Upgrade old gaming Q9550/GTX280 system or go fully new?

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axsnyder

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Mar 25, 2013
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What I want to do:

    Play games like Starcraft 2
    Minimum hassle
    Possibly experiment with overclocking


What I have:

  • Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz
    EVGA nForce 780i 3-way SLI
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280 ...just one
    2x 2GB Corsair CM2X2048-6400C5 PC2-6400 (400 MHz)
    Old WD Raptor 150GB @10,000 RPM
    Old WD Raptor 300GB @10,000 RPM
    Corsair 1,000 watt power - don't remember exact model

Recently I've had some GPU-caused crashes while trying to play Heart of the Swarm. It is the first issue I've ever had with this 4+ year old rig. And this has got me thinking it is time to either give it some help or start new.

Option 1 that I'm seriously questioning
Upgrade the old system with new RAM up to 8GB and 800 MHz (not sure that makes too much difference) and a new GPU. Maybe throw in a decent sound card? I'm just not sure how much new hardware will really gain me over a new one. But I like the idea of spending less than $800 for another 1-2 years of usage.

Option 2
Pay up to $4,000 for a pre-built system.

Option 3 is a big maybe
Build a whole new rig myself. Although I like the idea of building a rig myself again (I used to build rigs back in the 90s), but I am so rusty I worry I'm getting into some hassle there. I'd rather pay more for the luxury of time.

I'm asking if Option 1 is a viable course, or if I should just move on? Thanks in advance for your advice.
 
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inzone
I would have to say that option 1 would be a waste of your money if your thinking about getting more ram on an old motherboard and getting a new cpu means a new motherboard and then you on your way to actually building a new computer anyways.
Option 2 would be your best option if you don't want to build your own, but you don't have to spend $4000, you can get a very good computer for half that.
Option 3 would be the option to take if you want to build your own and not spend a lot of money , you can get a very good build for $2000 or even less. So my recommendation is to move on and build your own and if you don't want to build then buy one.
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inzone

inzone

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Mar 12, 2011
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I would have to say that option 1 would be a waste of your money if your thinking about getting more ram on an old motherboard and getting a new cpu means a new motherboard and then you on your way to actually building a new computer anyways.
Option 2 would be your best option if you don't want to build your own, but you don't have to spend $4000, you can get a very good computer for half that.
Option 3 would be the option to take if you want to build your own and not spend a lot of money , you can get a very good build for $2000 or even less. So my recommendation is to move on and build your own and if you don't want to build then buy one.
 
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axsnyder

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Mar 25, 2013
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After a night of sleep and a little more research I believe you're right inzone. Thank you for the link as well. I'm also playing with the idea of getting into some much larger resolutions, so I'm thinking this could be a good base to start with. Add another 7970 in the future.

I'm also thinking this case and CPU cooler will be good for keeping components nice and quiet along with room to play with a little overclocking.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Mk3r
 
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inzone

inzone

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Ok , I think your on the right track with what you've picked and can see some clear winners and some that you can maybe think about changing.
We agree on the cpu , however Haswell is on the verge of being released and pricing is even being posted on some web sites. If your not in a rush to build and want to wait a few months then you could decide between Haswell and Ivy Bridge and even if you end up sticking with Ivy Bridge prices may lower a bit once the new cpu is released. A change to Haswell will mean changing to a newer MB.
The cpu cooler that you selected is maybe overkill and you can get the H-80 and get very good temps from that and only have to deal with a single radiator instead of the dual H-100.
The SSD maybe ok but the Samsung 840 Pro is much better and has faster read/writes.
The rest is good and some choices can be a personal preference like the case and video card brand but overall a good start and now you can decide if you want to wait or start building. I know when I do any rebuild of my computer I research everything making sure that something is not going to be released right after I build. There's nothing worse then just after you finish they release a new cpu or video card and your like oh no.
 
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inzone

inzone

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Mar 12, 2011
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SAPPHIRE 100351SR Radeon HD 7970 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card OC with Boost
Currently $409.99 and a $20 rebate at Newegg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202008

ASUS VK248H-CSM Black 24" 2ms (GTG) HDMI Widescreen LED-Backlit LCD Monitor 250 cd/m2 ASCR 50000000:1 Built-in Speakers&Webcam
$209.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236261

Ok , I can see that your trying to make an outstanding gaming machine and you seem to be wanting to spend quite a bit of money to do this.I like the two 7970 cards and to save a bit of money you can get two of them for a lot less currently at Newegg and save $50.
The three monitor setup is a good way to go but those Dell monitors are not gaming monitors with an 8ms response time, the three I have suggested will save you almost $300 and give you better response time and the same refresh and resolution.
What is the reason for the two SSDs at 256gb and no hard drive, are you using the hard drive from your current computer?
Take a look at this build and see what you think, I went with the Sandy Bridge-ER socket and I have the same thing so I can vouch for that socket as being a very strong gaming setup and the three monitors have a response time of 2ms which is what you want in gaming.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Mw5Z
 
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guanyu210379

guanyu210379

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Mar 30, 2007
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Now:
Get a new GPU at least HD7850 (or higher)
Sell your GTX280 in ebay

After Hasswell is available:
Get new proc, mobo , RAM
Sell your current mobo, proc and ram in ebay

Timing independent, only optional:
ditch those 10k rpm HDDs and get 1 at least 128GB SSD and/or a new 1 - 3 TB HDD
 
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axsnyder

Honorable
Mar 25, 2013
8
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10,510




Thanks for all the advice. From the posts in this thread I decided to replace the old rig. And after looking at some Eyefinity/Surround setups I decided to build it myself, so I could put money into a new monitor setup.

Here's the way I went: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/MEy6 ...maybe a little overkill for today, but I'm thinking about a 2nd Titan and two more monitors down the road.

All internals except the GPU showed up last week, and I'm happy to say the test boot worked well. Can't wait for the rest to show up tomorrow.

Why did I go with these components? Honestly, a budget of $6,000 to include an electric sit/stand desk: http://www.jesperoffice.com/jesper-office-sit-stand-desks/115-jesper-office-sit-stand-desk-63-inch-prestige (great desk, but was a pain to setup).

Semi-quiet with decently-high-performance. My old rig sounds like a hovercraft. I also want peace of mind in CPU cooling despite the fact that I'm probably not going to be as aggressive on the overclock this cooler warrants. That should also explain the case and power supply choice (I actually have the 80 Gold version).

Wow, I am blown away at the responsiveness of these displays vs all my other monitors. I have a few Apple Cinema Displays and a 4 year old Dell 24" Ultrasharp, and until I tried scrolling and gaming with a trackpad on these newer 2ms monitors I had no idea what I was missing. Doing everyday things on the faster monitors is sooooo much better. I also like the 16:9 ratio. It is very useful.

Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks again and that this thread was definitely a HUGE help.

Big thanks to inzone!
 
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