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Hello there TL'ers! I work with computers as a hobby, and I have a possible opportunity to acquire a new computer. As a college student that commutes to university I live at home, and every so often I am graced with parents that will allow me to buy a new computer so long as I pay them back in a reasonable amount of time (also my birthday is coming up so they might be gracious enough to chip in with some of the first payments as a birthday gift,) as I am a relatively low maintenance son. I used to be a bit of a problem child but I grew up, began attending college, got a part time job (looking for a full time for the summer), started doing the things around the house I was neglecting as a kid, etc. Whatever that's not what's important, the important question here is, To Upgrade or to Rebuild!?
Now, keep in mind after I post some of the Computer specs the following:
- If I were to upgrade the computer only these parts would be upgraded (for now)
- Mobo
- Processor
- Graphics Card
- I would have a money cap either way. I wouldn't dare ask my parents to help me build a new computer and front over 800, maybe even 700 dollars. That's just not fair to them, and that's not fair of me to ask for that insane amount of money.
I present to you, my computer! (Specs)
- Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit
- Intel Core2 Duo E4500 @ 2.20gzx2
- 3072 MB Ram
- NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT
- 149 GB Harddrive
- Creative SB Audigy 4 Soundcard
- Onboard Nforce Networking Controller
- 19 inch widescreen monitor (do not plan on replacing)
- Razer Lycosa (Do not plan on replacing)
- Razer Naga (Do not plan on replacing)
My personal gut feeling tells me this:
I can get away with using the 3GB of RAM, the 150gb Sata HD, and my other peripherals while handily upgrading my Motherboard, Processor, and Graphics card.
My current thoughts are a mid range, 200 dollar graphics card, and picking up an i-5 (I have no intention of running this game in SLI mode, and I hear i5's are picking it up a little better than the i-7's on single graphical processing units.)
My power supply is 700 watts and hasn't been giving me any issues, I had no plan to upgrade that unless I built a new computer.
Let me know what you guys think, going to spend the next couple days tinkering and trying to figure out what exactly seems right and others' opinions are always nice to have.
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Do you mean sc2? I'm running it on measly Athlon XP 3000+ with 2 GB ram and nvidia 7600 gs. All I had to upgrade was video card and DDR and I hit the limits for my mainboard lol. Obviously everything depends on what setting you want it at and the money you are willing to spend.
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Yeah, this is for sc2. Right now the only graphical point I want to hit is where I can play the game comfortably in ultra with no drops lower than 60 frames in 1v1 matches. Maybe a slight dip in really big battles.
That is what I'm looking for. I guess I am wondering if I just upgrade the mobo cpu and GPU if I can expect to hit this point.
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In my original thread that I accidentally threw on sc2, instead of bloggin this was posted:
If you are only going to be playing starcraft, then the only thing worth spending money on is a video card upgrade. I would recommend an ATI 5770. They are fairly cheap now (~130) and will run the game flawlessly. I would not recommend getting a CPU upgrade since your current dual core is sufficient. I would recommend overlocking it since E4500s are good overclockers and you can get yours up to 3.0Ghz.
But I have to wonder though, how safe is it really OC'ing that processor with the stock fan? Anyone have a recomendation for a next step up fan for the processor would be? Also, thermal glue? Stock = okay? As I said before, have to wonder about that business. Any input would be most helpful.
Cheers.
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Definitely upgrade rather than buy a whole new machine.
What's your motherboard?
The E4500 is socket 775, which is still commonly used... You could throw a newer socket 775 CPU in there, provided your motherboard is rated to handle the speed, and then you wouldn't have to buy a new mobo at all. Couldn't fit an i5 in there, but unless you're really bent on having a lot of processing power, I wouldn't say you need one. If gaming is your main goal here, It'd be better to save money where you can and spend it on a really baller graphics card.
Do you have 3 1GB sticks of memory? Does that mean you have an empty slot, or do you have 3 RAM slots (weird) or what? You may as well bump that up to 4GB if you've got the capacity for it. If you've got 2x 1GB, 2x512, I'd reccomend ditching the 512 sticks and grabbing some more RAM (maybe 2x 2GB sticks), especially if you're running Windows 7 64 bit, 3GB is pretty low memory capacity. Again, you should find out your motherboard model and look it up to see what speeds of ram it supports.
My opinion - Even with what you have already, I bet you could play SC2 on ultra smoothly with ONLY a new graphics card. My CPU is only a little faster than yours, and I don't have any problems. There's no harm in only buying a graphics card first, then checking to see if your CPU is bottlenecking you in SC2. If that ends up being the case, then you can just upgrade your CPU or CPU/Mobo after you know.
