Worth The Upgrade?

[Kabobi]

I have an Abit IP 35 Pro mobo. Therefore no PCI-E 2.0. Currently I have an 8800 GTS 640mb. CPU is Q6600. 4gb DDR2 ram.

Is it worth upgrading to a 5850? Should I wait for Nvidia's cards? or dont upgrade at all until I change mobo/cpu/ram?

I play all the current games, mostly FPS on 24" 1920x1200 and I like to play them all at max/near max settings.

 

[coozie7]

^ On a 8800GTS 640! I had one and it hated AA
If you can find one the HD5850 is going to be a stellar upgrade and you could carry it over to the new build/ upgrade.

 

[HibyPrime]

You should notice a fairly big difference, it's a full x16 1.0 - which is the same as x8 2.0.

The CPU you're running is going to be what holds you back. You honestly don't even need to upgrade the rest of your computer, just get a decent cooler and OC the Q6600 to whatever you're comfortable with (it should reach 3.5GHz without much trouble)

 

[coozie7]

Good call on the CPU overclock.
Kabobi, on the subject of the PCI-E type, you might find this an interesting read:

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/HD_5870_PCI-Express_Scaling/

 

[Kabobi]

Sweet!

Thanks for the replies. That article was especially helpful.
Do you recommend I go with ATI or wait for Nvidia to release its cards? I'm in no big hurry to upgrade. The sooner the better but meh.

 

[1ce]

How long do you want to wait....

Some rumours say nvidia cards will arrive late november....I think it will be longer though. And that will be the flagship card which will be overkill compared to the rest of your system. You will have to wait longer for mainstream versions.

I would say your only gain from waiting would be a potential price drop on the 5850 when the nvidia cards hit. Like I say, if that's the route you decide to go be prepared to go a few months with what you have.

 

[Bluescreendeath]

The Q6600 can hit 3.0GHz easily, and if you're familiar to OC, you can OC it a bit more. The older models can a wall around 3.4 I think while the more OC-able models can do 3.8 or so.

hierarchy chart from lower to higher:

An 8800GTS 640 is about equal to a 3870 or 9600GT

8800GTS 640, 9600GT ~ 3870
8800/9800GT, 8800GTS 512 ~ 4830
9800GTX/GTX+/GTS250/8800 Ultra ~ 4850, 4770
GTX260 ~ 4870
GTX275 ~ 4890
GTX280, 285 ~ 5850

The 5850 is slightly better than a GTX285, so you'll notice quite a bit of improvement from the 8800GTS 640.

 

[coozie7]

@ kabobi: Your rig still has plenty of life in it, and will greatly benefit from an overclock, (extending its life and helping to fatten your wallet ).
If you plan on a major upgrade within a year I would suggest you hold off a little while: I am already seeing discounts on the 5xxx cards here in the UK and that will depress prices on the 'old' cards further. With a little patience you could grab a HD4890/GTX275 card as a 'cheap' upgrade and keep the system for another year that way when the big upgrade time arrives all the DX11 hardware will be widely available, cheaper and with bug reduced drivers.
If you plan on upgrading sooner then the HD5850 is the way to go, just carry it over onto the upgraded system.