Hi... in need of some advice

Kid_Dynamite_

Kid_Dynamite_

Kid_Dynamite_

Associate
Joined
16 May 2009
Posts
51
Hi guys, I just wanted some advice if thats ok.

Ok - until recently I was thinking about upgrading to a new comp - for a bunch of new games which are coming out (OFP2 & ArmA 2).

I was origionally giving thought to getting the following OcUK system - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-030-OE

However, a friend of mine said I should not waste my money and just upgrade my gfx card.

here's my dilemma....

My current pc is the following


Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
P5N-E SLI
8600 GT 128MB
465GB HD
4Gig DDR2, PC2-5300 (333 MHz)

Instead of spending £1000 on a new system, I was thinking of upgrading some components;

I was thinking of buying this graphics card

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-195-AS

Upgrading my ram to 8 gig (will my motherboard take the following ram?)

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-144-OC

and I think I'd need to upgrade my PSU, I think its only 400 or 450Watt, so was going to go with this one

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-008-CS

- With these upgrades, would I notice a significant increase in performance? Or would I get significantly better performance from the OcUK system?

Also, the graphic card is a ATI 4890, would (for the extra 40/50 quid) it be better getting the 4870X2, or would this be overkill on my Q6600?

I have £1000 pound to buy a new system, but with the following upgrades (costing well under £450) could I research similiar performance as the £1000 system?

Basically guys, I just need advice (I'm not computer techy I just like to play games) is it worth spending 350/400 on upgrades or would it be better to get a new system? My mate thinks im silly to upgrade to a new system.

Thanks for the help guys, sorry about the long winded post too. :)
 
right a lot of questions there mate but i will try my best

i7 would be futre proofing a little bit more but in the end it depends if u wanna splash the cash, i just bought a new i7 setup with a haf and 4870 and it is adequate for what i want it as i do lots of divx encoding to dvd and copying dvds as well as video ed and a spot of gaming and believe me the i7 is crazy fast with vids and any sort of computing task, personal opinion is go for it i mean ur gonna spend a lot upgrading anyways with the card psu and stuff with ur mem so might as well go for it but like i said this is MY personal opinion buddy
 
I would just upgrade tbh, if you can overclock that q6600 to at least 3.0GHz it will keep up with any :p

Product Name Qty Price Line Total
GX-195-AS_60.jpg
Asus ATI Radeon HD 4890 1GB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £164.99
(£143.47) £164.99
(£143.47)
MY-039-KS_60.jpg
Kingston HyperX 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 8500C5 1066MHz Dual Channel (KHX8500D2K2/4G) £39.99
(£34.77) £79.98
(£69.54)
HS-008-TI_60.jpg
Titan TTC-NK85TZ Fenrir CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/LGA775/LGA1366) £33.34
(£28.99) £33.34
(£28.99) Sub Total : £242.00 Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £9.50 VAT is being charged at 15% VAT : £37.73 Total : £289.23
 
Do you overclock your Q6600?
Do you mainly game with this system?
Do you have an OS that will use 8GB of memory?
What is your current PSU?

You should be able to get 3.2Ghz out of that cpu when overclocked.
 
Hi guys thanks for the replies so far,

brakeinup,

I haven't overclocked my Q6600 (I'm not actually sure how :S)

I almost exclusively game with my pc, apart from using ArcGIS (Uni work)

I have Vista Ultimate 64bit

My current PSU is 450 watt
 
Programs do exist that allow you to do it in windows but it is actually easier to do it in bios, not really that hard to do, you just need to read some guides, google is your friend
 
overclocking isn't hard my friend, there's a guide here and if you get stuck there's a section of the forum for overclocking problems. I've just taken the step you're probably about to do, wasn't too bad. I'd go for the kenny's spec however i'd check your mobo supports 1066mhz, im not sure it does, if not go for the 800mhz version i believe its fairly cheap too. As for graphics 4890 should cut it quite happily however if you are using a high resolution 4870x2 could be worth it
 
I would say overclock your CPU a bit and Get yourself a new cooler for it.
The max speed of the ram that your mobo will take is 800mhz.
I would maybe go for a slighty higher wattage PSU to future proof a bit.
The 4890 is a great choice and will have no problems with the latest games.
If you did decide to build an i7 Pc in the future you could use these in it.The GFX,PSU and Cooler so that would save some cash.
So this lot will set you back about £365 + Del.

PSU.
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-011-CS
Or if you want modular and can wait a bit.
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-018-CS&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=1084

RAM x2 Kits.
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-038-KS&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=813

CPU Cooler.
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-008-TI

GFX Card.
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-124-XF&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1403
 
Last edited:
4890 should be fine, i was just making sure you didn't randomly have a 2560x1600 display or something lol. However the 4870x2 is a bargain at the moment. Both will perform great it's your money, yes the 4870x2 is better but wether it's worth the extra cash is up to you as both will do what you need.
 
thanks mate, thinking I might get the XFX 4870x2 now (although its meant to be quite noisy!)

I also was looking at this case, just cause my case is so small at the moment im worried about everything fitting in (that gfx card looks huge)

only an extra 40 quid (......oh here we go)
 
may i ask as to why you have gone for the xfx one? It's just the asus one should be in soon and is slightly cheaper plus looks like it has a better cooler plus get an extra year warranty. What case would that be?
 
you can always manually adjust the fans if you want but it's all up to you, im not too fussed on a quiet graphics card as only time i want my rig quiet is when im sleeping at uni and its not a problem then. As for the case is that the one you already have or the one you are looking to buy?
 
nooooo nooo don't do that! if the titan is out of stock and you can't wait for it maybe try the sunbeam or akasa nero or if you're willing to spend more get a TRUE with your choice of fans. However i'm not sure about them fitting in that case you have set yourself on, sure you don't want something slightly better/bigger?

Right personally i would do the following:

hgfdiougfdiuiofudfd.png


I have put the 4890 back in as i realise costs are beginning to rise and it is more than capable on your res and would utterly destroy your old card.

*edit* oh and be warned if you have a great big heatsink on your north bridge the sunbeam might catch on it (which i have recently found out) in which case go for another cooler.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom