Need advice with upgrade (VGA, cooler, RAM)

G

Guest

Guest
Greetings,

I am considering an upgrade to my computer and I dont know if its worth upgrading.

Currently I have:
Asus M5A97Pro,
Phenom 955@3,6Ghz, 1.3V,
4GB DDR3-1333MHz Kingston CL9 kit 2x2GB.
Zotac 460GTX 768MB
Fortron Blue Storm 500W

I was planning that with the announcement of Nvidia 660 cards I might upgrade to kepler. The thing is that currently I am stuck with an old 1280x1024 monitor. I want to switch to FullHD gaming and I dont know if the CPU wont be a bottleneck for the new VGA. I wanted to purchase a new cooler like Hyper 212+ and OC the CPU to cca 4 or more Ghz. Throw another 4gigs of RAM in there and it might be good for another 2 years.
Im just not sure if I will use the full potential of the VGA with this computer and also if I will be able to run games like Battlefield 3 maxed out and new games that come out in the next year or so.

Thank you
 

clutchc

Titan
Ambassador
If your aim is to replace the old monitor with a new one and game at 1920x1080 and high settings, you can do so without replacing the Phenom II X4 955 that you have OC'd. There will be some 'bottle-neck' with any fast card and the Phenom II, but it won't be a deal breaker. And if you can get the old Phenom up to a stable 4GHZ, all the better. Gaming frame rate is mainly about the card.

However, keep in mind if you install a really large card, your PSU may not be adequate. The Blue Storm 500W is supposedly produced by a 'major' PSU manufacturer...
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article212-page1.html
But it is probably not a true '500W' PSU. What I'm trying to say, is that you will want to invest in a better PSU for serious 1080p/high settings gaming with a powerful card.

If you are planning on keeping the 1280x1024 monitor, your 460 GTX 768 card is adequate for BF3 at high settings.
 

randomkid

Distinguished
I wanted to purchase a new cooler like Hyper 212+ and OC the CPU to cca 4 or more Ghz. Throw another 4gigs of RAM in there and it might be good for another 2 years.
Im just not sure if I will use the full potential of the VGA with this computer and also if I will be able to run games like Battlefield 3 maxed out and new games that come out in the next year or so.
Thank you
+1. This is most exciting. But even at stock the the Phenom II 955 is great processor & wont be bottle necked by single 660. I run 2x6950 on an unlocked & OC'd 720BE ( 4cores @ 3.4 ) with no bottle necking whatsoever.

For the RAM, I would say 4GB is enough. Just put the savings into a better monitor.
& If your current power supply has powered the 460, it should power a 660. Graphics cards nowadays pull much less power for greater performance.