What should I upgrade first - detailed summary below

[sneuhardt40]

Playing Call of Duty primarily. Thanks in advance

Summary
Operating System
MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
CPU
AMD Phenom II X2 555 23 °C
Callisto 45nm Technology
RAM
4.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 668MHz (9-9-9-24)
Motherboard
ASUSTeK Computer INC. M4A87TD EVO (AM3)
Graphics
SyncMaster @ 1920x1080
ATI Radeon HD 5670
Hard Drives
625GB Western Digital WDC WD6402AAEX-00Z3A0 ATA Device (SATA) 33 °C
Optical Drives
ATAPI iHAS124 B ATA Device
Audio
VIA High Definition Audio

 

[Maziar]

Upgrading your card to something like HD 6970/6950 or GTX 570/GTX 460 will give you a huge boost in performance at 1080p.
However,what's your PSU ?

 

[sneuhardt40]

Thanks for replying so quickly Maziar. Its a 750w. If you had to pick one of those cards which would be the best?

 

[Tamz_msc]

What 750 W PSU do you have?

 

[simon12]

I would get at least a 5770 if you budget will stretch to it a GTX 460 or a 6850 to keep balance I would not go above this unless you can unlock & overclock your CPU.

 

[g00fysmiley]

what is your budget? , i agree with simmon12, btu if you have the money and the processor unlocks to a 4 core then that'd change to maybe upping to a better card btu it all depends on the money

 

[suteck]

If you are planning on upgrading your entire system but only want to do it one piece at a time as the money becomes available then I would start with the video card as suggested. Either card, the ATI 6960 or the 580 with the nvidia chip. The choice usually comes down to brand preference. I named the two newest and best to date only because if you're going to upgrade might as well look at the best first - if price is within budget. Unless you're willing to wait a little longer - when the 6990 comes out. So far it's supposed to be untouchable.

Next would be the CPU. I would go with the AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition. It's a great overclocker when you want to get to that. And some games are already using the extra cores for play so it is nice to have when you run across that game you like but requires a little more processing power than you currently have. You could go with the 6 core if you really want to try and future proof it but I don't want to try to oversell you on this one upgrade. But, if you have the money to spend I would get it.

At this point I'd like to know what PSU you have. Is it up to the task? I see you said 750 watt but which one? Some are more capable than others. If you have a Thermaltake, Seasonic or Corsair, (just to name a few) you might be ok cause the new 6990 only uses about 300 watts, (ALL by it self), at peak usage. However - if you have some off the wall brand you should really get something proved to hold up under demanding usages and is rated at >80% efficiency.

Next would be the Hard Drive. It looks like it's time for some SSD's to go with those 6 GB s-ata's. Get one and see how you like it then grab another one for a raid setup for some increased speed.

Then of course it's now time for that extra 4, 8, 12 or 16 GB's of memory. If you already have a set of 2 X 2GB then just grab another set of the same make and model and you should be good to go with 8 GB of memory. However - If your interested in really being able to increase your memory storage capacity then you can get the SAMSUNG M378B5273BH1-CF8 4GB SAMSUNG K4B2G0846B-HCF8 1.5v memory. Start with 1 or two 4 GB stick(s) and before you know it you will have 16GB's of memory. Mostly useless in today's games and programs - unless you're doing video conversion and/or rendering or running some Virtual desktops. But if your looking to upgrade your entire system that's the way to max it out.

Sorry if I went to far and suggested things you're not even thinking about. I just figured I give you a big picture and let you focus on what you like. And it is kinda fun .

And this is all beside the point if you're willing to make the switch to the new sandybridges coming out.

 

[sneuhardt40]

what is your budget? , i agree with simmon12, btu if you have the money and the processor unlocks to a 4 core then that'd change to maybe upping to a better card btu it all depends on the money

I can spend as much as I want but I tend to see alot of overkill.

 

[sneuhardt40]

Best answer selected by sneuhardt40.

 

[sneuhardt40]

What 750 W PSU do you have?

Unfortunately I cant even tell what brand it is. Bizarre.

 

[sneuhardt40]

If you are planning on upgrading your entire system but only want to do it one piece at a time as the money becomes available then I would start with the video card as suggested. Either card, the ATI 6960 or the 580 with the nvidia chip. The choice usually comes down to brand preference. I named the two newest and best to date only because if you're going to upgrade might as well look at the best first - if price is within budget. Unless you're willing to wait a little longer - when the 6990 comes out. So far it's supposed to be untouchable.

