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What upgrade first?

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  • Hewlett Packard
  • Graphics Cards
  • Motherboards
  • Components
Last response: in Components
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November 20, 2013 9:42:11 AM

I have an Hp xw6600 with an intel xeon e5440 2.83ghz quad core 4gb of ddr2 FB ram and an nvidia geforce 8800 ultra What should i upgrade first?

More about : upgrade

a b U Graphics card
a b V Motherboard
November 20, 2013 9:46:19 AM

i would upgrade to a more moder graphics card then a new processor becuase while your procssor is old your grapihcs card is way old
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a b U Graphics card
a b V Motherboard
November 20, 2013 9:48:38 AM

Especially if you're focusing on gaming performance, upgrading the gpu is THE most cost effective way to increase performance. That's where I would start. Next important would be the CPU. Don't worry about RAM, 4bg is almost always enough.

Hope that helps!

DonQuixoteMC
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November 20, 2013 9:49:11 AM

legokill101 said:
i would upgrade to a more moder graphics card then a new processor becuase while your procssor is old your grapihcs card is way old

Well, there are a couple of processors that i can find that are faster than this one

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a b U Graphics card
a b V Motherboard
November 20, 2013 9:53:06 AM

You might want to use Tom's Hardware Graphics Card Performance Hierarchy Chart to make sure you getting an upgrade. What is your budget and do you use it for gaming? What country?

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-car...
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a b U Graphics card
a b V Motherboard
November 20, 2013 9:54:15 AM

PatriotZKing said:

Well, there are a couple of processors that i can find that are faster than this one



Regardless, you will see much greater gaming performance by investing in a better GPU than by investing in a better processor.
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a b U Graphics card
a b V Motherboard
November 20, 2013 9:54:54 AM

yes because your cpu is still good enough while your graphics card is borderline ancient
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November 20, 2013 9:56:03 AM

Lol ancient, I remember when it was top of the line :0 lol
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November 20, 2013 9:56:49 AM

bkoop said:
You might want to use Tom's Hardware Graphics Card Performance Hierarchy Chart to make sure you getting an upgrade. What is your budget and do you use it for gaming? What country?

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-car...


Canada, i prefer using memory express but will use tiger direct and newegg
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a b U Graphics card
a b V Motherboard
November 20, 2013 9:58:03 AM

what about ncix?
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November 20, 2013 10:01:17 AM

legokill101 said:
what about ncix?


I guess, I will have a budget of probably 250$ by christmas
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a b U Graphics card
a b V Motherboard
November 20, 2013 10:05:46 AM

The only part I find upgrading if you want to keep this system is the graphic card. Upgrading other parts is a waste because it won't increases your gaming performance when you still have a ancient GeForce 8800 Ultra.
Also that system uses FB-DIMM, they mainly used in workstation and servers. Their performance is slower compare to desktop ram.
Best option would be to just get a new system. What is your budget?
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November 20, 2013 10:13:16 AM

haha yeah i just spent money for the system
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November 20, 2013 11:23:46 AM

bkoop said:
You can use Tom's Hardware Graphics Card Performance Hierarchy Chart to look for other cards.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-car...

The GTX 660 Ti are slower and more expensive, so the next choice would be GTX 660

MSI GeForce GTX 660 Gaming Edition 1033/1098MHZ 2GB for 214.99 and 204.99 if you want to mail in the $10 rebate.

http://www.ncix.ca/products/?sku=90228&vpn=N660%20GAMIN...


GeForce GTX 660 SuperClocked 2GB From EVGA 210$ at memory express no shipping since I can go get it, is it worth? Mail in rebate 20$ so 189.99
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November 20, 2013 12:12:14 PM

I'm still skeptical why i lag in minecraft at highest settings on my setup do you guys have any clue? I will upgrade the video card since you guys say it is the biggest performance change
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a b U Graphics card
a b V Motherboard
November 20, 2013 12:12:56 PM

PatriotZKing said:
bkoop said:
You can use Tom's Hardware Graphics Card Performance Hierarchy Chart to look for other cards.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-car...

The GTX 660 Ti are slower and more expensive, so the next choice would be GTX 660

MSI GeForce GTX 660 Gaming Edition 1033/1098MHZ 2GB for 214.99 and 204.99 if you want to mail in the $10 rebate.

http://www.ncix.ca/products/?sku=90228&vpn=N660%20GAMIN...


GeForce GTX 660 SuperClocked 2GB From EVGA 210$ at memory express no shipping since I can go get it, is it worth? Mail in rebate 20$ so 189.99


Yes, it is a huge upgrade, but I would pick the dual fans for quieter game play.

The ASUS or the Gigabyte, if you keep you electrics cooler (dual fans) they should last longer.
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November 20, 2013 12:17:13 PM

bkoop said:
PatriotZKing said:
bkoop said:
You can use Tom's Hardware Graphics Card Performance Hierarchy Chart to look for other cards.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-car...

The GTX 660 Ti are slower and more expensive, so the next choice would be GTX 660

MSI GeForce GTX 660 Gaming Edition 1033/1098MHZ 2GB for 214.99 and 204.99 if you want to mail in the $10 rebate.

http://www.ncix.ca/products/?sku=90228&vpn=N660%20GAMIN...


