Upgrade Dilemma

Fire_fly · 10 Apr 2012 at 16:58

My current rig is in need of a bit of an upgrade but I am unsure of which route to take.

Q6600 @3GHz
Nvidia 790i SLI
4Gb of OCZ ram
2 GTX 260s
TX750 PSU
Antec 900 case

The computer was a pre-built system from OcUK, and has served me well but it's starting to show its age, I got it mid 2008. I think one of the graphic cards is starting to die as it now struggles to run BF3 at the same quality and fps that it did when the game was released. The case fans have also developed several annoying squeaks and rattles and so need replacing. The CPU cooler, a freezer 7, was damaged when the computer arrived (it had to be RMAed back to OcUK) so it could also do with replacing.

However I am unsure which upgrade path to take, either a full upgrade to a 3570K, Z77 motherboard, and a GTX 680 or should I buy a new graphic card, something like a 560Ti, some new case fans and CPU cooler such a below. Then think about a more complete upgrade in about a years time.

YOUR BASKET
1 x OcUK GeForce GTX 560Ti 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £159.95
1 x Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £21.98
1 x AeroCool F4XT 4-Channel Fan Controller with USB ports £13.99
3 x Akasa AK-FN058 Apache Black Super Silent 120mm Fan - 4 Pin PWM £13.99 (£41.97)
1 x Arctic Silver ArctiClean Thermal Material Remover and Surface Purifier - 60ml Kit £6.98
Total : £256.28 (includes shipping : £9.50).

Fire_fly · 10 Apr 2012 at 21:17

Bump, anyone willing to give me some advice?

shadow_boxer · 10 Apr 2012 at 21:29

That's a fair bit of money on fans/fan controller but those fans are very good.

I would personally get a 2GB 7850, bit more expensive than the GTX560Ti though but worth it IMO. Fair bit faster, consumes less power, more VRAM and cooler with massive overclocking headroom.

Have you tried cleaning the case and fans. Often the fans go a bit quieter after a good clean. The Gelid Tranquillo is a very good cooler but remember that price is on a today only offer.

Upgrade path seems reasonable, the 7850 when overclocked may be a little bottlenecked by your Q6600, maybe try to push it a bit further?

Fire_fly · 10 Apr 2012 at 22:11

The 7850 looks good and I see it can get some good Ocs, however personally I have always preferred Nividia cards. Also I suppose that it would go rather well with one of these.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Samsung S23A700D 23" 120Hz 3D Widescreen Gaming Monitor - Black **GET THE VAT BACK** £199.99
Total : £211.99 (includes shipping : £10.00).

I clean out my case fairly regularly, and seem to remove large amounts of dust from it each time, the fans and controller may be a bit OTT but I would like to have a quite system that I'm not able to hear when I’m downstairs in the living-room, the computer is in my bedroom. Cost is not too much of an issue, I have the money set aside for a new PC, I am just wondering if a fairly low cost upgrade will keep my rig going a little bit longer, maybe until Haswell is released next year.

shadow_boxer · 10 Apr 2012 at 22:16

Yeah doesn't sound unreasonable. There was a 7850 on pre-order for £179.99 but the price has now gone up unfortunately. I suppose the thing with good fans is that they can obviously be carried over to new builds etc and the Akasa Apaches are about as good as they come. Can't comment on the monitor as I've never used one but seems a cracking price for a 120Hz/3D one.

Fire_fly · 10 Apr 2012 at 22:55

The cheapest 7850 that they have on here is a VTX3D card for £195, but I would prefer to get a more trusted brand with a better RMA service, so that means the MSI card at £210 which is about £30 – 40 more than I want to pay for an upgrade that I only wish to last around a year.