Hello,
I have an HP Mediacenter PC m3880f. Trying to decide whether to upgrade further, or start a complete overhaul..
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01312600&tmp_task=prodinfoCategory&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&product=3644705#N210
Current specs:
AMD Phenom x4 9500
Asus M2N68-LA (Narra3)
3gb DDR2 pc5300
Radeon 5670
2 x 320gb 7200rpm SATA HDDs
300w PSU
Windows 7 64-bit
Samsung 23" LED 1920x100 (PX2370)
Recently I upgraded from the 8500gt to a Radeon 5670. Saw an instant boost in performance (obviously). My next step is to upgrade to at least 4gb of ddr2 pc6400, should've done this years ago..but I digress.
My question is, is it worth it to upgrade the cpu to a Phenom II x4 840 (rebranded Athlon II)? I know it will run faster, but would money be better spent on upgrading the MOBO as well, thus enabling me to add a faster/newer CPU as well as better ram? I was also considering the Athlon II x4 645 instead of the 840.
The PSU is not an issue as I have a thermaltake 600w lying around that I can toss in if needed.
I know the mobo specs state it can only be upgrade to a Phenom 9600 (AM2+) but I believe anything 95w or less will work.
PC is used mostly for playing WoW, but is also used for watching movies/tv. As it stands, it can handle everything but is definitely working too hard. I'm not into overclocking..just looking for a boost, but am not opposed to going the full upgrade route (mobo+cpu+ram) if it's the much better option. Trying to stay around $2-300, less if I'm just snagging the new CPU.
Any reccomendations?
I have an HP Mediacenter PC m3880f. Trying to decide whether to upgrade further, or start a complete overhaul..
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01312600&tmp_task=prodinfoCategory&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&product=3644705#N210
Current specs:
AMD Phenom x4 9500
Asus M2N68-LA (Narra3)
3gb DDR2 pc5300
Radeon 5670
2 x 320gb 7200rpm SATA HDDs
300w PSU
Windows 7 64-bit
Samsung 23" LED 1920x100 (PX2370)
Recently I upgraded from the 8500gt to a Radeon 5670. Saw an instant boost in performance (obviously). My next step is to upgrade to at least 4gb of ddr2 pc6400, should've done this years ago..but I digress.
My question is, is it worth it to upgrade the cpu to a Phenom II x4 840 (rebranded Athlon II)? I know it will run faster, but would money be better spent on upgrading the MOBO as well, thus enabling me to add a faster/newer CPU as well as better ram? I was also considering the Athlon II x4 645 instead of the 840.
The PSU is not an issue as I have a thermaltake 600w lying around that I can toss in if needed.
I know the mobo specs state it can only be upgrade to a Phenom 9600 (AM2+) but I believe anything 95w or less will work.
PC is used mostly for playing WoW, but is also used for watching movies/tv. As it stands, it can handle everything but is definitely working too hard. I'm not into overclocking..just looking for a boost, but am not opposed to going the full upgrade route (mobo+cpu+ram) if it's the much better option. Trying to stay around $2-300, less if I'm just snagging the new CPU.
Any reccomendations?