GeForce GTX 660 SuperClocked 2GB From EVGA 210$ at memory express no shipping since I can go get it, is it worth? Mail in rebate 20$ so 189.99


Yes, it is a huge upgrade, but I would pick the dual fans for quieter game play.

The ASUS or the Gigabyte, if you keep you electrics cooler (dual fans) they should last longer.


There is also a Zotac edition available
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a b U Graphics card
a b V Motherboard
November 20, 2013 12:45:19 PM

PatriotZKing said:
I'm still skeptical why i lag in minecraft at highest settings on my setup do you guys have any clue? I will upgrade the video card since you guys say it is the biggest performance change


Your video card is about six years old, many video cards fail before that time.
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November 20, 2013 12:46:38 PM

bkoop said:
PatriotZKing said:
I'm still skeptical why i lag in minecraft at highest settings on my setup do you guys have any clue? I will upgrade the video card since you guys say it is the biggest performance change


Your video card is about six years old, many video cards fail before that time.

It hasnt been actively used since 2007 or so, it was from my big bro's rig
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a b U Graphics card
a b V Motherboard
November 20, 2013 12:55:35 PM

Don't forget power requirements. Make sure your PSU can support more powerful cards. If it can't, you'll have a whole host of other problems.
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November 20, 2013 1:22:22 PM

DonQuixoteMC said:
Don't forget power requirements. Make sure your PSU can support more powerful cards. If it can't, you'll have a whole host of other problems.


Quite positive that i should be good. My psu is 650watts
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a b U Graphics card
a b V Motherboard
November 20, 2013 2:49:18 PM

PatriotZKing said:
Quite positive that i should be good. My psu is 650watts


Okay, good. Sorry if you already addressed that, I just never saw that spec.
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November 20, 2013 3:23:55 PM

DonQuixoteMC said:
PatriotZKing said:
Quite positive that i should be good. My psu is 650watts


Okay, good. Sorry if you already addressed that, I just never saw that spec.


No, I didn't address that. The psu seems to be of decent quality as well though
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a b U Graphics card
a b V Motherboard
November 20, 2013 3:56:51 PM

Great! Then I'd go with the advice everyone's been giving! You'll see an incredible performance jump in-game if you get a the kind of GPU people are suggesting.
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November 20, 2013 4:01:59 PM

DonQuixoteMC said:
Great! Then I'd go with the advice everyone's been giving! You'll see an incredible performance jump in-game if you get a the kind of GPU people are suggesting.


I think i will go with the GTX660 either from zotac,asus or gigabyte
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November 24, 2013 1:06:35 PM

Just wondering, how much of a difference would 4gb more ram make?
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a b U Graphics card
a b V Motherboard
November 24, 2013 1:30:57 PM

What operating system are you running and be sure to mention 32-bit or 64-bit version?

Give us a sample of two of the games you play or want to play and you will get a better answer to your memory question.
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November 24, 2013 1:44:41 PM

bkoop said:
What operating system are you running and be sure to mention 32-bit or 64-bit version?

Give us a sample of two of the games you play or want to play and you will get a better answer to your memory question.


64bit windows 7 proffesional- Lets say more ram for minecraft or gta4
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a b U Graphics card
a b V Motherboard
November 24, 2013 1:59:30 PM

For those two games, 4GB is fine. You might not see any improvement at all going to 8GB.
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November 24, 2013 2:15:50 PM

bkoop said:
For those two games, 4GB is fine. You might not see any improvement at all going to 8GB.

Okay, just wondering because i found 2 2gb sticks for 16 dollars
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a b U Graphics card
a b V Motherboard
November 24, 2013 2:33:40 PM

It generally is not a good idea to mix RAM modules, from different manufacturers. Any tiny difference can cause crashes.
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a b U Graphics card
a b V Motherboard
November 24, 2013 3:13:01 PM

PatriotZKing said:
bkoop said:
For those two games, 4GB is fine. You might not see any improvement at all going to 8GB.

Okay, just wondering because i found 2 2gb sticks for 16 dollars


Remember the ram in your system is not just standard DDR2 it's uses server DDR2 call FB-DIMM. Not sure where you got that price from, but at Newegg Canada, the cheapest is 4GB kit (2x2GB) DDR2 800MHz FB-DIMM is $146.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1682...
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November 24, 2013 6:04:16 PM

lp231 said:
PatriotZKing said:
bkoop said:
For those two games, 4GB is fine. You might not see any improvement at all going to 8GB.

Okay, just wondering because i found 2 2gb sticks for 16 dollars


Remember the ram in your system is not just standard DDR2 it's uses server DDR2 call FB-DIMM. Not sure where you got that price from, but at Newegg Canada, the cheapest is 4GB kit (2x2GB) DDR2 800MHz FB-DIMM is $146.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1682...


http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Kingston-4GB-2x2G-PC2-5300-DDR2-...
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November 27, 2013 11:22:58 AM

Found an Xfx radeon 7850 1gb for 150$ is this a good deal? I know it has one fan but i do have pretty good cooling...
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!