View Full Version : Would this be worth it?
JohnEJohn
09-26-08, 06:08 AM
I currently have an ATI 4850 512 MB
Some games, such as the witcher EE are running slower than I expect, would getting a GTX260 be worth while? The 280 is too expensive and the 4870 I can't find locally anywhere.
what do you guys think, is this worth while?
Lfctony
09-26-08, 06:20 AM
I think it might be your CPU mate. Apparently even an 8800GTS can run the game pretty maxed out with AA/AF...
http://www.pcgameshardware.com/aid,658399/Practice/PCGH_Tuning_The_Witcher_Enhanced_Edition/
The link says the video card is pretty much irrelevant in this game...
http://www.pcgameshardware.com/aid,658399/Practice/PCGH_Tuning_The_Witcher_Enhanced_Edition/?article_id=658399&page=2
JohnEJohn
09-26-08, 10:23 AM
bloody hell, see what you mean. Guess its time for a new M/Board CPU and Ram. Been putting it off for a long time tho, cheers mate :)
nekrosoft13
09-26-08, 10:31 AM
don't go to crazy with the upgrade, nehalem will be out soon.
I know where some decent components are for sale. ;)
JohnEJohn
09-29-08, 07:47 AM
Sorry guys, forgot about this thread :o
Whats everyones thought on nehalem?
bloody hell, see what you mean. Guess its time for a new M/Board CPU and Ram. Been putting it off for a long time tho, cheers mate :)Agreed. I was testing the Witcher EE using EVGA's GeForce 260 GTX Core 216 Superclocked last night and the game ran better than I expected at the resolution of 2560x1600 - even with 2x AA enabled. This was on a Core 2 Duo E8500. Depending on what your target resolution is, the Opteron may limit your performance.
JohnEJohn
10-01-08, 05:09 AM
Agreed. I was testing the Witcher EE using EVGA's GeForce 260 GTX Core 216 Superclocked last night and the game ran better than I expected at the resolution of 2560x1600 - even with 2x AA enabled. This was on a Core 2 Duo E8500. Depending on what your target resolution is, the Opteron may limit your performance.
Well your right, I need to bite the bullet and upgrade now. What do you guys recomend though, wait until the new Intel release or get a decent setup now?
Will the new CPU's use a different socket?
I don't want to spend a fortune for it to be obsolete in a few months, I know thats the risk you take with high end PC gear but if it's a major update such as this then holding off a little while might be well worth it, just means I have to be a little more conservative with the in game settings for a little while.
Thanks
Lfctony
10-01-08, 05:12 AM
The Nehalem is a completely new design, it won't be different pins only. The chip is larger, even heatsinks won't fit... I suggest that you wait until the new chips are out, so you can upgrade again later on by simply swapping in a new CPU...
CaptNKILL
10-01-08, 05:13 AM
Well your right, I need to bite the bullet and upgrade now. What do you guys recomend though, wait until the new Intel release or get a decent setup now?
Will the new CPU's use a different socket?
I don't want to spend a fortune for it to be obsolete in a few months, I know thats the risk you take with high end PC gear but if it's a major update such as this then holding off a little while might be well worth it, just means I have to be a little more conservative with the in game settings for a little while.
Thanks
Nehelem will be out in a few months on a new socket with DDR3, but I don't think it'll be anywhere near main stream prices, so its tough to say for sure what to do.
You could probably get a pretty nice performance boost from a cheap Core 2 duo with a good overclock but you'd need new ram, mobo and probably a new heatsink, and then once nehelem hits the main stream you'd need new ram, mobo and heatsink again.
JohnEJohn
10-01-08, 05:25 AM
Damn, don't know what to do now.
If I do upgrade now I want a pretty high end CPU so I don't need to upgrade a little while.
Do you recommend a dual or quad? If I get a MB with DDR3 then hopefully I can swap this over when/if I upgrade to Nehalem
CaptNKILL
10-01-08, 05:31 AM
A Q9550, an X48 board and 2x2Gb DDR3 would probably be your best bet for future proofing. Get memory that will hopefully allow overclocking with Nehelem later on and get something that's easy to find since Nehelem will probably support triple channel memory (just buy another identical 2Gb stick later on).
The Q9550 should be really fast for quite a while if you can get it to the 4Ghz range with a good cooler. But if Nehelem is insanely fast and is a must-have it'd be good to have the DDR3 already.
