PC Upgrade question

darthbudge

darthbudge

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Alright, as all these new games come out I see I need to upgrade my computer with some new parts. Here are my system specs:

Pentium 4 3.6GHz Dual Core Processor
NVIDIA 7600 GT OCed GPU
2GB of Corsair 6400 RAM.
Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio

Now ATM I only have enough to upgrade one part so my question is, in new games like Crysis and COD 4, which will give me more FPS. A new C2D processor or that new 8800GT Superclocked EVGA GPU?

Thanks ahead of time for your answers.
 
well if you go for getting a Core 2 Duo, it's possible that you'll need a new motherboard and even new RAM...

Better video card is the answer, anyway
 
I'm pretty sure he's using a 775 socket MB and it should accept C2D chips.

I'd say upgrade the graphics card first. Your setup is powerful but aging. Adding an 8800 level card will give you a huge boost in graphics even if the games are bottlenecked by the CPU.

An e4400 is very cheap and with an overclock it sits at the lower end of the top dual core CPU's. It might be possible to pick one up within your buget and give your 8800 a little more power to work with.
 
I'd go for the GPU.

Your processor shouldn't be too much of an issue but that 7600GT probably wouldn't be able to handle the game to well even at very low settings.
 
[quote name='SpreadTheWord']
An e4400 is very cheap and with an overclock it sits at the lower end of the top dual core CPU's. It might be possible to pick one up within your buget and give your 8800 a little more power to work with.[/QUOTE]
Exactly what I have done. The e4400 was known for its stupid high overclocking when it first came out. Now its still great, but nowhere near what it used to be. Its stock 2ghz with a 800fsb, and a decent sized L1/2 cache. The x10 multiplier is fantastic, and I've been able to get it to 2.4ghz with no voltage and no extra cooling (stock intel fan). I haven't tried to push it any farther yet, but I'm guessing I'll have to up the voltage shortly which will increase the temps, because right now, it runs as cool as it did @ stock.

All that said, the video card will offer you the most performance increase in games and the like.
 
im finally just pushing my socket 939 amd to the limits..

its stock 1.8 and i currently have it at about 2.6.

That being said i dont think cpu speeds will matter as much as gpu power for crysis.
 
[quote name='crystalklear64']Exactly what I have done. The e4400 was known for its stupid high overclocking when it first came out. Now its still great, but nowhere near what it used to be. Its stock 2ghz with a 800fsb, and a decent sized L1/2 cache. The x10 multiplier is fantastic, and I've been able to get it to 2.4ghz with no voltage and no extra cooling (stock intel fan). I haven't tried to push it any farther yet, but I'm guessing I'll have to up the voltage shortly which will increase the temps, because right now, it runs as cool as it did @ stock.

All that said, the video card will offer you the most performance increase in games and the like.[/quote]

I got this chip in July and I still haven't OC'd it. I have a Tuniq Tower sitting on top of it ready to cool it down at a moments notice. With all the games coming out now that are taxing the stock 2.0Ghz like crazy, I just might start bumping up the clock speeds.

Plus, it's starting to get cold here. I wouldn't mind a little more heat in this room. :lol:
 
It's a really big toss up, but I'm gonna have to say upgrade your video card to something newer, like the upcoming 8800GT. You'll be ok for some games that aren't too CPU intensive, like HL2 and mods, but with Crysis you might run into some problems with your CPU bottlenecking. I'd upgrade the CPU afterward as soon as you have the funding.
 
[quote name='darthbudge']Alright, as all these new games come out I see I need to upgrade my computer with some new parts. Here are my system specs:

Pentium 4 3.6GHz Dual Core Processor
NVIDIA 7600 GT OCed GPU
2GB of Corsair 6400 RAM.
Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio

Now ATM I only have enough to upgrade one part so my question is, in new games like Crysis and COD 4, which will give me more FPS. A new C2D processor or that new 8800GT Superclocked EVGA GPU?

Thanks ahead of time for your answers.[/quote]

1.) A Pentium 4 is NOT dual core. It has 1 Physical core, and 1 Virtual Core. So it emulates the 2nd core.

2.) If you get a high end GPU, such as a 8800GT/S. Then the video card will be bottlenecked by your CPU big time! So you can't squeeze every penny out of it, or you may experience FPS problems.

3.) What motherboard do you have? There maybe a chance that your current mobo may not support C2Ds.

4.) If you don't have Vista, then get a 7900 or a X1950 GPU, to play Crysis or COD4 on pretty high settings. If you have Vista, then go for maybe a 8600GTS 512MB.


Hope this helps! :D
 
[quote name='CR7MANU']1.) A Pentium 4 is NOT dual core. It has 1 Physical core, and 1 Virtual Core. So it emulates the 2nd core.

2.) If you get a high end GPU, such as a 8800GT/S. Then the video card will be bottlenecked by your CPU big time! So you can't squeeze every penny out of it, or you may experience FPS problems.

3.) What motherboard do you have? There maybe a chance that your current mobo may not support C2Ds.

4.) If you don't have Vista, then get a 7900 or a X1950 GPU, to play Crysis or COD4 on pretty high settings. If you have Vista, then go for maybe a 8600GTS 512MB.


Hope this helps! :D[/quote]

1. He may mean Pentium D which is dual core (that's what I thought he meant)

2. Yes the card will be bottlenecked by the CPU but an 8800GT will give him MUCH better performance than even the most expensive CPU upgrade.

3. Yeah, you should check. Just to be sure.

4. 8600/7900/x1950 will only be temporary solutions. An 8800GT will give better performance now (with a fairly weak CPU) and even better performance later after a CPU upgrade.
 
Chart

That CPU is really going to limit the video card but the 8800GT will still give a much better increase in frames and will let you go for higher system settings. I'm not sure what setting will be limited by your CPU (maybe screen resolution) but an 8800GT will last for a long time, so you'll always be able upgrade your CPU.
 
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