Hello all,
I purchased a gaming PC from OCUK some time ago now and in those years it has been a very sturdy rig. More than fit for purpose and in many respects still good for what I do now. With the passing of time, and the accumulation of junk, it has started to slow down. I'm looking for some advice as to the best "bang for buck" improvements I can make to it at this point (or perhaps the best advice is "save up some more and buy a new cheap rig"). I don't have stacks of cash to burn and I would be making purchases perhaps after Christmas which could mean price changes/sales, etc.
My current setup (essentials):
Intel Q6700 overclocked CPU
4gb RAM
AMD 4800 series graphics (I think its a 4850 1gb)
1tb hard drive. Standard 7200rpm
Windows 7, 64
The current issues are general slowdown which could probably be rectified by a format/windows reinstall and a chronic problem with graphics card heating which does not seem to be getting better with age or general cleaning/tweaking.
Things I'm scared of because I'm not overly confident in hardware replacement (though I think I could do it):
RAM timings and adding more RAM - if my current RAM is overclocked or has had its settings tweaked in BIOs, what does adding more RAM do?
Graphics upgrade: Is it just going to be bottle necked by my CPU at this point? Would adding a 7800 series do anything meaningful?
SSD: I think this would probably give the biggest wow factor (along with more RAM). But I've got all my stuff on the 1tb drive. Is shifting the OS over to the new SSD easy or is there a good potential to break stuff?
I don't play the most demanding games in the world anymore (WoW), but I'd like to be able to fire up Witcher 2, for example, have it look pretty but not have my PC shutdown because my graphics card just can't handle it without overheating.
I also have noticed general slowdown and lengthened startup times.
I want my system to last another two-three years if a cheap upgrade will do it. Question is: Can it or shall I start saving?
I purchased a gaming PC from OCUK some time ago now and in those years it has been a very sturdy rig. More than fit for purpose and in many respects still good for what I do now. With the passing of time, and the accumulation of junk, it has started to slow down. I'm looking for some advice as to the best "bang for buck" improvements I can make to it at this point (or perhaps the best advice is "save up some more and buy a new cheap rig"). I don't have stacks of cash to burn and I would be making purchases perhaps after Christmas which could mean price changes/sales, etc.
My current setup (essentials):
Intel Q6700 overclocked CPU
4gb RAM
AMD 4800 series graphics (I think its a 4850 1gb)
1tb hard drive. Standard 7200rpm
Windows 7, 64
The current issues are general slowdown which could probably be rectified by a format/windows reinstall and a chronic problem with graphics card heating which does not seem to be getting better with age or general cleaning/tweaking.
Things I'm scared of because I'm not overly confident in hardware replacement (though I think I could do it):
RAM timings and adding more RAM - if my current RAM is overclocked or has had its settings tweaked in BIOs, what does adding more RAM do?
Graphics upgrade: Is it just going to be bottle necked by my CPU at this point? Would adding a 7800 series do anything meaningful?
SSD: I think this would probably give the biggest wow factor (along with more RAM). But I've got all my stuff on the 1tb drive. Is shifting the OS over to the new SSD easy or is there a good potential to break stuff?
I don't play the most demanding games in the world anymore (WoW), but I'd like to be able to fire up Witcher 2, for example, have it look pretty but not have my PC shutdown because my graphics card just can't handle it without overheating.
I also have noticed general slowdown and lengthened startup times.
I want my system to last another two-three years if a cheap upgrade will do it. Question is: Can it or shall I start saving?