Upgrade advice needed ?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Deleted member 61728
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Deleted member 61728

Deleted member 61728

Considering upgrading my ageing current rig to something that will run newer games much better current rig struggles.Im no hardcore gamer just someone who plays the odd game but wants quaility.The main games i would want to run better or near max would be the anno series,crysis,Arma,late total war series.

What changes do i need to make ?

Whats the minimum amount of money i need to spend to get some real noticeable improvements ?

How much would i get if i sell parts of the rig vs the whole rig not inc monitor ?


Current rig: 5 years old now
Q6600 @3.0ghz (old b3)
4 gig ram (thats all i know)
Gtx 260
win xp 32bit
seagate 500gb x2
Gigabyte p35-dq6 motherboard
24 inch dell monitor
corsair 520 watt HX psu
 
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I would say 100 pounds is the least you need to spend. The 6850 would be a reasonable performance upgrade and the 5850 (secondhand) would be even better. The 6850 can be brought new for that money, and the 5850 can be got from auction (you know where) with 3 months warranty from a well known source.

I would take the 5850 it performs better in cyrsis, one of your main games, and will work well with you CPU. If all you want is a cheap boast in performance your rig is still fine and has plenty of life left. If you take it easy with the AA you should be able to run most games very well.

Or, you could invest in a better GPU now and upgrade your the rest of your rig later. Something like the 7850, while your CPU might not push it to the max, you will see a significant performance improvement.

How much are you willing to spend?
 
spain said:
I would say 100 pounds is the least you need to spend. The 6850 would be a reasonable performance upgrade and the 5850 (secondhand) would be even better. The 6850 can be brought new for that money, and the 5850 can be got from auction (you know where) with 3 months warranty from a well known source.

I would take the 5850 it performs better in cyrsis, one of your main games, and will work well with you CPU. If all you want is a cheap boast in performance your rig is still fine and has plenty of life left. If you take it easy with the AA you should be able to run most games very well.

Or, you could invest in a better GPU now and upgrade your the rest of your rig later. Something like the 7850, while your CPU might not push it to the max, you will see a significant performance improvement.

How much are you willing to spend?
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500Gbp tops.If i get a gfx card with 3 months warranty on it and the warranty expires and the card gives up im screwed.The main reason for an upgrade is I spent a lot of time trying to get games like Arma 2,empire total war etc to run smooth when things get busy on screen and thats with everything turned down and game fully patched up etc.Whats the weak link on my rig ?
 
YOUR BASKET
1 x HIS HD 7850 IceQ X 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (H785QN2G2M) £184.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £179.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £84.98
1 x Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CML8GX3M2A1600C9) £39.95
Total : £501.31 (includes shipping : £9.50).



This, a little over budget, assuming all drives are sata. But this will most games athigh settings, depending on resolution.
If you have access to the members market., they can tell what current parts are worth. Or look to see if there are any bargains to suit.
 
tron said:
500Gbp tops.If i get a gfx card with 3 months warranty on it and the warranty expires and the card gives up im screwed.The main reason for an upgrade is I spent a lot of time trying to get games like Arma 2,empire total war etc to run smooth when things get busy on screen and thats with everything turned down and game fully patched up etc.Whats the weak link on my rig ?
Click to expand...

The GPU. Your res would be "1080p" on that monitor. So I would say you have got a slight vram issue with the 4870, even though a faster quad would be very helpful. If you upgraded the GPU then you would know one way or another. You get free deliver or should do, so you could find out without paying postage. Idleman's spec above is good plus you would need 64bit windows.
 
Sorry for resurrecting this old thread but could someone give me an up to date really noticeable upgrade trolley for 300-500gbp? What upgrades do i need to make at this time so i can play recent released games a lot better ?
 
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tron said:
Sorry for resurrecting this old thread but could someone give me an up to date really noticeable upgrade trolley for 300-500gbp? What upgrades do i need to make at this time so i can play recent released games a lot better ?
Click to expand...

What case do you have?
 
tron said:
Separate.
Click to expand...

Good. So you should have the 64bit disc as well. So instead of buying Win7, you could just upgrade XP for WIN8, will save a bit of money.If you upgrade online, I think it is about £26.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £184.99
1 x Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 7850 OC Windforce 2X 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card w/ FARCRY3, Nexuiz, Sleeping Dogs & Dirt Showdown PC Games £149.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £83.99
1 x Corsair XMS3 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMX8GX3M2A1600C9) £29.99
Total : £460.36 (includes shipping : £9.50).

 
Idleman said:
Good. So you should have the 64bit disc as well. So instead of buying Win7, you could just upgrade XP for WIN8, will save a bit of money.If you upgrade online, I think it is about £26.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £184.99
1 x Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 7850 OC Windforce 2X 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card w/ FARCRY3, Nexuiz, Sleeping Dogs & Dirt Showdown PC Games £149.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £83.99
1 x Corsair XMS3 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMX8GX3M2A1600C9) £29.99
Total : £460.36 (includes shipping : £9.50).

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Thanks I have some questions:


Forgot to mention I have a Swiftech H2O-220 water cooling set up from 5 years ago on that rig do i need a different cpu block ?


Is it a good idea to replace my psu(corsair 520 watt HX) and water pump(swift tech) as their 5 years old or is there still lots of life left in them would not want either to fail after the upgrade ?


Is it worth upgrading now or wait a little longer for better deals and more bang for your buck ?
 
I would sell off the mobo, cpu, ram, Gpu and start new. Keep the case, hdd and disc drive.
Get the new mobo, Cpu, ram and Gpu now. Use the HX and see if you can get an 1155 block for the cooler. You could also test the HX if you have a multimeter or know someone who does. This will tell you if the Psu is putting out what it says on the tin.
As to when is the best time to do all this, who knows. Prices go up and down each week, with weekly deals, weekend deals, etc,. The only thing you can do is keep checking the prices, then buy when you think you have what you want at a good price.
 
Idleman said:
I would sell off the mobo, cpu, ram, Gpu and start new. Keep the case, hdd and disc drive.
Get the new mobo, Cpu, ram and Gpu now. Use the HX and see if you can get an 1155 block for the cooler. You could also test the HX if you have a multimeter or know someone who does. This will tell you if the Psu is putting out what it says on the tin.
As to when is the best time to do all this, who knows. Prices go up and down each week, with weekly deals, weekend deals, etc,. The only thing you can do is keep checking the prices, then buy when you think you have what you want at a good price.
Click to expand...
My cpu waterblock is a Swiftech Apogee GT could you spec me a water block that will fit a 1155 socket ?


Is there much difference between the gpu you spec'd me and the Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 7870 which is 60 quid ish more is it worth it?
 
tron said:
My cpu waterblock is a Swiftech Apogee GT could you spec me a water block that will fit a 1155 socket ?


Is there much difference between the gpu you spec'd me and the Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 7870 which is 60 quid ish more is it worth it?
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On your budget, I would stick with the 7850 and OC it. Besides the extra £42 could be spent on something else, a Psu for example.

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18389760

In regards the waterblock I would ask in the Watercooling forum,

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=133

There is a special offer today for free delivery over £66.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/LP/ocuk_halloween2012.php
 
I don't have the 64 bit winxp disc but do have the 32 bit winxp can i get a discount on that when upgrading to win 8 64 bit ?
 
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Im thinking is it worth getting a medium capacity ssd just for the os and few games so i can get faster load times over the existing 5 year old 500 gb generic seagate ?


Should i get win7 64bit now or wait for reviews on win8 64bit ?
 
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