i need your opinions people!!!!!!!!

[rambo117]

ok, i have an athlon 5000+ BE OC'd to 3.1ghz and a 3870 and i want to put money toward a new upgrade.
should i save up for a 4870 or keep my current graphics card and upgrade to a phenom quad core(please specify a recomeneded pheonom cpu please) i was looking at those triple cores to though....

what would you guys recomend??
thanks

 

[Shadow703793]

Keep the CPU and upgrade to a 4870/7850. Don't bother with the Phenoms.

 

[Onus]

We'll need to know more about your system, including the mobo, amount of RAM, and the brand/model of PSU.
The reason for your upgrade also matters. You will most likely see better performance in games with a GPU upgrade.

 

[Onus]

Hmmm, my turn to be the drone; I just checked your configuration. It doesn't list the mobo and RAM, but that PSU won't support a 4870. You're probably stressing it now, particularly if it came with that case.

 

[rambo117]

BIOSTAR A770 A2+ AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 mobo
450watt CORSAIR PSU model number: CMPSU-450VX
2gigs of Gskill ddr2 800

i use my computer mostly for gaming, a little bit of web browsing, and watching HD content. i play games like: halflife2, halo, crysis, bioshock, Lost Via domus, star trek legacy, and warmonger...

 

[rambo117]

so.. should i just wait on the GPU upgrade and go with a PSU upgrade instead? what would u recomened?

 

[mathiasschnell]

Yeah you need a more powerful PSU. Somewhere in the range of 650 - 750 Watts if you want to be safe, though you could probably get away with 600W. I wouldn't go below that.

 

[rambo117]

ok, my next upgrade will be a more powerful PSU then.

thank you for your opinions everyone!

 

[concrum]

Better options for you:


sell your motherboard, CPU and 3870
And buy socket 775 motherboard and Core 2 duo E8400 or Q6600 and 8800GT OC or 9800GTX

 

[ahslan]

mm...I'm not sure if you have to go that high with the PSU...Im using a Raidmax 530w psu and it works just fine with my setup...

 

[Onus]

Many of us enjoyed that thread in which three Raidmax PSUs choked, smoked, and croaked in minutes when loaded to 75% of their capacity. A quality 550W-600W would be sufficient.

 

[rambo117]

ok, i was looking at PSUs on newegg and i came across this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817148021

how would this one do? i personally think that this PSU is kinda going a bit power crazy for my system cause ive been doing just fine with my 450watt but i geuss that if i do get this one i wont have to upgrade for awhile


and to the person that told me to get rid of my mobo, cpu, and graphics card, no thanks... and even if i did what u told me to do, i would NOT have enough money for all those components. intel is just tooooo expencive for my buget.

 

[geofelt]

Your corsair 450 PSU is just fine, in fact it is a particularly good one. Don't upgrade it unless you are looking at a stronger vga card than the 4870.

For gaming, you get the best improvement from upgrading your vga card. A 4850 would be good, and a 4870, would be even better.

Ram is very cheap these days, see if you can't get your memory up to 3 or 4gb. It will make a difference in gaming according to some Corsair tests.

 

[Onus]

Apevia is another tier-5 ("Do not buy") brand of PSU. In fact, jonnyguru literally melted one of their 680W models in testing a year or so ago.
Your current Corsair could probably handle a 4870.

 

[nishiki]

I see that u have a corsair vx450, its a very good quality power supply, and its surely enought for your setup, I guess your setup is not even using 350watt at the wall maybe not even 300w at full load. The only 'way' your power supply can't be enough....is if he is very old... and capacitor get ''used''. Since its a good power supply, try it and if you ever draw too much power out of it...he will simply shut down without damaging your computer part. If you had a cheap power supply, i would not say the same but with the one you have....i do.

And for the upgrade...i agree with other, your better with a new vga card than with a cpu.

 

[ahslan]

....now you guys got me all worried about my system bursting into flames

 

[rambo117]

ok, thankyou for all your fast replies. since i hear that my PSU still has some use, i have now considered to go with a 4850 due to its price/performance ratio and its alot less power hungry then the 4870. and i know that the 4850 gets as hot as a german oven but i have a pretty good cooling layout ion my transformer case so it should all be well

thanks everyone!!!

 

[th_username]

yeah dont bother with phenom

 

[rambo117]

how long do you think my CPU will last me as far as future upgrades go and what not. do any of you have any recomendations for a cpu upgrade if i will eventually need one? although ive heard that the phenoms suck and dont overclock very well my mobo does support phenom.

 

[coozie7]

I would suggest a more powerful PSU should be your first move if you plan on upgrading your video card. look up the AMD website and click on the AMD CERTIFIED tab for more information. (Sorry, I`m quite new to this Forum lark and do n`t yet know how to post links).
Yes the 4850 runs hot and exhausts into the case, if you instal one try mounting a pci exhauster fan under it to draw some of the heat outside (a tip I read in this very Forum).
Unless you start using it for extensive video encoding or high end graphics renders your cpu will do just fine for a few years to come, my elderly 4200X2 (939 2.2 GHz) still plays well given a good graphics card to work with. By the time a CPU upgrade is needed, it will be better to either build/buy new or replace the motherboard and processor.
And yes, I know, my current rig is a C2D but the AMD machine was...
stolen, by my younger brother

 

[geofelt]

If you are an enthusiast, the next upgrade will be to a nehalem quad. Nothing else will do.

If you are not an enthusiast, then your system will last indefinitely.

 

[rolli59]

There is no reason for you to upgrade your PSU for a single chip GPU unless you are running multiple hard drives in your computer. The Corsair VX 450 has 33 amps on the +12volt rail which is better than many lesser PSU's in the 550 to 600 watt range. It has been on the highly recommended list on this forum for awhile.

 

[V3NOM]

If you are an enthusiast, the next upgrade will be to a nehalem quad. Nothing else will do.

If you are not an enthusiast, then your system will last indefinitely.

ROFL! phenom quad core...honestly get a nice OEM Q6600 and a xiggy 1283 and oc it to 3.0 without a voltage change or 3.6 if ur looking to get a nice 3dmark score...

 

[cjl]

ROFL! phenom quad core...honestly get a nice OEM Q6600 and a xiggy 1283 and oc it to 3.0 without a voltage change or 3.6 if ur looking to get a nice 3dmark score...

What?

He specifically said Nehalem quad, not Phenom.

 

[V3NOM]

What?

He specifically said Nehalem quad, not Phenom.

lol i thought i was quoting the original poster

but still i disagree a nice OC'd Q6600 will own any stock nehalem....hopefully...