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On May 01 2010 09:52 Joey.rumz wrote:
Yeah, this is for sc2. Right now the only graphical point I want to hit is where I can play the game comfortably in ultra with no drops lower than 60 frames in 1v1 matches. Maybe a slight dip in really big battles.
That is what I'm looking for. I guess I am wondering if I just upgrade the mobo cpu and GPU if I can expect to hit this point.
You're simply not going to be able to achieve this with your budget.
If you're upgrading to an i5, you will need new ram as well, and when you're replacing the mobo, cpu, ram, and graphics cards, you've already bought yourself a whole new rig basically. Your hard drive capacity is quite low as well, you may want to upgrade that, you will see a speed increase in loading maps.
Currently I would recommend you wait a bit for ram prices to go down but if you want to buy now:
Mobo/CPU/RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128420
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211410
GPU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102864
If you need something a bit more beefy:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121375
Hard Drive (optional)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181&cm_re=samsung_F3-_-22-152-181-_-Product
Overclocking is also optional but if you opt for that route, invest in an aftermarket heatsink.
Oh, and don't stick with 775 like the guy like the guy above me is recommending, that socket is long dead. (although soon 1156 will be too, can't get around that; if you want a mobo / RAM you can reuse, go for an amd am3 build)
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When I look at upgraded the processor, I don't really feel upgrading to a new socket 775 is an option. Like you said above me, xmShake, even if 1156 will be dead soon (WOW I remember when they were first announced... wasn't that yesterday?!) I feel like 775 is a complete waste to upgrade and I would be basically throwing money down the drain for no reason.
Also, I do like that graphics cards you linked. But I would want something between both points so to speak. I can recall this post I believe:
http://www.legionhardware.com/articles_pages/starcraft_ii_wings_of_liberty_beta_performance,3.html
Showing the GeForce GTX 260 slightly ahead
Link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130434&cm_re=geforce_gtx_260-_-14-130-434-_-Product
I have always been more a GeForce fan anyways to be honest. But if you think that it's not worth the difference in price, I am open to opinion.
Just 2 quick Q's to throw at you:
1) The socket 1156 boards, would my ram carry over from my current pc on my 775 board?
2) Aftermarket heatsync for my current Socket 775, does the community have any preferences? I don't deal with them much, in fact ever, so I am completely in the dark in that regard of preference/experience.
Also yes, I am using 3 sticks of 1gb of RAM currently!
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On May 01 2010 10:05 xmShake wrote:Show nested quote +On May 01 2010 09:52 Joey.rumz wrote:
Yeah, this is for sc2. Right now the only graphical point I want to hit is where I can play the game comfortably in ultra with no drops lower than 60 frames in 1v1 matches. Maybe a slight dip in really big battles.
That is what I'm looking for. I guess I am wondering if I just upgrade the mobo cpu and GPU if I can expect to hit this point. You're simply not going to be able to achieve this with your budget. If you're upgrading to an i5, you will need new ram as well, and when you're replacing the mobo, cpu, ram, and graphics cards, you've already bought yourself a whole new rig basically. Your hard drive capacity is quite low as well, you may want to upgrade that, you will see a speed increase in loading maps. Currently I would recommend you wait a bit for ram prices to go down but if you want to buy now: Mobo/CPU/RAM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128420http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211410GPU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102864If you need something a bit more beefy: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121375Hard Drive (optional) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181&cm_re=samsung_F3-_-22-152-181-_-ProductOverclocking is also optional but if you opt for that route, invest in an aftermarket heatsink. Oh, and don't stick with 775 like the guy like the guy above me is recommending, that socket is long dead. (although soon 1156 will be too, can't get around that; if you want a mobo / RAM you can reuse, go for an amd am3 build)
SC2 isn't even programmed to take advantage of quad cores - you're just going to throw away money if you buy a quad core for SC2. You also don't need new RAM. A 5850 for SC2? Especially with the video card prices that we have now? Waste of money. Also, a HD with "increased capacity" won't speed anything up. Even a top of the line SSD (which I have) which is way faster than any mechanical drive does nothing for SC2 (in terms of benefit/$ spent).
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I would just buy a new graphics card and possibly upgrade your CPU if you feel it's not up to snuff
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If you only want to play SC2 you don't even need to upgrade.
If you *might* play some other modern games get a 5770.
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^ i cant even come close to running ultra, let alone grab 60 frames doing it
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I have a very nice parent that's willing to order that graphics card as well as a heat sync, anyone have a last second recomendation for a 775 heatsync? (Not sure if the socket even matters)
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^ Good. If you want to save $40 you could take a tiny step down and get a 5770, they're pretty evenly matched but the GTX260 is a little better. Either of the two would be fine.
