Upgrade advice please

jozxyqk83 · 16 Jul 2011 at 23:10

So I purchased a pc from OCUK many moons ago and I'm pleased to say it is still running strong

The only part I have changed is the graphics card. I changed it because it turned out to be a complete overindulgence for what I needed it for (ATI 4870x2 to Nvidia 8800 GT) Plus it ate electricity like King Kong eats banana's.

The value of my system has decreased considerably! :eek:

So instead of selling it I'd like to upgrade some components.

My current specs. are:

Intel i7-940 @ 2.93 GHz
Nero CPU cooler (Yet to see my CPU go above 45 degrees).
Asus P6T Deluxe motherboard
12GB OCZ RAM @ 1066 Mhz
(Actual RAM speed of 1600 is limited because of voltage requirement for i7)
Nvidia 8800 GT 512 MB
Western Digital Rapture 300 GB
Crossair 1000w PSU

Currently nothing is over-clocked although it has been in the past. My current interest is getting the best performance and speed from my system while minimising power consumption. Graphics are not essential as the most I play is COD2 and COD4.

Can you please advise me on new components for my current system. Please keep in mind that I have a limited budget of £300 for new parts and hardware that will eat up electricity is a nono.

I am especially interested in better RAM and upgrading from a HD to an SSD.

Thanks

Randomface74 · 16 Jul 2011 at 23:24

Add a DX11 GPU, something low-end and quiet like a 560.
Reinstall the OS - that's an easy way to make your system feel new again. (Win7 64-bit)

Your budget doesn't allow for a decent sized SSD on top of that. I wouldn't do it anyway as your mobo is limited to SATA2. Infact I would consider replacing the raptor with a 1TB Samsung F3.

Jasonst888 · 16 Jul 2011 at 23:30

mmm you have quite a good system there....for more speed you might want to overclock the cpu, would have to check how it does with the increased temps and that cooler, but should be fine. of course that would mean more power usage.....

But for a real speed boast i'd recommend an ssd:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-048-OC&groupid=701&catid=14&subcat=1427

This ssd is probs the best for you, that mobo only has sata 2 so anything newer would be pointless. This will be speedy as hell for you!

8800gt is quite power hungry and old now, so maybe:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-126-MS&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1866

Would be better, keep you good for upcoming games if you ever take a fancy. And also uses less power...but not loads of difference on the power front to be honest.

I would personally say any other changes would be pointless at this stage, not worth the expense for the micro improvement you would achieve.

Marine-RX179 · 16 Jul 2011 at 23:42

The OP said he's just playing COD 2 and COD4...no point wasting money on upgrading the graphic card when his 8800GT handle those games.

Jasonst888 · 16 Jul 2011 at 23:44

this is true but he said £300 i was just using up the budget

Randomface74 · 16 Jul 2011 at 23:49

There is a point, the 8800GT was good in 2007. We're in 2011 now, it's time to replace it. A low-end modern GPU would be cooler, quieter, faster, support DX11. It's the best upgrade advice possible, the rest of that rig is fine.

Marine-RX179 · 16 Jul 2011 at 23:50

The OP is not playing any of the new games.
New graphic card that require two 6-in PCI-E will not be lower power consumption than the 8800GT, as it only require one PCI-E 6pin and max power consumption is just 105W:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-8800-gt,1714-3.html

jozxyqk83 · 23 Jul 2011 at 01:44

Thanks for the advice guys.

I think I will end up purchasing 2 ssd's and configuring them for RAID 0. It's Ideal speed for my vm's. Not quite sata 3 but still about 3 times after than my rapture.

Larger drives over 120GB no longer appeal to me. These days I keep most of my data and applications in clouds.