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Upgrade?

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huron   11-26-2008 at 04:31:34 AM

Alright everyone, I have a couple of simple questions.

I currently have this rig: (gaming, some video editing, homework, surfing some)

Antec 900
E8400
MSI P7N Diamond (780i)
8800 GTS g92
WD 640 GB HDD
OCZ 700w GameXtreme PSU
2x2GB Crucial RAM 4-4-4-12
Vista Ultimate x64 (got it cheap)

I was trying to figure out if I should upgrade.

I have 2 22" monitors. I know the new drivers will allow me to SLI and use multiple monitors.

My question is: Should I get another 8800 GTS for something like $140? Should I get something else? Will the new drivers let me mismatch the GPUs and still SLI or not?

If I do upgrade the GPU, should I get a PC Power and Cooling 750w - only $80 after rebate.

Somewhere down the line - Future upgrade: 9550 - is it worth it over the current E8400 - I don't think it will be too significant.

I appreciate any opinions that anyone has about my possible upgrades, I would appreciate it.

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Bronze Home Brew badge Proximon   11-26-2008 at 04:46:37 AM
- 0 +

Have you overclocked that E8400? Mine's at 3.6Ghz and I see no need to upgrade any time soon.

You are sure to get some improvement with the SLI, but I really don't know how much. The GTX 260 Core 216's are like $240.

Reply to Proximon
huron   11-26-2008 at 12:58:50 PM
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I have an aftermarket cooler for the E8400 and wanted to push it to 3.6 - just haven't had too much time to mess with it - would like to make sure I do it right.

I would get a GTX 260 (216) if I was sure that I could use both GPUs. Do you know if I can mix and match in SLI like was promised months back when the Big Bang II (180 drivers) were rumored?

If I can mix and match, I think I might get one. The other issue is that my PSU has 2 6-pin connectors, and I know I would need more if I were to get a newer GPU.

That's why I was wondering if I should get the PC Power & Cooling PSU for only $80.

Thanks for the reply Proximon. I appreciate it.

Reply to huron
Bronze Home Brew badge Proximon   11-26-2008 at 08:52:54 PM
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I think you'll only be able to SLI cards with the same model at this point. If you could do otherwise I'm sure I would have heard about it by now.

2 8800GTS's in SLI:
From what I can gather, and with an educated guess, I would say your AVERAGE frame rates across many games would fall right around the performance of a single GTX 280. This of course takes into account that some titles just don't play well with SLI or crossfire.

Many titles will benefit from an overclock though. If you can get your FSB up to 400Mhz on that board, I think you might like the results.

Reply to Proximon
huron   11-26-2008 at 10:59:36 PM
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Thanks Proximon. That's a pretty big jump for me, plus it will help since the second monitor obviously uses some of the GPU power.

At only $140, it seems like a pretty decent upgrade.

Any thoughts on whether I should get the PSU - PC Power & Cooling 750w?

Also, what's a good GPU that doesn't need a PCI power connector to possibly use later as PhysX card? 8600 GT? (most of the newer ones require the extra power)

Reply to huron
Bronze Home Brew badge Proximon   11-27-2008 at 08:25:19 AM
- 0 +

Snap up whichever is less money at the time. PC P&C or Corsair.

I really don't know what the best non 6-pin GPU would be. I'm thinking the 9500GT might be the one.

Reply to Proximon
huron   11-27-2008 at 05:00:35 PM
- 0 +

Cool. Thanks.

I'm just trying to figure out if I really need to upgrade my PSU for the OCZ GameXtreme 700w or not - I guess there's nothing lost if I give it a try still. If it doesn't work, I can always buy a different one.

Thanks for the help.

Reply to huron
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