Advice on upgrading my PC

[Billy305]

First off im not sure if this is the right forum but I didnt see one that fit better. I am not ready to build an entire new computer because they one I have is not that bad, but I would like to try and determine if it would be worth some money trying go get some extra juice out of mine. I play a lot of wow and starcraft 2 and just dabble in other games that come out to check them out. When I built this computer 4 years ago it was amazing and have done a few small upgrades to it over time. These are the current specs as it sits now.

-Gigabyte GA-EP43-UD3L (rev. 1.1) MOBO
-Intel Quadcore Q9400 2.66 (Running at 2.6 but could OC pretty easily to 3+)
-4 Gigs SLI Ready PC 6400 Memory 2.1v
-eVGA GTX 8800 Vid card
-Corsair 650w PSUI
-500 gig sata 7200 hard drive for OS
-1TB sata HDD for storage
-Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit

I upgraded the Mobo when I got the new Processor. Now I wish I could just go ahead and drop 2 grand and build an amazing new computer with an i7 ect but I dont want to do that. When I am playing wow I can quest in outlands with all the settings on ultra and get very little lag and 45-60 fps but when stuff starts happening it can drop to the 20-30s depending on the situation. When I raid 25 mans tho I have to put alot of the settings down to get it at a smooth level. I really would like to be able to run ultra settings all the time and get better performance. I also plan on getting cata when it comes out. I also have to turn down some SC2 Settings and would like to be able to leave them up as well. I havnt installed yet but I expect similar results with Mafia 2.

There is a point I know where it isnt worth upgrading your old computer because you are going to replace so many parts you might as well have just bought a new one. My question is if I had a budget of about ~$600, do you guys see some worth while upgrades? The processor isnt too bad and I know it can be bumped up. My gtx8800 was AMAZING when I bought it 4 years ago but now there are cards for $200 dollars that destroy it. My current mobo now has PCI-E 16x 2.0 which my old one didnt. I have been looking at the GTX 460-470 and both have them have better specs over all, and while the core clock is only slightly higher, the memory, memory xfer, shader ect are all bettter than my current card. They are also GDDR5. Would it be worth it to invest in to a new GFX card or will the difference only be minimal.

The other possible problems I see could be the ram. Maybe I would do better doubling them memory? 4 gigs is a good amount but its not too great now a days while running Windows 7 64 bit. My hard drive may also be a problem being slow.

I have seen memory on new egg for 100 per 4 gig and a gtx 470 for $300.

Basically put simply what kinda of performance increase could I get upgrading my current system and would it be worth it with the way technology gets outdated so fast.

Thanks!

[Erik765]

For WotLK, you'll see a lot more performance boost by OC'ing your CPU "easily to 3+". With Cata, OC'ing your CPU "easily to 3+" and getting a new GPU would be your best bet.

I'd start with the OC and see how it goes.

If you got 600 to put down, why not get a good 1156 board, with an i5-750 and grab a GTX 460? All of those things + shipping should be right at around 600. If you have a little room left get a 470. (Don't get a 465). The i5-750 can OC easily to 3.6 on -good- air.

Just my 2 cents.

Also, if you're going to OC, make sure your cooling can handle it and keep an eye on your tempts while doing it.

[Moobious]

For wow you need a better processor.

An intel system with an i5 750/760 or an i7 over clocked to 4ghz will be able to handle everything at max. AMD processors chug with shadows at full although a quad core phenom 2 at 4ghz might be able to run them at playable frame rates.

$600 should be enough to get an i5 750 with a p55 motherboard, 4gigs of ddr3 and a gtx 460. Those are pretty much all of the best $/performance parts currently.

At this time upgrading your ram past 4gigs does nothing for games, none of them utalize that much ram.

[Erik765]

An intel system with an i5 750/760 or an i7 over clocked to 4ghz

Absolutely no advantage to buying a 760 over a 750 if you're going to OC it anyway... besides a slightly thinner wallet.

You'd also need some pretty kick-ass cooling to maintain 4ghz at decent temps. Some people are OK with running hot, but it will reduce the life of the chip. Cilraaz runs his at 3.8, but he has kick-ass air too.

And, yes, I did forget, you will need ddr3 on a 1156 (p55) board.

[Billy305]

For WotLK, you'll see a lot more performance boost by OC'ing your CPU "easily to 3+". With Cata, OC'ing your CPU "easily to 3+" and getting a new GPU would be your best bet.

I'd start with the OC and see how it goes.

If you got 600 to put down, why not get a good 1156 board, with an i5-750 and grab a GTX 460? All of those things + shipping should be right at around 600. If you have a little room left get a 470. (Don't get a 465). The i5-750 can OC easily to 3.6 on -good- air.

Just my 2 cents.

Also, if you're going to OC, make sure your cooling can handle it and keep an eye on your tempts while doing it.

