Upgrading PC?

[Diamon]

Hi
I'm thinking for upgrading my PC a bit since it has a hard time to keep up with the latest games and programs. For example SC2 and Bad company 2 where I can't play on the highest settings in either.

I'm mostly playing games and some Photoshop and CAD programs.

Current setup:
Mobo: AMD690VM-FMH (A2 socket)
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 x2 4000+
RAM: 4gb DDR2
System HDD: Intel 80gb SSD
GPU: Nvidia Geforce 9800gt 512mb


The options I'm considering is:
Buying a gtx 460 1gb (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125333&cm_re=gigabyte_gtx_460-_-14-125-333-_-Product) and a AMD Phenom x6 1090T BE (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103849&cm_re=1090t-_-19-103-849-_-Product) (having an unlocked CPU would be great since I'll be running it on water and will be able to OC quite a bit) since that will fit in my current AM2 socket with a BIOS update.

The other option is to buy a new mobo, ram, CPU and gpu and that's gonna cost me...

With the first I get a nice video card and CPU but when I later buy a new mobo I don't think I'll be able to run SLI on it since it's and AMD chipset I need.

My budget is rather high, I have like 1,5k and not anything else to buy but I don't want to spend every last penny on my computer since being poor sucks : /

+rep for some help in choosing parts.

[PauL]

Those two choices you picked out would probably be your best bet if you dont want to spend too much money while still gaining a performance boost. What size monitor are you using? Anything less than 1920x1200 you can get away with a single card.

I see your profile that you are located in Sweden so prices will vary, but this should give you an idea. For about $1,200 you can build quite a beast of a machine that will play any new game with no problem.

Newegg link for reference:

Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128423) $209
CPU: Intel Core i7-930 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115225) $290
Ram: G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225) $150
GPU: XFX 5850 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150477&cm_re=5850-_-14-150-477-_-Product) $295
HD: WD Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533) $95
PSU: Corsair 750TX (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006&Tpk=corsair%20750) $110
Case: CM690 II Advanced (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119216&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-Cases%20(Computer%20Cases%20-%20ATX%20Form)-_-Cooler%20Master-_-11119216&AID=10440897&PID=3891137&SID=194a3) $90


Total: $1,239

I'm a little over the price of what I said but of course, you can drop the case and HDD(notice you have an SSD already, but you could use the 1TB for storage), and maybe PSU depending what you already have.

I think my build gives you an idea of what you can buy but I hope others chime in for some different ideas or suggestions.

[diluzio91]

Lol, going along the same line, this might perform a tad better (more bang for your buck)

Mobo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131398 - 99.99
GFX http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121363 - (x2) 159.99
PSU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256021 $84.99
CPU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808 $159.99
SSD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227461 $149.99
HDD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185 $74.99 (x2)

Total 1051.91

That leaves you well under budget, and should hold you for a few years (or leaves you $500 to sink into a case, other thing you might think of adding is a better mobo like this one

MSI http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130275 99.99
which has usb 3.0 and sata 6gb/s.

[Diamon]

I think I need too clarify a bit. I'm not looking to buy a whole new computer. I already have an SSD, case, HDD and PSU that's working good. I'm only looking to buy a GFX and maybe CPU (mobo and ram too if the CPU doesn't support the AM2 socket).

[PauL]

Since you will be reusing the majority of your parts, how much are you willing to spend?

Also, what PSU do you have and what resolution are you playing at?

Btw, I read your post wrong. For some reason I though it read $15,000, which I thought was kind of odd...

[Diamon]

You saw right the first time, that was a typo I corrected ^^

Now, the PSU I have is at 630 watts and I'm playing at 1680x1050 but will upgrade to 1920x1200 in the future.

I'm willing to spend max $1k if I can get some real nice bang/buck.

[PauL]

If you are going to play at 1920x1200 in the near future, you should definently think about a 5850 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150477&cm_re=5850-_-14-150-477-_-Product) or GTX 470 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130549&cm_re=470gtx-_-14-130-549-_-Product). You can get away with the GTX 460 at 1680x1050 but once you upgrade to a larger monitor, it will take a toll on your graphic settings.

[x88x]

The 1060T and GTX460 sounds like the best option to me, but you will have to include a MBB upgrade in there as as well if your current board only has AM2 support. I can't find any info with the model number you listed..are you sure it's a AMD690VM-FMH not a AMD690VM-M2? I only ask because the only thing I've found with any relation to the AMD690VM-FMH is people looking for drivers...

There are plenty of AMD MBBs that support SLI, though I think they do all have nVidia northbridges. Of course you could always go CrossFireX instead since you're buying a new GPU anyways. Or you could just stick with a single card. A single GTX460 will run anything currently at 1920x1200, and will probably continue to do so for quite a while.

EDIT:
re PauL:
I'm currently using a GTX260 running a primary monitor at 2048x1152, plus a secondary monitor at 1280x1024, and I haven't run into anything yet that I can't run at full settings.

