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My Computer / Recommend upgrades?

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I built a new computer in January and have been fine tuning all the parts. I had basically wanted to get a decent computer built on a budget to do video editing, rendering, but also some gaming (more like X-Plane than Crysis). Here's what i have:

ASUS P5E Deluxe
Core 2 Duo E8400
G.Skill DDR2 1066mhz
Sapphire Radeon HD 3650
2 320GB RAID arrays/ SATA 2 7200rpm
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro
Cooler Master Mystique 632S

I know some of these are budget parts, but I am only 14 :) .

If this was your computer and you were on a budget, what would you upgrade first and what would you upgrade it too?

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By far the biggest gaming upgrade you could do would be to upgrade the GPU. The 3650 is a pretty weak GPU. You didn't mention anything about your PSU, but if it's a decent PSU you should be able to upgrade to a 4850 and have a much better gaming experience. You also didn't mention what resolution your monitor runs at. That has a huge impact on what parts we recommend.

HIS H485QT512P Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported IceQ4 Turbo Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814161244 $99.99 - $20 MIR

Reply to shortstuff_mt
- 0 +

I'd upgrade the Video Card, and HSF first. Pick up an ATI 4770, or 4850 for the Vid. Then look for a better HSF and OC that 8400.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835185093
$37 Scythe Mugen-2

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102770
$100 Sapphire 4850

What about the PSU?

Reply to IH8U
- 0 +

shortstuff_mt wrote :

By far the biggest gaming upgrade you could do would be to upgrade the GPU. The 3650 is a pretty weak GPU. You didn't mention anything about your PSU, but if it's a decent PSU you should be able to upgrade to a 4850 and have a much better gaming experience. You also didn't mention what resolution your monitor runs at. That has a huge impact on what parts we recommend.

HIS H485QT512P Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported IceQ4 Turbo Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814161244 $99.99 - $20 MIR



Sorry about that, its a Rosewill 550w. Monitor is an LG 22in and runs at 1680x1050. I like to use full resolution on games, but often i am not able to with my current gpu. I have been thinking about the 4850, i just don't know if i should get 512 or 1gb. It really depends on if video editing relies more on the cpu or gpu.

Reply to polird

So are you mainly trying to improve the video editing capabilities of the rig, or improve gaming? A quad core CPU would help the video editing, but wouldn't help with the gaming. Overclocking your CPU along with a GPU upgrade will increase your video editing performance (not as much as a quad core, though) as well as greatly improve your gaming. A 4850 512MB GPU would work fine at your resolution.

 

It's too bad you have a Rosewill PSU. :( They're generally considered junk and would be borderline powering a 4850 and overclocked CPU.

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by shortstuff_mt on 07-27-2009 at 09:20:43 PM
Reply to shortstuff_mt
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Step one in that case is to replace that PSU, before it pulls a Chernobyl. Look for Antec, OCZ, Corsair, BFG, Zalman, PC P&C, or Seasonic (unless in a 220V area). Of at least 500W btw.
Step two, replace the Vid
Step three, replace the HSF

Reply to IH8U
- 0 +

shortstuff_mt wrote :

So are you mainly trying to improve the video editing capabilities of the rig, or improve gaming? A quad core CPU would help the video editing, but wouldn't help with the gaming. Overclocking your CPU along with a GPU upgrade will increase your video editing performance (not as much as a quad core, though) as well as greatly improve your gaming. A 4850 512MB GPU would work fine at your resolution.

It's too bad you have a Rosewill PSU. :( They're generally considered junk and would be borderline powering a 4850 and overclocked CPU.



Replacing the cpu is a little out of the range of my budget, especially if i'm going for a quad.
I used http://extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine to find if my power supply would work. It recommends a whopping 360w with OC and everything! I think i will stay with my PSU unless it is going to fry my computer.

As for the GPU, i will definitely consider a 4850. Do these require a power connector? also, a game i get avg 15fps on now, what would i get with the 4850?

Reply to polird

polird wrote :

I think i will stay with my PSU unless it is going to fry my computer.


Yes, the chances of a Rosewill PSU blowing up and frying components is very high. A PSU upgrade to a quality unit should be in the very near future.

polird wrote :

As for the GPU, i will definitely consider a 4850. Do these require a power connector? also, a game i get avg 15fps on now, what would i get with the 4850?


Yes, a 4850 requires a 6-pin power connector.

You'll have to check the benchmarks for the particular games you play, but a 4850 is a VERY big step up from the 3650. Your FPS will at least double in most games.

Reply to shortstuff_mt
- 0 +

shortstuff_mt wrote :

Yes, the chances of a Rosewill PSU blowing up and frying components is very high.