On May 01 2010 10:05 xmShake wrote:
Oh, and don't stick with 775 like the guy like the guy above me is recommending, that socket is long dead.
Yeah, it's dead, meaning they aren't making any new 775 CPUs. The point is, it's the socket of motherboard he already has, and if he's looking for a cheap upgrade to be able to play SC2 at max settings, a 775 CPU could be something to consider to prevent him from having to buy a new expensive CPU AND a new motherboard AND new DDR3 ram. He wouldn't be buying into the socket, he ALREADY bought into it, so I don't understand why the deadness matters. Such an upgrade would last him considerably less time than a full upgrade, but would probably be a quarter of the price.
You might be right, though, if he's going to put money into it, he may as well invest in the newer tech... as long as he's going to be doing things more intensive than SC2 in the next few years.
SC2 isn't a super-intensive game, I run it on ultra with a "Dual Core" E5300 that I bought for 99 bucks a year ago, and a HD4870.
Edit: Oh, if you're looking to try to overclock your current CPU, give it a shot with the stock heatsink. Just take it small steps at a time, don't overvolt, and pay close attention to your temperatures. A lot of CPUs are overclockable without an aftermarket heatsink to a small extent, just make sure your current heatsink isn't gunked up and that your temperatures are good right now. I don't really think it'd be worth it to buy a new heatsink for your current CPU just to eek out a little more power.
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Don't overclock with a stock heat sink, those things always blow ass
If you have time, what you should do is buy the gpu and see if you can run at ultra. Honestly that might be all you need. If you can't, then you'll be cpu limited, and if u can manage to overclock with a relatively cheap HSF then that's th ebest way to go.
Upgrading to 1156 is definitely not a realistic option if you're on a budget because you need a new cpu, ram, and motherboard. 775 might be dead but the prices are mighty tempting especially because you already have the board and ram.
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On May 01 2010 10:26 dabomb321 wrote:Show nested quote +On May 01 2010 10:05 xmShake wrote:On May 01 2010 09:52 Joey.rumz wrote:
Yeah, this is for sc2. Right now the only graphical point I want to hit is where I can play the game comfortably in ultra with no drops lower than 60 frames in 1v1 matches. Maybe a slight dip in really big battles.
That is what I'm looking for. I guess I am wondering if I just upgrade the mobo cpu and GPU if I can expect to hit this point. You're simply not going to be able to achieve this with your budget. If you're upgrading to an i5, you will need new ram as well, and when you're replacing the mobo, cpu, ram, and graphics cards, you've already bought yourself a whole new rig basically. Your hard drive capacity is quite low as well, you may want to upgrade that, you will see a speed increase in loading maps. Currently I would recommend you wait a bit for ram prices to go down but if you want to buy now: Mobo/CPU/RAM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128420http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211410GPU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102864If you need something a bit more beefy: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121375Hard Drive (optional) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181&cm_re=samsung_F3-_-22-152-181-_-ProductOverclocking is also optional but if you opt for that route, invest in an aftermarket heatsink. Oh, and don't stick with 775 like the guy like the guy above me is recommending, that socket is long dead. (although soon 1156 will be too, can't get around that; if you want a mobo / RAM you can reuse, go for an amd am3 build) SC2 isn't even programmed to take advantage of quad cores - you're just going to throw away money if you buy a quad core for SC2. You also don't need new RAM. A 5850 for SC2? Especially with the video card prices that we have now? Waste of money. Also, a HD with "increased capacity" won't speed anything up. Even a top of the line SSD (which I have) which is way faster than any mechanical drive does nothing for SC2 (in terms of benefit/$ spent).
If he wants to do anything other than play starcraft 2 for the next 5 years a quad core is fine, considering all the other i5s are around 200 anyway. If he wanted an i3 that would be acceptable, but really there's no reason to be so anti quad-core.
He wanted to get around 60fps on ultra. 5850 will get him closer, but like I said, it was optional for him. I initially recommended the 5770.
Yes, larger capacity doesn't make a hard drive faster, but my point was a capacity like 150GB means the drive is old shit. A new hard drive will be faster, although not because it has more capacity, that's just a bonus. An SSD won't be good for anything but making your maps fast, but the effect it has on the rest of the system is tremendous, not that I even mentioned SSDs at all.
Please think through my perspective before you mindlessly spew out criticism. If he wanted a budget budget budget he should be more specific about his budget, what he's going to do besides starcraft 2, his monitor resolution, and how willing he is to do stuff like overclocking. If he is budget oriented, buying a single 5870 and calling it a day would be good.
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wtf you don't need a 5870 to run sc2 at max
especially with a 19" monitor which probably runs at 1440x900 or something
5770 will be plenty
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EPT
