Which component to upgrade next?

[cylisy]

Hey there!

I have a system I built a few years ago and am slowly upgrading and adding parts. Now though I don't know what to do next.

Here are my specs:

M2N32 SIL-Deluxe ASUS MB
AMD AM2 6400+ Black edition
XFX 9800GTX Black edition
X2 WD 7200 rpm hard drives RAID 0
1680X1200 Viewsonic 22"
4GB DDR2 800
ZALMAN CNPS9700 LED 110mm
Thermaltake ArmorPlus(Armor+) ESA VH6001BWS Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case

So I can't decide if I should add another video card and run SLI. From my research the improvements are pretty significant with dual 9800GTX.
Or should I go to a quad-core cpu and upgrade the MB.

Or water cool my system for some OC?

Where do you think I would see the greatest improvement.

BTW I am a gamer, mostly fantasy games.

Thanks!

~Cylisy

 

[MykC]

I think a 920 or 940BE will fit that board, they are AM2+ chips. Some AM2 board will take AM3 chips with a BIOS flash as well.

 

[cylisy]

I think a 920 or 940BE will fit that board, they are AM2+ chips. Some AM2 board will take AM3 chips with a BIOS flash as well.

Thanks for the reply!

I think if I upgrade the CPU I want to switch out the MB too. The board "will" support AM2+ but it isn't always pretty. Budget is not a huge concern and I want value. I wouldn't want to make a tiny upgrade just to save a few bucks when a little more money will be a significant improvement.

In addition my MB is not super compatible with Vista so making it further less compatible with an AM2+ chip sounds like I am asking for trouble.

 

[bmuell]

Well you already have 4gb of DDR2, so sticking with AM2 platform seems like a reasonable thing to do. I would upgrade to a Quad or Trip core Phenom II for a significant improvement.

 

[cylisy]

Well you already have 4gb of DDR2, so sticking with AM2 platform seems like a reasonable thing to do. I would upgrade to a Quad or Trip core Phenom II for a significant improvement.

Again this is an AM2+ chip so I would need to upgrade my board as well to see the full benefit from this chip (is this correct?)......my thoughts in this are if I am going to upgrade my board I might as well get a board that supports DDR3.

Thanks again for your input.

 

[orangegator]

For increased gaming performance, your best bet is a second 9800gtx. But you might also need a new psu to handle it. As you said, I wouldn't try putting a phenom 2 in that motherboard. You could also try to oc that chip a little, maybe 3.4ghz. Otherwise you might as well start from scratch and build a new system.

 

[MykC]

Again this is an AM2+ chip so I would need to upgrade my board as well to see the full benefit from this chip (is this correct?)......

an AM2+ chip in an AM2 board is pretty much the same thing, the only difference is the HT 2.0 vs 3.0. I understand replacing the board because its a hassle to work with (software wise) but spend $100-140 on a AM2+ board just to get a little bit better performance isn't worth it at all. $100 in any area other area on your computer will get you way more value.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socket_AM2%2B AM2+
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socket_AM2 AM2

 

[cylisy]

Again this is an AM2+ chip so I would need to upgrade my board as well to see the full benefit from this chip (is this correct?)......

an AM2+ chip in an AM2 board is pretty much the same thing, the only difference is the HT 2.0 vs 3.0. I understand replacing the board because its a hassle to work with (software wise) but spend $100-140 on a AM2+ board just to get a little bit better performance isn't worth it at all. $100 in any area other area on your computer will get you way more value.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socket_AM2%2B AM2+
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socket_AM2 AM2

If I were to upgrade my MB and CPU what should I go? How great of a performance increase would it be over my AM2 6400+ or a phenom II X4?

 

[Helloworld_98]

well, 6mb l3 vs 2mb l3, 90nm vs 45nm, 2 cores vs 3/4 cores, 2GT/s vs 4GT/s.

For mobo and cpu, you could risk it and get a 710 + non-asus 790 mobo and unlock the 4th core(unless you want to oc then get a 720 BE) or don't chance it and get a 920/940 and 790 mobo pref with a SB750.

