Tactical upgrade on a limited budget!

benhog

benhog

benhog

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5 Mar 2011
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11
My current pc is alienware build from like 3 years ago - its an old dog but it has served me well. I'd love a new system but im a student and i dont have a job so money is too tight for that, so i thought i would upgrade some parts, and then when i do have money (should get a job this summer) i can transfer them across to a hypothetical new pc.


My specs;
CPU: Intel Core 2 Extreme q6850 @ 3.00 Ghz
GPU: Nvidia 8800 gtx (700mb one) - untill recently I had 2 in sli but one broke
RAM: 3Gbs nondescript cheap crap - 4Gbs till recently one broke lol
Mobo: Nforce 680i Sli
Hdds: 2 x 500Gb, 1 x 1tb hdd

Budget, about £100 -

WEI: 5.9

Subscores;
CPU: 7.2
RAM: 5.9
GPU: 6.9
HDD:5.9

Right so, what I want in the future is a nice i5 sandybridge machine with all the bells and whistles but right now i'm almost skint - but i really am bored of waiting for prices. I just had to buy a new mouse as my longstanding g5 has packed in (everything is breaking - 3+ years not bad though i guess?), and some headphones but I want something nice for my pc.

I want a gtx 460 at least (i know that will stretch the budget somewhat).
I also want a SSD, i can get a 60gb for about £80 elsewhere.
I also need new RAM, thinking a 2 x 2GB corsair kit ive seen for £50.

I do game, but not as much as I used to - i just love my new toys.

What do you think would be best for this system bottleneck wise? Considering also that this mobo only has ddr2 RAM so wouldnt tranfer to a new system, whereas ssd and GPU would? I am being pulled every which way lol.

Any advice appreciated (also sorry, this forum is probably inundated with posts like this).
 
Hi there,

The first thing I would suggest is get in contact with logitech about your G5, you would be amazed how good their service is - even if you are outside your warranty.

As for your RAM, as its just one stick dead then I would suggest you replace that one stick (something like this) - this will get you back up to 4gb and dual channel mode. do you know what the voltage, frequency and timings of the ram is or the part number (you should be able to use CPU-Z to find this info)?

But before you buy any new RAM, are you able to get a warranty replacement for the dead RAM? Most RAM sticks are offered with a hefty warranty term. It may be worth contacting alienware or the RAM maker.

As for SSD - probably the best upgrade you can make with this kind of budget as it will speed up your PC during everyday tasks. If you can, I would strongly suggest you wait until the 21st of this month as OCZ are releasing their next generation SSDs based on the Sandforce SF-2200 controller. These drives are expected to be super fast and end up cheaper than current-gen drives as they use newer, cheaper to make flash memory.

A graphics card upgrade would be great if you want to play modern games, but with a ~£100 budget you won't be able to get a big jump in performance over a 8800GTX. You could spend £125 and get a GTX 460 - but this is over budget and won't leave much money for an SSD.

May I ask what screen resolution you currently run, and how do you find the 8800GTX handles the games you play?

Also, please ignore the WEI scores - honestly, they mean nothing so please don't be discouraged that your RAM and HDD number seems low.
 
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Agree with everything Andi's said, assuming you're into gaming then yeah get a 768mb 460, if you're not get a SSD, whichever you don't get can then wait until summer when you can afford a rebuild
 
Did contact logitech about g5, they gave some good advice but not much else - caught a bad one i guess lol. Have already ordered a Logitech MX518, on the basis of lotsa good reviews and cheap cheap pricetag.

Tracked my RAM down to Quimonda (hyb18t512 written on chips, 64t128020hu25fb on system information) - not much luck finding any sources online - as i say a bit nondescript cheap stuff i think, and definately no warranty anywhere either. Theyre 1.8v and 5-5-5-18. Don't really know what to do with RAM other than replace im not a massive techie unfortunately.

Are the ocz drives likely to be cheap on release? Sounds interesting.

I run at 1900-1200 usually on quite low graphics, but it does run surprisingly well considering (a bit of a shock after the loss of 1 8800 but ive adapted), dont keep an eye on fps numbers lately but all is playable in moh, tf2, css and dod (but not beautiful). Worse in cod:black ops but thats just the game and i dont love it anyway so its ok. I wouldnt mind spending over to get a 460, i'd just leave the ssd for a later date.

As a side note, i havent played games since losing the ram stick - as the only mouse i currently have is a slow ass microsoft wireless thing - so im not too sure how it handles right now.
 
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i see, ty rifles

- what do you think about the ram situation? I mean will it make a nasty bottleneck such that gpu isnt a sexy as it should be, or ssd for that matter? I do like a responsive pc.
 
benhog;18658808 Have already ordered a Logitech MX518 said:
Recieved mine 2 days ago. Still getting used to it, but its a very good mouse, especially for the price. Bought it based on recommendations from here and am very happy.:)
Click to expand...
 
Drop the single stick of ram, so that you are running dual channel with the remaining 2gb - Just grabbing another matcher for the single stick and then running dual channel is at best only a possibility, particularly budget ram. Dual Channel ram is NOT just two sticks of single channel ram paired.

Grab another 8800GTX second hand obviously.

