Upgrade Advice Please!

[cronitron]

Hello everyone, not sure if this is the proper forum please move if need be. I built my pc about 4 years ago and figured it is time to either build a new system or upgrade what I can. I mainly use system for gaming and general computer usage. Currently I am playing Diablo3 and will be playing Guild Wars 2. I can run D3 on max everything including AA with no problems until it starts getting crazy, especially when I'm in a multiplayer game. I am also able to run Skyrim at around medium settings if that gives anyone a better idea. My current system is:

CPU: Intel Q6600
GPU: Nvidia GTS 250 1gb
RAM: 8gb G Skill DDR2
Mobo: Asus P5K Pro ATX
Power: Antec 550W

I am mainly wondering if upgrading my GPU would give me a significant increase in performance, if it's even worthwhile, or if I would be better off waiting and building a brand new system. Any and all help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[nikorr]

Yes, the latest IB is way ahead : )

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/53?vs=551

Even the 2500K shows significant improvement.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/53?vs=288

 

[cronitron]

Yes, the latest IB is way ahead : )

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/53?vs=551

Even the 2500K shows significant improvement.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/53?vs=288

I think you may have seen GPU thinking it said CPU lol, but the information you provided is still helpful.

 

[nikorr]

I guess I didn't read the bottom at all : )

 

[Ironslice]

It all depends on how much you are willing to spend.

 

[cronitron]

It all depends on how much you are willing to spend.

Well, I can afford an average priced video card probably around $150-200ish. If that would give me some kick, I would be more inclined to do that. If I'm better off not spending anything on my current system then I would be looking at $800-1k for a new system. I've been looking at a GTX 560. I would prefer to get some more juice/life from my system if possible. If not, oh well haha.

 

[megamanx00]

Yes you could get more performance with a better GPU, but the limit is gonna shift to your CPU with anything modern unless you have it overclocked. I'd say if you can reach 3.4-3.6Ghz it would make sense to pair it with a Radeon 6950, 7850, or on the nVidia side a GTX 560Ti. You're limited to a single card after all and anything more would be a little silly (coming from a guy with two 5870s and a Phenom II ) unless you were looking to upgrade the rest of your system relatively soon.

 

[cronitron]

Yes you could get more performance with a better GPU, but the limit is gonna shift to your CPU with anything modern unless you have it overclocked. I'd say if you can reach 3.4-3.6Ghz it would make sense to pair it with a Radeon 6950, 7850, or on the nVidia side a GTX 560Ti. You're limited to a single card after all and anything more would be a little silly (coming from a guy with two 5870s and a Phenom II ) unless you were looking to upgrade the rest of your system relatively soon.

Hmm, yeah that's what I have been reading a lot about. I defiantly don't want to bottleneck (I believe that's the term) my CPU. I remember reading that it wasn't recommended to overclock a q6600 past 3.0, in which case would a GTX 550 or 550ti be more along the lines? And do you think I would actually be better off with a geforce or radeon?

 

[kishagi]

ive heard people say geforce is better but i dont know why.
the specs on your motherboard say its crossfire ready, i say follow that trend and get a radeon. try PowerColor AX6790 1GBD5-DH Radeon HD 6790 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

i find it kinda funny, we are both having the same problem, i have a Asus P5N-T Deluxe motherboard and a Intel quad core q9400

 

[megamanx00]

That's a P35 motherboard and the second slot is 4x. For that kind of motherboard I wouldn't advise going crossfire so including it as a feature is a little dubious. Anyway Q6600 is decent CPU and even at 3.0Ghz you can pair it with something better than a GTX550. At that speed I'd say a Radeon 6850 or 6870 and on the nVidia side a GTX560 1GB. The good ol trusty GTX 460 256-bit cards are hard to find now and seem to be replaced with a V2 version of the card which is just a cut down version of the same GF 114 found in the 560 and 560ti. Close enough to the old 460 and still better than the 550ti ^_^

 

[cronitron]

That's a P35 motherboard and the second slot is 4x. For that kind of motherboard I wouldn't advise going crossfire so including it as a feature is a little dubious. Anyway Q6600 is decent CPU and even at 3.0Ghz you can pair it with something better than a GTX550. At that speed I'd say a Radeon 6850 or 6870 and on the nVidia side a GTX560 1GB. The good ol trusty GTX 460 256-bit cards are hard to find now and seem to be replaced with a V2 version of the card which is just a cut down version of the same GF 114 found in the 560 and 560ti. Close enough to the old 460 and still better than the 550ti ^_^

Well that's awesome to know, thanks! Would you possibly know where to find a decent guide on how to oc my cpu? I've looked into a few times before but lost interest when I couldn't find any solid information, and it just wasn't necessary at the time. I have AMI bios (American Megatrends) which I also read was a horrible bios haha. Anyways, I will keep researching it, any further info on this would be a huge help.

Any recommendations on heatsinks, I've been browsing newegg but I am not sure what which ones are able to accommodate oc'ing. Thanks

 

[cronitron]

Found out Intel has a program that should do it, Thanks everyone

 

[cronitron]

Best answer selected by cronitron.