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Goody_GTI

Goody_GTI

Goody_GTI

Soldato
Joined
20 Mar 2006
Posts
2,653
Location
Nottingham
OK so maybe not quite vintage, but I could do with some advice on how I can easily and cheaply update my old setup.

I built this around 5 or 6 years ago so it's very out of date, and basically all I want to do is update the GPU so my girlfriend can play the Sims 4 (please don't laugh lol)

OK so my current setup is:

intel core 2 duo (6400) @ 2.13ghz
2gb of RAM
Geforce 7900gs


I started out looking at the geforce 7950 gt and the 7950 gx2, however I'm
now thinking would I be better upgrading to a 8000 series or a 9000 series?

I'm not looking at spending a lot, somewhere around the £20-40 mark, and I have a few in my watchlist on ebay already, but I understand the complications of bottlenecks so I'm after guidance on what will work best with my setup.

I don't mind upgrading other aspects such as the CPU and the RAM, whatever is best really.

If people need more info such as the motherboard or power supply shout up and I'll get the info :cool:

Thanks in advance

Goody
 
cheesyboy said:
I'd get a GTS 250 for about £20. Or a GTX 260 for a few £ more. Not much point spending more.
Click to expand...

Thanks buddy will look them up, I need to check my motherboard supports PCIe 2

Frozennova said:
Top end of that budget would get you a GTX460 or a GTS450 without needing a monster PSU
Click to expand...

Same as the above, thanks. I just need to check my motherboard will work with it

Are the 8/9000 series worth avoiding then ?
 
Goody_GTI said:
Thanks buddy will look them up, I need to check my motherboard supports PCIe 2



Same as the above, thanks. I just need to check my motherboard will work with it

Are the 8/9000 series worth avoiding then ?
Click to expand...

Not really, it's just you can get the newer 200-series for the same price. The 8800GT, 9800GTX and GTS250 are basically the same card, but the 250 will have been alive for 2 years less - hopefully, it will be more reliable.

PCIe 1 or 2 doesn't matter - it's backwards and forwards compatible. Just bandwidth changes between the generations.
 
The cpu needs overclocking as well really. That or replacing it anyway. E6400 in a 965P-DS3 should hit at least 3-3.2Ghz with a decent cooler. It would probably go further but your board has no vrm cooling at all. Only having 2Gb of ram is going to hold you back too.

To be honest the whole lot could do with upgrading. Do you have access to our Members Market? You could pick up a decent P55 motherboard and i5 750/760 for around £75 in there, maybe cheaper. That would be a big upgrade from what you have now. £130-150 would get you a 1155 motherboard, i5 2500K and 8Gb of DDR3.
 
Last edited:
Now Pasty muncher has said it, a whole system upgrade would be needed IMO.

The Sims 3 was pretty dire on An Athlon X2 240 @ 3.8ghz with an 8800GT
 
P4Clock said:
The 8/9000 range are now Very old and i would say 450 460 are very good cards for the age.
Click to expand...

pastymuncher said:
The cpu needs overclocking as well really. That or replacing it anyway. E6400 in a 965P-DS3 should hit at least 3-3.2Ghz with a decent cooler. It would probably go further but your board has no vrm cooling at all. Only having 2Gb of ram is going to hold you back too.

To be honest the whole lot could do with upgrading. Do you have access to our Members Market? You could pick up a decent P55 motherboard and i5 750/760 for around £75 in there, maybe cheaper. That would be a big upgrade from what you have now. £130-150 would get you a 1155 motherboard, i5 2500K and 8Gb of DDR3.
Click to expand...

Frozennova said:
Now Pasty muncher has said it, a whole system upgrade would be needed IMO.

The Sims 3 was pretty dire on An Athlon X2 240 @ 3.8ghz with an 8800GT
Click to expand...

I'm so out of date with this stuff it's scary, thanks for the advice though I didn't realise they were backwards compatible :cool:
 
P4Clock said:
The 8/9000 range are now Very old and i would say 450 460 are very good cards for the age.
Click to expand...

Thanks buddy :cool:

pastymuncher said:
The cpu needs overclocking as well really. That or replacing it anyway. E6400 in a 965P-DS3 should hit at least 3-3.2Ghz with a decent cooler. It would probably go further but your board has no vrm cooling at all. Only having 2Gb of ram is going to hold you back too.

To be honest the whole lot could do with upgrading. Do you have access to our Members Market? You could pick up a decent P55 motherboard and i5 750/760 for around £75 in there, maybe cheaper. That would be a big upgrade from what you have now. £130-150 would get you a 1155 motherboard, i5 2500K and 8Gb of DDR3.
Click to expand...

Cheers really appreciate it - I swear it used to be clocked but I think the bios settings have been lost for some reason. I can see a night of clocking on the cards lol, I have the large cooler etc.

I do have access to the MM yes, I might have a look around, I didn't know what the bang for buck kit was nowadays... but I do now :cool:

Frozennova said:
Now Pasty muncher has said it, a whole system upgrade would be needed IMO.

The Sims 3 was pretty dire on An Athlon X2 240 @ 3.8ghz with an 8800GT
Click to expand...

Thanks - she plays the Sims 3 on it now and it isn't too bad, but the settings are set quite low. I want her to actually be able to enjoy it !


Really appreciate all the input considering this is old tech
 
I would suggest picking up an E8400/E8500 if the mobo is compatible.
£10-15.

And a HD 5850 would be a worth a look if your PSU can cope with a 151 TDP Card. £25-£40
 
Sasahara said:
I would suggest picking up an E8400/E8500 if the mobo is compatible.
£10-15.

And a HD 5850 would be a worth a look if your PSU can cope with a 151 TDP Card. £25-£40
Click to expand...

I hadn't thought about this but it's a great idea - seems you can pick these up quite cheaply. Going to aim for an e8400 and clock it I reckon

deano-5 said:
First look at The Sims 4 requirements. You have the minimum requirements currently
Click to expand...

Yeah that was the first thing I checked, but minimum requirements = minimum settings, as I say above I want her to be able to up the settings and actually enjoy it... Plus it's an excuse to upgrade it :D
 
I've just managed to get an E8400 for £6, so I'm going to try and secure a gtx 460 I have my eye on as well

Any advice regarding cheap RAM? 4gb would be nice

Budget update is go!

Thanks
 
You need to flash the bios before you stick the E8400 in it. You need bios version F14 and it's only a beta bios providing non-official support for the 45nm cpu's as they were never designed to work on that chipset. You may not reach the cpu's full overclocking potential on it.

Do not waste money on buying brand new DDR2. Buy it second hand but even then it's quite expensive for good stuff.
 
Oh god I didn't realise DDR2 would be expensive, I was hoping it would follow the pattern of the CPU, I'll have a look around to see what I can find otherwise I'll stick with what I've got!

Thanks for the bios advice :) I'll update that straight away
 
Slight update - I've managed to get hold of a GTX 460, however I've also purchased a P55 board and i5 750 CPU - so a larger overhaul is underway!

Thanks again for all of the input :)
 
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