Looking to upgrade my system, advice please

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giggsy11

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Hi everyone,

I'm debating whether or not to upgrade my current Dell XPS desktop, specs;

Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 2.2Ghz
4GB DDR2 800mhz
AMD Radeon 4890 1GB
350watt Dell psu

I plan on keeping the cpu as it is and upgrading to the following;

8GB DDR2 800mhz
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/4gb-(2x2gb)-corsair-twinx-xms2-ddr2-pc2-6400-(800)-240-pins-non-ecc-unbufferedcas-5-5-5-18
NVIDIA Geforce GTX 760 Amp! Edition 2GB
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/2gb-zotac-gtx-760-amp!-edition-28nm-pcie-30-(x16)-6208mhz-gddr5-gpu-1111mhz-boost-1176mhz-cores-1152
600W Corsair Builder Series CX psu
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/600w-corsair-builder-series-cx-cp-9020048-uk-80-plus-bronze-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-quiet-fan-atx-psu

as well as adding a 250gb Samsung SSD and upgrading my cpu cooler
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/akasa-ak-cce-7101cp-bi-ped-alu-cooler-for-intel-p4-core2duo-quad-core-i3-5-7-plus-ultra-quiet-pwm-fa

The idea is to obviously general performance mainly in games and also the quieten the system, hence to SSD, and hopefully quieter graphics card and cpu cooler (4890 is quite loud under load)

I'd just like some opinions on these upgrades and if i can improve on them in regards to price or maybe spending slightly more for a lot more power, will these have the desired effect and will i see a performance boost or am i best admitting defeat and save for a new system

Thanks very much :)
 
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Onus

Onus

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Make sure to get the MODULAR version of any Corsair "CX" PSU. Although they were all built by CWT, the non-modular ones were made using some inferior Samxon capacitors that do not like heat and are known for early failure. I would not use one of these PSUs in a gamer. Otherwise, choose a Seasonic or Superflower-built PSU. FSP has some good ones too, like their Aurum series.
 
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chriss000

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The q8200 runs at 2.33 gig unless dell underclocked it.
What o/s are you running?
This cpu is still good for games.
The aftermarket cooler will help with noise, but not performance on that stock cpu.
The extra ram will help marginally ,a little more if vista.
Personally i would buy a 650 ti and the psu and build a new machine when that board snuffs it.
But thats my oppinion. The 7600 will still perform better modern platform or not.
 
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Onus

Onus

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A GTX650Ti Boost Edition is a nice step up in graphics power, and will run on any PSU that could power a HD4890. Unless you have a 64bit operating system, adding memory will do nothing for you, as a 32bit OS can only see 4GB total memory (including what's on your graphics card).
 
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giggsy11

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Thanks for the replies, i was afraid that my cpu could bottleneck but i wasn't sure with it being quad, it is a 2.33ghz i mistyped.

I'm currently running on Windows 8 but will probably go back to Windows 7 if i choose to upgrade, both 64-bit. I'm also worried that my current psu is only just fine to support my 4890, as i know they are power hungry so i thought maybe a psu upgrade may be sensible regardless.

So is it in most peoples opinion that getting the 760 or equivalent my cause a bottleneck and i should aim lower? I'm mainly just trying to find out if i would benefit from any upgrade or would the boost be small, if so i may just save the money and wait.

 
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chriss000

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As far as i am aware, windows 32 bit can see your memory, but can only utilise 3.2 gig of it, and it has nothing to do with your graphics card ram.
Forgive me if I am in error but I did have a board with 4 gig in it a while back.
 
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chriss000

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The 760 will outperform the 650 in your pc. The term 'bottleneck' is misleading, it means you might get a teeny bit more from a 760 in a new system, not a 760 will be no better than a 650. If you want a 760, get one. The 650 will be underpowered for the rig you build next.
Actually, what i mean is why buy twice?
Upgrade the power supply,
4 gig is fine for games with 7 or 8.
DDR 2 is expensive so leave the ram.
In short,
buy the 760 and the psu.
Your dell psu is a disaster waiting to happen.
 
