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Upgrade or Time for New Build

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Here is my current computer:

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

SeaSonic M12 SS-500HM 500W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC

MSI P35 Neo2-FR LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard

SAMSUNG 2253BW Black 22" 2ms(GTG) DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor

ASUS EAH4850/HTDI/512M Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card crossfired with XFX HD-485X-ZNFC Radeon HD 4850 1GB 256-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

Mushkin Enhanced 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 996558

Intel Core2 Quad Q9400 2.66GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor BX80580Q9400

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium

I purchased most of the pieces 5 years ago. Mostly play games, although I surf the internet quite a bit. Not a video editor. I'm wondering if a video card upgrade (would like to spend around $200) would be possible (i.e. GTX 480 - not sure if my PSU can swing it). Or is it time for me to start a new build? Are the new intel processors (i3,i5,i7) worth a new build at this time? Any suggestions are most welcome.

thank you.

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What games do you play and what settings are you looking to play at? I guess you wouldn't be thinking about an upgrade if you weren't having problems....

That PSU would be OK depending on the GPU you selected. I believe a 480 is a power hog. Someone else would have to answer that though.

Skyrim, Star Wars Old Republic online. Recently downloaded GTA IV and the new enhanced graphics mod...very choppy play on certain screens (which made me wonder if a new GPU was in order). I don't need ULTRA everything settings, but I like to have smooth gameplay.

I was browsing Newegg, and referring to Tom's GPU hierarchy list. I figured my crossfired 4850s were getting a bit dated.

I was also thinking about an AMD setup (have always used Intel) for a new build.

Just kicking around ideas...appreciate the feedback.
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sharksfin02 said:
Skyrim, Star Wars Old Republic online. Recently downloaded GTA IV and the new enhanced graphics mod...very choppy play on certain screens (which made me wonder if a new GPU was in order). I don't need ULTRA everything settings, but I like to have smooth gameplay.

I was browsing Newegg, and referring to Tom's GPU hierarchy list. I figured my crossfired 4850s were getting a bit dated.

I was also thinking about an AMD setup (have always used Intel) for a new build.

Just kicking around ideas...appreciate the feedback.



If you do not need 'ULTRA everything settings', then stick with your current hardware and just upgrade the GPU. I have a Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.83GHz system, which for three years had the following specs: 4GB (4x1GB) 800MHz DDR3 RAM; Radeon HD 2600 XT GPU; and 350W PSU. Two months ago, I upgraded the components as follows: 8GB (2x4GB) 1333MHz DDR3 RAM; Radeon HD 6850 GPU; 500W PSU (of course, with those upgrades I also upgraded the motherboard for DDR3 support). The Intel Core 2 Quad system is actually my back-up computer... my main everyday and gaming PC that replaced the Core 2 system is a Sandy Bridge build (Core i5 2500 CPU; 16GB 1600MHz DDR3 RAM; 2x Radeon HD 6870 (Crossfire); 750W PSU). The Sandy Bridge system was built in the fall of 2011.
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