Upgrade

[brisa117]

Hello all,


So, I built my current system approximately two years ago (see specs in sig) and I have made incremental upgrades -- better PSU, watercooling, more HDD space -- and I'm itching for an upgrade. I have come up with the following options and I need help deciding which one I will do:



Processor & Mobo: Phenom II 955 & Asus M4A79T-deluxe--------------> New bulldozer processor & AM3+ Mobo (estimated cost = $400)

Graphics card: Radeon HD 4890 w/waterblock---------------------------> Radeon HD 6950 + new waterblock (estimated cost = $400)

Ram: 6 GB OCZ DDR3 1333 ram-------------------------------------------> 12 GB DDR3 Ram (estimated cost = $120)

Hard Drive: 3.5 TB HDDs (WD & Seagate)--------------------------------> Add 120 GB SSD (OCZ) (estimated cost = $220)

New Case: Cheapo (but modified) case------------------------------------> Case with room for both of my dual 120mm Rads (currently only able to use one & 92mm rad) (estimated cost = $150)




Like I said before, I would really like an extra opinion on this. My current waterblock will most likely work for the new processor if I decide to go that route, but I will have to find a new copy of Win 7 if I upgrade the motherboard (a necessity for going to Bulldozer). Haven't decided how much money to spend, but less is usually better. Also, I use my PC mainly for gaming (FPS & Civ V), more gaming through emulators which rely heavily on the CPU, and as a media center for TV and Movies.



-Thanks in advance,
Shawn

 

[WR2]

Hello brisa117;

What resolution do you game on? What PSU are you using?

For gaming you'll get your best performance boost with a new GPU. Watercooling optional. Not required for the extra performance. I'd skip the extra cost of the cooling upgrade and put it toward a SSD but hold off making a choice till you see the new Sand Force 2000 SSD hit the street.

CPU is fine for now. There isn't anything out now that makes sense for an upgrade.
RAM upgrade from 6GB is not a good option at any time.

 

[brisa117]

Hello brisa117;

What resolution do you game on? What PSU are you using?

For gaming you'll get your best performance boost with a new GPU. Watercooling optional. Not required for the extra performance. I'd skip the extra cost of the cooling upgrade and put it toward a SSD but hold off making a choice till you see the new Sand Force 2000 SSD hit the street.

CPU is fine for now. There isn't anything out now that makes sense for an upgrade.
RAM upgrade from 6GB is not a good option at any time.

I just upgraded the PSU to an XFX 850w (80+ silver) over Christmas. And I typically game at 1920 x 1080. Things run great now, but I'm looking forward to some battlefield 3 and DX11 in general. Plus maybe at some point some 3D. But at the same time, I don't care to wait until Bulldozer comes this summer or if the HD 7000 series is coming soon (not sure on that one).

Also, do you know how loud that card is? That's primarily why I liquid cool (some OC).

 

[WR2]

You're in good shape with your XFX 850 PSU.

Stop by NewEgg and read the HD 6950 owner's comments. Some of the HD 6950 models are pretty quiet. You can always test the HD 6950 before commuting to buy the waterblock.

My guess is that AMD will do a 'double' for the Bulldozer release. A new CPU and GPU.

 

[brisa117]

Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. But I can always pick up another 6950 at that point somewhere. Thanks for the advice.