Upgrade or buy a new system

Unluckyalf

Unluckyalf

Unluckyalf

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Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
792
Location
Darwin, Australia
Hi,
Im a bit out of touch with PC specs these days and havent built a new system in 10+ years! However i did buy a system about 3 years ago.
The question is, with the specs listed below, is it still practical to upgrade it or had tech moved on significantly to make the purchase/build of a new system more worthwhile.
Current pc:
Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD3R
i7 930
8Gb RAM
ATI 5770 x2 SLI
1000W Powersupply
Antec 902 Case
 
Looking at that spec, you'd probably get the most mileage out of a new motherboard and an ivy bridge processor.

Should be plenty of room in that case for an ATX motherboard. Something like the i7-3770k will net you a massive CPU performance improvement.
 
Get the current CPU overclocked (add a big fat heatsink if you are using a stock Intel one)

Add a SSD.

What do you use it for? if gaming features heavily then whip out the 5770's for a single fast current gen GFX card.
 
If you are gaming then stick with the CPU you have, the 920s are still good processors. Best save you money to wait for the next generation of CPUs to arrive. Have you tried to overclock your CPU? This should give you a good performance boost.

If you wanted something to upgrade then maybe a new graphic card, something like a GTX 670 would be a good upgrade.
 
stulid said:
Get the current CPU overclocked (add a big fat heatsink if you are using a stock Intel one)

Add a SSD.

What do you use it for? if gaming features heavily then whip out the 5770's for a single fast current gen GFX card.
Click to expand...

+1 to this.

also what make/model is your "1000W" psu?
 
Thanks for the replies already.

I should have added that i do use it for games almost exclusively. I have a laptop for emails and stuff

The PSU is Hytec Titan 1000, who to be honest, i have never heard of.

Bear in mind my location which although shouldnt affect hardware like motherboards etc, i guess may mean names of stuff may be different.

One reason i havent tried overclocking is the climate here. I have already had a couple of issues with the upper 5770 crashing my pc (red led on the board) and i think thats heat related due to the fan being adjacent to the back of the 5770 below it.

Perhaps an update to the GFX card might be the way to go. Ill look into how much a new Motherboard and CPU will set me back also

Edit: and yes my cpu is on the stock intel one.
 
if i was you, i would stick with your current mobo/cpu and just overclock it, a good cooler should squeeze more juice out of your cpu.
also a 128gb ssd would also make your system snappier.
your gpu crashing could be due to your PSU, as the hd5770s dont give out much heat.
so a new PSU upgrade should be on the list if you plan on getting a new gpu.
 
Ok, well it seems that my PC maight not be quite as behind the times as i expected. I think i'll see about changing the GFX card to something like a GTX 670 as suggested. Plus a CPU overclock might be in order once i get a decent cooler.

I'll look into the powersupply if i still have issues with crashing after i change the GFX.
SSD is definitely on the cards.

Thanks for all of your advice
 
Yes, the cheep ones don't deliver enough power to the parts that need it, this power also tends to fluctuate. Also they lack the protection features of better PSUs so when they do go pop they will tend to take other components with them.
 
Unluckyalf said:
So you think the PSU could actually damage the GFX rather than just not supply enough power??
Click to expand...

Would you run your car off a massive group of double a batteries or would you use a standard car battery with an LED that tell you when it needs checking.

If you like the first option use any PSU you can think of. If the second sounds ideal then pick a reliable certified PSU.
 
You generally get 2 problems from unknown psus, either:

1) they don't provide the power stated or they provide it in the wrong places, these types of psus tend to just cause stability problems but should be safe unless you are going for a super power hungry card or a multi-gpu setup.

2) they are badly made to the point of being dangerous, this is the biggest risk with an unknown psu since it could explode/start a fire or randomly die taking multiple bits from the rest of your system with it, the chances of catastrophe increase as you put more strain on it.

Having said that, you don't really read much about psus blowing stuff up apart from the old hiper ones, so unless you intend to get a £300+ gpu then I would not bother changing the PSU until you find its causing issues.

My vote goes with CPU overclock+graphics card upgrade
A SSD doesn't help much with games unless you play MMOs.
 
Kotu said:
You generally get 2 problems from unknown psus, either:

1) they don't provide the power stated or they provide it in the wrong places, these types of psus tend to just cause stability problems but should be safe unless you are going for a super power hungry card or a multi-gpu setup.

2) they are badly made to the point of being dangerous, this is the biggest risk with an unknown psu since it could explode/start a fire or randomly die taking multiple bits from the rest of your system with it, the chances of catastrophe increase as you put more strain on it.
Click to expand...

I preferred my explanation xD
 
First thing i'd buy is a decent PSU, followed by a new GPU and and SSD. Your CPU is fine, just get a decent heatsink on it and clock it.

Remember, with PSU's, it's not the wattage rating that counts for everything, it's the overall quality of the components inside. If a PSU is cheap, then most likely the components are also cheap. Never skimp on the PSU, it's the most important part of your PC.
 
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No budget as such.
Not that im saying the skys the limit, only that i was prepared to spend maybe 2 grand or so on a new system in the next few months. But i wont be spending the same kind of money just to extend the life of an older system for another 12 months. Maybe a budget of say 5-600, but thats really just an approximation.

Initially i was just trying to sound out what was the most cost effective option.

Just about the powersupply, despite the fact that it has served me well for the last few years, the brand does appear to have a very poor rating as a whole, so i think ill get that sorted out before the GFX
 
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