lol ive seen some pretty good deals but the decent end dual cores tend to fly up to £100 sometimes over in completed listings, guess thats when overclocking comes in handy, also doesnt the 4200 X2 only have 512kb cache? thats hardly good for gaming compared with the 1mb on my 4000+
 
You'd be suprprised by the cache TBH. Never effected gaming with me. Just raw clockspeed... that's the trick!

That board of yours should come close to matching the 340+ fsb my old DFI SLi-DR (which clocked the 165 to 3ghz) managed.

A 4200+ will be cheap and has the same multi as the much more expensive 4400+ while the 4600+ has an even higher multi which will allow even more flexibility with clocking.

How do the 170 prices look? That would be my ideal in this situation and shouldn't cost the earth. The Opty's generally had quite a reputation for clocking - many said it was because they had been manufactured on higher quality silicon.

gt
 
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THEMIGHTYMAXTOR said:
coool thanks for the help gt, im on ebay as we speak lol ive seen some pretty good deals but the decent end dual cores tend to fly up to £100 sometimes over in completed listings, guess thats when overclocking comes in handy, also doesnt the 4200 X2 only have 512kb cache? thats hardly good for gaming compared with the 1mb on my 4000+
Click to expand...

Yeah it only has 512Kb per core, the 4400+ and 4800+ were the ones with 1Mb but i think theyd still be pretty expensive but i dont think the lack of it will really hinder you at all, especially if you can get it to a decent 2.5-2.6 overclock :)

EDIT : Mite be worth updating your BIOS before the new cpu arrives just to be sure it will work straight away :)
 
Been quite a few 4400's on auction recently, seem to go for around 80 quid on average.

Quite amazing that when I asked what I could get for mine, most people said around 20 quid (6 months ago). I felt that wasn't worth it so I kept it and eventually built a 4th rig around it.

They now seem to be back in fashion for some odd reason.
 
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