Urgh... upgrade advice.

shilk · 03-18-11, 03:51 PM

Hey guys! Long time no see!

I just got some monies back from Uncle Sam, and was wondering if I should do an upgrade. I've set aside about $150 to get something for myself, and was wondering what I should get. I can probably push a little more, but I'd like to keep it minimum as possible.

Problem is, I haven't been keeping track of what's going on. So I don't know what upgrade route I should take.

Here's my current hardware:
750a mobo
ATi 5770 1gb
4gb ddr2 pc6400
4TB storage space
Phenom II 925 (stock 2.8ghz)

Everything is running stock for now.

I have been noticing some annoying lag with current games such as Assassin's Creed II, Starcraft II, etc. Even some older games were giving me some trouble at max resolution and all of the eye candy turned on. I play at 1440x900 (max res of my monitor). I'd love to just run everything maxed and enjoy some games for a while.

Would going to a better mobo like this and ddr3 be a good option? Last I checked, the difference between ddr2 and ddr3 is pretty negligible. Not sure if $130 would be worth it.

03-18-11, 04:43 PM

**bob saget** · 03-18-11, 04:51 PM

he only has 150ish...

**nekrosoft13** · 03-18-11, 04:53 PM

with only 150, you can't upgrade much, maybe a new video card if you sell your current one, you might have enough for something better.

**bob saget** · 03-18-11, 04:55 PM

spend it on liquor and treats

Redeemed · 03-18-11, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nekrosoft13

with only 150, you can't upgrade much, maybe a new video card if you sell your current one, you might have enough for something better.

This may be your best bet. However, owning a 5770- myself and gaming at 1920 x 1200 I find it hard to believe it's the video card holding you back here. Maybe the CPU?

I'd get this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820139112

And maybe a beefier cooler with which you could OC that CPU some to better feed the GPU?

**XDanger** · 03-18-11, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redeemed

a beefier cooler with which you could OC that CPU some to better feed the GPU?

yes

Redeemed · 03-18-11, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XDanger

OVERCLOCK

EDIT: Nice ninja edit... ya'll too fast for me.

**XDanger** · 03-18-11, 05:05 PM

hehe

I always take a minute or two to finalize my posts...

OP should spend all the money on a cpu cooler that can be used again in the future

shilk · 03-18-11, 06:49 PM

Yeah, not waiting on the Bulldozer. :P

Forgot to mention I already have a Zalman 9500a cooler. I tried to see if I could overclock the CPU, but the options just aren't here on my cheap mobo. Not too keen on overclocking much, though.

I can maybe stretch $170. Was looking at the ATi 6xxx series. I see some 6850's on newegg at about $159 with rebate. Should I go Nvidia or stay with ATi this time around? Do you guys think the CPU is holding me back? It's 2.8 ghz stock right now, though I read that around 3.3+ is like the "sweet spot"?

Redeemed · 03-19-11, 01:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shilk

Yeah, not waiting on the Bulldozer. :P

Forgot to mention I already have a Zalman 9500a cooler. I tried to see if I could overclock the CPU, but the options just aren't here on my cheap mobo. Not too keen on overclocking much, though.

I can maybe stretch $170. Was looking at the ATi 6xxx series. I see some 6850's on newegg at about $159 with rebate. Should I go Nvidia or stay with ATi this time around? Do you guys think the CPU is holding me back? It's 2.8 ghz stock right now, though I read that around 3.3+ is like the "sweet spot"?

Honestly I'd have thought that a Phenom II would be sufficient to push that 5770, but most reviews with PhenomIIs are using top end cards and a lot of times they'll also OC the CPU.

All I know is that I own a 5770- stock, my CPU is stock and I'm gaming at a higher resolution and can play any game I own either 100% maxed + some AA, or near maxed with some AA, all @ 1920 x 1200. This leads me to believe that it is your CPU holding you back.