Grab an aftermarket cooler so that you can actually utilise the extreme cpu you have.

Then your laughing and you should be able to do that for £100.
 
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cmndr_andi said:
Hi there,

The first thing I would suggest is get in contact with logitech about your G5, you would be amazed how good their service is - even if you are outside your warranty.

As for your RAM, as its just one stick dead then I would suggest you replace that one stick (something like this) - this will get you back up to 4gb and dual channel mode. do you know what the voltage, frequency and timings of the ram is or the part number (you should be able to use CPU-Z to find this info)?

But before you buy any new RAM, are you able to get a warranty replacement for the dead RAM? Most RAM sticks are offered with a hefty warranty term. It may be worth contacting alienware or the RAM maker.

As for SSD - probably the best upgrade you can make with this kind of budget as it will speed up your PC during everyday tasks. If you can, I would strongly suggest you wait until the 21st of this month as OCZ are releasing their next generation SSDs based on the Sandforce SF-2200 controller. These drives are expected to be super fast and end up cheaper than current-gen drives as they use newer, cheaper to make flash memory.

A graphics card upgrade would be great if you want to play modern games, but with a ~£100 budget you won't be able to get a big jump in performance over a 8800GTX. You could spend £125 and get a GTX 460 - but this is over budget and won't leave much money for an SSD.

May I ask what screen resolution you currently run, and how do you find the 8800GTX handles the games you play?

Also, please ignore the WEI scores - honestly, they mean nothing so please don't be discouraged that your RAM and HDD number seems low.
Click to expand...

Excellent post giving very good advice. :)
 
benhog said:
I wouldnt mind spending over to get a 460, i'd just leave the ssd for a later date.
Click to expand...

I think that sounds like a good idea. 1920x1200 is pretty hefty resolution and with something like a GTX 460 you will be able to turn most of the settings up high - so it will look great and run smoothly.

Also, in the world of SSDs, the longer you wait the cheaper they get. If your current system disk is working OK, then keeping it as it is for the time being and upgrading the graphics now makes sense.

If your RAM is DDR2 1.8V, PC2-6400 (800MHz) CL5 they you should be able to add in this Kingston stick to get back up to 4GB, dual channel. For £15, I reckon it's worth a go.
 
I do have liquid cooled cpu, as alienware installed - never looked into oc'ing really as ive never felt the need. Probably should lol.

Could grab another 8800, but i really dont like them that much as a card, no real reason why it just seems like a step backwards - especially as they wont be moving into any new rig i manage to scramble in summer.

So would 2Gb be better than the 3Gb i have currently cause of the dual channel mojo?

-- lol posts coming quick and fast ty, i'll try that kingston stick £15 is indeed a very handy fix ty, and get a 460 for now - and hopefully that new species of ssd you mentioned will be reasonable in summer time.
 
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if you are looking for a gpu that you want to use in your new rig in the summer, then it might be best to wait and upgreade it then?
Use your upgrade money this month for ssd/ram or whatever.
the 8800 will do a decent job until then i would imagine. a 460 would be a significant upgrade, but if you are looking to tranfer it to your topclass new rig in the summer, i would probably wait 'til then tbh, and get a 6950/6870 or something.
 
Nvidia fan sadly :) - plus even with a job its not likely that i would be getting more than a 460.

Im also thinking its more likely that ssd prices will drop faster than gpu prices relatively as theyre still new and anyone breaking into the cheap market will dominate it?

I think i'll ignore the ram problem and just get that kingston stick and see how it goes.
 
benhog said:
Im also thinking its more likely that ssd prices will drop faster than gpu prices relatively as theyre still new and anyone breaking into the cheap market will dominate it?
Click to expand...

I think this a fair assessment as the prices are largely determined by NAND Flash prices. These prices are continuing to go down as newer, cheaper processes are utilised and production is even further stepped up as demand grows.

It may be an idea to set a minimum size in GBs that you feel you can happily live with on a primary hard disk and a price you are willing to pay for an SSD of this size.
 
40-60Gb seems alright to me, just OS a couple games and programs - though saying that if i install steam onto it, all games i ever get off steam will need to be on it which is a bit annoying, partic some games are real space hogs - my steam folder is a full 42 gigs atm lol :s
 
i can just be real selective i guess, and i can always just back up the folders of games i want but dont have space for on 2nd hdd rather than re'dl every time
 
benhog said:
i can just be real selective i guess, and i can always just back up the folders of games i want but dont have space for on 2nd hdd rather than re'dl every time
Click to expand...

Yea, thats what I do, keep a couple of games that I am currently playing on my SSD and keep the steamapps files of other games on my much larger mechanical hard disk.

That said, I have a 120GB SSD and I am finding it tough to keep it from getting full - I don't think I would want to drop down to a 60GB or less.
 
there is sortware which allows you to split your steam folder on to different drives.
I was discussing it the other day with someone on this forum.
He has most steam games on his main hdd, but 2 or 3 on his ssd from the same account.
I forgot what it's called, but it does exist:)
 
Im going to leave the ssd for summer and get my ram and gpu sorted in the thort term - ty for your help its been educational - but, like, in a good way lol.

I'll tell yas how i get on with it all.

-- oh if you remember what it is drop the name and i'll look it up - ty
 
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