Next would be the CPU. I would go with the AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition. It's a great overclocker when you want to get to that. And some games are already using the extra cores for play so it is nice to have when you run across that game you like but requires a little more processing power than you currently have. You could go with the 6 core if you really want to try and future proof it but I don't want to try to oversell you on this one upgrade. But, if you have the money to spend I would get it.

At this point I'd like to know what PSU you have. Is it up to the task? I see you said 750 watt but which one? Some are more capable than others. If you have a Thermaltake, Seasonic or Corsair, (just to name a few) you might be ok cause the new 6990 only uses about 300 watts, (ALL by it self), at peak usage. However - if you have some off the wall brand you should really get something proved to hold up under demanding usages and is rated at >80% efficiency.

Next would be the Hard Drive. It looks like it's time for some SSD's to go with those 6 GB s-ata's. Get one and see how you like it then grab another one for a raid setup for some increased speed.

Then of course it's now time for that extra 4, 8, 12 or 16 GB's of memory. If you already have a set of 2 X 2GB then just grab another set of the same make and model and you should be good to go with 8 GB of memory. However - If your interested in really being able to increase your memory storage capacity then you can get the SAMSUNG M378B5273BH1-CF8 4GB SAMSUNG K4B2G0846B-HCF8 1.5v memory. Start with 1 or two 4 GB stick(s) and before you know it you will have 16GB's of memory. Mostly useless in today's games and programs - unless you're doing video conversion and/or rendering or running some Virtual desktops. But if your looking to upgrade your entire system that's the way to max it out.

Sorry if I went to far and suggested things you're not even thinking about. I just figured I give you a big picture and let you focus on what you like. And it is kinda fun .

And this is all beside the point if you're willing to make the switch to the new sandybridges coming out.

 

[sneuhardt40]

Thanks Suteck. Seems to me what I have read is that anything above 8gb of ram is overkill. I take it you disagree. What I have noticed if I buy the best vid card or the best chip is that I have to pay a hefty premium. I dont even know what brand my PSU is

 

[suteck]

Seems to me what I have read is that anything above 8gb of ram is overkill

That's true, moslty. A lot depends on what you are doing with the computer. I saw you use it for games so TODAY you would not benefit from the extra ram. However, If you start with the single 4 GB sticks as time goes by you will be able to upgrade all the way to 16 GB which might be useful depending on how long you can keep your system viable. Start small - work up. I don't really disagree, again it's mostly what you use it for. I have 12GB's in my system and when I do un-raring of 25 GB BluRay movies and then compile and recode from an MP4 to DVD or BluRay, with a little video editing and compilation for other movies then it will use close to all mine. But that's my use and probably not typical. But if the potentials there and I could upgrade it a stick at a time cause it is kinda pricy---why not? Like I said, you may not use it today but you might in the future.

What I have noticed if I buy the best vid card or the best chip is that I have to pay a hefty premium.

Yes again. If you want the best, and when you upgrade you usually start by looking at the best, which of course is also usually the most expensive, then you will have to pay a hefty premium. Why upgrade to something that's half ass? Haha usually because of price. But you should always look at the best your equipment can handle - check all the features, find the ones you will use and forget about the ones you wont. As you search for something that fits your needs and budget that's usually what you end up getting. But you didn't mention price and if you want it to last you get the best one you can. And it probably doesn't matter to you but you wont be able to run crossfire or SLI with your current board so you WILL want the best card you can get/afford with out having to upgrade again next year.

As for the PSU??? Somewhere on it - you might have to unplug it from the wall, remove the four screws and take it far enough out to see the top, (usually it's listed on one side or the other so pull both side panels off first and check there), but you should find at least a serial number on it and we can probably trace it from there. If it has no markings on it then I would change it out so I knew I have something I can depend on. After all - who would build something and not at least put their name on it? shudder to think. It's one thing for the psu to go bad but it REALLY REALLY sucks when it takes out your other components as well.

But
Memory is piece at a time as money becomes available
Video card should be a one time purchase that lasts a long time
Processor is always best you can afford - it's the brain and "you can't fix stupid" - Ron White
HDD or SSD's??? Wave of the future - and still pricey