$700 Budget CPU/MoBo/DDR3 Ram

[all4spl]

I am currently about to do an upgrade from my current system listed here;

CPU - Q6600 G0 Step Quad Core Socket 775
Ram - 8Gigs OCZ Reaper DDR2 1066
MoBo - Asus P5N-T Deluxe
HD - Seagate 500Gig 7200rpm
PSU - Corsair 850TX
Video - BFG GTX275OC
Optic - Dual DvDRW's
Case - Antec 900 Ver. 1

I am wanting to go with a newer socket processor such as i5/i7 as well move on to DDR3 Ram. I would like to maintain the same amount of memory due to the multitasking I do. I usually have 1-2 games open, 1 browser (multiple tabs), MSE AV and a MP3 player. I would say my usage is about 70% Gaming, 10% graphics work (photoshop/illustrator), 20% internet browsing and such. I have been looking at MSI Military spec mobo P55A-G55 $149, Intel Core I5-760 Quad Core 2.8Ghz $209, and 8Gigs GSkill Ripsaw DDR3 1600 $104 per 4gigs. Which actually puts me under budget but since I have never used anything but Asus Motherboards I am kinda wary about going off brand for that component. I haven't ruled out AMD but they seem slightly slower for the equal price range, and I could be wrong here.

Just looking for some advice/input on what could be had for $700 to get a newer socket CPU/Mobo/DDR3 Ram.

Thanks

 

[lowriderflow]

Really you wont see much o an increase with this upgrade. You already have some really great components... you'd see muhc more performance upgrade in your games by adding a second GTX275 than upgrading all your other components.

I'd reccomend doing that for now... waiting about a year and building a new rig. If the money is burning a whole in your pocket then go for it. I certainly wouldnt reccomend going AMD - not that they are bad produucts at all... but a Phenom II x4 940 is roughly equal to what you have now (the Q6600). It's maybe 10% faster in gaming, but that's not worth shelling out 500 to 600 bucks.

 

[someguynamedmatt]

Well, to answer the question you asked, I'd recommend these AMD parts, basically because of their exceptional performance for the money and overclockability:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727&Tpk=AMD%20Phenom%20ii%20x4%20965%20BE
Phenom II x4 965 BE - Great for OCing, Gaming, Productivity, and is a great value for the money.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130223&cm_re=AMD_790FX-GD70-_-13-130-223-_-Product
MSI 790FX-GD70 - Another great value for the money, this thing can handle anything you throw at it, up to Quad CFX. I love it, and it's sexy, too. I doubt you'll find these features in an Intel MoBo within $100 of this price range.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104158&cm_re=DDR3-1333-_-20-104-158-_-Product
DDR3-1333 @ 7-7-7-20 and extremely reliable. 1.5v.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231279&cm_re=ddr3-1600-_-20-231-279-_-Product
DDR3-1600 @ 7-7-7-24. Relatively close to the above kit. 1.6v.

Total: Around $600 with two kits (8gb) of RAM. Somewhere around $480 with one. You'll have to excuse my bad math... I just pulled those prices from memory after listing them here. You should probably double check them...

I'm personally running a PII x4 965 on the 790FX-GD70 right now, and it's perfect for just about anything. It's running at 3.7ghz on air, and stays surprisingly cool. It had to have been one of the easiest installs I've ever done.

Don't be afraid of buying an MSI product. I haven't had a single problem with mine, and they're certainly built to last. I'm not saying that they're better than Asus, but they're at least as good as them.

I somewhat disagree with lowriderflow, too. Sorry, but the LGA 775 socket is aging faster than dirt, and Intel comes out with a new socket basically every year. AM3 will be around as long as they keep making DDR3 memory, and it just as fast as some of the Intel i5s out there, but a good deal cheaper to build. I highly doubt that it's worth trying to upgrade a 775 based system, even with great parts like what you have. Also, another graphics card wouldn't help any with the multitasking the OP does. Gaming isn't everything, you know.

Any thoughts?

