What area would you upgrade?

MouthBoy

MouthBoy

MouthBoy

Soldato
Joined
6 Apr 2010
Posts
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Location
Cambridgeshire
Hey dudes, I planned on upgrading a while ago but stuck with my current setup. I am now wanting to get some extra power going but really stuck on where to upgrade.

Current system:

Q6600 @ 3.2-3.4Ghz (depending on temp, can get 3.6Ghz stable but too high in temps for my liking)
Biostar TPower i45
4GB XMS2
HD4870 512mb
20" Belinea 102035W

Now, I am either thinking of getting the i7 OC bundle (950@4GHz) for just under £600 or getting a new GFX and monitor (upgrade to 24"). My main uses for the PC are 3D design, working in game engines and gaming. I do a lot of rendering in Maya and so the faster CPU will be great, but I dont know how much more it will benefit me over my current CPU. I have a nagging feeling that if I get a CPU upgrade, my HD4870 will hold me back gaming wise. I would love to upgrade the whole setup but just havent got the cash to do it all at once.

I was also thinking that if I got an i7 930, motherboard and RAM, I could use the current CPU cooler I have (megahalems) and overclock it myself. This would save me some cash I feel and I can then put that cash towards a new GPU after the 6 series come out.

What you guys think?
 
Would getting a second HD4870 512mb give me a nice performance boost? Or would it not be big enough to notice compared to a newer GFX?
 
The default recommendation here would be to upgrade the graphics card. The Q6600 is still by all means an amazing processor, and you could save the money towards upgrading to Sandy Bridge or Bulldozer. You could have course get a graphics card and, say, an i5, but I'm not convinced you'd see a massive performance difference between the Q6600 and the i5.

Of course, the 4870 is (although last-gen) a very respectable card, so if you're not playing above 1680x1050 and not pushing it too hard, you don't need to upgrade the graphics card for gaming yet, so you'd be better off upgrading the processor to an i7 for your rendering work. I'd build it yourself from scratch too- it sounds like you know what you're doing overclocking-wise, so save yourself the money by doing it yourself.
 
Yea I have read and seen bits and bobs that show the i5 is faster, but "upgrade now" faster. I do indeed run at 1680 x 1050 on my games and even some AA and AF when I can get away with it.

I have spec'd this up on OcUK:

Intel i7 950 - £234.99
Asus P6X58D-E - £149.99
Corsair XMS3 6gb - £105.74

Total: £417.63

I could get that and use my current Megahalems and 2 apache fans to OC it with. I could then keep my HD4870 until xmas time (or then abouts) and see what the 6 series is doing...

Hows that sound? Its difficult as I know my Q6600 is still a good runner, but personally I want faster...
 
So....maybe the system I have detailed above, sell my Q6600, Mobo and RAM for a small amount and get a second HD4870...?

My PSU is 700W and will do SLi. Its a Coolit PSU though...so not really too sure on how much to trust it...
 
wait to see what the newer Intel sandy bridge brings.

just buy a big 24" monitor and a second 4870.

then invest in the new stuff when released in Q1 2011
 
I know what you mean, but I always feel I am waiting for the new thing all the time and never actually buying. I could always be waiting for something new but then I would never upgrade. That didnt mean to sound nasty btw, but I have put off for such a long time now and I keep waiting.
 
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Graphics + monitor for sure :).

Was in a similar rut myself, but im more than happy with my q6600 at 3.0Ghz.

Went from a GTX 260 to GTX 470. Pleased i did.

Then wait for Sandy :)
 
NeoVo said:
Graphics + monitor for sure :).

Was in a similar rut myself, but im more than happy with my q6600 at 3.0Ghz.

Went from a GTX 260 to GTX 470. Pleased i did.

Then wait for Sandy :)
Click to expand...

I agree with you that a GPU upgrade would be great, but I do a lot of CPU dependant tasks as my OP stated...its just I do want a balanced system with no real bottlenecks.
 
I do a lot of CPU intensive tasks too such as 3d rendering, game level compiling, encoding etc.

However i couldn't justify the cost for new cpu/mobo/memory for a questionable speed increase, hence why i'd get graphics and a better panel for now and then recommend waiting for to see what the new architecture brings.

Nothing stopping you dropping new parts in new system.
 
Right...ok...I am now thinking the following:

Second HD4870 512mb
24" monitor (sub£200)

Stick with that for a while and see what happens at a later stage.

(Yes I know I keep changing my mind but I really really dont know what to do.)
 
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