- Feb 26, 2009
- 8
- 0
- 18,510
My current setup:
M2N-SLI Standard Motherboard
Athlon 64 x2 3000+ (stock 3.0Ghz)
6GB (2 x 2GB, 2 x 1GB) DDR2 Corsair XMS2
Sapphire Radeon 4870
24" & 19" Monitors. Main screen at 1900x1080.
Windows Vista Home Premium 32-Bit
650W Antec True Power Trio PSU
History:
I just upgraded from a dead 22" LCD to the 24" and noticed a dramatic drop in framerates after moving up from 1650 to 1900 resolution. So I upgraded from an 8800GT to the 4870. This restored some, but not all, of the framerates I had before which suggests to me a CPU bottleneck. The CPU runs at about 65% during gaming sessions currently both pre and post GPU and Monitor upgrade.
Goals:
I am a heavy MMO (Warhammer Online atm) player and occasional FPS or RTS player. Framerate stuck at about 50 in open areas drops into the 30s in crowded areas and teens in heaving RVR fighting. I'd like to get that framerate up as high as the card and monitor combination will allow.
Options:
1. 9850 Phenom Quad-Core - Officially support by Asus with a simple BIOS upgrade Likely does not require a OS reinstall or purchase of new OS. Approximately $140
2. Phenom II 720 Triple Core/940 Quad Core - Not officially supported by Asus however reports of similar M2N-SLI Deluxe models making it work. Some indicated need for an OS reinstall. This option leaves open another upgrade path to AM3 and DDR3 in the future. Unsure of whether or not this would require a new Vista license (Mine is OEM). Approximately $170-$210, but could be higher if OS issues arise.
3. Core I-7, DDR3, Core i7 compatible MoBo - I can reuse the Video card, hard disks, CD drives so this would be looking at about $600-700 in upgrades for a top of the line processor.
Analysis:
From a price-performance perspective, I just don't know if options 1 and 2 don't give me enough extra horsepower to reduce the CPU bottleneck (*IF* that even exists). 3 certainly yields the most performance and gives me a high quality platform for a another few years, but will it really solve my current goal?
Thoughts?
M2N-SLI Standard Motherboard
Athlon 64 x2 3000+ (stock 3.0Ghz)
6GB (2 x 2GB, 2 x 1GB) DDR2 Corsair XMS2
Sapphire Radeon 4870
24" & 19" Monitors. Main screen at 1900x1080.
Windows Vista Home Premium 32-Bit
650W Antec True Power Trio PSU
History:
I just upgraded from a dead 22" LCD to the 24" and noticed a dramatic drop in framerates after moving up from 1650 to 1900 resolution. So I upgraded from an 8800GT to the 4870. This restored some, but not all, of the framerates I had before which suggests to me a CPU bottleneck. The CPU runs at about 65% during gaming sessions currently both pre and post GPU and Monitor upgrade.
Goals:
I am a heavy MMO (Warhammer Online atm) player and occasional FPS or RTS player. Framerate stuck at about 50 in open areas drops into the 30s in crowded areas and teens in heaving RVR fighting. I'd like to get that framerate up as high as the card and monitor combination will allow.
Options:
1. 9850 Phenom Quad-Core - Officially support by Asus with a simple BIOS upgrade Likely does not require a OS reinstall or purchase of new OS. Approximately $140
2. Phenom II 720 Triple Core/940 Quad Core - Not officially supported by Asus however reports of similar M2N-SLI Deluxe models making it work. Some indicated need for an OS reinstall. This option leaves open another upgrade path to AM3 and DDR3 in the future. Unsure of whether or not this would require a new Vista license (Mine is OEM). Approximately $170-$210, but could be higher if OS issues arise.
3. Core I-7, DDR3, Core i7 compatible MoBo - I can reuse the Video card, hard disks, CD drives so this would be looking at about $600-700 in upgrades for a top of the line processor.
Analysis:
From a price-performance perspective, I just don't know if options 1 and 2 don't give me enough extra horsepower to reduce the CPU bottleneck (*IF* that even exists). 3 certainly yields the most performance and gives me a high quality platform for a another few years, but will it really solve my current goal?
Thoughts?
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