Worthwhile upgrade?

TJM

TJM

TJM

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Joined
10 Jun 2007
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2,378
Hi folks. I'm planning to build a new PC late next year and want an upgrade to hold me over until then. My current spec is this:

8800GTS 320MB DDR3
Intel Core 2 DUO E6750 2.66GHz @ 3.2GHz
4GB DDR2 (2x2048MB) PC2-6400
eVGA NF650i Ultra
Vista 64

I figure more RAM won't really help, but I was considering getting these:

Powercolor ATI Radeon HD 4870 1024MB
Intel Core 2 Duo E8600 3.33GHz (Guaranteed to run at 4.00GHZ)

Would I get a performance increase worth the £400? I'm sure the 4870 is far superior to the 8800 GTS, but I'm not so sure about the CPU - is there a big difference between 3.2 and 4.0? If not, I'll just get the 4870.

Cheers
 
I would upgrade your graphics card and leave your CPU. Have you tried overclocking your current CPU further?
 
I have, but it becomes unstable as soon as I go over 3.2GHz. Weird problems crop up, like watching a video for more than an hour freezing the system, even though it can run the various Orthos tests for several hours at 3.6GHz with a full load temp of about 65 without a problem.
 
TJM said:
I have, but it becomes unstable as soon as I go over 3.2GHz. Weird problems crop up, like watching a video for more than an hour freezing the system, even though it can run the various Orthos tests for several hours at 3.6GHz without a problem and full load temps are about 65.
Click to expand...

As you are running 4GB of ram it soemtimes helps to increase the NB voltage a notch or two. Have you tried increasing the vcore another notch or two to get that cpu fully stable?

Personally i would just get a new graphics card. The 4870 is massively more powerful than a 320mb GTS and you will see a big gain. Never buy one of the guarenteed to run processors either. It's just a rip off ploy to catch people that do not know any better. 4Ghz is nothing for a E8600. You may find that with a wolfdale core that your motherboard will be the limiting factor.
 
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pastymuncher said:
As you are running 4GB of ram it soemtimes helps to increase the NB voltage a notch or two.
Click to expand...
I had this problem when I was using 2GB, but I can't change the NB voltage in BIOS anyway. I guess EVGA saved that small option for the more expensive mobos.

Have you tried increasing the vcore another notch or two to get that cpu fully stable?
Click to expand...
Ya, had it as high as I thought was safe (1.48v) and it still happened.

Thanks for the advice, I'll just get the 4870 then.
 
Personally I haven't overclocked my E6750 yet as I dont think I am CPU limited in games. I tend to overclock my CPU once my PC reaches 1.5-2 years of age too.

Out of curiosity, is there any reason to disable speedstep when overclocking the C2D's?
 
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