Possibly time for an upgrade?

[Stearsy]

Hey guys,

I used to update my PC a lot for gaming, but have not really upgraded any component in my PC for about a year now. But with some new games vastly on the horizon that I want to play and games such as Crisis I think it may well be time for an upgrade.

My Current Configuration:

Geforce 7900gt 256mb

AMD 64 Dual Core 3800+ 2.0ghz

600 watt PSU

Corsair 2GB Dual Channel Ram (PC 3200)

MSI NForce 4 Motherboard.


I guess the system is getting a bit outdated now and have some money now set for either a brand new PC (building or already custom built) or just upgrades (however I'm not entirely sure if I can update this current pc anymore with anything much better). Budget is probably like a grand or so.

If it's worth hanging on for a while for a new release of a new gfx card or processor then let me know (always new upgrades being released).

Oh and one last thing, if I did opt for a new PC, what would you guys recommend as a fair selling price for the computer as I have a few people that may be interested.

Many Thanks

 

[Blackhawk47]

hmm well for starters if your motherboard isnt socket am2 and according to this
"AMD 64 Dual Core 3800+ 2.0ghz" it might not be as it should be called X2 or something.

I think a new build but if you want you can keep your psu and graphics card.

i recommend getting a core2duo and then overclocking it with a tuniq tower 120 . but if your not overclocking then id opt for a quad core or higher end dual core. preferably intel unless you would prefer amd.

new ram would also be needed. ddr2/ddr3 depending on your budget for ram and really 2gig should suffice.

graphics card . a 8800gt 512mb would be nice too if you want extra graphics power or dx10 benefits however crysis is a demanding game. and im not totally sure what setup at the moment can run it full whack ultra high on a decent sized widescreen monitor.

 

[Stearsy]

That is correct, its socket 939 which I'm sure is quite dated now (seen you can pick one up now for £30 or so)

AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 3800+ (Socket 939) is what I have atm.

So I guess I need a new build, and I do want to play Crysis in high settings, not quite max but as best as possible.

So could people recommend me a decent new system with a budget of probably between 800-1000 based mainly for gaming now and in the future

 

[ExRayTed]

Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 1024MB GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - Retail £244.99 (£287.86)

Samsung SH-S203D 20x DVD±RW SATA Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM £14.99 (£17.61)

Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3P (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £82.99 (£97.51)

Corsair HX 620W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU (CMPSU-620HXUK) £74.99 (£88.11)

Maxtor Diamondmax 22 500GB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (STM3500320AS) £53.99 (£63.44)
G.Skill 2GB DDR2 NQ PC2-6400C5 (2x1GB) CAS5 Dual Channel Kit £27.99 (£32.89)

Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "Energy Efficient SLACR 95W Edition" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail £139.99 (£164.49)

Sub Total : £639.93

Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
City Link Parcel Next Day (Delivered Mon-Fri)
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £9.95
VAT is being charged at 17.5% VAT : £113.73

Total : £763.61


Ok,this is all assuming you can use your existing case.If not,pick one of your choice.Also I've not specced an OS..choose whichever suits you best out of XP and Vista.

Should you wait? Absolutely not.There's always something around the corner.Buy the best you can afford at the time,then resolutely refuse to look at any component prices for the next 6 months

Whilst this isn't by any means the only good spec out there it's where I'd put my money at the moment.The video card can be exchanged for an Nvidia variant,either a 8800 GTX,8800 GTS or 8800 GT if you'd prefer.The choice all boils down to what resolution you'll be gaming at.Anything above 1280 x 1024 then I'd be considering either a GTS or GTX.The 3870x2 is ATI's only real competition to Nvidia's 8800 series currently and is a real beast of a card.

Ram can be changed for a cheaper variant but check first (via these forums) for compatability issues.Some RAM needs to have timings and voltages set manually to get the best out of it,where-as other brands are pretty much plug and play.2Gb is a necessity really,4Gb preferrable if going down the Vista route.

Motherboard is a well respected one but others will do the job just as well...I tend to advise people to stick with the big brands as I've had less problems with them on the countless builds I've had.

Is quad core a necessity? Not really.You could get an admiral gaming cpu by buying a cheaper intel variant and overclocking but is this the route you want to take? Many have saved a few quid by doing just that,but you need understand all the caveats before trying.Again,the forums here are an excellent fountain of knowledge

But as I've already said,if it was my money this is how I'd spend it.You'd get a greasy whippet of a pc that'll play anything at a respectable framerate with all goodies enabled.

As for your old pc..try for £150-£200 providing it comes with an OS installed.If that fails,take anything you can get for it.

 

[Stearsy]

Thanks Ted, really helpful guide and gives me something to think about. Anyone else who has different specs to recommend then please do, the wider variety of options I have the better, still not sure whether to sell old pc as parts and keep like the case or simply sell it as a whole and buy everything new. Again thanks for the detailed reply, really helpful

 

[Stearsy]

Just been toying with your spec Ted and have come up with this:

Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "Energy Efficient SLACR 95W Edition" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail £139.99
(£164.49) £139.99

Maxtor Diamondmax 22 500GB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (STM3500320AS) £53.99
(£63.44)
BFG GeForce 8800 GTX OC 768MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail
(£264.36) £224.99
(£264.36)
Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case A £61.99
(£72.84)
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3P (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard
(£97.51) £82.99
Corsair HX 620W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU (CMPSU-620HXUK)
(£88.11) £74.99
G.Skill 4GB DDR2 PQ PC2-6400C5 (2x2GB) CAS5 Dual Channel Kit (F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ) £51.99
(£61.09)

Sub Total : £690.93
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
City Link Parcel Next Day (Delivered Mon-Fri)
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £12.95
VAT is being charged at 17.5% VAT : £123.18
Total : £827.06


Thats assuming I get a case with it. Would everyone recommend the above or alter it in anyway. I would be running vista with my 22" widescreen. Also in terms of cooling and sound, will I need a better heatsink and will the computer generate a lot of sound (i tend to sleep with the pc running sometimes )