I built this PC back in October of 2008.
E8400 @ 3.0 Ghz
EVGA GTX 260 Core 216 SSC @ 648 core 1134 memory
G.Skill 4 GB Dual Channel DDR2 1000
GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3L Motherboard
Corsair 650 TX Power Supply
21" LG Flatron W2252TQ @ 1680x1050
Windows XP 32
My original plan was to overclock the E8400 so I could run the RAM at 1:1 ratio, but after receiving the motherboard I wasn't able to flash it for some reason. I have tried numerous times and it never worked. Tried every way I could possibly think of. In any case, I decided to just leave it alone and not worry about overclocking the CPU. So a couple months back one of my sticks of RAM went bad and I have never got around to replacing it. I am trying to decide what I should do to improve my PC at this point. I want to get the most bang for my buck.
I was considering grabbing Windows 7 (a 64 bit version - not sure which version is going to be best for me though), and another 4 GB dual channel kit. If I buy another dual channel kit the 2 GB I have now goes to waste though. That brings me to my first question. Would it be better to run 6 GB of RAM and just forget about the dual channel or is 4 GB dual channel going to outperform 6 GB standard? If the 6 Gigs is better I may even just go up to 8 since my MB supports it and DDR2 is still cheap right now. Next question, which version of Windows 7 is going to be the best for mostly just gaming? Is there any reason to buy anything more than Windows 7 Home?
Would it be worth it to get a new motherboard simply because I can't get my E8400 overclocked because the Bios will not flash? Is it worth upgrading to a new graphics card that supports DX 10 or 11? Pretty much all games I play use 9.0c, but I am looking at one that uses the Unreal 3 Engine (All Points Bulletins) and comes out in a couple months so I am assuming it uses DX 10.
What do you guys think my best options are? How can I get the most out of my current setup without spending a load of cash?
E8400 @ 3.0 Ghz
EVGA GTX 260 Core 216 SSC @ 648 core 1134 memory
G.Skill 4 GB Dual Channel DDR2 1000
GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3L Motherboard
Corsair 650 TX Power Supply
21" LG Flatron W2252TQ @ 1680x1050
Windows XP 32
My original plan was to overclock the E8400 so I could run the RAM at 1:1 ratio, but after receiving the motherboard I wasn't able to flash it for some reason. I have tried numerous times and it never worked. Tried every way I could possibly think of. In any case, I decided to just leave it alone and not worry about overclocking the CPU. So a couple months back one of my sticks of RAM went bad and I have never got around to replacing it. I am trying to decide what I should do to improve my PC at this point. I want to get the most bang for my buck.
I was considering grabbing Windows 7 (a 64 bit version - not sure which version is going to be best for me though), and another 4 GB dual channel kit. If I buy another dual channel kit the 2 GB I have now goes to waste though. That brings me to my first question. Would it be better to run 6 GB of RAM and just forget about the dual channel or is 4 GB dual channel going to outperform 6 GB standard? If the 6 Gigs is better I may even just go up to 8 since my MB supports it and DDR2 is still cheap right now. Next question, which version of Windows 7 is going to be the best for mostly just gaming? Is there any reason to buy anything more than Windows 7 Home?
Would it be worth it to get a new motherboard simply because I can't get my E8400 overclocked because the Bios will not flash? Is it worth upgrading to a new graphics card that supports DX 10 or 11? Pretty much all games I play use 9.0c, but I am looking at one that uses the Unreal 3 Engine (All Points Bulletins) and comes out in a couple months so I am assuming it uses DX 10.
What do you guys think my best options are? How can I get the most out of my current setup without spending a load of cash?