Worth it to upgrade my system?

[g-unit1111]

There’s three options that I am considering. Here is what I am running now:

Case: Corsair Graphite 600
Power Supply: Corsair TX-750
Motherboard: Asus P6T (Intel x58 LGA 1366)
CPU: Intel Core i7-920
RAM: Corsair 12GB 1066MHz RAM
HD1: Western Digital Caviar Blue 320GB
HD2: Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB
HD3: Samsung F1 1TB
Video Card: Dual EVGA GeForce GTX 550Ti 2GB in SLI mode
Optical: Pioneer Blu-Ray Burner
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium

Option 1 – Replace CPU with Intel Core i7-970, replace RAM with 24GB Corsair Vengeance 1600MHz, but this would require the OS to be replaced with Windows 7 Ultimate ($970)

Option 2 – new build with Gigabyte AMD-based motherboard (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128509 ) , Six-Core AMD Phenom II x6 1100, and 16GB of Kingston Hyper-X Dual Channel RAM ($515)

Option 3 – new build with Gigabyte Intel-based z68 motherboard (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128506 ), Intel Core i7-2600K, and 16GB of Kingston Hyper-X Dual Channel RAM ($600)

I'm thinking Option 2 would be the least expensive (what I'm going for) but at the same time I know the HD is really bringing down my system and I'm researching SSDs with the idea of using a low-capacity drive as my primary in conjunction with the two 1TB drives. So would the x58 be adequate for running an SSD or would it be better to start looking into one of the upgrade options? The primary use of this system is games / entertainment in an HTPC configuration running on a Vizio 42" Monitor with one, possibly 2 24" Acer monitors connected as well.

 

[ghnader hsmithot]

Hi G-Unit Gangsta!
If you could OC your cpu to 3.0ghz you would have performance that can last 3years.
Why you want to go AMD?They have nothing that is as good as your current tech.

And even with your cpu the upgrade wouldnt be worth much.
The only thing that i would recommend is a sata 3 ssd if not then you are just throwing hard earned cash out the window.
Save your money and enjoy your cpu for at least another 2 years mate.

 

[Onus]

The three things I think are even worth considering are:
1. Get a SSD. Even a 3Gb/s model will be notably faster than your current boot drive. With Home Premium, 96GB-128GB would be good sizes.
2. Replace your RAM, going from DDR3-1066 to DDR3-1333 CAS7 or DDR3-1600 CAS8 or better.
3. Replace your SLI'd GTX550Tis with a single GTX570, but leave one of the old GPUs in place for PhysX (if any of your games benefit from it).

Otherwise, unless you can tell us what is not performing as well as you'd like, it is hard to suggest upgrades to what already looks like a strong system.

 

[ghnader hsmithot]

The three things I think are even worth considering are:
1. Get a SSD. Even a 3Gb/s model will be notably faster than your current boot drive. With Home Premium, 96GB-128GB would be good sizes.
2. Replace your RAM, going from DDR3-1066 to DDR3-1333 CAS7 or DDR3-1600 CAS8 or better.
3. Replace your SLI'd GTX550Tis with a single GTX570, but leave one of the old GPUs in place for PhysX (if any of your games benefit from it).

Otherwise, unless you can tell us what is not performing as well as you'd like, it is hard to suggest upgrades to what already looks like a strong system.

Agree with jtt283.

 

[g-unit1111]

Hi G-Unit Gangsta!
If you could OC your cpu to 3.0ghz you would have performance that can last 3years.
Why you want to go AMD?They have nothing that is as good as your current tech.

And even with your cpu the upgrade wouldnt be worth much.
The only thing that i would recommend is a sata 3 ssd if not then you are just throwing hard earned cash out the window.
Save your money and enjoy your cpu for at least another 2 years mate.

See the thing is I don't know the first thing about overclocking and I'm not sure it's worth the risk. If I knew what I was doing I would definitely investigate it further, would it be worth it to get a new CPU fan instead? I'm currently running a Zalman 9500, I've been looking at the Corsair liquid cooling solution but then again I don't know much about extreme hardware like liquid cooling.

 

[g-unit1111]

The three things I think are even worth considering are:
1. Get a SSD. Even a 3Gb/s model will be notably faster than your current boot drive. With Home Premium, 96GB-128GB would be good sizes.
2. Replace your RAM, going from DDR3-1066 to DDR3-1333 CAS7 or DDR3-1600 CAS8 or better.
3. Replace your SLI'd GTX550Tis with a single GTX570, but leave one of the old GPUs in place for PhysX (if any of your games benefit from it).

Otherwise, unless you can tell us what is not performing as well as you'd like, it is hard to suggest upgrades to what already looks like a strong system.

I'm definitely planning on replacing the RAM, I didn't realize until now that I was running one of the slowest speeds available for Tri-Channel. Only bad thing is because of the memory limitations of Home Premium, I will need to upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate to get the most out of it, right?

