Upgrade - Does it all go well?

Marky

Marky

Marky

Soldato
Joined
16 Apr 2007
Posts
23,440
Location
UK
Hey all,

Okay after a couple of months of thinking hard about my big upgrade, I think I've finally decided what to get.

Please note my current rig is in my sig :)
Here is what my rig will be, after the upgrade:

CPU - E8400 Intel Core 2 Duo
CP-192-IN_200.jpg


CPU Fan - AC Freezer Pro 7
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Motherboard - Asus Maximus Formula
MB-253-AS_200.jpg


RAM - 4GB Crucial Ballistix DDR2 PC2-8500C5 1066MHz
MY-093-CR_200.jpg


Graphics Card - ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 1024MB
GX-091-HT_200.jpg


PSU - Corsair HX 620W
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HD - 500GB Western Digital
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Case - Antec P182
CA-070-AN_200.jpg



(Bold items are the items that I am upgrading to - standard items are the ones being used from my current rig)

After this upgrade, I plan to; upgrade my screen from 19" to 24", get some decent speakers, and possibly add water cooling!

Basically, just want to make sure you all think this is a good upgrade and all the components work well with each other :)
 
For a few extra quid you could get a quad core, as the margin isn't very big it'd be more sensible I think to go for quad as you future proof youself :)
 
mishima said:
For a few extra quid you could get a quad core, as the margin isn't very big it'd be more sensible I think to go for quad as you future proof youself :)
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The only thing that puts me off grabbing a Q6600 is that it's the same as my current CPU with 2 extra cores... is it really going to make much difference?
 
very similar setup to me mate cant fault it, the e8400 is a very fast cpu if you can get it as cheap as you say, i aslo got it cheap before they shot up & am very pleased, i prefer my nvidia cards but thats personal preference;)
 
Marky said:
The only thing that puts me off grabbing a Q6600 is that it's the same as my current CPU with 2 extra cores... is it really going to make much difference?
Click to expand...

Depends what you use it for really, but judging by your graphics cards (old and new), gaming is high on the agenda?

In which case, I haven't been convinced that a quad offers any significant improvement over a dual core in most games. However, that will change... but when? Haven't a flippin clue :)
 
Cool - do you happen to have any benchmarks - gaming wise?

Green_Giant said:
Depends what you use it for really, but judging by your graphics cards (old and new), gaming is high on the agenda?

In which case, I haven't been convinced that a quad offers any significant improvement over a dual core in most games. However, that will change... but when? Haven't a flippin clue
Click to expand...

I do use my computer for gaming quite a lot - more often than anything else anyway.
 
Almost the same setup as I have just ordered just a few differences,
I have vista 32 so only went for 2Gig ram as apprently Vista can only find 3Gig, went with the Abit IP35 Pro board following recommendations on here and elsewhere for ease of install, not really going to overclock as I can't afford any fatal crashes, went for Nvidia 8800gts gpu as I like Nvidia. Mine is mostly gaming too so went for straight speed, when quad becomes more effective in games I will look at the 9000 chips as the price wil of fallen quite a bit :)
Would be interested to hear how the build goes.
 
wannabegeek said:
Almost the same setup as I have just ordered just a few differences,
I have vista 32 so only went for 2Gig ram as apprently Vista can only find 3Gig, went with the Abit IP35 Pro board following recommendations on here and elsewhere for ease of install, not really going to overclock as I can't afford any fatal crashes, went for Nvidia 8800gts gpu as I like Nvidia. Mine is mostly gaming too so went for straight speed, when quad becomes more effective in games I will look at the 9000 chips as the price wil of fallen quite a bit :)
Would be interested to hear how the build goes.
Click to expand...
Cool - and I'll be taking a few pics of the build, so look out for them ;)

By the way - I've just noticed that the Maximus is a cross-fire board... does this mean I won't be able to use Nvidia cards or does it just mean I can't use SLI?
 
The 8400 is a great CPU, but remember that the quad could be overclocked nicely - especially with PC8500 RAM :) If you can stretch to it, I'd pre-order a Q9450 and then clock it up. Otherwise the 8400 is probably a more cost-effective solution for now.

I'm not sure how long the cables are on the Corsair PSU, but it's possible that you may need extensions for the P182 case. Don't let that put you off as the P182 is a great case; just don't get caught out when you're all excited to build your PC and find that you can't get it running until you've got hold of extensions! :D
 
Just saw your last post..... You'll be able to use nvidia cards, but just not in SLI afaik. You'll want a crossfire board for the 3870X2 anyway, so I'd stick with what you've chosen :)
 
Namistai said:
The 8400 is a great CPU, but remember that the quad could be overclocked nicely - especially with PC8500 RAM :) If you can stretch to it, I'd pre-order a Q9450 and then clock it up. Otherwise the 8400 is probably a more cost-effective solution for now.

I'm not sure how long the cables are on the Corsair PSU, but it's possible that you may need extensions for the P182 case. Don't let that put you off as the P182 is a great case; just don't get caught out when you're all excited to build your PC and find that you can't get it running until you've got hold of extensions! :D
Click to expand...
I think at the moment I'll stick to the E8400 - I've heard a lot of good things about it and the price is pretty decent.

Namistai said:
Just saw your last post..... You'll be able to use nvidia cards, but just not in SLI afaik. You'll want a crossfire board for the 3870X2 anyway, so I'd stick with what you've chosen
Click to expand...

Cool, the only reason I asked was because after hearing that the GX2 is coming 11th March, Im getting the aching feeling of just being patient, upgrading to everything else and holding back on the graphics upgrade, just incase :p
 
I have a q6600 and i really regret not getting a e8400 and ocing to say 3.8Ghz. The application threading is just not there for quad.
 
Can I ask people what they think of Tom's CPU chart? That is, is it a reliable source of info?

They have the E8400 outperforming the Q6600 in all the games listed in their benchies.
 
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