... then again, DDR3 prices will be coming down so it may actually be cheaper to get DDR2 now, sell it later on and get cheaper, more mature DDR3. :p
JohnEJohn
10-01-08, 05:37 AM
lol, been out of the game for under 2 years and things have changed.. a lot. Just looked at the Q9550 I can get it for £200 delivered which seems reasonable, think I will go for it, looks like it will be pretty easy to get it to 3.5 stable which is a huge step.
Prob get 4GB DDR 3. My god the prices are high though.
Only thing now is do I get a board that supports crossfire or SLI as I'm going to change the card in the next 6 months tops and not sure what I will be getting... lol
Lfctony
10-01-08, 05:52 AM
Well, if you intend not to upgrade again for 2-3 years, you might as well go for a DDR2 board... Even if you go for DDR3 ram, 3 years from now you'll still have to throw them away when you upgrade...
JohnEJohn
10-01-08, 05:57 AM
Thinking of doing this upgrade then prob upgrade to Nehalem in about a year tops hopefully using my already purchased DDR3 and selling the old bits off or giving them to my brother.
Does this make sence?
Lfctony
10-01-08, 06:06 AM
You'd have to change motherboard and CPU... It's an option I guess...
JohnEJohn
10-01-08, 06:08 AM
I know it may seem like a waste but I would get the latest kit and my brother would get a huge upgrade for free.
Hmm need to think this one through, thanks for the input guys
JohnEJohn
10-01-08, 01:52 PM
Right I'm a little tight on cash as I have had to pay a huge bill and get my car fixed etc etc.
Been thinking of getting this tommorow:
Core 2 Duo E8400 3.00Ghz
Asus P5LD2 Deluxe
Kingston Value RAM 4GB 667MHz DDR2
Cooler Master Elite 330 (case)
Samsung 16x Black DVD Rom SATA w/Power DVD 15
500GB - SATA - 3.5" - Samsung SpinPoint T166 Series 500GB Hard Disk Drive (7200rpm) SATA II 16MB 50
I can get all of this for £390, already have a new 700 watt good qulity PSU and a 4850.
Whats your feelings on these specs?
Don't get 667mhz RAM, get 800mhz.
JohnEJohn
10-01-08, 03:14 PM
Don't get 667mhz RAM, get 800mhz.
oops well spotted, was in a ush to make dinner :o
Ok with that memory do you think that system will see me out until Intel release their next beast?
Will prob upgrade the GPU for xmas then the rest mid next year
CaptNKILL
10-01-08, 03:20 PM
Woa woa woa... wait a minute. :lol:
The Asus P5LD2 Deluxe is a 945P chipset. That's ANCIENT. Do not get that board.
Get a P45 board. And if you can spare the extra cash, get some cheap 1066Mhz DDR2 and a good cooler so you'll have plenty of overclocking head room. Those chips can go well over 4Ghz with the right setup.
JohnEJohn
10-01-08, 03:30 PM
Damn so glad I didn't order yet. Will have another look around before jumping the gun :)
Really missed out on high end stuff, used to supporting generic dual core mid level dells.
Seriously you stop buying decent gear for a while and things goto pot pretty quickly :D
CaptNKILL
10-01-08, 03:41 PM
I'm not sure what kind of selection you have for coolers but a Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme is pretty amazing. :D
If $70 + fan is too much though, I've heard great things about the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 and it comes with a 120mm fan for about $35 US.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003
With a P45 board (I prefer gigabyte), some DDR2-1066 and a solid cooler you'd get some crazy speeds out of that CPU.
I really like this Foxconn P45 board. I wish it was out when I bought my P43.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186148
Good review of it: http://hardwarelogic.com/news/132/ARTICLE/4393/2008-09-26.html
Good catch on the mobo Capt. I didn't look that closely at it. Good call on the RAM too. 1066 is very reasonably priced.
JohnEJohn
10-01-08, 03:45 PM
ok heres what I have, what do you think?
DFI LANPARTY DK P45-T2RS
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Socket 775 3.16GHz 1333FSB 6MB
OCZ 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 1000Mhz/PC2-8000 PLATINUM
Pioneer DVR-2156DBK 20x DVD±RW Dual Layer Internal SATA Black Bare Drive - OEM
Seagate ST3500320AS 500GB Hard Drive SATA II 7200rpm *32MB Cache* - OEM
Coolermaster Elite 330 Black
All for £410 delivered. I will have a look round for coolers :)
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