Upgrade advice please

MiggyB · 14 Jun 2007 at 10:18

I need some advice on the best way to spend between £350 to £400 to get the best out of the following:

AMD X2 4400+
A8N-SLI Deluxe
2GB DDR RAM
GeForce 7800 GTX
SB Audigy 4
HEC 550W PSU

I want to be able to able to run Vista and the next gen DivX 10 games comfortably - first thoughts were 8800 GTX then another 2GB RAM when i buy Vista - any thoughts?

steve258 · 14 Jun 2007 at 10:30

If all you do is games then by all mean get the GFX, what size screen will you be gaming at? 4Gb might be a bit OTT even with Vista at the moment.

MiggyB · 14 Jun 2007 at 10:33

Only used for gaming - i have ViewSonic VX924 = 1280 x 1024; so 8800 GTX is probably wasted on it?

Columbo · 14 Jun 2007 at 10:36

I'd definatley say go with another 2gb of RAM. It might not be utilised yet but at the prices they are currently its a no brainer.

CPU upgrade maybe? Are you overclocking? If not maybe a 5600+ and should still leave 200 notes to spend on an 8800.

Otherwise your GPU will be limited by your processor in my opinion. Some may disagree with me though

melbourne720 · 14 Jun 2007 at 10:39

8800 GTS 640MB, and leave the rest of the money for a good cooler for the CPU and some new games as well

MiggyB · 14 Jun 2007 at 10:42

The 5600+ = AM2 chip - that won't work with my 939 MoBo (?)

steve258 · 14 Jun 2007 at 10:43

At that resolution you might want to consider a 8800GTS 320Mb instead, much better value for money, and save the rest towards your next upgrade.

No the X2 5600+ doesn't fit your mobo, your best bet is to overclock since you have a decent mobo which allows it, you may also want to get a decent air cooler if you want to get the most out of you chip.

MiggyB · 14 Jun 2007 at 10:57

Cheers guys - gfx card it is - will keep the rest of the cash and have a look at a 22" widescreen monitor in a month or 2.

melbourne720 · 14 Jun 2007 at 10:59

MiggyB said:
Cheers guys - gfx card it is - will keep the rest of the cash and have a look at a 22" widescreen monitor in a month or 2.

In which case, depending on the resolution, the 640MB could be the better choice.

Columbo · 14 Jun 2007 at 11:01

MiggyB said:
The 5600+ = AM2 chip - that won't work with my 939 MoBo (?)

Oops apologies. Thought it said DDR2 ram.

Doh....

MiggyB · 14 Jun 2007 at 11:12

Will spend the rest of my morning reading benchmark tests on the 8800 GTS, I had convinced myself I wanted the GTX - but I suppose the GTS will suite me fine for 12 - 18mths then it'll be time for a whole new rig.