Upgrading my system

[genghisbahng]

Hi all, I'm upgrading my current rig of 3 years:
- ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
- Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor BX80570E8400
- AMD Radeon 4870 1MB
- WinXP SP3

I'm thinking of just upgrading RAM (to 8GB), graphics (either 6950 or 560ti), and cheap SSD w. Win7. I feel like I can squeeze another year out of my current mobo and processor. Can a dual-core proc keep up?

 

[cmadrid]

You should notice quite a boost with those upgrades.. I'm still on a Q9300 myself. Moved everything to a Corsair Carbide 500R case, Hyper 212 EVO for a bit of OC'ing, and added a SSD. Everything runs pretty well.

 

[genghisbahng]

@ cmadrid -- thanks for the note, what GPU are you running?

I guess my question would be more accurately phrased this way: how severely will my E8400 bottleneck a new GPU (either 6950 or 560 ti) at 1920x1200?

 

[megamanx00]

You can certainly get more out of that system by overclocking that CPU and getting a better video card. Since your board supports crossfire you could also just add a second 4870 1GB (which is what I would do), though finding one is a bit more difficult now. As for your CPU limiting a new card it just depends on the game and the settings. I'd say for the most part, your GPU would be responsible for giving you a low framerate (especially below 30fps) but again it all depends on the game and settings. You can overclock your CPU to help alleviate any CPU bottleneck as the 8400 is a rather good overclocker.

 

[genghisbahng]

yup, definitely planning on OC, but the 2nd 4870 in crossfire is a great idea. thanks!

 

[cmadrid]

I have a 6670 right now, its pretty terrible ;( my 4850 died and it was either get this card or wait a month or so to get something else. Recently bought a house, so budget is constrained, lol