I was checking out those parts and they look pretty solid. Do will my 650 watt PSU be able to handle that setup? Also would that rig yield a significant difference in your opinion? My fear is dropping 600-700 dollars and barely noticing a difference. I want to also be able to play some of the newer games coming out

[Erik765]

Yes, a 650 will handle that setup with room to spare, and an even bigger yes, you will notice a difference, in WoW, esp. Cata, and even more-so in other games.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/76?vs=109

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/178?vs=180

(those are stock speeds too, btw)

The parts are solid. the i5-750 is considered one of the best chips out for gaming at the moment because of its huge OC capabilities, relatively low cost (for intel), and the fact that most games don't really utilize the multithreading that is on the i7 chips.

in other words, you wouldn't be wasting money and you won't be disappointed... well, unless you're trying to run Crysis at full settings on 1920x1080, but who does that?

[pansertjald]

Absolutely no advantage to buying a 760 over a 750 if you're going to OC it anyway... besides a slightly thinner wallet.

You'd also need some pretty kick-ass cooling to maintain 4ghz at decent temps. Some people are OK with running hot, but it will reduce the life of the chip. Cilraaz runs his at 3.8, but he has kick-ass air too.

And, yes, I did forget, you will need ddr3 on a 1156 (p55) board.

sry but first i have to lol a little

nr 1. you DON`T NEED to have a kick-ass cooling for ocìng to 4,0 Ghz stable at all. you just need a good after market cooler. as long as you have it under 60 degreese in games on 4,0 Ghz you are perfectly save and the CPU will not die from heat in your life-time

nr 2. sry to say it m8, but cilraaz cooling is NOT kick-ass. he has a realy good cooler. the dark knight cooler is realy good, but not kick-ass. mine is niether a kick-ass cooler, but it does the job realy good like cilraaz allso cools super

kick-ass cooling is purer water systems or LN2

to OP
get a 1156 board, 4 GB RAM and then get a i5-750. a good after market cooler and clock it to 4,0 Ghz and then get a gtx 460 1 GB version

[Billy305]

I overclocked my CPU last night and I am running it stable at 3.4 ghz at 44 degrees celcius. It has made a good improvement at least in wow. What I am going to do first is start with the video card. I am going to pick up a 460/470 and start there. If I am not happy at that point I will update the board/cpu/ram. Thanks for the replies

[Erik765]

Keep in mind, as I'm sure you noticed, overclocking your CPU made a noticeable difference in WoW. WoW is severely CPU hungry and will continue to be until they re-write the code. There are rumors floating around that it won't be as much with Cata, but who knows.

In other words, you won't notice hardly any difference at all going from an 8800 to a 460 or 470. I upgraded from a 8600 to a 275 and maybe noticed 2 fps overall better performance, but when I upgraded my CPU, it was a huge difference.

Just a side note. You can always start with a GPU, but don't expect great results in WoW until you get your CPU up or a new CPU... The GPU will, of course, help a lot with other games that actually utilize a GPU however.

Also, make sure to keep an eye on your CPU load temps while playing WoW. 44 is a little high for idle and you'd want to watch closely when playing a CPU heavy game... like WoW.

[Billy305]

Well 45 is with wow running. I know it wont be a huge upgrade for wow currently but im hoping a slight improvement in a couple other games. I picked up a 460 for 200. I wanted it mainly for cata. If cata comes out and this system is not cutting it, ill be up grading the board/cpu/memory and possibly adding another 460

[Moobious]

Absolutely no advantage to buying a 760 over a 750 if you're going to OC it anyway... besides a slightly thinner wallet.

The 760 replaced the 750 in intel's line. Sometime soon there will be no more 750s.

[Erik765]

The 760 replaced the 750 in intel's line. Sometime soon there will be no more 750s.

Uh, what? Do you have a reference for that? o.0

[pansertjald]

Uh, what? Do you have a reference for that? o.0

the i5-750 and the i7-950 is being taking out of production

the i5-760 is replacing the 750 and the i7-960 is replacing the 950.

Intel has drop the price on the i7-950 50%

the same thing will happen to the i5-750

[Dethh]

the i5-750 and the i7-950 is being taking out of production

the i5-760 is replacing the 750 and the i7-960 is replacing the 950.

Intel has drop the price on the i7-950 50%

the same thing will happen to the i5-750

Actually the i7-930 is being replaced with the 950 just like the 920 was replaced by the 930.

[pansertjald]

Actually the i7-930 is being replaced with the 950 just like the 920 was replaced by the 930.

yup sry got it wrong ....... yes its the 930 that is being replaced by the 950

i what i been told, the 760 will replaced the 750

[Moobious]

Right now the price diffrence between the two chips is minimal. There is no reason for intel to have 2 chips so close in every way. One of them is going to go and as the 750 is the older slower one it makes sense that it will be the one to go.