Desktop Upgrade - advice, recommendations please.

[Brawler]

Hi All.
Current PC has had a good run but I think its time for an upgrade.

What I have currently:
E5200 @ 2.93Ghz, Gigabyte G31, HD4850 512MB, 4 GB DDR2 800, Gigabyte 550w PSU
Going to keep my Thermaltake Case, HP LCD 22", Harddrives, DVDRW, Win 7 Ultimate.

I have never done the SLI/Crossfire thing so I am thinking of giving crossfire a go.

Thinking of something along these lines, budget is flexible but lower always better of course.

*CPU & MB = i7/PhenomII x4 - Not a fanboy but would like something that offers best bang for buck ALSO considering a motherboard that can do CrossfireX. Would be sweet if I could pick up a CPU&MB for around R3k, guess that rules intel out.
*RAM = 4-6GB DDR3 - Never noticed a differance from my brand name gaming rams in the past so I guess the entry Transcend/Kingston will be fine.
*GPU = Either I keep my one 4850 and try and find another for CF 4850's or go for 2 new 5770's. I have heard that the newer cards scale better, true?
*PSU = Modular, probably looking at Corsair 620w or something.
*Soundcard = Xonar?

Some links to prices would be cool.
TIA

EDIT: forgot - PC will be used for moderate gaming(BF:BC2 ), Photoshop, Internet, Movies, Music, Pron etc

 

[Chevron]

Well bang for buck wise the Phenom2s when hands down. I think it was sybaritic that had the 3.4Ghz for R1800. As for board a 790fx or gx board that supports xfire would be a good choice.

As for 2*5770s they're a great idea.

The power supply you chose is good too.

What you need the sound card for? Are you a serious audiophile?

 

[killadoob]

Not sure why you think phenom is the best bang for buck, o yes your a fanboy now i remember

P7P55D ASUS Intel P55, LGA1156, 4xDual DDR3 2133(O.C), 2xPCI-x16(CrossFire), 2xPCI-x1, 3xPCI, 6xSATAII(Raid 0,1,5,10), 1x eSATA, 1xATA133, Gbe Lan, 8ch-Sound HD, Max 14xUSB, 2xIEEE1394, ATX (For Core i-5) 1.5k

Core i5-750 Core LGA1156 2.66GHz 8Mb Cache R 1,649 excl. R 1,879 incl. www.pcint.co.za

For me this is the best bang for buck right now. AMD has no answer to this combination in terms of price and performance.

http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-5770-review-test/14

5770 crossfire is only slightly faster than a single 5850 but check it out.

Not sure when nvidia is releasing their new card but that 4850 should hold until then, once they do release ati will drop prices or nvidia will come in cheap so it may be worth waiting. I know one can wait forever with pc's but i am waiting so i can get the best deal .

 

[Kasyx]

Not sure why you think phenom is the best bang for buck, o yes your a fanboy now i remember

Was that really necessary? I mean, seriously?

Core i5 and Asus motherboard is definitely your best bet. I just bought the exact same set up and it has blown my balls out my ass, for lack of better phrasing...

 

[killadoob]

Was that really necessary? I mean, seriously?

Core i5 and Asus motherboard is definitely your best bet. I just bought the exact same set up and it has blown my balls out my ass, for lack of better phrasing...

Yes it is because fanboys do not give advice, they only punt the company they are loyal to. If you knew quik you would see he never recommends anything but amd regardless of performance or price.

So yes it is necessary because people want advice not fanboyism.

 

[ponder]

EDIT: forgot - PC will be used for moderate gaming(BF:BC2 ), Photoshop, Internet, Movies, Music, Pron etc

This is just me but I would not spend all that money on upgrading if that is all you need it for. The only thing I would upgrade on your existing rig would be the CPU to a Quad Core

 

[The_Techie]

Battlefield 2: Bad Company 2 should be DirectX11 so I would recommend getting the 5-series cards for the DX11 goodness

 

[Brawler]

Thanks for replies.

@ ponder - yeah I know but I like to keep up to date and build machines myself and like to know whats going on, so keen to try Crossfire.

@ killa that board looks cool, I wonder if it would be worth spending a little bit extra for an i7 1156.

@qwik how much would a decent phenom board cost? I am not an audiophile but would like something better than onboard realtek, also planning on getting Z5500's.

 

[Chevron]

I'm not at a pc now but you should be able to get a xfire board for R1500. Maybe less. I'll have a look and post a few in the morning.

 

[wikk3d88]

Not sure why you think phenom is the best bang for buck, o yes your a fanboy now i remember

you're

 

[Chevron]

Well looking at prophecy if you want a x-fire board here's one for R1800:
http://www.prophecy.co.za/lanparty-790fxbm2rsh-motherboard-ddrii-790fxsb750-p-40945.html

Take2:
has this For R1200 but the previous lan party board is better:
http://www.take2.co.za/electronics-asus-amd-m4a77td-pro-socket-am3-motherboard-4874198.html

If it were my money I'd probably get this one for R1500:
http://www.take2.co.za/electronics-...gb-lan-1394-ati-hd3300-dvi-hdmi--5148084.html

or if you need esata:
http://www.prophecy.co.za/asus-m4a79-deluxe-790fx-chipset-socket-5200mts-p-61602.html

As for cpus:
Prophecy have the 3.2Ghz 955 Quad for R1800
http://www.prophecy.co.za/socket-phenom2-quadcore-32ghz-black-edition-p-37208.html

Sybaritic have the 965 3.4Ghz quad for R1900:
http://www.sybaritic.co.za/store/product_info.php?cPath=21_556&products_id=26934

Or take this board with DDR3 support for R1300
http://www.sybaritic.co.za/store/product_info.php?cPath=81_573&products_id=26316