System bottleneck

Daphatboy · 1 May 2011 at 12:07

Hey guys, I have had my pc for a couple of years now and I just wanted to know what I should upgrade to improve it, and whats the biggest limiting factor on my pc.

Specs;
AMD Phenom X4 9550 2.2Ghz
4GB Hyundai Electronics PC2-5300 (333 MHz) RAM
Acer RS780HVF Mobo
1GB ATI Radeon HD 5750
625GB Western Digital HDD
400W PSU

I will probably buy a new PSU soon

Also if someone could give me a quick tutorial to OCing my proccessor/graphics card id appreciate it

stulid · 1 May 2011 at 12:37

Whats it used for?

What PSU is it?

Daphatboy · 1 May 2011 at 12:41

Mostly general use, but I do game on it quite a lot

PSU - FSP FSP400-60THA - http://www.e-techalltv.com/direct/i...duct_info&cPath=5_62_10_485&products_id=17983

stulid · 1 May 2011 at 12:54

Heres a 9650(100mhz faster) cpu vs a 955BE - http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/23?vs=88
So theres possibility to get more speed there if your motherboard acn take a CPU update?

Or my first choice would be this,

Your basketProduct Name Qty Price Line Total
Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 5850 Extreme 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card **OcUK Exclusive** £107.99
(£89.99) £107.99
(£89.99)
BeQuiet Pure Power L7 530W Power Supply £42.98
(£35.82) £42.98
(£35.82)
Sub Total : £125.81
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 20.00% VAT : £27.06
Total : £162.37

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/173?vs=164 but there maybe a cpu bottleneck to reduce the performance gain.

Antelopethy · 1 May 2011 at 14:21

As it's an Acer motherboard, I'm not entirely sure that there'd be any real options for overclocking the processor - I may well be mistaken though.

Daphatboy · 1 May 2011 at 15:18

how much hastle would it be to get a new motherboard?

stulid · 1 May 2011 at 15:21

Loads because you have DDR2 ram.

which this guy suffered from - http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18270158

DJ_Hughesy · 1 May 2011 at 15:24

i think best bet would be new mobo,cpu n ram? that 5750 should still do for a while
sure stulid could spec you summin up if you provide him a budget

sk82jack · 1 May 2011 at 15:24

stulid said:
Loads because you have DDR2 ram.

which this guy suffered from - http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18270158

'suffered from' makes it sounds like a disease or something lol!

Daphatboy · 1 May 2011 at 15:37

hmmmm, well i kind of wanted new ram anyway :L

anyone have any suggestions for both DDR2 and DDR3 boards?

stulid · 1 May 2011 at 15:50

You need a AM3 cpu to use DDR3 as the memory controller is integrated into the CPU.

EdwardTeach · 1 May 2011 at 15:56

What resolution monitor do you use?

Daphatboy · 1 May 2011 at 16:23

1680*1050

Daphatboy · 1 May 2011 at 22:00

what do you guys think of these;

AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 BE "125W Edition" 3.20GHz (Socket AM3) - £99.98
Gigabyte GA-880GMA-UD2H AMD 880G (Socket AM3) DDR3 microATX MB - £80.99
Corsair Dominator 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit - £71.99
BeQuiet Pure Power L7 530W Power Supply - £42.98

stulid · 1 May 2011 at 22:01

The ram is overpriced and unnecessary, this corsair - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-203-CS&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=1517

How about a cheaper motherboard that still has SATA and USB3.0 - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-134-MS&groupid=701&catid=1903&subcat=1782

DJ_Hughesy · 1 May 2011 at 22:04

stulid said:
The ram is overpriced and unnecessary, this corsair - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-203-CS&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=1517

+1

:edit:
also OP try spec in a nice aftermarket cooler, that 955 you spec'd will easly hit 3.8-4ghz with just a multiplier change n maybe some extra juice
aftermarket cooler ensures it stays cool (providing its a good one)

Daphatboy · 1 May 2011 at 22:12

well i already have an arctic freezer pro rev 2 on my 9550 atm

stulid · 1 May 2011 at 22:14

Daphatboy said:
well i already have an arctic freezer pro rev 2 on my 9550 atm

Then get some MX-4 paste to re-seat it.

DJ_Hughesy · 1 May 2011 at 22:14

should do the job, although iirc when i was specin my system i first wanted that cooler but on amd stuff it fits sideways covering ram slots... just something you might need look out for

stulid · 1 May 2011 at 22:14

The XMS3 is nice and low in height