Tom's Hardware > Forum > Graphic & Displays > Graphics Cards > Upgrading Help!!
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epic_pc   09-09-2008 at 04:04:50 PM

Im attempting to upgrade my PC to get the most bang for the buck and I've come to a stand still because Im not sure what to upgrade. My upgrade budget is $200. Here's my specs
AMD AM2 5000+ BE
Asus M2Nsli-Deluxe
2gb DDR2 Ballistics Memory
MSI 9600GT OC card
WD 150GB HD
Thats the bare bones for my system. So here is my line of though.... Processor and Mobo, the 5000+ overclocks incredibly well and the M2Nsli-Deluxe is a good backbone, so im leaning towards a graphics upgrade or HD upgrade.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814127333 This is my graphics card.....putting it into SLI with another would almost be doubling my performance....well not quite double, more like adding 3/4
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136296 This is an option for upgrading my HD, but Im not sure how to translate HD performance charts into overall system performance. I used "Toms HD Chart" and according to it, the VelociRaptor is double the performance of my WD Caviar 120GB.
So...
What do you think??
thank you in advance for your opinions

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jtt283   09-09-2008 at 04:56:20 PM
- 0 +

According to Cleeve's monthly article on the best gaming video cards for the money, you'll want to jump up at least three tiers on the chart on the last page to see a solid improvement. That means a 4870. The cheapest one I found was $245 after MIR, which is over budget.
In this case, however, it would be useful to know what's slow, i.e. what you are trying to improve. While a lesser improvement, going to a 4850 may be worthwhile. Those are as low as $150 after MIR; $170 with no MIR.
If, on the other hand, what is slow are things like level-loading in games, query processing in a DB application, or spreadsheet load times, then a faster HDD might be the way to go. The Velociraptor is a fast drive, but not a good bang for buck choice. This 640GB WD is a good choice there: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136218

------------------------------ There is ALWAYS a drone. Exactly where, or how many drones you will encounter may vary, but that there will be at least one will not.
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epic_pc   09-09-2008 at 06:03:22 PM
- 0 +

Wow, that 640GB HD averages out to be 7.5GB per dollar... That's incredible.
As for the 4850, your right, the price/performance you cant get much better with a single card. What my goal is, is that I want the best gaming experience I can get for the price. The load times are acceptable to me ATM with my current HD, but capacity is an issue. As for Graphics performance...things look really really good with the 9600gt compared to my old system that was an AGP 7600gt with an Athlon 3200+. So im not sure where to go from here.
I havent found a chart with a 9600gt and a 4850 side by side, but I have seen an 8800gt and 8800gt sli side by side with the 4850http://www.anandtech.com/video/sho [...] i=3341&p=1
I feel by looking at that review that a 9600gt in sli would win out over a single 4850 since the 9600gt is a little weaker than the 8800gt.
Thank you for you help its greatly appreciated.

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IH8U   09-09-2008 at 06:25:19 PM
- 0 +

My $.02

MB: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131320
$105 (ASUS hybrid SLI, can use the 140W Phenoms)
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820144073
$77 (DDR2 800 4GB GEIL)

You can run the SLI with the onboard, untill you can afford a better Vid card. You can also transplant the 5000+ BE, untill you can buy something else. (The cheapest tri-core is $102, and sinking)

Reply to IH8U
aevm   09-09-2008 at 06:41:01 PM
- 0 +

I would add another 9600GT, if the PSU is strong enough. What kind of PSU do you have?

If you can, get a WD 640GB too.

#3 priority: more RAM.

Reply to aevm
epic_pc   09-09-2008 at 06:51:19 PM
- 0 +

My PSU is a 600W Cooler Master. 2 12v rails with 2 pcix 6pin connectors. The Mobo upgrade for SLI, I thought only worked with the......9500 or something specificly made for that? I cant remember the name.
But its great getting input from every one.
Thank you again

Reply to epic_pc
aevm   09-09-2008 at 07:08:44 PM
- 0 +

Your PSU has the power and the connectors for two 9600GT cards. I guess this is the cheapest upgrade you can do, adding a 9600GT and a WD6400AAKS.

If you had more money I'd recommend K9A2 Platinum and HD 4850 (and a second HD 4850 later), but that's about $300 now and another $150 later.

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