Thinking of an Upgrade - Advice pls

[AFK_Matrix]

Hi,

Ok havn't upgraded my beloved pc for quite some time due to money issues but that may change and was looking at showing some love towards my pc.

Ok I will want to do gaming on this system which will be Supreme Commander FA, COD4, Crisis etc. But I also will be doing 3D modelling using 3DS Max and photoshop.

So at the moment I have the parts in my sig and I was thinking of upgrading the following:

CPU = Intel Quad Q9550 Yorkfield
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showp...83GHz 12MB-cache (1333FSB) Processor - Retail

Motherboard = DFI Lanparty DK X48-T2R
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showp...X48 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard

Memory = OCZ 8GB PC2 - 6400C%
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showp...inum Low Latency XTC Series DDR2 (OCZ2P8008GQ)

GFX =Powercolor ATI Radeon HD 4870
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showp...5 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - Retail

Now I am not sure I need to upgrade the GFX at this stage? I am also not up with the times to what is bang for buck hardware, so I need some good advice on if my choices are good or not?

This will be watercooled by the stuff in my sig.

 

[lamboman]

TBH, I wouldn't bother with a new graphics card. Your 8800GTX is still mighty fast, there is no reason to upgrade to something that is not a huge bit faster.

In typical OCZ fashion, low latency doesn't mean low latency. Go for a couple of kits of GeIL Black Dragon 2x2GB if you want the 8GB of memory.

Move the processor down to a Q6600. The Q9550 isn't going to bring any major performance enhancements.

Go with a P45 board, like the P5Q Pro. X48, as you know, means no SLI. There are plenty of single cards that are fast enough to run your display anyway, when the time comes to upgrade your GTX.

EDIT: I just read your sig again, and realised that you have an E6600. Whether your system needs an upgrade at all, apart from memory, I am not so sure. I don't feel it does.

 

[mp260767]

i'd go with the q6600, 4gb of geil black dragon pc6400 unless u REALLY need 8gb and the asus p5q pro mobo.

can sort of see lambos point about not really needing to upgrade anything but the memory, really does depend how much 3D modelling you're planning to do, if its not that much i'd just get the memory and leave everything else as it is.

 

[AFK_Matrix]

Well I have quite a big 3D project going and want to animate it eventually and I think its gonna take a fair while on my poor duel core. As for rendering it is cpu and ram that are key, so hence me thinking of quad core. I really am puzzled on what motherboard to get as I do want to overclock the CPU and have had a DFI in the past and loved the board but what other boards overclock like a nutter?

Also is it worth while getting DDR3 yet? Sorry for the questions not kept up with the advances indepth.

 

[mp260767]

asus p5q pro will let you overclock the system, wouldnt bother with ddr3 as yet unless you can get it for a very decent price .