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Worth upgrading?

Jano

Jano

Jano

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Joined
31 Mar 2009
Posts
2,383
Location
Basingstoke, UK
So, currently using the following couple of year old bundle bought from OCuK...

*OVERCLOCKED* AMD Phenom II X3 Tri Core 720 2.80GHz @ 3.30GHz / Gigabyte GA-MA790XT-UD4P Motherboard / Corsair Dominator 4GB DDR3 XMS3 PC2-1600C9D TwinX (2x2GB) Bundle

Although mine has 8gb of ram, and I think the overclock may have disappeared over time. For a couple of reasons I need to do a clean install, and will be upgrading to an SSD and Win7.

This then got me thinking, as the comps a little noisy with numerous case fans (case is a TJ09), should I invest in one of those Antec Kuhler/Corsair Hyrdo jobbies, and if I'm doing that, is it worth upgrading the CPU while I'm at it.

Unfortunately I have absolutely no idea if an upgrade on the CPU is worth it, nor what I could actually put in, I am way behind the times. I could go the whole hog and change the mobo as well, but then its getting to new comp time and not sure I can really be bothered to change everything.

Any recommendations?
 
When it works, yes. The graphics cards kaput at the moment (MSI Lightning R6970), the win7 upgrade and reinstall is a last resort before RMA'ing.
 
The cooler that came with the bundle was, I think, the arctic cooling freezer 7 pro. Only reason I could see to change that was for something quieter really.

I wouldn't bother with Overclocking, so doesn't look like theres much to gain from changing.

Thanks anyway!
 
Both coolers would be as quiet or quieter and cooler than the old freezer 7.

If your not going to overclock then not much gain. Your old overclock wont just dissapear unless you have had to upgrade or reset the bios.
 
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Indeed, as said above, Hex cored don;t make so much of a difference is games, but they do in applications like video editing etc. But it does entirely depend on what you want your PC for.

I'd probably recommend an AMD Phenom II X4 965, and not the 955 version, just because mine's served me so well for the 3-ish years I've had it.
 
The Bios has been reset/flashed as there were a few issues when I first put the thing together, so pretty sure it went then. I've never had any luck with overclocking and really very reluctant to try again, same reason I was looking at the cooling kits, I know my luck and my computer would end up underwater if I tried to watercool.

I shall see what todays deals bring and have a thing about it.
 
The system crashed constantly when I first put it together, the BIOS flash was the only thing that fixed it, which may also have been down to the overclock. I really have no interest in bringing that problem back, so definitely wont be overclocking it again.
 
a hexcore 1055T would be your best upgrade - you gain 3 cores and it overclocks to 4ghz or higher with a half decent cooler. Although the hex's are not listed as officially supported on the gigabyte site for your board when I googled GA-MA790XT-UD4P and x6 loads of people have them running (might be a modded bios you would need to check).
Actually just checked prices and this week on OC the 1090T Black edition is only £10 more at £131 - worth it for the unlocked multi and extra 400mhz you would gain @ stock.
 
Get the feeling I may aswell just do the lot :P

Bang for buck time, i5 2500k seems to be the best price point at the moment, if I changed everything? Would also allow me to get Sata 3 on the Mobo which would speed up the SSD?
 
Jano said:
When it works, yes. The graphics cards kaput at the moment (MSI Lightning R6970), the win7 upgrade and reinstall is a last resort before RMA'ing.
Click to expand...

Kaput? Sure it may not be overheating or not getting enough power? What PSU do you have?
 
Fair enough, hopefully a fresh install will sort it out software side. If not then guess you will need to RMA the card.

Cheapest upgrade will be buying the 955 and overclocking that to 3.8ghz+, which should last you a good while for gaming. The 1055 is also a good choice as I have heard it's easier to clock to 4ghz and beyond. Either way depending on what games you'll play it should be a nice boost and more future proof from your current tri core due to higher speeds and more cache.

Moving to the 2500K will give you better gains, as it performs much better per clock compared to the Phenom II. It's also a lot easier to overclock as all you need to change are the multiplier and voltages. The P67/Z68 will have SATA 3 ports as well, which will allow current SSDs to run happily at full speeds.

As for the CPU cooler, it depends on how much you're willing to spend. There's actually a few air coolers which are better and quieter then the closed WC ones (The stock fans on the Corsair are loud :( ). This air cooler seems to be favoured as the best at the moment: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-078-TR&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=1395
 
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