next upgrade

[smocksturr]

Hello,
I've got the following system:
Pentium D 830 3.0 ghz
3 gb DDR 667 ram
XFX nForce mobo with no support for dual channel (big deal?)
Asus 8800 GS overclocked.

What should I upgrade first?
I can max out pretty much any game, i'd just like a little snappier behavior overall. Also, any really heavy physics simulations start giving me lag.

 

[evongugg]

Dual channel is not a big deal.
You could try overclocking that processor.
I would start upgrading the processor to something compatible with your memory and motherboard.

 

[kubes]

Ya your cpu is a bottle neck for your gpu. That would be the first thing i'd target for upgrading.

Most likely this will involve you getting a new motherboard and ram however . Not sure if you want this big of an upgrade.

 

[smocksturr]

Nah, I can throw in a quad-core or something in 775 form.

Would a 3.0 C2D bring me more up to speed?

Also, my top cpu temp was 61 degrees. (stock cooling)
What should be my max CPU overclock on stock cooling?
I don't really want to put in aftermarket cooling if I'm going to upgrade the cpu anyways.

 

[kubes]

That's an acceptable range of heat for that processor. That should not be something to worry about.