i start my new job monday, and so i'll have a bit more dosh to spare... i'm thinking of treating myself to a few new bits and bobs for my rig. but the problem is, my PC is pretty top notch (imo anyway) and buying anything better than what i've got would only really give a small(ish) performance boost over the current hardware i'm using.
a new build is out of the question... the money/time is not there for it.
here's my setup
AMD 4000+ @2.6GHz (second hand mind you)
Artic Freezer 64 Pro CPU Cooler
7800GT @ 495/1180
Zalman VF-900 CU GFX Cooler
2GB G.Skill ZX DDR400
DFI LanParty SLi-D motherboard
74GB Raptor and a 120GB Seagate Barracuda for HDDs
X-Fi Xtreme Music
Logitech X-530 5.1 Speakers
SpeedLink Medusa headset (used more often than the speakers)
Logitech Ultra-X Keyboard and an MX510 mouse
Logitech MOMO Steeringwheel on its way from OcUK as we speak
Hiper Type-R 580w PSU (Black)
Antec Sonata I Case
the irony of it is, is that i bought the LanParty motherboard for it's SLi and overclocking... but a borked 146 Opteron a few months ago meant i had to settle for a second hand 4000+ (which doesn't clock amazingly well) and now that the 7800 series has been discontinued... SLi is harder to do
here's what i've got in mind...
an AMD X2... aiming for a 4400+ but does the extra cache really give them that much of a boost over the smaller cache X2's? and would i really see that much of a performance increase over my current 4000+
perhaps a second 7800GT ? would have to be second hand, as they're a bit hard to come by these days. anything else out there that would warrent spending the extra cash for a big boost in performance?
i've only got about 30GB left (combined) on the two HDDs, so possibly another Barracuda... i'm pleased with just the one Raptor (a bit noisey for me).
Samsung SM-920N or SM-930BF monitors... (the 920N replaced the 913B iirc, a monitor which i've had my eye on for about two years
). it's worth noting that i'm currently using a 3+ year old 15" Philips 150c TFT...
Seasonic S-12 600w PSU - my Hiper has been treating me quite bad since day one... its solid as a PSU but i just... well... i dont feel comfortable with it, its a bit louder than i expected, and the general build quality of all three Hiper Type-R PSU's i've had experience with in the past has seemed quite shoddy. again, the Seasonic is something thats been on my wanted list for some time.
so there it is:
a new CPU
GFX card
HDD
monitor
PSU
budget doesn't really matter, but i dont really want to spend £250/£300+ on a graphics card... because i feel they more than anything else depreciate in value so quickly its not a wise investment.
anyway, long post i know... but what would you buy... i can't really decide... or should i just hold off until Vista? or even see how Conroe goes?
a new build is out of the question... the money/time is not there for it.
here's my setup
AMD 4000+ @2.6GHz (second hand mind you)
Artic Freezer 64 Pro CPU Cooler
7800GT @ 495/1180
Zalman VF-900 CU GFX Cooler
2GB G.Skill ZX DDR400
DFI LanParty SLi-D motherboard
74GB Raptor and a 120GB Seagate Barracuda for HDDs
X-Fi Xtreme Music
Logitech X-530 5.1 Speakers
SpeedLink Medusa headset (used more often than the speakers)
Logitech Ultra-X Keyboard and an MX510 mouse
Logitech MOMO Steeringwheel on its way from OcUK as we speak
Hiper Type-R 580w PSU (Black)
Antec Sonata I Case
the irony of it is, is that i bought the LanParty motherboard for it's SLi and overclocking... but a borked 146 Opteron a few months ago meant i had to settle for a second hand 4000+ (which doesn't clock amazingly well) and now that the 7800 series has been discontinued... SLi is harder to do
here's what i've got in mind...
an AMD X2... aiming for a 4400+ but does the extra cache really give them that much of a boost over the smaller cache X2's? and would i really see that much of a performance increase over my current 4000+
perhaps a second 7800GT ? would have to be second hand, as they're a bit hard to come by these days. anything else out there that would warrent spending the extra cash for a big boost in performance?
i've only got about 30GB left (combined) on the two HDDs, so possibly another Barracuda... i'm pleased with just the one Raptor (a bit noisey for me).
Samsung SM-920N or SM-930BF monitors... (the 920N replaced the 913B iirc, a monitor which i've had my eye on for about two years
). it's worth noting that i'm currently using a 3+ year old 15" Philips 150c TFT...Seasonic S-12 600w PSU - my Hiper has been treating me quite bad since day one... its solid as a PSU but i just... well... i dont feel comfortable with it, its a bit louder than i expected, and the general build quality of all three Hiper Type-R PSU's i've had experience with in the past has seemed quite shoddy. again, the Seasonic is something thats been on my wanted list for some time.
so there it is:
a new CPU
GFX card
HDD
monitor
PSU
budget doesn't really matter, but i dont really want to spend £250/£300+ on a graphics card... because i feel they more than anything else depreciate in value so quickly its not a wise investment.
anyway, long post i know... but what would you buy... i can't really decide... or should i just hold off until Vista? or even see how Conroe goes?
whats wrong with it 
