Looking to upgrade

[ampedal]

Hi guys,

I am looking to upgrade my system, and am wondering if anyone has recommendations for what I should get, here is my current build:

Gigabyte MA790FXT-UD5P
AMD Phenom II x4 955 BE
Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 4870 512MB
OCZ 4GB PC3-12800 EB Platinum Edition (OCZ3P1600EB2GK)
OCZ StealthXStream 600W Power Supply (OCZ600SXS)

Here are the settings I'm using for the RAM (stable):
NB @ 1.3v
DDR @ 1.9v x8.0 1600mhz
Timings @ 7 7 7 30

I would like to add an additional 4GB of ram (as I often run a VM with 3D acceleration), and I am also looking into adding a second HD4870 video card.

My questions are:

1) Which RAM should I buy that would play nice with my current setup?

2) Should I upgrade my PSU (also running 2HDS, SSD, DVDR, a spare fan, and audio card)?

3) Is it worth while to purchase a second HD4870, or should I sell it on ebay and just upgrade to a better card?

Thanks for any suggestions!

-Alex

 

[MadAdmiral]

1.) The exact same sticks. Only try to mix and match if you can't find them anymore. If that's the case, grab a set with the same specs (voltage, timings, speed, everything).

2.) If you're adding another GPU, probably. The OCZ aren't exactly the best quality, so they might not handle it. To make sure, find the link to the PSU wattage calculator in the stickied thread called "Guide to choosing parts". It's a very accurate and detailed calculator.

3.) Personally, I don't think it's worth it. Chances are you'll want to get a card from the new generation in a year or so, thus defeating the purpose of adding the second card. Besides, you likely won't be able to sell it later. Or at least not for very much.

 

[ampedal]

Best answer selected by ampedal.