I hope i will see some warning signs before that happens. The PSU i got received good reviews though.

Reply to polird

Good luck with that Rosewill PSU. I hope you don't end up with the indoor fireworks show that Rosewill's are so famous for.

Since you're willing to risk the system with the Rosewill PSU, a 4850 would be a very good upgrade to your system.

Reply to shortstuff_mt
- -1 +

hey Polird. Replace your PSU instantly, that's almost an order!

No seriously, Rosewill PSU's are not very safe. They often send out random signals and *** into your CPU and GPU wich will destroy them internallly or even make them burn!

If you do want your all new GPU for about 100€ to burn up in flames and burn down your house with it just because you didnt want to spend like 100€ on a new PSU then i would say ok stick with the Rosewill PSU.

But since i guess this aint what you want i will give you a simple tips.

THROW THAT GARBIDGE PSU INTO THE TRASHCAN BEFORE YOU END UP BURNING DOWN YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD!!!!!!

Reply to tisello
- 0 +

i think i got my opinion heard didnt i? =)

Reply to tisello

most of the time there are no signals. one day you could be playing a game or watching a full screen movie on your PC and then suddenly hear a big POP! and smoke coming out of the back of your PC

Reply to captaincharisma
- 0 +

As to the Rosewill PSUs, their older models got them an absolutely poopy reputation. People still commence linear raving panics (that's where you run in a straight line, frothing at the mouth and waving your arms, until you bang into something hard enough to knock yourself out) when they see one. Check www.jonnyguru.com, however, and a more recent one surprised them, and it wasn't even an Active PFC/80+ model. Don't get me wrong, there is NO WAY I'd ever buy one, but if you find that your model was favorably reviewed in a COMPETENT technical review (i.e. with load testing, waveform analysis, etc), you should be fine with it. In that case, I agree with others that getting a 4850 would make a huge difference. How much of that RAM do you have? If only 1GB, then get yourself a 4GB (2x2GB) kit to replace it; that will help in gaming but also in other things.

Reply to jtt283
- 0 +

Quote :

How much of that RAM do you have? If only 1GB, then get yourself a 4GB (2x2GB) kit to replace it; that will help in gaming but also in other things.


I have 2x2GB

Quote :

i think i got my opinion heard didnt i? =)


It definitley did. I am looking into a new PSU and GPU. I will replace the PSU first to make you happy.

Reply to polird
- 0 +

If you decide to replace your PSU, among the better ones are Antec, PC Power & Cooling, Corsair, Seasonic, and Enermax. For a single 4850, you will not need any more than 500W; even the Antec Earthwatts 380 can run a single 4850, but leaves no real headroom, so I'd suggest at least the 430W model if you choose Earthwatts, or whatever is comparable (430-450) for the other brands.

Reply to jtt283
- 0 +

jtt283 wrote :

If you decide to replace your PSU, among the better ones are Antec, PC Power & Cooling, Corsair, Seasonic, and Enermax. For a single 4850, you will not need any more than 500W; even the Antec Earthwatts 380 can run a single 4850, but leaves no real headroom, so I'd suggest at least the 430W model if you choose Earthwatts, or whatever is comparable (430-450) for the other brands.


For price, power, and reliability, i am looking closely at the OCZ StealthXStream 700W. This should have plenty of power and is ranked very high for quality and reliability.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817341019
As for the GPU, im looking at XFX Radeon HD 4870 1GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814150394
If i decide it is too expensive, i will get the HIS one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814161244


Message edited by polird on 07-29-2009 at 06:37:54 PM
Reply to polird
- 0 +

That OCZ unit is not in the same league as the others. Although it has Active PFC, it is not 80+ certified. It also has considerably more capacity than you need, but at that price looks like it still may be a decent deal. A review of what would appear to be a similar model appears here: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/704 ...and was favorable. Overcome one possible design shortcoming by using a surge protector (a good idea anyway). Also, the model you are considering has more SATA connectors, unlike the reviewed model, which had only three.
It looks like a decent choice.

Reply to jtt283

Go with the OCZ ModxStream 500W instead if you want OCZ

Edit: there's also a 700W version, both are 80+

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by jbakerlent on 07-30-2009 at 01:40:54 AM
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Reply to jbakerlent
- 0 +

jbakerlent wrote :

Go with the OCZ ModxStream 500W instead if you want OCZ

Edit: there's also a 700W version, both are 80+



Thanks for the recommendation. I found the 700w ModXStream Pro on amazon for 53$ :o !
That is probably what I'll get. Thanks.

Reply to polird
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