Upgrade help/suggestions

[stevothesausage]

Hi guys,

I've only just joined this forum, so thanks for having me I am currently looking at ways to improve my system.. I am definitively looking at getting a new GPU very shortly(Probably the Evga GTX 670 4Gb SC edition) suggestions welcome for triple monitor gaming etc. But i was just wondering if there is anything else that i might consider upgrading as i'm not too sure on the ins & outs of pcs(I know a little bit) and if my pc specs are up to scratch i.e CPU/ motherboard etc.

current system
Dell XPS 730 H2C
Intel core 2 quad extreme QX9650 3.0GHz
3 x 24" samsung p2450
4GB ram
soundblaster x-fi Xtreme Gamer
GTX 280 Sli
128mb Ageia PhysX card

any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

cheers, Rob

 

[cats_Paw]

Interesting setup (must have been a killer in its time).

I am in a similar situation as you are.
I have a Q6600 CPU with a 4 gb ddr2 ram and a 560 Ti.
If I play a non CPU heavy game (like starcraft 2 for example), my CPU botllenecks the GPu by a little (maybe 4 fps).
But in general, everything runs great, so i assume your setup with just a GPu upgrade will keep on going for a while.

Untill the next gen of consoles comes out ( since most games are console targeted first, so are not as heavy on the PCs ), upgrading is a bit tricky.

It is unclear how far games will go at that point.

Since it seems you have a very nice setup, you might want to consider a decent speaker system (Logitech Z-5500 is the one i have, but i understand its no longer in production, and the next one is actually a bit worse).



After image, the second best part for enjoying gaming is sound after all.

Apart from starting a new system, those are the things id change.

And ofc an ssd for OS.

 

[simon12]

A new CPU and 8Gb of ram would be good but at 3 x 1920 x 1080 res. the 670 will still be what holds it back.

 

[stevothesausage]

Hi guys, Thanks for the replies, i appreciate it!

cats_paw I forgot to add i do have 128gb ssd crucial m4. Your setup is very interesting indeed, I think it's tough to upgrade a system that was good back in its day hey?.
I will definitely be looking at getting a decent speaker system down the line for sure so i will look into the one you suggested.

Simon12 I was thinking about getting a new cpu at some point other than the 670 what would you suggest? It would be so i can eventually add SLI/crossfire when required later down the line too.

 

[stevothesausage]

Interesting setup (must have been a killer in its time).

I am in a similar situation as you are.
I have a Q6600 CPU with a 4 gb ddr2 ram and a 560 Ti.
If I play a non CPU heavy game (like starcraft 2 for example), my CPU botllenecks the GPu by a little (maybe 4 fps).
But in general, everything runs great, so i assume your setup with just a GPu upgrade will keep on going for a while.

Untill the next gen of consoles comes out ( since most games are console targeted first, so are not as heavy on the PCs ), upgrading is a bit tricky.

It is unclear how far games will go at that point.

Since it seems you have a very nice setup, you might want to consider a decent speaker system (Logitech Z-5500 is the one i have, but i understand its no longer in production, and the next one is actually a bit worse).



After image, the second best part for enjoying gaming is sound after all.

Apart from starting a new system, those are the things id change.

And ofc an ssd for OS.

Thanks for the reply I forgot to add i do have 128gb ssd crucial m4. Your setup is very interesting indeed, I think it's tough to upgrade a system that was good back in its day hey?.
I will definitely be looking at getting a decent speaker system down the line for sure so i will look into the one you suggested.

 

[stevothesausage]

A new CPU and 8Gb of ram would be good but at 3 x 1920 x 1080 res. the 670 will still be what holds it back.

Thanks for the reply. I was thinking about getting a new cpu at some point other than the 670 what would you suggest? It would be so i can eventually add SLI/crossfire when required later down the line too.

 

[Kamen_BG]

Your CPU is actually pretty good still.
I remember a few years back when it was the best money could buy.
Just buy a decent high-end air or water cooler and give it mild overclock of about 600 mhz. Or if you know what you're doing you could even do 4ghz at which point it would rival a Core i5 and will not bottleneck any graphics configuration.

The combined power of your graphics card is approximetly equal to a GTX 660.
With that said there is currently only one game your PC will not run (Crysis 3).
Buy one of those and you'll see a significant performance improvement.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0080JPHGU/?tag=pcpapi-20

 

[902]

this may be a stupid suggestion but i thought it would be worth it, check your psu brand and wattage the 670 is power hungry and you want a good psu feeding your computer or it could blow and take stuff with it. It is rare though but it would be a good precaution.

an extra 4gb of ram wouldn't hurt and it's pretty cheap now.