How long will this PC last, and what will let it down?

petemyster · 17 Sep 2008 at 18:18

How long will this PC last, and what will let it down? Im talking about when this computer fails to meet minimum system requirements for games in the future. What will let it down (IE the graphics card is too weak).

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.40GHz Processor
OCZ Platinum 4GB (2x2GB) 1333MHz DDR3 Memory
ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 2048MB GDDR5
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB 7200RPM SATA-II 32MB Cache HDD
Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate 64-Bit

fobose · 17 Sep 2008 at 18:20

CPU if not overclocked, and then the GPU I would say.

waxapple · 17 Sep 2008 at 18:22

I'd've thought the hard drives most likely to fail before then.

AMD 3200, 1gb RAM x800pro is still not min spec for many games.

p4radox · 17 Sep 2008 at 18:23

The graphics card will be inadequate before anything else, especially if your CPU is overclocked.

petemyster · 17 Sep 2008 at 19:06

excuse me for being a noob, but the 4870 X2 has 2gb of memory, surely that would last an incrediably long time. What graphics card should i choose then (if i also overclock my CPU)? Cause i want my computer to last ages without an upgrade

ZedPowered · 17 Sep 2008 at 19:21

That system should last long into Nehalm. And further

p4radox · 17 Sep 2008 at 19:40

petemyster said:
excuse me for being a noob, but the 4870 X2 has 2gb of memory, surely that would last an incrediably long time. What graphics card should i choose then (if i also overclock my CPU)? Cause i want my computer to last ages without an upgrade

When the next series of cards come out, or the series after that, your CPU will still be able to adequately power one of the new cards.

The 2Gb X2 is a monster card, no doubt about it. It will last an incredibly long time. But you asked which component would let you down first. I'm 90% certain it will be the graphics card.

petemyster · 17 Sep 2008 at 20:00

p4radox said:
When the next series of cards come out, or the series after that, your CPU will still be able to adequately power one of the new cards.

The 2Gb X2 is a monster card, no doubt about it. It will last an incredibly long time. But you asked which component would let you down first. I'm 90% certain it will be the graphics card.

it's a monster card and it will let me down first? That puts my system into perspective (i didn't think it was that...uber). Thanks for the help ^^

Namistai · 17 Sep 2008 at 20:11

That spec is fine apart from the hard drive - go for a 640gb or 1tb as these are faster.

Other than that, the spec is about as good as it comes within any reasonable budget, and therefore no point worrying about it. It lasts as long as it lasts! Alternatively, go for a cheaper spec but upgrade more regularly, which I personally think is a more cost effective option.

steve258 · 17 Sep 2008 at 20:12

petemyster said:
Cause i want my computer to last ages without an upgrade

That's not possible if you're into pc games.

Also the amount of gpu mem doesn't necessarily means better performance - it all depends on what resolution and what level of AA & AF you're gaming at. Having said that 4870X2 is the best out there atm and it'll last you a while but it won't be long until new techs and higher requirements come out.

Do you already have the setup or considering getting it?

p4radox · 17 Sep 2008 at 20:17

petemyster said:
it's a monster card and it will let me down first? That puts my system into perspective (i didn't think it was that...uber). Thanks for the help ^^

I'm not sure I understand. Were you expecting a different component to become the bottleneck first?

petemyster · 17 Sep 2008 at 20:27

steve258 said:
Do you already have the setup or considering getting it?

I changed my mind (when i first started this thread) and decided to think about buying this system (which is very simlair in specs).
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-108-OK&groupid=43&catid=1270&subcat=&name="Ultima%20OC%20HD%204870%20X2"%20Intel%20Core%202%20Quad%20Q6600%202.40GHz%20@%20QX6950+%203.00GHz%20Dual%20Core%20DDR2%20System

that's it there. When i go to buy, will it let me choose a different hardrive, im happy with that though, cause i could uninstall the games i don't play and replace it with the new ones.

@p4radox I, knowing little about how the gaming system requirements grow, thought the RAM would have gone out first.

steve258 · 18 Sep 2008 at 01:54

It's not a bad system and it comes pre-overclocked as well. You lose DDR3 but that's not a big deal. You can just order it with an extra HDD - installing it isn't really hard at all.

It might be cheaper though if you get the individual component and build it + overclock it yourself as ocuk tends to charge premium for pre-overclock which is pretty much guaranteed with all Q6600s anyway.

petemyster · 18 Sep 2008 at 09:34

does the computer that i linked above, have enough room for a second hardrive (im thinking of getting another 500GB one, but i don't know weather it will fit).

EffBee · 18 Sep 2008 at 09:48

How long the computer lasts depends on whether....

You actually START to see small performance problems with the games you are playing, and you can't live with them ...

or

Whether you decide your computer SPECS aren't up to scratch and that it must be time to upgrade because it probably won't play upgaming games.

IMHO you need to buy the most cost effective quality components to give yourself a decent system now that will EASILY play everything on the market now and upgrade components (almost certainly video card only - maybe several times) in the years to come.

There is no such thing as a future proof computer.

Buying absolutely top of the range components is not worth it because you don't need them now, and they carry a massive price premium.

These days games manufacturers do not rlease games which demand a PC at the bleeding edge of technology. If they did the game wouldn't sell in commercially viable numbers.

steve258 · 18 Sep 2008 at 12:59

petemyster said:
does the computer that i linked above, have enough room for a second hardrive (im thinking of getting another 500GB one, but i don't know weather it will fit).

Yes Antec 900 has plenty of space enough for 5 HDDs if you wish.

petemyster · 18 Sep 2008 at 16:28

EffBee said:
You actually START to see small performance problems with the games you are playing, and you can't live with them ...

its more, when i start to run games at 12fps ^^

wsgroves · 18 Sep 2008 at 16:36

That is a nice system, however, if you are running a 4870x2 card, I would go with a higher cpu speed or it will be a bottleneck for you gpu.

petemyster · 18 Sep 2008 at 16:45

wsgroves said:
That is a nice system, however, if you are running a 4870x2 card, I would go with a higher cpu speed or it will be a bottleneck for you gpu.

I can't get more cpu without having to build my own/use PC builder. That PC is right on my price range, and if i go for any of the other pre-built ones, it'll go up in price. But would that PC really be bottlenecked? I mean, that's a hell of a lot of CPU there (but i suppose, the same goes for the GPU aswell)

wsgroves · 18 Sep 2008 at 16:51

Yea 2.4 is a bottleneck. It will not make games unplayable do not get me wrong, but it is a bottleneck. Just for discussion purposes, if you look at the review sites of the 4870x2, they all oc the cpu to get some of the bottleneck out.
Who knows, depending on what you play, you mite not even notice.

On my system, just raising the stock 2.8 quad cpu to 3.6 greatly increases my framerates with the same ati card.