GTX 460 in a system with a 2.1ghz dual core

[chronous3]

hey everyone, I have a computer with an old sempron 2.1ghz and an 8800gt. this thing can handle oblivion with crap settings, but really struggles at anything current. i was wondering... if i put something really new like a gtx 460 in it, would the cpu bottleneck that card so severely that it wouldnt even be much of a performance upgrade? or would it even be one at all?

(32 bit win 7 w/4gigs of ram)

 

[purple stain]

I would spend the money on a CPU upgrade instead of a card.It is possible you might see a small performance gain just by upgrading the CPU and still using the 8800gt.

What type of mobo do you have(socket)?
And plz list your full system specs.(power supply,mobo,CPU,etc.)

 

[chronous3]

its an AM2 socket. i dont have much headroom for an upgrade =/ i cant find the actual motherboard online... i was planning on just buying a new computer since between the old mobo with a crap socket, non pci-e 2.0 graphics slots, old graphics card, and awful cpu, slow ram, etc.. the whole thing really needs to be upgraded. but i considered potentially saving a couple grand on a new top of the line system and getting a solid boost from just 1 card upgrade....

550watt PS

i should also add that i very foolishly bought this in a store, i was impatient and didn't know a lot about computers at the time. Acer AM1100-B1410A.

 

[redgarl]

Don't waste your money at all. Just wait to build yourself something better. It's too old to really be able to do something interesting.

 

[chronous3]

Don't waste your money at all. Just wait to build yourself something better. It's too old to really be able to do something interesting.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Then I had the revelation that the GTX 460 is cheap and could technically go in my comp, and is a huge upgrade, buuuuut.... yeah. This whole thing is way overdue for replacement.

 

[rolli59]

The GTX460 would be held back drastically by your Sempron CPU and benefit would be minimal going from your 8800GT. Being an AM2 board you should be able to grab a cheap X2 around 5000+ of ebay which would be a much better match with the GTX460.

 

[chronous3]

The GTX460 would be held back drastically by your Sempron CPU and benefit would be minimal going from your 8800GT. Being an AM2 board you should be able to grab a cheap X2 around 5000+ of ebay which would be a much better match with the GTX460.

I thought about that, I could get something like a 3.1 ish ghz X2 for pretty cheap, but I didn't know if that would honestly make much difference. Do you think it would by itself, and do you think if I did, that getting a 460 would be a large upgrade with a CPU thats 1ghz faster?

 

[rolli59]

It all depends on what your plan is! An upgrade on the go get the GTX460 now and then migrate it to a new build, then a cheap Athlon X2 would be a hold over.

 

[purple stain]

4gigs is still a lot,for an old computer.Does it ever max out when doing stuff?
What is the make/model of the PSU?
Also what type of RAM do u have?Maybe it can be salvaged.

So i'm guessing your budget would be around $200 since thats how much a GTX460 usually goes for.This is what i've got so far...

Phenom ii x2 555B.E.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103846

MSI 770T AM2+/AM2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130307

So your around $160 for those 2.And you've got $40 twards a GTX460.
Also the Mobo is great for that prossesor it can unlock cores to make it a x3 or a x4,i'm not sure how many u will be able to unlock but the prossesor is brand new and competes with quad core's.

 

[chronous3]

Best answer selected by chronous3.

 

[chronous3]

4gigs is still a lot,for an old computer.Does it ever max out when doing stuff?
What is the make/model of the PSU?
Also what type of RAM do u have?Maybe it can be salvaged.

So i'm guessing your budget would be around $200 since thats how much a GTX460 usually goes for.This is what i've got so far...

Phenom ii x2 555B.E.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103846

MSI 770T AM2+/AM2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130307

So your around $160 for those 2.And you've got $40 twards a GTX460.
Also the Mobo is great for that prossesor it can unlock cores to make it a x3 or a x4,i'm not sure how many u will be able to unlock but the prossesor is brand new and competes with quad core's.

I've been planning on getting a new computer for years (keeps being pushed back for one reason or another). I was originally going to attempt building one myself from parts off newegg as I'd never put one together before from scratch, and it would be good experience. I found a site though, ibuypower, that has excellent selection and prices that when totalled, are almost the same as individually from newegg. So... I was going to buy one from there and save the hassel. If I end up getting a new comp, I'm currently thinking of going with an i7-950, gtx 580, and a P6X58D-E for upgradability. The 580 is kinda overkill, but I've never had a top of the line computer and would like to experience that for once haha.

edit: Thank you all for the advice. It's much appreciated. =)

 

[purple stain]

You should try the Sandy Bridge i7's.Their practialy the same price only $30 more.Make sure you get the "k" version whichever u buy.

 

[minitron815]

If it's an AM2/+ you can upgrade your processor very easily and can get that computer to be more than capable of running most games.

I would suggest a http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103471

You can even put AM3 CPUs in there such as Phenom II X6s

Pairing a 3 gig quad/hexa core with that 8800/9800GT should allow you to increase the settings on all your games (it should handle Oblivion/Fallout with ease). PCI-e 1.0 is fine for any non-SLI/CF so you don't need to upgrade your motherboard unless you want to get a new CPU or move into a DDR3 system (which won't matter for games). The HyperTransport on that AM2 is probably a bit low but won't be a big deal.

So for $135 you can keep your current setup and play all modern games with relatively high quality even with your current video card.

Unless you want to play Metro 2033 @ 1920x1080 with 4AA/16AF on high you don't need a new computer.

 

[adampcman]

If it's an AM2/+ you can upgrade your processor very easily and can get that computer to be more than capable of running most games.

I totally agree minitron815! If he change his slow Sempron CPU (huge bottleneck in his rig btw), then his GPU and RAM should handle almost any modern game today.