Time for a upgrade?.

Ethan62 · 3 Nov 2011 at 16:31

Hi guys, just looking into upgrading my rig, its getting a bit old and could use some work. Specs below. Any advice much appreciated.

I7 920 2.2ghz (non overclocked)
6gb RAM 1333mhz (i believe)
ati 4870 1gb
500GB Seagate 7200rpm HDD.
EVGA X58 mobo

I'm personally looking at replacing the HDD with a SSD and upgrading the graphics card possibly. I know the 920 can be overclocked but i've never done it so on the fence about doing it.

I'm just in the process of having a laptop built so will be looking at ripping this apart around xmas. Is there any newer kit worth waiting for?.

bobbyspangles · 3 Nov 2011 at 16:44

Your best bet is to repost this when you're ready to upgrade right away. It's hard to recommend a upgrade now that won't happen for 2 months, a lot can change in that time where pc hardware is concerned.

I would probably suggest a aftermarket cooler though for a overclock and a better GPU for that build.

I suspect your motherboard doesn't have SATA-6 headers, you can install a SATA-6 SSD but it will only run at SATA-II speeds.

95thrifles · 3 Nov 2011 at 16:44

Id leave your HDD as it is ATM as a) its still good and b) HDD prices are sky high ATM, they should return to normal in circa 6 months
You can certainly add a SSD to boot from though, that will see a nice improvement, the Crucial M4s are best IMO, it may be worth adding a SATA 6Gb/s controller card too maybe to utilise the faster connection
GFX would be a definite upgrade if you're looking at getting more out of gaming, a 6950 would be good bet, or for NVidia a 560/570 depending on budget
Lastly the OCing is easy, and very safe nowadays, gone are the days of blowing your chip, have a look in the OCing subforum for some guidance and go with a mild OC to around 3.4 initially

Ethan62 · 3 Nov 2011 at 17:02

cheers for the advice. yer i've used the crucial m4's there very nice (with a few tweaks). is it not worth getting a 6970 card, i have 2 displays both 1920x1080p.

But yer i'm pretty certain i'll get 120gb ssd for booting and main applications but with the current flooding in Thailand do you think it would be worth buying now (have the prices inflated already?) or hold off for a few months.

are amd releasing a 7000's series in q4 or next year?.

bobbyspangles · 3 Nov 2011 at 17:16

Only mechanical HDDs have been affected by the flooding in Thailand.

There is speculation that some 7xxx series ATI GPUs will come out in december but it's not known what these will be. Possibly low end cards or mobile GPUs, with the 7900 cards next year. But again this is all speculation.

Tokin · 3 Nov 2011 at 19:36

What power supply do you have?

Ethan62 · 3 Nov 2011 at 22:49

ah kl wasn't aware it was just standard drives that are affected currently. and thanks for the rumor mill update.

PSU 550watt if i remember correctly. Not quite enough juice for crossfire alas, should have considered that when i got it. but it was when the 920 was brand new ;D