As far as the video cards go I recently replaced them - upgrading them from a ATI Radeon 5830 (which in turn replaced a GTX 280 which I thought was defective, but it turns out it my crappy power supply). I looked at the 570 but even the basic models were way out of my price range, so I wound up going with an inexpensive SLI solution and I find it works pretty well.

 

[ghnader hsmithot]

And your hsf isnt good.But yes i am sure you can go to 3.0ghz.You should ask the OC section about this.There are a few guides on how to OC your cpu.

 

[g-unit1111]

Hi G-Unit Gangsta!
If you could OC your cpu to 3.0ghz you would have performance that can last 3years.
Why you want to go AMD?They have nothing that is as good as your current tech.

And even with your cpu the upgrade wouldnt be worth much.
The only thing that i would recommend is a sata 3 ssd if not then you are just throwing hard earned cash out the window.
Save your money and enjoy your cpu for at least another 2 years mate.

I like the Phenom II because it's cheap and I use one at work, and stuff that I used to do that took like an hour, now only takes minutes. I really want to see what the Bulldozer can do, but I think it'll be a while before I consider buying one.

 

[ghnader hsmithot]

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/ultimate_core_i7_overclocking_guide_we_push_nehalem_its_limits

 

[lilotimz]

It's fairly easy to OC a 920 especially on an Asus mobo. You should be able to get to 3.2 by just changing the BCLK.

There's plenty of overclocking guides out there for an Asus p6 mobo and a i7. It's quite easy actually.

 

[g-unit1111]

It's fairly easy to OC a 920 especially on an Asus mobo. You should be able to get to 3.2 by just changing the BCLK.

There's plenty of overclocking guides out there for an Asus p6 mobo and a i7. It's quite easy actually.

Should I look at purchasing a new fan? Will the Zalman be able to handle it with the other equipment I'm running?

 

[Overclocked Toaster]

since you are considering an upgrade, I am assuming that you are getting unsatisfactory performance with your current machine. Please tell us which programs are running at an unacceptable level so we can tell you what sort of upgrades would make the most sense for you. You mentioned using your machine primarily for games, let us know what sort of games you play and where you are getting unacceptable frame rates. You will most likely need a gpu upgrade (not RAM or CPU). But first tell us what games you play and at what resolutions.

 

[lilotimz]

Frankly, I'd change the zalman. It's really meant for socket 775s and it's cooling just plain sucks compared to what's out their today. Grab an CM 212+ or another equivalent when you have time.

OC'ing to 3.2 ghz shouldn't generate that much more heat so you should be fine even with a stock cooler (which are crap). Just remember to watch the temps and overclock slowly.

 

[g-unit1111]

Frankly, I'd change the zalman. It's really meant for socket 775s and it's cooling just plain sucks compared to what's out their today. Grab an CM 212+ or another equivalent when you have time.

OC'ing to 3.2 ghz shouldn't generate that much more heat so you should be fine even with a stock cooler (which are crap). Just remember to watch the temps and overclock slowly.

I'm not a big fan of two-piece CPU fans after I had a Xigmatek Gaia that I installed on my AMD machine cause my CPU to go haywire and almost fried it, I'd prefer one-piece CPU fans.

 

[g-unit1111]

since you are considering an upgrade, I am assuming that you are getting unsatisfactory performance with your current machine. Please tell us which programs are running at an unacceptable level so we can tell you what sort of upgrades would make the most sense for you. You mentioned using your machine primarily for games, let us know what sort of games you play and where you are getting unacceptable frame rates. You will most likely need a gpu upgrade (not RAM or CPU). But first tell us what games you play and at what resolutions.

Games I've been playing lately: Portal 2, Civilization V, Metro 2033, and Fallout New Vegas.

It's not the video card, both of the video cards I'm running are fairly new. I really wanted to do an SLI setup and this was the best entry-level configuration I could find for the money. I think the main concern is the RAM and my primary hard drive which is a Western Digital 5400 RPM 320GB.

 

[Overclocked Toaster]

thanks for the info. RAM will not make a worthwhile difference in terms of frames per second, dont have too many expectations for an upgrade there.

550 ti SLI should be able to handle those games with no trouble. I would have gone with a single more powerful card instead of two weaker cards, but that works too. But in terms of gaming, your video cards are still your bottleneck, and where you would see the biggest difference in terms of an upgrade.

Your hard drive I agree is kinda crummy. It will not affect your frames per second but will affect things like loading times and boot times. I would go with at least 7200, I think an SSD would be a worthwile upgrade for general computing performance.

btw what sort of framerates are you getting in those games?

 

[lilotimz]

I can see that your primary hard drive is the issue here. You might want to invest in an 64gb or 128gb SSD as the OS drive with the other two as data drives for other stuff.

On overclocking, the CM 212+ has been recommended many of times and people love it. I concur with you that a near total destruction of your computer does change your mind about things, it shouldn't make you generalize on an entire category of CPU coolers though. If you still don't like 212+ and 2 piece cpu coolers then I recommend you try to find one that fits you best. Any LGA 1366 cooler (aftermarket) should be better than your zalman.

