Hey everyone, I'm new here and looking for some advice. Here is my current setup, which I have had for about 4 years (I added the second gig of memory about six months ago):
AMD 64 3700+ "San Diego" 2.2ghz (oc'ed to 2.5ghz)
DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D 939
2 x 512mb OCZ EL Plat rev. 2, and 2 x 512MB Patriot Extreme (2gb total 184-Pin PC 3200)
eVGA nVidia 6800GT
2 x HITACHI Deskstar 80GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s (in Raid-0)
NEC ND-3540A DVD Burner
OCZ 520w PowerStream power supply
Dell 21" widescreen LCD at 1680x1050 resolution
Lian-Li PC-V1200 ATX case
I've been noticing that my computer has been running a little sluggish lately. It takes like 15 seconds for iTunes to start up. I get blue screen of death when I keep the computer running for too long, even though I never have spyware or viruses. I think my overclock is pretty gentle, too. I think what I really need is at least 4gb total ram for today's applications. So, instead of scrapping 4 x 512mb sticks, and paying a lot for expensive 1GB 184-pin sticks... I'm thinking about upgrading to AM2/3 or i7. I would keep my case, hard drives (probably just use for extra storage), dvd burner, monitor, and if possible the powersupply.
My budget is flexible, but I'm looking to put in $600. I just want to upgrade with the best deal. I don't need to have cutting edge. For some background info, the only games I intend to play are World of Warcraft and StarCraft 2, when that comes out. I'd like to be able to play at near max settings on those games. Also, I do a lot of multitasking with browser/iTunes/Warcraft, so memory is probably going to be key.
Where should I start?
Thanks!
AMD 64 3700+ "San Diego" 2.2ghz (oc'ed to 2.5ghz)
DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D 939
2 x 512mb OCZ EL Plat rev. 2, and 2 x 512MB Patriot Extreme (2gb total 184-Pin PC 3200)
eVGA nVidia 6800GT
2 x HITACHI Deskstar 80GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s (in Raid-0)
NEC ND-3540A DVD Burner
OCZ 520w PowerStream power supply
Dell 21" widescreen LCD at 1680x1050 resolution
Lian-Li PC-V1200 ATX case
I've been noticing that my computer has been running a little sluggish lately. It takes like 15 seconds for iTunes to start up. I get blue screen of death when I keep the computer running for too long, even though I never have spyware or viruses. I think my overclock is pretty gentle, too. I think what I really need is at least 4gb total ram for today's applications. So, instead of scrapping 4 x 512mb sticks, and paying a lot for expensive 1GB 184-pin sticks... I'm thinking about upgrading to AM2/3 or i7. I would keep my case, hard drives (probably just use for extra storage), dvd burner, monitor, and if possible the powersupply.
My budget is flexible, but I'm looking to put in $600. I just want to upgrade with the best deal. I don't need to have cutting edge. For some background info, the only games I intend to play are World of Warcraft and StarCraft 2, when that comes out. I'd like to be able to play at near max settings on those games. Also, I do a lot of multitasking with browser/iTunes/Warcraft, so memory is probably going to be key.
Where should I start?
Thanks!