Gaming System Upgrade NEED HELP

[tmonte87]

So I went out and purchased a system on craigslist since I was in dire need of a rig that could handle some games. I eventually went out and bought a MSI 6950 Reference model. Now after purchasing this card I thought my FPS were gonna be thru the roof but, its sad to say its not on most games and I do notice slight visual hiccups in all games. Id like to post my current setup so I can get some feedback on what could be the issue and what I should upgrade. At the moment I do not have any funds to do the upgrade but I would like to plan for the future.

Motherboard: LP JR P45-T2R
CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q8200 @ 2.33GHz
RAM: 2x2GB Transcend Information (7F4F000000000000) DDR2 JM800QLU-2G
Graphics Card: MSI Radeon 6950 Reference Card Unlocked to 6970
Harddrive: SAMSUNG EcoGreen F2 HD103SI 1TB 5400 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
PSU: Dynex™ - 520W ATX Power Supply
Case: Cooler Master Elite 343 Mini Tower mATX

I would like to try and keep try to the find the bottleneck in this setup and try to correct it so I can max out my FPS if possible. If not Im pretty sure Id have to revamp everything besides my GFX card. Would love some feedback and any help you all could give me. Thanks in advance.

 

[tmonte87]

Am I in the wrong section?

 

[tmonte87]

The only reason why I think its my other hardware is because I have friends with low end graphics cards and are getting 20FPS more than me and it bothers me after spending the money are a high end card like that. That specific CPU has a very low multiplier so overclocking is very hard I have had it overclocked to around 2.8GHz but it was not stable. I figured it would be better off to do some upgrades and the way it looks if I want newer technology ill have to get a new motherboard which means new CPU and new RAM and Ive done alot of reading 5400RPM on a gaming rig is not a good idea.

 

[Deemo13]

I wouldn't trust your power supply to power that 6950 even though it does have 2 6-pins. I did run an 8800GTX on one like yours for awhile but I wouldnt trust it with a 6950. The CPU is also probably holding you back a bit but if you could overclock it to a stable 3.0 or 2.8 you should be fine.

I would replace the power supply.

 

[tmonte87]

really I should go for a new power supply first? I have a microcenter nearby if that is all i have to get that would be awesome. I was also thinking of maybe upgrading the ram. The current RAM i have is only 800MHz i believe I could get something a little faster and at the same time I can increase my FSB which is sitting at 400 for 2.8GHz

 

[Azteck]

Do you have a stock CPU cooler on this? If stock cooler, then replace if you want to get better overclocking.
I think your CPU will be ok but the ram has to go and the PSU, so yes replace those first.
If you get a good PSU then a 650watt will be plenty and leave you plenty of head room for upgrades. I have a 2600K I7, X-fi sound card, running 2 6950 2gb cards on a thermaltake 750 wass PSU. plus a lot more on that but just get a good brand.

Here is a guid that can help you on overclocking, http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/259899-11-core-overclocking-guide

this is your board right http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136055

 

[krazyjamus]

You have a DDR2 motherboard so you can't really upgrade your ram THAT much. You're using basic ram though, DDR2-800 with 6-6-6-18 timings, if you upgraded to DDR2-1066mhz with 5-5-5-15 timing might do a lot to speed up your computer.

They are right that your PSU is of mediocre quality, but it should run everything you have without exploding on you, though I wouldn't overclock with it as you want to leave some headroom for your PSU. The quality of your PSU won't affect the sped of your system though.

Your hard drive is DEFINITELY bottle-necking some things. A 5400rpm drive is pretty awful, especially for a desktop computer. I recommend getting a faster drive.

 

[tmonte87]

I have an aftermarket CPU cooler from Cool Master which I purchased to actually start overclocking but like I said its not too stable using a high FSB of 400 and I get random blue screens blaming it on my RAM. Purchasing a new HDD and PSU is except-able to me because it would be needed for any major upgrade down the road. I have a problem buying the DDR2 RAM because if I buy that I'd have to buy DDR3 if I decide to just do a MB upgrade the RAM will not fit. What if I purchased a motherboard that is new and can run 6core processors and at the same time also run my current CPU. That way I can then purchase DDR3 which will last me and the new PSU and HDD. Anyone think that is a good idea after buying a new HDD/PSU if I see no change? Im not sure if thats possible (being compatible with 6core and my older CPU version. ) Would love to hear feedback guys. Thanks for all the help.

 

[aqualipt]

Damn...that sht is old, how much money do you have for upgrades??

 

[tmonte87]

About 400 and thats after I sell the parts from this one. Might even sell the whole thing minus the video card. I have a Microcenter nearby which have great prices.