Tim

 

[g-unit1111]

Hmm, I haven't really tested the frame rates recently. I recently moved my desktop into a home theater-type setup (it's hooked up to a 42" Vizio) and I don't really have a solid place to put my keyboard and mouse yet.

 

[g-unit1111]

I can see that your primary hard drive is the issue here. You might want to invest in an 64gb or 128gb SSD as the OS drive with the other two as data drives for other stuff.

On overclocking, the CM 212+ has been recommended many of times and people love it. I concur with you that a near total destruction of your computer does change your mind about things, it shouldn't make you generalize on an entire category of CPU coolers though. If you still don't like 212+ and 2 piece cpu coolers then I recommend you try to find one that fits you best. Any LGA 1366 cooler (aftermarket) should be better than your zalman.

Tim

Yeah I'm looking at the Cooler Master V8 and the Noctua D14 - would those be good choices? My case is the Corsair Graphite 600T, and tons of room, so it could easily hold a CPU fan with a 120mm fan and not lose a step.

 

[king smp]

A SSD will make all the difference in your system
the hard drive is the slowest component in a system
remember your OS does alot of small read/writes so
by getting a SSD not only is your sustained transfer rate (big file movement)
but your seek and access times are incredible
an SSD will make you think you have a new system
(though wont improve FPS in games but your dual 550Ti is fine)
look at this
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-550-ti-gf116-radeon-hd-5770,2892-15.html
shows sli 550Ti getting 70FPS in Just Cause 2 at 1920x1080
IDK what resolution you are playing at but if it is 1920x1200 or under
then the 550Ti are good
shouldnt have to worry about an upgrade for a year or so

but as other posters said
what is your reason for wanting upgrade?

what is performing slow?

or is it just "upgrade fever"

the bottleneck in your system is that HD at 5400RPM
going to SSD is best upgrade IMHO

 

[g-unit1111]

A SSD will make all the difference in your system
the hard drive is the slowest component in a system
remember your OS does alot of small read/writes so
by getting a SSD not only is your sustained transfer rate (big file movement)
but your seek and access times are incredible
an SSD will make you think you have a new system
(though wont improve FPS in games but your dual 550Ti is fine)
look at this
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-550-ti-gf116-radeon-hd-5770,2892-15.html
shows sli 550Ti getting 70FPS in Just Cause 2 at 1920x1080
IDK what resolution you are playing at but if it is 1920x1200 or under
then the 550Ti are good
shouldnt have to worry about an upgrade for a year or so

but as other posters said
what is your reason for wanting upgrade?

what is performing slow?

or is it just "upgrade fever"

the bottleneck in your system is that HD at 5400RPM
going to SSD is best upgrade IMHO

To answer your questions:

1. My main reason is that I want to use my computer in a home theater configuration mainly for playing games and entertainment things like watching movies, I'm trying to figure out what in my system could use an upgrade. I would like to go either Ivy Bridge or Bulldozer, and it would be nice to get ready to support either CPU once they're available.

2. I figured the bottleneck in my system would be the primary HD, but I also know that once I upgrade the RAM, that I will have to upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate because of the 16GB limit in Home Premium.

 

[Onus]

For your stated purposes, consider how you play your movies. If from DVDs, there isn't really anything you NEED to upgrade. Yes, a SSD will make the system a whole lot snappier, but will it matter much the way you'll use it? If you want to rip your DVDs to your hard drive(s), then you might want to get some 2TB "green" drives for greatly increased storage capacity.
Not for games, but for media, would a wireless mouse or media controller of some kind be useful?

 

[g-unit1111]

For your stated purposes, consider how you play your movies. If from DVDs, there isn't really anything you NEED to upgrade. Yes, a SSD will make the system a whole lot snappier, but will it matter much the way you'll use it? If you want to rip your DVDs to your hard drive(s), then you might want to get some 2TB "green" drives for greatly increased storage capacity.
Not for games, but for media, would a wireless mouse or media controller of some kind be useful?

I did buy a Logitech DiNovo mini - and that is a pretty sweet little controller.

 

[aaronstyle]

See the thing is I don't know the first thing about overclocking and I'm not sure it's worth the risk. If I knew what I was doing I would definitely investigate it further, would it be worth it to get a new CPU fan instead? I'm currently running a Zalman 9500, I've been looking at the Corsair liquid cooling solution but then again I don't know much about extreme hardware like liquid cooling.

I just purchased the corsair h60 for my amd phenom II 955 BE, and boy is it awesome. It's really easy to install, and works like a charm. The contents come prepackaged, and requires nothing but a screwdriver, and maybe some patience. I'm still newish when it comes to modifying my rig, but the h60 was such an easy install, as long as you have a back plate on your case that will reveal the back of your motherboard.

I highly recommend it

 

[Onus]

My 970BE is OC'ed to 3.8GHz on stock voltage, and at this very moment Coretemp is showing it flipping between 28C and 29C; under a Xigmatek Gaia.