Upgrade my PC

[BigBiker05]

So I'm looking for help to upgrade my PC, biggest bang for the buck. Most likely under $400. Mostly what I'm looking at, heat sink, processor, graphics card. Will list what I currently have and just let me know what you guys think, mostly linking part, piece, price, and reason why.

intel e6600 core 2 duo 2.4gh
stock intel heatsink
EVGA GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB PCIe w/Dual Link DVI
EVGA nForce 680i SE SLI Socket 775 Motherboard
4g ram prob ddr2 (let me know easy way to check gen and speed)
antec 900 (I don't plan on changing this)

Anyways, let me know!

[Boss Llama]

I can see several routes for doing this, depending on your priorities. With a $400 max, we'll be staying with the LGA775 set-up here, as an i7 upgrade would require new mobo and RAM, which isn't cheap. That said, a duo 2.4 will put a CPU limit on many programs coming out now, and some that have been out for a while as well, so all options I suggest involve a CPU upgrade.

Option 1 - Maximize crunching power. If you do multi-threaded stuff that can use as many cores as you give it, such as video encoding or map compiling, drop a Q9650 in there. The 3.0 GHz of the Core 2 Quad series, the Q9650 is a well-respected work horse.

Option 2 - Game speed! If games are your only big thing, you don't need a quad at this point. Put an E8500 or E8600 in (depending on budget). These are the highest speeds of the Core 2 Duo, and are famously solid investments - among the best dual cores ever made. In addition to this, get another of your current video card, and run them in SLI. An 8800 GTX 768 is a powerful card, and you won't get a significant improvement by upgrading it singly within your budget, but getting a second one and putting it in SLI could do some pretty awesome things. I'm not providing a link, as you'll want to get your exact card - model number on the hardware if you don't have the box any more.

Option 3 - General performance boost. I'm not sure what O/S you're using, but if you don't already have a 64 bit O/S, I suggest getting Win7 Home Premium 64 bit. It's very usable, and will allow you to increase your RAM. Get the E8500 listed previously, and then double your system RAM. Your system does use 240 pin DDR2, but to get the specifics of what you have, power off and unplug your system, then open the case and pull out a stick of what you have. Type in the model number on it into Google, and it'll return info on your specific piece (or just post it here, and some of us could probably translate it for you). A shiny new E8500 and 8 GBs running under Win7 would make your system feel wonderfully fresh and new. If you already have Win7 64 bit, you'll have budget room to make it the E8600 instead, and still double the RAM.

[gator]

Option 1 - Maximize crunching power. If you do multi-threaded stuff that can use as many cores as you give it, such as video encoding or map compiling, drop a Q9650 in there. The 3.0 GHz of the Core 2 Quad series, the Q9650 is a well-respected work horse.

If you go that route and have a Microcenter near you, here's another option, might push the $400 limit towards $450.
Core i7 860 from Microcenter: $199 http://www.microcenter.com/single_produ ... 317378&bc=
Some p55 motherboard around $130-$160 from Newegg http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi ... ageSize=20
Some 4GB memory from your preferred manufacturer about $120.

[Clay Pigeon]

Is the mounting bracket for heatsinks borked, biker?

[Araris]

Best Option: Hope your 8800GTX dies if you have Lifetime Warranty from EVGA, they don't send out replacement 8800GTXs anymore since they don't make them, they send you at least a GTX 2x0 (They sent me a 280 but I know a few people who have gotten 260s).

[Dirty Dan]

Option 1 - Maximize crunching power. If you do multi-threaded stuff that can use as many cores as you give it, such as video encoding or map compiling, drop a Q9650 in there. The 3.0 GHz of the Core 2 Quad series, the Q9650 is a well-respected work horse.

If you go that route and have a Microcenter near you, here's another option, might push the $400 limit towards $450.
Core i7 860 from Microcenter: $199 http://www.microcenter.com/single_produ ... 317378&bc=
Some p55 motherboard around $130-$160 from Newegg http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi ... ageSize=20
Some 4GB memory from your preferred manufacturer about $120.

I would tend to agree with Gatro here. More power now, and more future-proof for not a whole lot more.

[BigBiker05]

Thanks for the feedback guys, I'm loving it.

To be more specific, I am going for gaming speed. I don't believe I have a lifetime warranty. Though looking around, it seems 8800gtx is hard to find now. I'm assuming they don't make them anymore. I've found some on ebay but none have part numbers. I need the exact same model for SLI right? I haven't had time to check my ram yet, so will still edit with that info. Also, what do ya mean clay? The motherboard is fine, its just one of the plastic tabs on the piece that holds the heatsink and processor fan that broke. The little things that punch into the mobo.

[Gizanked]

Radeon HD5750 $100 after MIR

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814127494

that with the E8600 Alizee Fan posted would be a pretty solid upgrade. I'd think the single ATI card would be better than trying to find another 8800 to sli

[Boss Llama]

Over on Tom's, an 8800GTX is only one tier on the May '10 heirarchy chart beneath a 5750, and they suggest not bothering with an upgrade of less than three tiers, as the difference will be negligable. Based on the chart, that would mean at least a 280/285 or a 5850, to be worthwhile. FWIW, I just went from an 8800GT to a GTX470, a 5 tier jump, and while I can now play everything with max resolution, it really didn't give me any higher FPS on the games we play here at The Ville. That's why I'm hesitant to suggest a direct 1-1 upgrade on the graphics card within this budget, as the CPU is, I think, by far the most limiting factor on the rig, and needs the most attention.

[Clay Pigeon]

5850.

The q6600 is a workhorse that doesn't need to be replaced yet, if you OC it.

Your 8800 is nearing the end of its useful life. I know, I have a g80 gts 640. Go with the graphics upgrade first. You've already got a quad core that you can OC easily. Araris used to OC them like it was nothing.

[Boss Llama]

The q6600 is a workhorse that doesn't need to be replaced yet, if you OC it.

It's an e6600, rather than a q6600. I believe we're talking about a Conroe here... probably this one? Not a quad.

[Clay Pigeon]

Oh, then he's in trouble.

[Gizanked]

I was thinking the 5750 was better than that.... and also didn't realize how much better the gtx was than the stock 8800, odd though that it is on the same level as the 4850 i've got.

that is a handy little chart though.

[BigBiker05]

Oh, then he's in trouble.

yeah, e6600, dual core not quad.

From my personal research I'm finding that my processor is the most limiting aspect of my current setup. I was thinking of overclocking it but some people were telling me I should just upgrade it. So is upgrading the processor and buying another 8800gtx probably my best bet and to keep my current mobo?

[gator]

Oh, then he's in trouble.

yeah, e6600, dual core not quad.

From my personal research I'm finding that my processor is the most limiting aspect of my current setup. I was thinking of overclocking it but some people were telling me I should just upgrade it. So is upgrading the processor and buying another 8800gtx probably my best bet and to keep my current mobo?

I'd get a new processor/mobo/memory and keep the existing 8800gtx if the games you're currently playing aren't GPU constrained, you can always upgrade the graphics card down the line.