upgrade help

ryushi · 27 Dec 2009 at 23:10

hey 1st post

anyway I'm looking to upgrade my computer, I'm not sure what to upgrade tbh.
only thing I don't want to change/upgrade is my mobo as i just ordered 2weeks ago.

current specs:

asus p5q Deluxe
Q8200(stock settings, not sure/confident about over clocking)
3x1GB ram Corsair XMS2 PC2-6400 DDR2(have 4 but it wont run with 4GB in)
asus 9800+gtx 512MB
650w coolmaster psu
1TB HDD
Antec 902 case

got around 130~140 pound to spend on the parts, so any help and advice would be great

RJC · 27 Dec 2009 at 23:12

Spec still looks reasonable, only thing I can think of is update the gpu to 5770.

What happens when you put the 4th memory stick in.

ryushi · 27 Dec 2009 at 23:19

it wont load just blank screen at first i thought i hadnt installed all the parts properly but i removed 1gb in 4 slot n it turned on with out any problems and hasnt crashed since then.
i thought it was my old mobo which is why i got a new 1 as everytime i had 3 or more GB in my old mobo it would crash every couple of mins in windows and at times crashed during bios loading.

for some reason i cant get the full potential out of the system. i can play cod4 med settings n get 60+fps no matter where i go but games like WoW i can only get 10fps in a 25man raid with low settings.

Ollie83 · 27 Dec 2009 at 23:25

I would say a 5770 gpu would be a good idea, as suggested by RJC. Its a very good value card and should see some more fps in the games you mentioned

evoyear · 27 Dec 2009 at 23:26

graphics card, a 4890 can last for a long time

PhoenixUK · 27 Dec 2009 at 23:28

Tbh even GPU upgrade aint that important, 9800 is still a very decent card.

I'd say get an SSD drive if you want to spend cash on something : ).
And get a decent cooler and OC the CPU ( maybe get one that works with newest sockets as well so it can stay with you for future upgrade.

ryushi · 28 Dec 2009 at 01:21

cheers for replys

@PhoenixUK like i said some for games like cod n total war the system plays rearlly well steady 60fps but for others fps drops to 10fps and sometimes i get fps lag which is really annoying.

scotty365 · 28 Dec 2009 at 01:59

Wow - you got a few issues there.

Have you tried upping the voltage on your NB to resolve the RAM prob? If you had 2x2GB of RAM it would run better than 4x1GB, this is a problem for many mobos. Take the 3rd one out as your ram is running single channel with 3 in and is halfing the speed.

What resolutions are you running games at? There is no good reason to upgrade if your happy with a 19" monitor

You have a potentially good mobo and CPU for O/Cing - take a bit of time to read up on the forums -I'll help where I can to get you running a good system.

What cooling do you have for the CPU?

ryushi · 28 Dec 2009 at 02:11

1600v900 thnk its 20" monitor

ill try using 2GB 2mo

and its just normal stock cooler

scotty365 · 28 Dec 2009 at 03:17

1600v900 thnk its 20" monitor

I ran ALL modern games on a 19" 1024x768 with no probs on a 9600GT with the right settings. I was very happy with this at the time - I've since become to expect more and upgraded!

ill try using 2GB 2mo

Each piece of RAM needs testing independantly to see if you have a bad stick of RAM. You will need to put just one piece in at a time and see if it will run at its rated speed to start with. (It may have to be tested further but it will be a good indicator if you get problems at this point)

and its just normal stock cooler

OK, no problems with a stock cooler for a moderate overclock. If you want to extract a higher O/C and get bang for bucks then I could suggest a couple of excellent coolers for around £20-£30

ryushi · 28 Dec 2009 at 14:07

scotty365 said:
I ran ALL modern games on a 19" 1024x768 with no probs on a 9600GT with the right settings. I was very happy with this at the time - I've since become to expect more and upgraded!

like i said i can get it to run cod and empire total war to run with steady 60fps on med settings but only get 10fps in WoW using low settings. ive even used two monitors and got 60fps in cod. it just doesnt like games which arent demanding.

scotty365 said:
Each piece of RAM needs testing independantly to see if you have a bad stick of RAM. You will need to put just one piece in at a time and see if it will run at its rated speed to start with. (It may have to be tested further but it will be a good indicator if you get problems at this point)

ive test both pairs, which is why i bought a new mobo as i thought the 3/4 slot was damage which is why it wouldnt run more than 2GB. i ran 1 of the pairs for couple of weeks with no crashes and i was able to switch the pairs and again no crashes. only crashed when i had them in together.

scotty365 said:
OK, no problems with a stock cooler for a moderate overclock. If you want to extract a higher O/C and get bang for bucks then I could suggest a couple of excellent coolers for around £20-£30

what would be moderate OC? couple of mhz?

been thinking could it be my PSU? as not to long ago everytime i turned up the front fans on my case my computer would crash. at the time i was using 2xATA HDDS, so i had 2 fans n 2 hdds using 4pin connectors but when i changed to a SATA HDD meaning only the fans where connected to the 4 pin connectors, it no longer crashed when the fans where turned up.

scotty365 · 28 Dec 2009 at 16:47

I dont understand why WOW is so slow for you - I would research this seperately from the other things you want to achieve. I resolved a problem for a friend similar to this by assigning the game to use cores #0 and #1 - as having 4 cores seemed to confuse it.

As for your mem I had exactly the same problem - using 2 sticks was ok but for me to use 4 I had to drop the speed a bit and tweak the NB voltage and FSB voltage - It improved but I wasnt willing to risk a higher voltage for the extra 80 MHz or so to get it to 1066MHz. It is better to run 2x2GB, it offers better stablity at higher FSB's.

Your CPU runs at 2.3GHz default - I've seen these running at 3.3GHz stable on your P5Q mobo and they will go further (Some claim 4GHz) You need to get proper cooling if you want to see a benefit when using your PC. Having said that, you could get a temp program installed and start bumping up the FSB a little at a time - keep your memory speed down to it rated speed. For now see how far you can go without increasing voltages and keep your temps below 70-75C under load. A stock cooler wont let you go far without getting hot and you may not feel any benefit from a small speed increase.