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Continuity

Continuity

Continuity

Associate
Joined
20 Aug 2007
Posts
24
Hi all,

Here are my current specs.

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.40Ghz
4096Mb DDR2
NVidia GTX260

Now, I have about £400 to spend. So the question is, is it time for a full upgrade, or would I be better off swapping out the GFX card?

Its been so long since I looked at this stuff, that I haven't got a clue any more.

I play a mix of everything, BF3 CS:GO FM etc

Please help :d
 
 
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for £400 you will find it hard to get a full spec the will run good games at good settings.

i would do a system upgrade and use the same GFX untill you have a little more money or your will have to make some big compromises in mobo, cpu and ram.

you would get a nice i5 set up for £400 but no GFX. or it would be a very low spec AMD if you must get GFX in the £400 but then gimes would still not max out as the system would not be upto the job.
 
For your budget this is what I would go for

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI HD 7850 OC 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Cards with FREE GAMES £125.99
1 x Gigabyte 990FXA-UD3 AMD 990FX (Socket AM3+) DDR3 Motherboard £109.99
1 x AMD Piledriver FX-6 Six Core 6300 Black Edition 3.50GHz (Socket AM3+) Processor - Retail £89.99
1 x TeamGroup Elite 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TED34GM1600HC11DC01) £29.99
1 x Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo CPU Cooler £26.99
Total : £394.94 (includes shipping : £10.00).



A under budget but you can up it to get a fx8350 for around £420

Are you wanting to overclock at all?
 
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I would go with teppic post #2 except remove the GPU. Use your existing GTX260 for a couple of months then get a second hand GPU off the MM. By then lots of cards will be floating around and you should be able to pick up a bargain, and it will come under the £400 budget.
 
Th0nt said:
I would go with teppic post #2 except remove the GPU. Use your existing GTX260 for a couple of months then get a second hand GPU off the MM. By then lots of cards will be floating around and you should be able to pick up a bargain, and it will come under the £400 budget.
Click to expand...

if he was to go for a spec without a GPU he could get a i5 system.
 
Yep. £370 vs £300 - although it would take longer to save for the next gpu so it's all according to how you interpret his situation.
 
P4Clock said:
YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £179.99
1 x Asus Z87-K Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £101.99
1 x GeIL Black Dragon 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (GD38GB1600C11DC) £49.99
1 x Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo CPU Cooler £26.99
Total : £370.36 (includes shipping : £9.50).

Click to expand...

The i5 spec would mean compromising on a decent PSU which together I would prioritise with a top cooler. No point having a quality system backed up by a junk PSU, these nuances could go on...
 
Continuity said:
Hi all,

Here are my current specs.

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.40Ghz
4096Mb DDR2
NVidia GTX260

Now, I have about £400 to spend. So the question is, is it time for a full upgrade, or would I be better off swapping out the GFX card?

Its been so long since I looked at this stuff, that I haven't got a clue any more.

I play a mix of everything, BF3 CS:GO FM etc

Please help :d
Click to expand...

What is your PSU, will you put it in the same case? Have you got a SSD, OS etc?
 
I'd get a nice after market cooler and clock the Q6600 up, it's still capable of playing games on decent settings, especially when clocked up.

I'd grab a 7950, H100, and maybe a SSD.
Then in the future grab a new board, CPU & RAM.
 
Th0nt said:
The i5 spec would mean compromising on a decent PSU which together I would prioritise with a top cooler. No point having a quality system backed up by a junk PSU, these nuances could go on...
Click to expand...

The AMD's drain a lot more power, so if this need a NEW psu the AMD would too
 
P4Clock said:
The AMD's drain a lot more power, so if this need a NEW psu the AMD would too
Click to expand...

That's not the point. The point is the PSU would cost £50+ if its of any worth therefore changing your intel recommendation completely. Lets say PSU and decent cooler are coming in at £110, that leaves 290 for CPU+Board+RAM.

If it were me a cooler would be something like the Corsair H100 (£45) and a Seasonic PSU (£80) ~ £125 spent.
 
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Th0nt said:
That's not the point. The point is the PSU would cost £50+ if its of any worth therefore changing your intel recommendation completely. Lets say PSU and decent cooler are coming in at £110, that leaves 290 for CPU+Board+RAM.
Click to expand...

no cooler is need out of the box, and a £50 500w psu would do.
I get what your saying but ALL the spec need him to buy thing latter so in that case would you not get the best you can and add to it latter OR do you buy LOW spec and still add to it latter.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £179.99
1 x Asus Z87-K Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £101.99
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 500w Modular '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020059-UK) £49.99
1 x GeIL Black Dragon 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (GD38GB1600C11DC) £49.99
Total : £393.36 (includes shipping : £9.50).



Sell your old set up and buy a GFX from the MM or a mooosive cooler
 
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Hmm one for debate I'm sure but I would sleep well knowing my PSU and Cooler were up to the task when running overclocked 24/7.
 
Th0nt said:
Hmm one for debate I'm sure but I would sleep well knowing my PSU and Cooler were up to the task when running overclocked 24/7.
Click to expand...

but you dont need to over clock out of the box do you. and that PSU is fine.
OR should he get a £500 1200w just to be 100%
 
An i5 is not necessary any better than an 8320. It depends on the computer's use, whether it's for old games or next gen games, etc. Looking forward the 8320 makes more sense.
 
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