PC Upgrade

Casdawer · 17 Sep 2010 at 15:00

Afternoon everyone,

My current PC spec is -

XFX ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2
AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition
MSI 790GX-G65 AMD 790GX
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 10666C9 1333MHz TwinX Dual Channel

What would be the best place to start upgrading this machine? Or do you think that current spec is all right?

I'm tempted to upgrade to W7 and see if that improves performance but not sure if it will make much difference.

Also, does having a dedicated sound card make much difference? (I use headphones).

Thanks.

NutterzUK · 17 Sep 2010 at 16:14

In my point of view, Windows Vista was a dark moment for Microsoft, windows 7 is SO much better, faster and more stable.

I'd upgrade to Windows 7.

wilko49 · 17 Sep 2010 at 16:31

+1, Vista was awful.
Dedicated sound cards do make a big difference, as long as your headphones/speakers are also decent.
Everything else looks decent. For more performance, buy a new CPU cooler and start overclocking.

And of course, you can always upgrade graphics cards, but the 4870X2 is still pretty good.

Mayfair · 17 Sep 2010 at 16:50

Agreed Win7 is a lot faster than vista.

Orcvader · 17 Sep 2010 at 16:52

Depending on your bugdet, waiting for the 6000 series could be a nice upgrade too.
Perhaps an SSD?

Redmint · 17 Sep 2010 at 22:18

Casdawer said:
Also, does having a dedicated sound card make much difference? (I use headphones).

Can do, somewhat depends which headphones you own though.

+1 for the SSD suggestion.

Sootie · 17 Sep 2010 at 22:55

Windows 7 and SSD would be my choice of upgrades.

shadow_boxer · 18 Sep 2010 at 01:18

Definately Windows 7, been hugely impressed and its very intuitive to use. SSD if funds allow.

RookieClocker · 18 Sep 2010 at 01:28

windows 7 and if u have a lot of extra cash either give it to me or buy a dx 11 gfx

pooley · 18 Sep 2010 at 01:58

as mentioned above, windows 7 and a ssd will be a good upgrade.

Casdawer · 18 Sep 2010 at 15:04

Right, Windows 7 it is then

Will have to wait for my next pay day though

I have the Creative Fatality headphones, so should i put a sound card in my basket as well?

Thanks.

atmax1 · 18 Sep 2010 at 15:11

If you want performance then Windows 7 and a SSD, I think them headphones are meant to be good, so I think you would notice the difference with a decent sound card.

Nocky24 · 18 Sep 2010 at 15:12

+1 for win7 and ssd

About the sound card, it does make a big difference imo, at least if you have a good audio setup. Depends how much you're willing to spend and what you want from the card though eg better positional sound for gaming, etc.