What should I upgrade next?

[cburke82]

So im building my gaming PC and its great now. But as most of you can probably relate to Im never all the way happy, there is always something else to upgrade lol. So here it is.

MOBO: Biostar TA890FXE

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 3.4 ghz OC to 4.1ghz with NB at 2400mhz

RAM: 6GB total ( 1. 4GB Corsair 1333 cas 9 1. 2GB 1333 cas 7 brand ???)

PSU: Thermaltake TR2 RX 750W Bronze

CASE: CM Ahf 922

GPU: XFX HD 6950 flashed to 6970 ( might switch back to 6950 Im gettimg very small artifacts)

HDD: 500GB 7200RPM dont know brand but its my lowest WEI score 5.9.

DVD BURN: Random works ok lol might go BLU RAY here.

OS: Windows 7 home

So thats what I(m running now. Here is what I'm thinking of doing/ my options. What I need to know is what will give me the best performance increase overall wile costing the least. Also after AMD's new CPU's come out ill be contemplating switching mobo/cpu at that time so not now. So the choices are add another GPU for crossfire , replace the 2GB RAM stick with another 4GB stick, BLU RAY player. So there it is. Also would not mind any opinions on what you would have changed here without making the cost go up. This was my first system and I didnt have the cash to go with Intel.

Thanks

 

[jmsellars1]

I'd say the RAM and GPU probably arent even worth upgrading yet as you CPU is way behind the performance of the rest of your system. I think the only places you would see any improvement are CPU or SSD, both pretty expensive so maybe just wait a while.

 

[cburke82]

I'd say the RAM and GPU probably arent even worth upgrading yet as you CPU is way behind the performance of the rest of your system. I think the only places you would see any improvement are CPU or SSD, both pretty expensive so maybe just wait a while.

So you think going crossfire wouldent give me better FPS at higher setting? I can get 35 FPS avd in Metro 2033 if I turn off advanced DOF and use AAA not MSAA. So if I was in crossfir could I turn thos on and get more FPS? Or your saying my CPU would bottle neck that and I would not see any improvement?

 

[jmsellars1]

I couldn't say for sure but in your position i would upgrade my CPU next

 

[cburke82]

I couldn't say for sure but in your position i would upgrade my CPU next

So in my noobishness I read that the amd APU's are coming 3rd quarter. What is a APU lol is it there new line of CPU's just with a diff name because of the intigrated graphics on there? If i do go with a CPU upgrade i at least want to see what AMD brings to the table. Even if they arnt better maybe they will put a bit of pressure on Intel to drop the prices a bit lol.

 

[jmsellars1]

Don't be fooled by the numbers, some of Intel's CPU's are well priced. For example an Intel i5-760 (4 x 2.8Ghz @ ) is going to perform a lot better than an AMD Athlon II X4 640 or even an AMD Phenom II 840 (4 x 3.0Ghz and 4 x 3.2Ghz respectively). Another example would be that for gaming at least, you would get much better value for money out of an Intel 2500k ($220) than you would from a 6 core Phenom x6 1100T. ($230)

Don't get me wrong, im not saying AMD are bad but i would probably only suggest them if youre either on a tight budget or you do a lot of multimedia/multitasking etc. I'm also just trying to make the point that Intel are a very viable option, especially for gaming.

 

[jmsellars1]

Sorry i meant to say Phenom II x6 1100T and Intel Core i5-2500k

 

[cburke82]

Don't be fooled by the numbers, some of Intel's CPU's are well priced. For example an Intel i5-760 (4 x 2.8Ghz @ ) is going to perform a lot better than an AMD Athlon II X4 640 or even an AMD Phenom II 840 (4 x 3.0Ghz and 4 x 3.2Ghz respectively). Another example would be that for gaming at least, you would get much better value for money out of an Intel 2500k ($220) than you would from a 6 core Phenom x6 1100T. ($230)

Don't get me wrong, im not saying AMD are bad but i would probably only suggest them if youre either on a tight budget or you do a lot of multimedia/multitasking etc. I'm also just trying to make the point that Intel are a very viable option, especially for gaming.

Yeah Intels on the list for sure. I just want to see what the new stuff from AMD has to offer. Based on bench marks Getting the best Intell cpu will maybe get me another 5-10 FPS not bad. But If AMD puts out better than expected stuff maybe that puts some pressure on intel and they drop $20-30 bucks off a Say 2600k and ill need all I can get. Because At $330 I think the 2600k is a good deal but then you have to get the mobo. So then your at $700 ish for 10 FPS and thats alot lol. So for now I can wait for the CPU.

 

[cburke82]

Best answer selected by cburke82.