 

[ehanger]

I dont think your ram has enough l2 cash get more of that. I ahve heard some good prosecors are the core i7 cuz they have 7 cores? so get some of that for your computer and i think it wil be faster and good

 

[ubernoobie]

I think all you need is another gpu. Upgrade when sandy bridge and bulldozer comes

 

[someguynamedmatt]

I dont think your ram has enough l2 cash get more of that. I ahve heard some good prosecors are the core i7 cuz they have 7 cores? so get some of that for your computer and i think it wil be faster and good

I'm sorry, but what? RAM doesn't have an L2 cache, the CPU does... and how do you get more L2 cache? If you mean RAM, 8 gigs is more than anyone needs short of a workstation, and even then it's plenty. Since when have Intel i7 processors had seven cores?... The i7s are quad cores running 8 threads, plus the i7-980x which is six cores running 12 threads...

Anyway...

Not to hog the thread, but even if he waited until Bulldozer (SandyBridge will be about $2000 per processor I'm assuming), He'd need to spend a good deal more for it, and we don't even know how well it will perform. It may end up with a severe case of Windows Vista syndrome for all we know... waiting for a new line of equipment before you upgrade is like buying volcano insurance in fear that one might erupt in your back yard. You have to stop waiting somewhere and do the upgrade... I'd say LGA 775 is far enough...

Once again, he doesn't need more graphics power. He's looking for a CPU upgrade in order to aid with multitasking and the like... nowhere in the entire original thread did he say he wanted improved gaming performance. Correct me if I'm wrong here, OP... am I right, here?

 

[all4spl]

I would not be against more graphics power, however I am not sure how my 275GTX OC stacks up to the current cards. I was concerned about being too far behind, as in socket 775 is on its last leg. I think once Intel picks a socket 1366 Vs 1156 it will be better, having multiple sockets for processors during the same production cycle really doesn't make sense to me. But I don't work for intel so what do I know. I am also concerned about the gains from getting 1)Faster CPU 2)Faster Ram . Not sure if the buss speeds are an increase, but I think they are. There is also the higher cache on the proc Vs what I have now.

But if the overall performance of what I am thinking of doing Vs what I have now is only a small gain then I will probably just buy a better more current video card and call it a day for another 6months to a year.

 

[someguynamedmatt]

I just came up with a better solution...

If you were to get an SLI-capable motherboard on an Intel LGA1156 socket, you would get the ability to put a second GTX 275 in there along with a Core i5, which would give you a MASSIVE boost over what you have now. You would also be able to put a second 275 in there when you need more graphics performance.

http://www.pcgameshardware.com/aid,691811/Lynnfield-tested-Intel-Core-i5-750-and-Core-i7-860-benchmarked-in-Anno-1404-Dawn-of-Discovery/Reviews/

There's the Core i5 compared to your Q6600. As you can probably see, it's a good deal better. As for the graphics, there aren't many reviews comparing two GTX 275s against more modern cards, but from what I've read, it would be as good as and sometimes better than a single GTX 470. To answer your question, though, a single GTX 275 is roughly comparable to a Radeon HD 5770.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188055&cm_re=EVGA_p55_sli-_-13-188-055-_-Product
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215&cm_re=Intel_core_i5-750-_-19-115-215-_-Product

Combined with two sets of decent DDR3 memory, you'd be looking at around $650 total.

If you do decide to go for a better graphics card, though, here are some recommendations:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161329&cm_re=Radeon_hd_5870-_-14-161-329-_-Product
HIS has always been a great brand, and I haven't had a single problem with them. That 5870 will power anything you could possibly want to play.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130550&cm_re=GTX_470-_-14-130-550-_-Product
A little cheaper, EVGA also makes extremely high quality products, and the 470 will still power anything you want to buy.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102886&cm_re=Radeon_HD_5850-_-14-102-886-_-Product
Cheaper still (not by much) is the Sapphire 5850. Great cooling.

If you're looking for something in the $200 range, the Radeon HD 5830 and Geforce GTX 460 are both good cards.

And here's an article comparing DDR2 to DDR3 memory for you:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/2232