Maybe get another motherboard and OC your CPU to about 3.5 - 3.6GHz.

shilk · 03-19-11, 02:09 AM

I tried messing with some of the settings in the bios and got it to 3.1~3.2 ghz stable, but I'm not seeing any real performance gains. I might mess with it a bit more, but trying to make heads or tails out of this "engrish" bios settings sure is a headache. I'll see if I can hit 3.5 and see what happens.

5770 is up to 935/1350 @ 1.2 volts. Still, not noticing any performance gains in games.

03-18-11, 03:51 PM	#1
shilk Registered User Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: California Posts: 913	Urgh... upgrade advice. Hey guys! Long time no see! I just got some monies back from Uncle Sam, and was wondering if I should do an upgrade. I've set aside about $150 to get something for myself, and was wondering what I should get. I can probably push a little more, but I'd like to keep it minimum as possible. Problem is, I haven't been keeping track of what's going on. So I don't know what upgrade route I should take. Here's my current hardware: 750a mobo ATi 5770 1gb 4gb ddr2 pc6400 4TB storage space Phenom II 925 (stock 2.8ghz) Everything is running stock for now. I have been noticing some annoying lag with current games such as Assassin's Creed II, Starcraft II, etc. Even some older games were giving me some trouble at max resolution and all of the eye candy turned on. I play at 1440x900 (max res of my monitor). I'd love to just run everything maxed and enjoy some games for a while. Would going to a better mobo like this and ddr3 be a good option? Last I checked, the difference between ddr2 and ddr3 is pretty negligible. Not sure if $130 would be worth it.

03-18-11, 04:43 PM	#2
Bearclaw Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Urgh... upgrade advice.

03-18-11, 04:51 PM	#3
bob saget Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Vancouver, originally Russia Posts: 23,133	Re: Urgh... upgrade advice. he only has 150ish...

03-18-11, 04:53 PM	#4
nekrosoft13 I'm Geralt Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Chicagoland, once a year in Poland Posts: 24,364	Re: Urgh... upgrade advice. with only 150, you can't upgrade much, maybe a new video card if you sell your current one, you might have enough for something better.

03-18-11, 04:55 PM	#5
bob saget Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Vancouver, originally Russia Posts: 23,133	Re: Urgh... upgrade advice. spend it on liquor and treats

03-18-11, 05:05 PM	#9
XDanger Whaaat? Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 5,675	Re: Urgh... upgrade advice. hehe I always take a minute or two to finalize my posts... OP should spend all the money on a cpu cooler that can be used again in the future __________________ 2500K 4.4ghz,P8P67Pro,120gb Force3, 12gb Vengeance,HD6950,TX850v2,W7HP,LaCie Blue 22" crt COMMODORE 64 Silver Label 1Mhz/128D 4Mhz(Z80)

03-18-11, 06:49 PM	#10
shilk Registered User Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: California Posts: 913	Re: Urgh... upgrade advice. Yeah, not waiting on the Bulldozer. :P Forgot to mention I already have a Zalman 9500a cooler. I tried to see if I could overclock the CPU, but the options just aren't here on my cheap mobo. Not too keen on overclocking much, though. I can maybe stretch $170. Was looking at the ATi 6xxx series. I see some 6850's on newegg at about $159 with rebate. Should I go Nvidia or stay with ATi this time around? Do you guys think the CPU is holding me back? It's 2.8 ghz stock right now, though I read that around 3.3+ is like the "sweet spot"?

03-19-11, 02:09 AM	#12
shilk Registered User Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: California Posts: 913	Re: Urgh... upgrade advice. I tried messing with some of the settings in the bios and got it to 3.1~3.2 ghz stable, but I'm not seeing any real performance gains. I might mess with it a bit more, but trying to make heads or tails out of this "engrish" bios settings sure is a headache. I'll see if I can hit 3.5 and see what happens. 5770 is up to 935/1350 @ 1.2 volts. Still, not noticing any performance gains in games.