Hardware questions. Please help!

November 3, 2008 11:02:33 PM

Hi, I'm new to the forum. I'm sorry in advance for the long post.

I believe that my video card is the biggest bottle neck in my system, but I seem to have shot myself in the foot when I built my computer about a year ago. These are my current specs:
CPU:
Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 Allendale 1.8GHz LGA 775 65W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Mother Board:
GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 (rev. 1.3) LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Power Supply:
FSP Group SAGA+ 450R 450W ATX12V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
RAM:
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Video Card:
EVGA 320-P2-N811-AR GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

And I am running Vista Business Edition 64 bit.

I'd love to upgrade my video card, but I couldn't find a decent card to replace my 8800 GTS and I can't do SLI because I only have 1 PCI Express x16 slot... So to upgrade my video card, I need a new mother board. I have found the one I want:
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

I'd like to keep my current CPU (I can overclock it fairly easily), but on the Gigabyte site it says that it does not support the Allendale core, but it DOES support the Conroe Core. Both of these are Core 2 Duo E4300, 1.8 ghz, 800 mhz FSB, L2 cache, 65w, and 65 nm... so can my proposed new mother board support my old CPU? If it doesn't support my old CPU is this a good replacement?:
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

The card I want to upgrade to on the new board is:
EVGA 01G-P3-N983-AR GeForce 9800 GT 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Is this a good card with my proposed set up? Do I need to upgrade my power supply to keep up with the demands of the system?

I'm sorry for all the questions and I thank you in advance!

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chookman

November 4, 2008 2:31:35 AM

Umm there is no reason a 9800gt will not work with your current motherboard... go some overclocking and it should be enough for what you need.

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WR

November 4, 2008 3:12:48 AM

8800gts-320 to 9800gt-1024 does not seem like that much of an upgrade; they're both of the same generation, though the latter is at a better process node.

What exactly are you trying to play; what resolution/settings?

For less than the price listed in your link, I think HD4850 is a better deal.

Without replacing your motherboard (just your PSU, perhaps), you could fit a 9800gx2 or even a 4870x2 in that lone PCI-e slot. The second option approximates SLI'ed GTX260s... price and heat output are commensurate. Your motherboard still leaves you many expansion options; if it's working fine, no need to toss it.

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