Getting the upgrade itch but am on a budget

DaMaN · Post by **DaMaN** » Thu Mar 25, 2010 12:05 pm

With that said my system specs are listed below:

Core2Duo E6700
Asus P5B-Deluxe
4GB Corsair PC6400 DDR2 (2X2GB Kit)
EVGA 8800GTS Superclocked 640MB
1X2TB WD Black SATAII 64MB cache
5XWD 1TB SATAII 16MB cache
Lite-On Dual Layer
Onboard Sound
2XDell 2405FPW
Lian Li A16B

Windows Vista Home Premium 64Bit

I am thinking that I could probably bump up to a new video card and reformat & install Windows 7 and I could probably see some increases in speed but am not 100% sure.

Here is my Windows Experience Score for what its worth:

This shows my processor and memory are slowing me down, any advice from the folks here?

Thanks,

David

DaMaN · Post by **DaMaN** » Thu Mar 25, 2010 1:02 pm

Another note is I have an ASUS P5Q Pro mobo here I acquired from Rubber Duckie here on PCA that is a newer chipset and can accept faster memory than my current ASUS P5B-Deluxe.

normalicy · Post by **normalicy** » Thu Mar 25, 2010 1:29 pm

Faster memory doesn't really make all that much of a difference in the big picture (doesn't hurt though). Honestly, like you noted, the only thing holding you back is the video card. Bump yourself up to a HD5850 or HD5770 & you'll be quite a bit better off. You could upgrade the processor to quad core, but it really doesn't make a ton of difference. Another consideration is a SSD drive if you want that snappy feeling. Reformatting is always good. I try to stay in the habit. Really keeps the clutter down.

Oh & the Windows Performance Score is just a guideline. It really isn't a proper benchmark of your computer's performance. I like FarCry 2's built in benchmark. It's real & in game. Shows you what to expect & is recent enough to push your system.

renovation · Post by **renovation** » Thu Mar 25, 2010 4:32 pm

dave i trade you rigs im still running ide and onboard video ~

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Thu Mar 25, 2010 9:19 pm

The Windows performance chart is a joke. The fact that your aging 8800GTS is given a 5.9 proves that.

You're fine unless you want to ditch the whole thing and move up to an i7 processor. If you're on a budget there's no need to. All you need is a better vid card (assuming you're into gaming - if not then there's no need).

Win7 will not perform any noticeably faster in games than Vista SP2. What it will be is somewhat more stable and give you a snappier desktop. If money is tight then just get a better vid card and stick with Vista.

DaMaN · Post by **DaMaN** » Thu Mar 25, 2010 9:43 pm

Thanks guys, so a 5850 or a 5770 is the way to go these days?

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Thu Mar 25, 2010 10:00 pm

5850 is a darn nice card. You will see a major improvement.

normalicy · Post by **normalicy** » Fri Mar 26, 2010 1:51 am

If you're upgrading, might as well do it right. Skip the 5770 (even though it's a good card) & go for the 5850, it's just that good. Problem is finding one for under $250 (I've seen as low as $220 a few weeks ago, but not currently).

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Fri Mar 26, 2010 8:08 am

$250? Newegg doesn't even have one for less than $300 right now. Yeah it's THE card to get right now, I'm loving mine.

Mind you for $170 the 5770 is still a lot of bang for the bucks. You can see some comparison benchmarks between the two here: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/rad ... ,2446.html

DaMaN · Post by **DaMaN** » Fri Mar 26, 2010 8:12 am

Thanks FP, I think I am going to get the 5850, which do you have?

DaMaN · Post by **DaMaN** » Fri Mar 26, 2010 8:17 am

I read that NVidia Cuda Cores "Fermi" will release soon (1 week?). Would this help drop prices on the 5850 due to demand for them to drop for the cutting edgers?

http://www.nvidia.com/object/fermi_architecture.html

DaMaN · Post by **DaMaN** » Fri Mar 26, 2010 9:13 am

I am liking the cooling design on this GIGABYTE model here:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125318&cm_re=5850-_-14-125-318-_-Product

Or this one due to the Free MW2 included:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102885&cm_re=5850-_-14-102-885-_-Product

And this seems to be the fastest 5850 @ NewEgg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102881&cm_re=5850-_-14-102-881-_-Product

normalicy · Post by **normalicy** » Fri Mar 26, 2010 11:41 am

CompUSA had them for $260 a few weeks ago & they had $30 bing cash back. Was pretty tempted but my 4890's working fine. I'm somewhat doubtful about the Fermi's actual release date, they've pushed it back for months now. But yeah, it'll probably dip the prices when it finally releases (assuming that Nvidia is competitive on the pricing).

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Fri Mar 26, 2010 10:45 pm

Mine is a Sapphire which is just ATI's own manufacturing company. Gigabyte and XFX are also good brands.

The Sapphire with MW2 is a good deal.

normalicy · Post by **normalicy** » Sat Mar 27, 2010 2:14 pm

Oh yeah, I've been using XFX for the last 3 years for vid cards & couldn't be happier with their service. Lifetime warranty (which apparently to the vid card companies is 2 years). EVGA is also very well known for it's warranty service.

I personally had a bad experience with Sapphire's support a number of years ago. Fan went out on my ATI 9800 within the warranty period (actually within a few months of purchase). Contacted them multiple times via their support e-mail. Received a response the first time saying they'd take care of it, but never received a response after that & never took care of it. XFX on the other hand responded sometimes within the hour. They may have changed things since then. It has been years. But I'm still a bit bitter.