Upgrading PC, Need Suggestions!

[xaelee]

hey everyone, first ill let u guys know my current basic setup

p5k-deluxe wi/fi
Q6600 OC to 3ghz
8800 gt
4gb DDR2 800mhz
600w psu

alrighty, so i wanna upgrade to the following:

-motherboard thats better at SLI, but doesnt have to be godly cuz im not a hardcore gamer. wifi would be nice, ddr2 and 3 compatibility would also be great. price range 150-250 (best bang/buck)
-same processor, can i use the same voltage and settings? or do i have to do the oc process all over again? (did i mention im a newb and this was my first sucessful overclock? :lol: )
-my current 8800gt PLUS 9800gt (SLI) only cuz i wanna slight upgrade and 3-4 monitors, thought that this would be the most appropriate, cost-effective upgrade
-rams good enough for me, as well as ocing my cpu only 3ghz.
-600w psu, do i need to upgrade?

mainly need a new motherboard, and a bit of info/suggestions here and there =)
Thanks!

 

[theAnimal]

Any SLI mobo will be better at SLI than your current one which only supports Crossfire. DDR3 is unnecessary unless you're upgrading to Core i7.

How many monitors do you have? Why do you want 3 or 4?

What brand and model is the PSU?

 

[xaelee]

thanks for ur reply.

yeah i guess i will just grab any SLI Mobo that doesnt need to support ddr3

i have 2 monitors, i want more! xD,
gaming is really secondary to me, i just use my computer a lot for work and all that so multimonitors are definitely helping in productivity and i also like spoiling myself.

as for psu, OCZ GameXStream 600W
http://canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=010075&cid=PS.808



as for the motherboard, any suggestions? i really do like my current motherboard, i just didnt think id be doing any SLIing but whada-ya-knoww

 

[theAnimal]

I'd suggest selling the 8800, and getting 2 HD4830 for Crossfire. SLI mobos tend to be less stable and don't OC as well.

 

[xaelee]

hmm interesting, i never really thought of that alternative, ill check into prices in my area then get back to that idea. as for mobo, should i stick with my p5k? theres no doubt its not the best for crossfire either, but gamings not really priority. i game a lot but i dont mind cutting it a few qualities lower. as for ocing, i dont care about ocing my gpus, as long as my cpu is stable at 3ghz (not asking much at all) then ill be satisfied. i actualy dont know much about ocing gpus, is it really worth it? i hear it doesnt give THAT much of a kick.

EDIT: 4830's seem to be in the price range but do the performances match? i cant find any results on that card on the THW GPU charts. if possible, id rather just not deal with the hassle and go with the 9800gt. selling used gpus dont seem to be an easy task.

 

[theAnimal]

hmm interesting, i never really thought of that alternative, ill check into prices in my area then get back to that idea. as for mobo, should i stick with my p5k? theres no doubt its not the best for crossfire either, but gamings not really priority. i game a lot but i dont mind cutting it a few qualities lower. as for ocing, i dont care about ocing my gpus, as long as my cpu is stable at 3ghz (not asking much at all) then ill be satisfied. i actualy dont know much about ocing gpus, is it really worth it? i hear it doesnt give THAT much of a kick.

EDIT: 4830's seem to be in the price range but do the performances match? i cant find any results on that card on the THW GPU charts. if possible, id rather just not deal with the hassle and go with the 9800gt. selling used gpus dont seem to be an easy task.

If you OC 10%, you should get close to a 10% improvement.

4830 = 8800GT/9800GT

 

[xaelee]

do you mean 4830 x2 = 8800gt/9800gt? because i really want at least 4 dvi ports. i was actualy thinking of just grabbing the HD 4850x2 quad dvi. with that i technically dont even have to upgrade motherboards. but that brings up another issue, i know my mobo isnt pcie2.0 compatible. is that a major let down for this pcie2.0 video card?

 

[theAnimal]

do you mean 4830 x2 = 8800gt/9800gt? because i really want at least 4 dvi ports. i was actualy thinking of just grabbing the HD 4850x2 quad dvi. with that i technically dont even have to upgrade motherboards. but that brings up another issue, i know my mobo isnt pcie2.0 compatible. is that a major let down for this pcie2.0 video card?

One 4830 is equal to one 8800GT or 9800GT. The fact that your mobo is not 2.0 should not make much difference.

 

[xaelee]

ah i see, thanks for the clarification. i think i have made a final decision on grabbing the 4850x2 quad-dvi =D that way i dont have to upgrade mobos, and i can stick with my lovely p5k deluxe and i guess ill have to sell my gpu but that seems easier then selling a mobo! anyway thanks!