[VashUndead]

Lol i have literally almost the same system that you have right now

i just ordered the Galaxy Nvidia GTX460 1Gig Super OC card, and a better Heatsink, cause i like you have started to notice the more time goes on the less i can run new games

[Okele]

Heres an interesting thought for you.


http://www.evga.com/products/prodlist.asp?switch=20 Look for the X58 LE about the middle of the page. 80.00

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5719283&CatId=4072 289.00

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6594571&CatId=3775 219.00

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820144414&cm_re=geil_black_dragon-_-20-144-414-_-Product 139.00



80+289+219+139 = 719.00 good luck!

[Diamon]

The 1090T is supposed to be backwards compatible with AM2 and DDR2 (unless I've completely misunderstood it) which is why I was thinking of it. But maybe it's worth the money to upgrade the mobo too. If I do upgrade the mobo wouldn't an intel 4 core processor be better since none of my applications will be able to use 6 cores, well adobe after effects will but I hardly ever use it.


Edit: I've looked around on the cyberweb and running an AM3 CPU on an AM2 mobo seems like a lot of hassle... Maybe I should just upgrade the GFX, CPU, mobo and RAM at the same time. But the part of my brain that manages my economy (not that it's that hard since I'm 17 and don't have much else to spend money on atm) is hurting from the though of spending that much money at once...

[Trace]

Throwing this out there, I'm selling a cheap i7-920 in the For Sale section.

[Diamon]

I dunno, I could get a retail "AMD Phenom2 X4 965 3,4GHz Black Edition 125W" that seems like it would outperform that 920 plus it got an unlocked multiplier for the same price and should fit in the AM2 socket I got.

Edit: PM me a super sweet deal and I'll buy since my mobo does need a bit of an upgrade anyways...

[PauL]

Imo, if you really want to upgrade, do the whole thing. AMD will offer better a price/performance ratio, while Intel will offer the best performance but will cost a little more than an AMD build.

Edit: If you can get that i7 from Trace for a good price I would recommend:

Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128423) $209
Ram: G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225) $150
GPU: GTX 460 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130562) $200

Total ~ $750 (assuming the i7 is around $200)

[Diamon]

I already had my mind set on that GFX, for RAM I was looking at some very similar Corsair sticks, the exact same amount of sticks, memory, clock and similar price.

However for the mobo I haven't really decided. The ones I'm considering now is the ud3r you linked and the ASUS P6X58D-E (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131641&cm_re=Asus_P6X58D-E-_-13-131-641-_-Product). Would the higher price be worth it or should I just go for the Gigabyte card?

Edit: Reading reviews on newegg that Asus mobo does seem A LOT more solid.

[PauL]

Both look like great boards, the Gigabyte is far more popular according to the amount of reviews and honestly I think it comes down to personal preference considering both boards offer the same features (as far as I can tell)

[Okele]

Imo, if you really want to upgrade, do the whole thing. AMD will offer better a price/performance ratio, while Intel will offer the best performance but will cost a little more than an AMD build.

Edit: If you can get that i7 from Trace for a good price I would recommend:

Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128423) $209
Ram: G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225) $150
GPU: GTX 460 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130562) $200

Total ~ $750 (assuming the i7 is around $200)

Why do that when the EVGA B-stock is probably better and 120.00 less?

[Okele]

Trace just dropped the price on his 920, you really should think about it. That would knock quite a bit off what I originally showed you. Good luck though.

[PauL]

Why do that when the EVGA B-stock is probably better and 120.00 less?

I dont know if I say they are better but I did forget about EVGA's B-stock. You could take a look at this board Diamond: EVGA X58 SLI LE (Part# 141-BL-E757-RX) (http://www.evga.com/products/prodlist.asp?switch=20), but I am having trouble finding any reviews on it. I have read that they do come with an I/O back plate or if you do not recieve a backplate, they will mail one.

[Diamon]

I took a look at it and read some reviews. It seems to have everything I need now but it lacks SATA6 and USB3.0. I don't have any use for those today but in the future I might.

[diluzio91]

ive had more stable overclocking on asus boards than on gygabyte, but i think a big part of that is that my gygabyte board has smaller heatsinks on the mobo than the asus did....

[Diamon]

OK
First of all I'd like to thank everyone for their help in choosing components.
Now, this is what I ordered today:
GFX: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 460 1GB OC
MB: Asus P6X58D-E
RAM: Corsair 6GB (3x2GB) 1600MHz PC3-12800
And the CPU from Trace: core i7 920 D0

Using the latest conversions that'd be $998,02 (prices in Sweden is slightly higher then on the egg) which is just within my planned budget :D. But still, this computer better be powerful enough to blast holes in space-time.

[diluzio91]

But still, this computer better be powerful enough to blast holes in space-time.

if it isnt... overclock it!! :whistler:

[Diamon]

if it isnt... overclock it!! :whistler:

Of course :D

[PauL]

Congrats, that thing will be a monster compared to your current rig.

[Diamon]

Indeed, I look forward to playing all games at the max settings again ^^

[Diamon]

Just picked up the package (just waiting for my i7 from Trace before building my new pc) and god I love packing up new hardware :D

[Trace]

Should be there 5days