Is it worth the upgrade?

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: next week or two

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT:multitasking!!, development, CS3 work (ps, indesign), gaming

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: just looking to upgrade a system i built 2-3yrs ago. Only looking to potentially upgrade CPU, RAM, Mobo

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com or whatever cheaper

PARTS PREFERENCES: intel i guess

OVERCLOCKING: Yes SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 2560x1600

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

Hi, I will be upgrading from XP to W7 62bit in the next couple of weeks and i am wondering if i would see any REAL benefits if i upgrade my current system. I built a system 2-3 yrs back that runs ok, specs below. Problem is that i tend to run/install a ton of diff apps at the same time as well as a lot of programs that hook into the os like launchers, search, autohotkey, system monitors, etc. and after a few months my system turns into P1 350Mhz with 56k ram.

Current Specs:
Intel E6600 C2D stock timing
Asus P5W DH Deluxe
2 x 1GB GSkill PC2-6400
Ati HD4870
Silverstone Strider 600W PSU

I am currently looking at three different options:

1. Just upgrade ram to OCZ Gold 8GB DDR2 800 (4 x 2GB)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820227290 and overclock CPU as much as i can with stock fan. I have a Tuniq 120 Heatsink Tower http://www.tuniq.com.tw/Cooler%20Info/Tower-120.htm i was planning on installing which would help.

2. Upgrade ram as above as well as CPU to Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115041 and OC

3. By new CPU, Mobo, and Ram:

CPU Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115202

Mobo ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131359

Ram CORSAIR DOMINATOR 8GB (4 x 2GB)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820145267

I realize that 8GB might be overkill but with firefox taking over 1gb on its own at times im hoping the more ram i through at W7 the better. My most important thing is a snappy system, ie multitasking, quick app launching and instantaneous window switching/resizing. Not too concerned if i am decoding something or performing some task that takes longer then 30 seconds as i couldnt really care if it takes 30 seconds or 35 seconds or i get 4 fps more in a game however when i alt-tab to a diff window or launch a program and it takes 10+ secs i start freaking out

On the flip side i have also been suckered in the past into buying the absolute latest and greatest parts that cost a fortune but the only diff between that system and a system 2/3 the price is in benchmarks with no REAL differences you can see/feel.

So finally which option do you guys think i should go with? Is it worth the $600-$700 it would cost to upgrade my system or do you think i would be fine simply upgrading to W7 and throwing in 8GB ram??

thx

Doh! I was looking at a bunch of diff cpu's and copied the wrong one. I have corrected the post above to reflect the one i was thinking of. That being said do you think option 3 with 4gb would significantly outperform option 1 or 2 in real world applications??

Hi,

I have the P5W DH Deluxe board.

Still great and running fine with 4x1GB here and Q6700.

Intel 5/7/8xxx and Q8/Q9xxx series have problem running with that board (too old for full support with 1333 fsb).

The best problem free quad for this board is the Q6700.

You won't find it anymore I think.

It's best to upgrade to I5 (less money) or better to I7.

Brad