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Onus

Onus

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Dell PSUs are undersized, but they typically aren't junk, else Dell would have had warranty nightmares with them.
TBH, I'm not sure how much of a graphics card's memory ALWAYS counts against the total the OS can see. I'm not sure it's the full amount, perhaps it's a particular "frame" size, but like I said I'm not sure.
There's a big difference between a GTX650, GTX650Ti, and GTX650Ti Boost Edition. The first is only about as strong as a HD7750, the second is weaker than a HD7790, and the last is a little bit stronger than a HD7850; the last should be able to play any game on "good" settings. Of course, a GTX760 is stronger, and is the better choice if it's in your budget. I wouldn't try to run it on a 350W PSU though.
 
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chriss000

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I appreciate your point about Dell's longevity,
They warrenty there machines for two years, and the psu's crap out around the four mark in my experience,whitch is fair enough.
As I dont buy pc's, this is usually good news for me when i get given them. Two out of three a new supply and off they go, the odd time they
are porked for various reasons.
His machine is knocking on a bit now, (5 years gaming?) so better to get a supply that will last it out, and his next build. He will only need mb/cpu/ram next time.
Yes, he can pick whatever gpu suits his budget, they are all diferent strengths.
In fact, while I remember, a good early indicator of a failing psu is lowered
cpu scores on 3dmarc.
If it has dropped since you last ran it, new psu time.
I had one drop 4000 points. I couldnt work it out.
New psu, sorted.
 
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Onus

Onus

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A new PSU for a more powerful graphics card does make some sense. On a budget, the Antec VP-450 will be sufficient for any graphics card that only needs a single PCIe power cable (regardless of what the mfg recommends; they try to account for overrated junk). If you need something stronger, I'd recommend a Seasonic "G" or "X" series or a XFX model. The Seasonics will be a little pricier, but they're modular, and not all the XFX units are. All of them are built by Seasonic. Another good choice is a 550W Rosewill Capstone. The "M" versions are modular. These are built by Super Flower, which is another quality OEM.
 
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giggsy11

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So a new psu is a must then, maybe even in my current system.

I liked the look of the 760 amp version as it is overclocked and saw a review that said it had a good quiet fan, seemed like a good price for a card that seemed to be around the equiv to a 770 (might be wrong) but if anyone has any other suggestions for cards that are a better option but similar or high in performance that'd be good.

Think i will get the 8gb of ram, not too long ago i would notice after long gaming sessions the task manager would say it was eating all my ram and my system would slowly come back to life after closing a game.

new cpu cooler not so important though? thought it may just give some extra life to my aging cpu.

Also a saw this ssd
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/256gb-sandisk-ultra-plus-kit-7mm-slim-25-ssd-sata-iii-6gb-s-read-530mb-s-write-445mb-s-82k-iops-max

has a lot higher write speeds than the samsung and similar read speeds and are similar prices, but the samsung seems more popular.
 
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chriss000

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When intel made your cpu they were a bit
'overcautious' on the clock speed multiplyer ratio.
Its a 45 nanometre architecture 'oddity' quad core , not obviously based on 2 of any dual core they had in production. Its a 'Bargain basement ' quad, It does play games about the same as the famous q6600 at stock speeds. Its quoted at 95 watts, but being 45nm architecture, having less cache memory, and a lower clock speed I dont think a new cooler is required or worth it, unless you buy one that will fit new boards as well.
OBVIOUSLY, ANY ssd is going to make a huge difference but they are only now starting to drop in price so I would leave that unless you are determined to face the install agro. Your current board wont run at sata 3/6gb/ps speeds also note,it will be capable of sata 2. , hence my advice to leave ssd's until they cost 50 cents a gig.
The system slowly recovering from playing a game but not being slowed in game by memory lack is the sweet spot, and spending £40 on 4 gig of ram that may or may not work in 8 gig ram timings with what you have now is iffy to say the least, and you will get ah heck all for that ram in 24 months time. Hope this all helps.
 
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