Will my upgrade be ok?

MisterBigglesworth

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Hiya all,

So Im upgrading from my stone age 3.6Ghz P4 to a i5. I dont have much to spend, so dont have cash for i7...and i5 is better than nothing I guess. PC will be mostly for gaming, wish I had cash for a kick ass system, but ja..this will have to do. Hoping to play the latest games coming out decently. I have a Samsung 2333 screen.

So, just a few questions / observations:

1.Gonna keep my 8800GT for now...and upgrade the gfx card later. Is this ok...worried the 8800GT might be a bit of a bottleneck? If it is, can you recommend a decent card for max R 2000?

2. Which memory do I take from my list below? Heard there is no real benefit going DDR3 unless you have a high end system...so sticking with DDR2 for now.

Also...if you have any suggestions on what to change etc, that will be great. Thanks ;)

System upgrade components

* Core i5-750 Core LGA1156 2.66GHz 8Mb Cache (R1822-00)
* Western Digital 500GB Caviar Green SATA300 32MB 7200RPM Hard Drive (R545-00)
* Coolermaster eXtreme Power 650 Watt (R812-00)
* ASUS P7P55D LE ; LGA1156 mb ; 8+2 phase power design , ATi Quad-G (R1631.34)
* Coolermaster CM 690 (R794.58)
* OCZ DDR3-1333 4GB Reaper Heat-pipe HS 2 x 2GB Kit CL 6 (R1054.50)

Total cost of above: R 6659.42
 
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Erm, you're gonna have a tough time squeezing DDR2 into a DDR3 board.

I don't see the benefit of sticking with DDR2. Seriously, get some cheap DDR3 (Kingston ValueRAM / Transcend JetRAM) and go with it.
 
Erm, you're gonna have a tough time squeezing DDR2 into a DDR3 board.

I don't see the benefit of sticking with DDR2. Seriously, get some cheap DDR3 (Kingston ValueRAM / Transcend JetRAM) and go with it.

I thought it was a DDR2 board. My bad. Will have to go that route then, as the other board were over the R2000 mark and I cant go that high. Thanks.


Kewl

That 8800GT may become a problem. Try getting hold of eitai2001, he has some HD4850s and HD4870s for around 1k. http://firesale.digitaladdiction.co.za/latest-gfx-card-additions.html
+1 to the DDR2 RAM though, that's never going to work...

Thanks for the info!

Aren't singles generally cheaper than the kits?
Replying to above: The 4870 is quite a bit better, and those refurb's are pretty cheap.

Thanks!
 
I noticed the motherboard supports SLi / Crossfire....what about getting 2 HD4870s? Also...found some decent DDR3 memory...I think ;)
 
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I'd advise you to rather get a proper 7200RPM HDD if the WD Green above is intended as your OS HDD. Seagate 500GB 7200.12 would be my choice and they are also very cheap.
 
There is some performance difference between various 7200 models (7200.10, 7200.11, 7200.12, etc.), but you don't strike me as the kind of person who will really notice too much. The drive you selected should be fine.
 
Get 2x 2GB Kingston ValueRAM 1333 modules, not the kit. Save a few bucks there. You're not overclocking the thing so no point in getting RAM with heatpipes on it (says the person with a H50 in a stock setup :D)
 
There is some performance difference between various 7200 models (7200.10, 7200.11, 7200.12, etc.), but you don't strike me as the kind of person who will really notice too much. The drive you selected should be fine.

Yeah, I probably wouldnt notice...but if its noticable in a game that requires a bit of crunching...then yeah, maybe the WD green is not the way to go. I will look into the Seagate, thank you. ;)

Yes, both the ATI cards are better than the 8800. The 4870 is a brilliant card, and super cheap right now.

Kewl, thanks for the tip. Gonna check out the Crossfire option

Get 2x 2GB Kingston ValueRAM 1333 modules, not the kit. Save a few bucks there. You're not overclocking the thing so no point in getting RAM with heatpipes on it (says the person with a H50 in a stock setup :D)

Great, thanks for the tip

It's 5400 - 7200RPM.

I did not know, thanks.

There'll be a medium jump to the 4850 but a big jump to the 4870.

Good to know...starting to really get keen on the Crossfire idea :p
 
Sorry for double post...I see its a firesale..ie...only 1 card of each? Quite a big price difference on refurb gfx cards. See the 4870 new is about R2300. So thats a grand saving...what problems could I run into with a refurb gfx card? I mean...when they say its refurbished...what all has exactly been done to the card? Anyone know?
 
I don't know anything about the refurbishment process but they are still in warranty and have been refurbished my Asus which does lend them some credibility.
 
Transcend memory has lifetime warranty by the way. you may want to get that.
 
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