A Novice Who Needs Some Help...

[FATAL STR1K3]

Hey all!

I want to point out that I have never in my life OC'd anything before.

I currently have a Q6600 and 1 HIS 5770 1Gb. I was thinking about getting a new video card, but then I thought that I may be able to save some money if I crossfire 2 5770's and just OC both and my mobo.Unfortunately, I have the stock Dell XPS motherboard, which I do not think has room for two video cards(and for whatever ridiculous reason is not compatible with any case I find online).

I have come to you, the trusty Tom's community with 3 questions:

1. Would getting another 5770 and OCing both along with a new mobo be worth it?
2. Are there any specific motherboards that I should used/stay clear of...specifically if I am going to crossfire?
3. Is overclocking something I can do with no prior experience? I have heard that it is very easy but I have also heard that you can fry your board...I am sure I can follow a guide somewhere online, but I don't want to waste money and mess things up.

Give me your input! I wouldn't mind dropping and extra 100-200 if it is easier and has better performance!

Thanks in advance guys!

-Fatal

 

[FATAL STR1K3]

NOTE: I also only have Win Vista 32-bit >.< (I think I can get a new copy of 7 from my school though, if it'll boost performance).

Also, I believe that my cpu speed 2.4 GHz..

 

[simon12]

I assume your main purpose is to increase gaming performance:
1. Its not worth getting a new motherboard unless it supports newer CPUs (In my opinion anyway) as well as crossfire.
2. Not really just make sure it can run both cards at 8X and read a few reviews of the board you decide on.
3. Yes read some guides and give it a go.

My suggestions would be:
1 If you can overclock the CPU on your current motherboard to around 3GHz just getting a better graphics card should give you a good value upgrade escially if you can sell the 5770 on ebay or something.
2 Get a P67 motherboard that supports crossfire and an I5 2500K then get another 5770 when you can afford it. This may not give you a massive improvement immediately but will future proof you for a good while. Also consider you may need new RAM if you currently have DDR2.
3 Get an AM3 board like the Asrock 870 Extreme 3 (its cheap and supports crossfire) and a Phenom 955BE. Add a Hyper m212+ cooler for overclocking and a second 5770 and you should be able to max out all current games for the cheapest spend possible, but its not much good for future upgrades and as the above you may need new RAM. You could get an AM3+ board to make it more future proof but noone knows how good AMDs next generation chips will be.

 

[FATAL STR1K3]

Thanks for the reply!

Yes, I currently have 4gigs RAM but they are ddr2... Should i get an i5 or should I keep my quad core q6600? It seems as if a small upgrade might turn into a big...WOO.

So I guess my new list is: ddr3 ram, crossfire-capable mobo, i5, new video card.

 

[FATAL STR1K3]

Best answer selected by FATAL STR1K3.

 

[simon12]

If you can wait a bit Bulldozer comes out in June noone knows how good it will be but it may make everything else cheaper regardless.