Upgrade or not to upgrade

Kendo Nagasaki · 17 Dec 2006 at 22:12

As the title suggests, is it worth upgrading my current computer (see below). I use it for a variety of applications including, photoshop, CAD, web design, 3D work, etc and have found that it is beginning to get a bit sluggish sometimes.
Maybe i could do with a format to help increase performance - who knows!! but can anyone suggest anything that could bring my current rig up to speed? Dual-core springs to mind.
I'm looking into upgrading the monitor in the new year (BenQ 24" possibly), so maybe that is something to bear in mind.
Also, my current computer isn't overclocked, cos i haven't a baldy in this area.

My current computer specification:

 DFI LanParty UT NF4 SLI-D (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard

 AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego 90nm (Socket 939)

 Zalman CNPS9500-LED Aero Flower CPU Cooler

 Corsair 2GB DDR XMS4000PT TwinX (2x1GB) CAS3

 Leadtek GeForce 7800GT 256MB GDDR3 VIVO TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express)

 Western Digital Caviar Special Edition 250GB 2500KS SATA-II 16MB Cache – OEM

 Lian-Li PC-61 Black Aluminium Midi-Tower Case (No PSU)

 Hiper HPU-4B580 Type R 580W Modular ATX2.2 PSU – Blue

 NEC ND4551 16x16 DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter (Black)

 Enermax Aurora brushed aluminium keyboard

 Icemat - Black 2nd Edition

 Microsoft Laser Mouse 6000

 Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music

 Acoustic Energy Aego M 2.1 Speakers (Black)

 Dell 19” CRT Monitor

Maybe i don't need to upgrade at all, just thinking out loud.

Kenny

IceShock · 17 Dec 2006 at 22:18

apart from a few things, thats a half decent setup.

i have a 7800gtx etc and simerlar parts to you.

i had a amd 3200, and i went to a 4400x2 a few weeks befor intel core2 duo.
i was kicking my self about my desision at first, and then because my 4400 is best cpu iv ever had, i thaught.. what the hell its the best iv had ever so ill stick with it, and now i know a lot more about pcs id say, if you have a lot of money to spend, get a intel core2 duo setup.

if your just looking to upgrade cheaply, get a dual core 939 if you can source a seller

Kendo Nagasaki · 1 Jan 2007 at 22:39

It looks more than likely that'll be upgrading to a 24" screen but before I order can someone have a look at my current spec and see if it'll be ok to handle it.

If I was to move across to the Intel Core 2 Duo, would I be able to keep everything apart from the motherboard & processor (obviously)? Is the RAM ok?

Would it even be worth upgrading the graphics card?

I have about £550 to spend.

Cheers.

Kendo Nagasaki · 1 Jan 2007 at 22:42

Oops, double post

Demon[KcsF] · 1 Jan 2007 at 23:14

If you go Core2 you will have to upgrade the RAM to DDR2 but you will be able to stick with your Gfx card.

Bry.

tsinc80697 · 1 Jan 2007 at 23:50

If you did go Conroe, you could do it for £400ish, or around £300 with just 1GB RAM
Taken from ocuk:

Gigabyte GA_965P_DS3 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard
£99.86

Intel Core 2 DUO E6300 "LGA775 Allendale" 1.86GHz (1066FSB) - OEM
£110.44

GeIL 2GB (2x1GB) PC6400C4 800MHz Ultra Low Latency DDR2 Dual Channel Kit
£173.89

Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler (Socket 775)
£16.44

Total : £410.32

or im sure you could get it cheaper in MM when it reopens

Quixote · 2 Jan 2007 at 11:21

For your photoshop & most especially 3D work, a dual-core processor will give you a big boost. Rendering speeds, for example are nearly doubled with a dual core cpu.
Now, you could choose to do this the cheap way by just adding a new CPU to your existing setup - a socket 939 version of the 4200 X2 say. Or you could upgrade to Core2Duo, which would involve a new CPU, Motherboard & RAM. Your existing RAM should fetch a decent price second hand.
Of course, a re-format & re-install may also be beneficial, especially if you have had the current install over a year.