I'm currently at a crossroads. My PC just isnt cutting it anymore, and I need an upgrade. At first I was thinking I'd buy a Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 Ti and put that in my machine. But I'm wondering if its even worth doing. My current specifications are as follows;
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/he5Xw.jpg[/IMG]
My PSU would be at its limits with the card, so I'm guessing I'd need an upgrade.
Are my current parts worth keeping? Or would this new card be wasted with the tech I currently have?
I'd love to build myself a new machine, or even buy a prebuilt one. From what I've seen, I'm not even sure whats cheaper anymore.
Any suggestions on this front? Maybe a suggested build ($1000 give or take) or a good company to buy from?
Yes, I'm a almost clueless when it comes to this. Thats why I'm asking you fine people for help.
New build.
You could get by with just a new card to start with. The Q9xxx quad cores are still solid performers.
As far as GPUs go:
Get a Radeon HD 7950 if you primarily play games
[url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202006[/url]
Or get a GTX 660ti if you use programs that utilize CUDA cores on a daily basis.
[url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127697[/url]
[editline]24th September 2012[/editline]
Although, I don't like what I'm seeing from the Speccy. It screams pre-built. I would recommend maybe getting a better PSU with a gpu if you want to keep immediate costs down.
Q9300 with 8gb RAM you say?
New card, definitely. When choosing which one - get something that will match a new build nicely, so when you do upgrade it wont be your bottleneck. At the slow-ish rate that hardware's moving at the moment, you should be fine.
It is a prebuilt PC, one I bought in 2009. At the time I didnt even think about building my own. If I could go back, I would have built one, believe me.
Now that I've done more research into the issue, and talked to a tech savvy friend of mine, I think a new build would be the best idea. I'll just need to wait a while and save up the cash.
The main thing I was worried about, if I did upgrade my GPU, is if my system would even utilize its full potential.
Buying a new card, and adding that to my future build sounds like a good idea as well. A PSU is also an upgrade that I was looking into doing, as my current PSU is at its limit with the current card.
[QUOTE=IronHorse;37783208]
The main thing I was worried about, if I did upgrade my GPU, is if my system would even utilize its full potential.
Buying a new card, and adding that to my future build sounds like a good idea as well. A PSU is also an upgrade that I was looking into doing, as my current PSU is at its limit with the current card.[/QUOTE]
People on the internet throw the word "bottleneck" around too much when they are describing hardware limitations. The Q9xxx series are fine for handling modern gpus, but there will be some drop in performance from the technological level of the older socket. The loss will vary by program, but it is minimal and you could hold off on upgrading your cpu/memory/mobo if you just got a new gpu. Also, a new power supply would also be a good decision.
Alright, I might do that then. Buy myself a 660 Ti and a new PSU, and then stick them both in the new build. Thanks for the help.
Definitely don't have to do it all at once if you cannot swing it. Your system is far from stellar, but it isn't entirely useless. As Evilan said, your PSU is the primary concern if you are rolling out upgrades piece by piece.
I'd recommend investing in a decent PSU. You can use it again in a few years. The power connections aren't changing anytime soon.
[QUOTE=Superwafflez;37782688]Q9300 with 8gb RAM you say?
[/QUOTE]
I bought a computer that came with the Q9300 quad with 8GB of RAM about 5-6 years ago. It was amazing to me at that time.
Depending on the power supply you might scrape through without upgrading it.
Some cheap PSUs have crazy efficient output for some reason.
By the same token I've seen cheap PSUs operating at 55% efficiency in a 'custum gaemun compooter'. I have no face for when someone is drawing 1000 watts when their equipment doesn't even use 600.
It's a mixed batch under the best circumstances.
If you think your PC is getting too slow overall, you could also invest in a decent SSD. That speeds up loading times drastically, and you can take it along in a new build.
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