- Nov 28, 2015
- 2
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- 4,510
Hello, and thanks in advance for your opinions. I'm kinda stuck here with a situation that I'm sure a lot of you are going to think is a no-brainer 
I've got an aging LGA 775 system: key components are a Xeon x3220 2.4Ghz(Basically a Core 2 duo Q6600), 4GB RAM, XFX R9 280, all on an old Gigabyte EP43-UD3L and running on a PC Power & Cooling 750w PSU. Windows 10 64-bit. Other components that really aren't important to this issue, I won't be upgrading those or I've already upgraded recently.
Only very recently have I noticed that I'm having issues with RAM being fully utilized and have been experiencing some freezing and crashing. Occasionally in games, but primarily while I'm using Finale (music notation software). Memory utilization goes way up due to the program itself and the MIDI samples being used. There are other instances, but the worst is with Finale, and while I don't compose for a living, I do need this program to work reliably to write music for gigs and my student orchestras.
I've the option to upgrade to 8GB DDR2 RAM for 55$:
KOMPUTERBAY 8GB (4X 2GB) DDR2 800MHz PC2-6300 PC2-6400 (240 PIN) DIMM Desktop Memory with Samsung Semiconductors
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GXI9YC8/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3GX8OKZ61Y3MC&coliid=I1T8UIOJNEQQ64
Or, I can upgrade mobo/CPU/ram for about 390$ ( 350$ after rebate), and pop in:
- ASUS Z97-E/USB3.1 LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI ATX Intel Motherboard - $115 ($75 after rebate)
- G.SKILL Sniper Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 - $65
- Intel Core i5-4690K Devil's Canyon Quad-Core 3.5 GHz LGA 1150 - $209
All on Newegg current sale prices.
All in all, this system has been a frickin' champ for 8 years now. I've had the Xeon up to 3.92Ghz, and though I ran it at 2.8 for everyday usage for years, it's not happy anymore running much above stock without a lot of extra voltage, and I don't really need the extra power nowadays. The system runs most games really really well even still (and I know my processor is limiting my video card). Am I holding on to this one too long? Should I eke out another year or two with this system and buy more RAM? I know I'm nearing end-of-life with some of these components, but honestly the computer is running really well for the most part.
I have the money for this, but I'm really trying to save for a house (I live in Portland Oregon). Will the new ram even help? Should I jump on these prices? Should I go for LGA 1151? Have I missed any crazy deals or should I wait for another generation of technology before upgrading? I've spent days and days reading up but I'm not much closer to deciding. Except of course, that the more I read, the more I want new toys.
Thanks so much for any opinions and insight you may have.
Chris
I've got an aging LGA 775 system: key components are a Xeon x3220 2.4Ghz(Basically a Core 2 duo Q6600), 4GB RAM, XFX R9 280, all on an old Gigabyte EP43-UD3L and running on a PC Power & Cooling 750w PSU. Windows 10 64-bit. Other components that really aren't important to this issue, I won't be upgrading those or I've already upgraded recently.
Only very recently have I noticed that I'm having issues with RAM being fully utilized and have been experiencing some freezing and crashing. Occasionally in games, but primarily while I'm using Finale (music notation software). Memory utilization goes way up due to the program itself and the MIDI samples being used. There are other instances, but the worst is with Finale, and while I don't compose for a living, I do need this program to work reliably to write music for gigs and my student orchestras.
I've the option to upgrade to 8GB DDR2 RAM for 55$:
KOMPUTERBAY 8GB (4X 2GB) DDR2 800MHz PC2-6300 PC2-6400 (240 PIN) DIMM Desktop Memory with Samsung Semiconductors
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GXI9YC8/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3GX8OKZ61Y3MC&coliid=I1T8UIOJNEQQ64
Or, I can upgrade mobo/CPU/ram for about 390$ ( 350$ after rebate), and pop in:
- ASUS Z97-E/USB3.1 LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI ATX Intel Motherboard - $115 ($75 after rebate)
- G.SKILL Sniper Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 - $65
- Intel Core i5-4690K Devil's Canyon Quad-Core 3.5 GHz LGA 1150 - $209
All on Newegg current sale prices.
All in all, this system has been a frickin' champ for 8 years now. I've had the Xeon up to 3.92Ghz, and though I ran it at 2.8 for everyday usage for years, it's not happy anymore running much above stock without a lot of extra voltage, and I don't really need the extra power nowadays. The system runs most games really really well even still (and I know my processor is limiting my video card). Am I holding on to this one too long? Should I eke out another year or two with this system and buy more RAM? I know I'm nearing end-of-life with some of these components, but honestly the computer is running really well for the most part.
I have the money for this, but I'm really trying to save for a house (I live in Portland Oregon). Will the new ram even help? Should I jump on these prices? Should I go for LGA 1151? Have I missed any crazy deals or should I wait for another generation of technology before upgrading? I've spent days and days reading up but I'm not much closer to deciding. Except of course, that the more I read, the more I want new toys.
Thanks so much for any opinions and insight you may have.
Chris
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