Need help upgrading

[Bel1evEee]

Hi guys , I bought my PC as listed below a few years back and now I've decided it is time to upgrade a couple of components.

I mainly use it for gaming and I'm looking for recommendations on SSD/RAM that will fit on my motherboard and/or possibly a new motherboard as I'm not sure if I should change my motherboard.

Operating System:
Windows 2.6.1.7601 (Service Pack 1)
CPU Type:
Intel® Core™2 Quad CPU Q9300 @ 2.50GHz
CPU Speed:
2.35 GHz
Video Card Model:
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Ultra- 786MB
Motherboard:
Gigabyte EP35C-DS3R rev. A2
RAM:
Corsair CM2X1024-8500C5D 1024(400MHz) x2
HDD:
ST3500320AS ATA Device 500 GB

P.S Sorry if this is posted in the wrong section of this forum,I only registered here recently and started educating myself on hardware

 

[kilo_17]

Well, If I had that computer and only wanted to upgrade a few things, I would most likely upgrade the video card, and throw another 2 gigs of RAM in it.

 

[wintermint]

I would wait it out a bit longer. AMD will be releasing Bulldozer and their 7xxx series (someone correct me if im wrong) on September.

 

[Bel1evEee]

Well, If I had that computer and only wanted to upgrade a few things, I would most likely upgrade the video card, and throw another 2 gigs of RAM in it.

should I buy more of the same ram or get a newer one ? which one would you recommend ?

 

[joshyboy82]

I hadn't heard that there's going to be a new GPU lineup next month, but yes, Bulldozer (for what it means to people who hate buying Intel, but concede that they run the roost) will be "announced" next month. Yes, that announced is hypothetical. They've already changed the date twice before.

How much are you looking to spend? What resolution to you play on? What is your Power supply rated at?

Here's what Gigabyte listed for your Mobo:
DDR3:
2 x 1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 4 GB of system memory

DDR2:
4 x 1.8V DDR2 DIMM sockets supporting up to 8 GB of system memory

Any SSD will fit your motherboard. It depends on if you have an open HDD bay to install one. Pick one in your budget, but with your Mobo, don't pay premium for SATA3. A SATA3 SSD will work on you board, but it will only be running at SATA2 speeds.

 

[kilo_17]

should I buy more of the same ram or get a newer one ? which one would you recommend ?

Well I'm not one to advise on RAM, but I would say go with the same, it's all up to you tbh.

 

[natx808]

i would suggest a sata III SSD, it would be one of the few parts you can take with you to your new system whenever you upgrade.

 

[Bel1evEee]

thanks for the suggestions
My budges is maxed at 300-400$ for ram+SSD .

My PSU is 650W

 

[kilo_17]

Going to keep your 8800GTX I see, the only reason I brought that up was because you mentioned that you game. Then again, I have no idea how one of those performs so it may be more than enough to game :lol:

 

[4745454b]

8800GTX is similar to the GTS250. This also puts it at 4850, 5750, 9800GTX+, etc territory. Not a bad card for gaming, but it uses more power. Grabbing a GTX460 or 6870 would be a good idea if your looking for more frames.

If you want to upgrade now, grab 2GBs of ram, a CPU cooler so you can OC your 9300 to above 3GHz, and one of those video cards. If you want to wait and see what BD brings then keep saving.