Upgrading my system, please help.

[Guest]

Hi,

I plan on upgrading my system soon, so I was thinking about:
add another 8800gt + zalman cnps9700nt 110mm cpu cooler.

Do you think this upgrade is good, or it would be better to wait for the 4870x2 and get a crossfire mobo ?

My system specs:
C2Q 6600, Asus p5n 32e sli (680i), 4 gb 800 mhz corsair, xfx 8800gt 512mb alpha dog.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Onus]

What is your monitor resolution? What games?

 

[Guest]

Samsung 226bw @ 1680x1050 over dvi, about the games : Crysis, dreamfall and company of heroes and other games.

 

[evongugg]

This is a better cooler:

XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cpu-cooler-charts,1967-12.html

http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm

XIGMATEK ACK-I7751 Retention Bracket - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233019

don't forget to order the retention bracket because push pin mounting sucks.

 

[4745454b]

First, you don't need a CF motherboard to run the x2. The point of the X2 is to give you CF, without a care about what motherboard you have. Second, before getting the second 8800GT, make sure your PSU is up for powering both of them. It probably is seeing as the 8800GT doesn't use a lot of juice.

If you already have an SLI board, get the second 8800GT. This will nearly give you the power of the GX2, which is >~ the 4870. (the 4870x2 would probably be a faster option then your 8800GT SLI setup, but you are only at 1600x1200, so its not really needed. Save the dough.)

 

[Guest]

Thank you for the feedback.

If an 8800gt sli is somehow equivalent to a 9800gx2, then I'll get another one.

Yet I was thinking about getting two 4870x2 in a crossfire setting and wait for the new nehalem processors to come out which would be a full system upgrade.

 

[4745454b]

The 9800GX2 is basically two 8800GTS/9800GTX cards facing each other. The 8800GT has a few less stream processors, so it will be a bit slower.

Considering the price of the 8800GT, and the fact that you have one already, you can get ~75% of the power of the 9800GX2 simply by buying a ~$100 card. Is that sweet or what?

You'll have to get a new motherboard, RAM, and CPU if/when you switch to Nehalem. The only thing I'd worry about moving over to a new system is the case and PSU. (and pray you don't need a new PSU...) Seeing as you already have the SLI motherboard and an 8800GT already, buying another is a good move.