Upgrading My Gaming Pc

Second2None

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Jan 8, 2012
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18,510
First thank everyone for their input. ok heres my problem i think i need to upgrade. my specs are motherboard GA-MA770-UD3 , AMD PHENOM II X4 955BE RUNNING 3200MHZ , ATI RADEON 5770 GPU , CORSAIR XMS2 DHX MEMORY CARDS 2X2GB , THERMALTAKE BLACK WIDOW 550W PSU, ok my greatest concern is my memory if i am correct they are only 800mhz. can someone help me get this thing running up to par? it lags when trying to do 2 things at once like watch movie and download. i have no problems playing any games on max settings (skyrim,crysis2,bf3,codmw3) any of them play fine. im sort of thinking im crossing line between gaming pc and multimedia one so im wondering if i can combine the 2 in one. i have listed my parts websites to help you guys check specs on individual items.

MOTHER BOARD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128376

CPU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103674

MEMORY
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145194

CASE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129058

PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153059
(PSU - NOT SURE IF MINE.. LOOKS SAME BUT ON MY BOX IT SAYS BLACK WIDOW)

anyways i hope i gave enough info to better help you understand my setup. im hoping i can overclock (with expert help), add memory or upgrade memory. thank you

 
Check the ram fsb in manual mode. Either "800" is actually read as 1600, or you'll see other higher settings than your current 800 speed. Once you determine the ram is running at spec, then confirm with cpuz, a small windows file. I don't believe you have any serious issues for multitasking. I use microsoft security essentials for all my anti virus and security settings. You might want to try it, but uninstall your old anti virus first. For ram upgrades, get a 2 x 4 gb kit such as this: http://www.amazon.com/Patriot-Signature-PC3-12800-Heatshields-PSD38G1600KH/dp/B004JKNJ0U/ref=sr_1_18?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1326052718&sr=1-18 (cheaper at newegg, but my link failed). If your old corsair won't run with the new ram, sell it on craigslist.
 

Second2None

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Jan 8, 2012
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18,510
ok i will check the memory and see what it says.. also the link you provided with the patriot ram i think i can only use ddr2 1333+ is all it says on board. thank you for your help ill wait for response
 

Second2None

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Jan 8, 2012
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18,510
heres a image of my bios settings maybe it help cause i dont understand what all that means

IMG_0047.jpg
 
My bad. With your corsair ddr2, 800 is the correct speed for the default settings. If you want to overclock, try changing both the memory clock and cpu host clock control to "manual" . Leave the memory fsb at 800 and set the cpu fsb at 250. If your ram is capable of running higher than 800, then the system will post with these settings. If not, then the system won't post and give you a blank screen. Then (to fix this issue and reset the bios) with the system unplugged, you remove the board battery for one minute and reinstall, then try again with different settings or use the default settings. The board battery is also called a "button battery" as it's round. Remove it with a small flathead screwdriver, gently pressing on the tang that holds it in place until it pops out. Unless you've got alot of patience, a premium power supply, and good cpu heatsink, 250 is as high as I would try for overclocking.
 

Second2None

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Jan 8, 2012
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thank you man for taking the time i appreciate it. Okay here's what i have e done so far i have overclocked my cpu to 3.7ghz with Amd overdrive and it runs at about 36c idle and stable on 4 hr stress test reaching about 43-45c i could probably go farther but i don't know hoe to adjust my voltage to it and to be honest i am scared of hurting it. i have aftermarket cooler i don't remember the name of it but i have pictures of inside my computer i posted below. can you help me set it up i will post anything you need to determine what will make it fast again. when i bought computer guy that had it overclocked it and had it set we had a power outage and button battery went dead i guess and motherboard reset cause upon restarting it it was back to default. i don't think adding too more memory cards will help much i did some reading and it appears technology has yet to catch up with the memory on today's market and seems mine is still future ready if not slighty under. also i have 2 hdds i can run raid if it would help my performance. if you have any ideas what i could do just let me know. ill wait for further response to do anything else other then suggestion on memory overclocking. trust me i have searched before asking for expert help my motherboard is so old i cant find anything and if i do find something it is total different setup.

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my camera is crappy at pictures hope you can make out what cooler is.
 

Second2None

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Jan 8, 2012
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18,510
thank you..ok atm i have a ati radeon 5770 graphics card.. probably outdated ..anyways i am gonna run it a while and see if 3.7ghz adds better results i did notice windows starting faster (not saying overclocking cpu did it) i also uninstalled avast internet security since i only have a month left on it anyways. i will post in a week or so with updates. thanks for taking time to help.