Should I consider an upgrade

[jalpaugh1978]

Here's my system now:

Q9550
EVGA 750i FTW mobo
4GB G.skill pi DDR2 800


I know my pc is still very respectable, but here's my thinking. I would like to get as much as I can out of my existing parts and now seems like the right time to do it. This will be where the bulk of the funds for the upgrade come from. I am willing to throw in an extra $100 or so to complete the upgrade. here's what I am looking at:

i5 750
P55 SLI capable Motherboard (I have a pair of EVGA GTX 260 SC)
4 GB DDR3 1600 memory


I haven't done much research into the P55 boards yet, as I have just recently begun to think about the upgrade. Any suggestions on them would be great, with the only desire is that it's SLI capable. Thanks for looking everyone

 

[tecmo34]

I would say it isn't worth the upgrade at this point. As a gaming PC (running two GTX260's, so I'm guessing a gamer), you will not see a big enough increase in frame rates to justify the cost... IMO

Here is a review of the two CPU's and you will only see marginal differences, with most not being noticble to the eye/game play. i5 750 vs Q9550

 

[Niklas_13]

I am with Tecmo save your money at this point

 

[jalpaugh1978]

Thanks for the replies and the link to the comparison. I have been looking for something like that. I can't say that i won't take the plunge and do it, but at least now I know what I'm getting into. I may just take the $100-$150 and get a raptor to use as my boot/OS drive. Would that be worth it? This is the HDD I'm using now http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136074 .

 

[tecmo34]

Don't waste your money on a Raptor at thus point. The newer 500GB single platter hard drives are about just as fast for 1/4 the price. I would recommend saving some money and pick up one of these hard drives.... Samsung Spinpoint F3 Hard Drive

 

[geofelt]

Thanks for the replies and the link to the comparison. I have been looking for something like that. I can't say that i won't take the plunge and do it, but at least now I know what I'm getting into. I may just take the $100-$150 and get a raptor to use as my boot/OS drive. Would that be worth it? This is the HDD I'm using now http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136074 .

A i5-750 cpu will not give you a noticeable improvement.

The raptor will not be much better. Even the velociraptor is probably not worth it today.

If you are interested in a better boot drive, consider the 40gb intel X25-V SSD:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167025

It will not help gaming except perhaps level loads, but your PC will boot faster, and everything will feel snappier.

 

[rockyjohn]

Have you seen the THG article on building a balanced PC? It just happens that one of the CPUs used in the review is the Q9550 and it shows you will get very little performance increase from a faster CPU unless you have a graphics card equivalent to the GTX 295 - and up till then - and in most games - the increases, with the Q9550, come from increasing the graphics card rather than CPU.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-balanced-platform,2469.html

To optimize game performance, I suggest waiting 6 to 9 months for the new nVidia cards to arrive and then a bit more for the new product premium price to go away and get them. Use "old" system for a year or so more then upgrade.