 

[cylisy]

well, 6mb l3 vs 2mb l3, 90nm vs 45nm, 2 cores vs 3/4 cores, 2GT/s vs 4GT/s.

For mobo and cpu, you could risk it and get a 710 + non-asus 790 mobo and unlock the 4th core(unless you want to oc then get a 720 BE) or don't chance it and get a 920/940 and 790 mobo pref with a SB750.

I don't understand what you are suggesting....sorry

 

[Helloworld_98]

Well, phenom II's will handle more cache intensive processes(3 fold), the proccesor will be cooler, it will be able to handle multitasking and multi-core applications better, and the fsb(which basically controls how fast it is so even if you have the same clock speed as another processor, the one with the faster fsb will win, hence the P2 940 losing slightly to the I7 920)

For part 2, if you want a quad-core and you want to save money then buy an AMD 710 processor and a motherboard with a 790 chipset which isn't made by asus. This will allow you to unlock the fourth core because AMD ships the P2 X3's with one core locked, this can be for numerous reason's and one of them was demand for the processor. However some of them,have a locked core because it was defective.

 

[cylisy]

Well, phenom II's will handle more cache intensive processes(3 fold), the proccesor will be cooler, it will be able to handle multitasking and multi-core applications better, and the fsb(which basically controls how fast it is so even if you have the same clock speed as another processor, the one with the faster fsb will win, hence the P2 940 losing slightly to the I7 920)

For part 2, if you want a quad-core and you want to save money then buy an AMD 710 processor and a motherboard with a 790 chipset which isn't made by asus. This will allow you to unlock the fourth core because AMD ships the P2 X3's with one core locked, this can be for numerous reason's and one of them was demand for the processor. However some of them,have a locked core because it was defective.

thank you so much for your replies.....

Is the AMD 720 faster than the AMD Phenom II x4 940?
How much faster is the 720 over my 6400+
yet again how much faster would an intel chip be that supports DDR3?

again, money isn't a huge issue but value is.....I try not to buy stuff with a "hyped" price.

You rock, thanks!

 

[cylisy]

bump

 

[rescawen]

Wait for the 6-cores and then upgrade whole computer if you want get a 4870 soon with 512 mb only for 150 soon

 

[MykC]

Is the AMD 720 faster than the AMD Phenom II x4 940?

How much faster is the 720 over my 6400+

The Phenom II 940BE and the 720BE are really the same chip. The 720BE is a 940BE with 1 of its cores diabled. To makes things simple the 720BE is roughly ~75% the speed of the 940BE at stock. After OCing the CPUs and given the specific application there difference is going to be less.

How much faster is the 720 over my 6400+

I'd guesstimate at 2-3 times depending on the OC.

yet again how much faster would an intel chip be that supports DDR3?

Are you refferring to i7's or LLG 775 chips on a DDR3 board?

 

[cylisy]

yet again how much faster would an intel chip be that supports DDR3?

Are you refferring to i7's or LLG 775 chips on a DDR3 board?[/quotemsg]

How about lets compare both?

 

[MykC]

The i7 has a performance advantage over the Phenom II 940BE, but at an extra cost ~$200. DDR3 provides no really world benefits yet, so any LGA 775 chip that uses it doesn't get anymore ahead.

 

[MykC]

The i7 has a performance advantage over the Phenom II 940BE, but at an extra cost ~$200. DDR3 provides no really world benefits yet, so any LGA 775 chip that uses it doesn't get anymore ahead.

 

[cylisy]

The i7 has a performance advantage over the Phenom II 940BE, but at an extra cost ~$200. DDR3 provides no really world benefits yet, so any LGA 775 chip that uses it doesn't get anymore ahead.

Thank you so much for your replies. I am going to go with the Phenom II 940Be. It seems to be the best upgrade for the price considering I don't need a new mobo.

Would you agree the CPU upgrade would show a greater gain than getting another 9800GTX and running SLI?

~Cylisy