Bottleneck

[hombal]

I have a reasonable, yet slightly old, computer.
Some specs:
E7400 dual core 2.8 Ghz
4gb ddr2 ram (corsair)
ATI 4850 1GB card
Shuttle box with motherboard

I am looking to upgrade to a q9550 and I am quite sure it is compatible.
My question is:
Is it worth £200 to upgrade my processor or will my other system parts bottle-neck it?
I am also unsure as to whether it is worth the money to upgrade a ddr2 pc.
If I were to replace the motherboard, ram ect, it would be in about 1 year when my current pc fails to run games at medium-low settings.

 

[hombal]

***Note***

My pc is quite well cooled and so over-clocking the q9550, is possible.

 

[sportsfanboy]

I would overclock the 7400 to around 3.2 or so and save your money for a complete system upgrade. Your talking about spending 200 on a what will be 2 generation old chip in a couple of months.

 

[hombal]

Will the overclock to 3.2 ghz make a huge difference?

 

[sportsfanboy]

Huge no but significant yes. I believe at that speed you will have a pretty well balanced computer to run your 4850. Can't hurt to try, and see if your gaming experience improves. What resolution do you game at?

 

[hombal]

1600 by 900.
Im a lightweight gamer due to a lack of cash.
I'm not yet of the age to drive

 

[sportsfanboy]

Lol, np Just watch the temps on that overclock, and don't exceed max voltage and you'll be good.

 

[hombal]

Ok. The world of overclocking is a new realm to me.
Any guides that you can suggest?

 

[sportsfanboy]

There are guides all over google as well as a guide at the top of this forum.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/259899-29-core-overclocking-guide

 

[hombal]

Ah, sorry to bother you with that.
Thank you very much for your advice.

 

[sportsfanboy]

No, no bother, good luck, chime back in with your results

 

[hombal]

It may take some time.
Ill need to find my motherboard info first...

 

[sportsfanboy]

Is your computer pre-built, like a dell or HP?

 

[hombal]

Nope.
My grandad helped me build it.
Its a shell "shell" and we just added certain parts.

 

[hombal]

Sorry!
Its a shuttle with certain parts added XD

 

[sportsfanboy]

Ok you will probably be able to bios overclock then. Download cpuz for computer info, it's a helpful tool.

 

[hombal]

Ok, thanks.
I have cpu-z already

 

[hombal]

Ah ha!
I have a shuttle XPC SX48P2E.

 

[hombal]

Shuttle site says that I have a Intel X48.
Sorry for multiple posts.

 

[sportsfanboy]

So what is shuttle, a bare bones build?

 

[hombal]

There are barbones pc's and full pc's.
Such as:

Barbones: http://www.shuttle.eu/products/mini-pc/sg41j1-plus/overview/
Full: http://www.shuttle.eu/products/mini-pc/j2-5500h/overview/

 

[hombal]

I'm looking to upgrade my pc or better its performance, because, I wish to enjoy the glorious graphics that Shogun 2, Crysis 2 and Assassins creed brotherhood will bring.