Wich should i upgrade first.

[maddogg27]

i have a

dualcore celeron
e1200
1mb shared cache.
800mhz fsb
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an evga9500gt gpu that does just fine in the games i play.
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should i upgrade gpu or cpu first i want at least a core 2 duo i have a 75-100 dollar price range.



ps games that i play

doom3 call of duty1 cod4.



thanks for help.

 

[gkay09]

Well give the specs of ur motherboard...so we can give better suggestions...
And yes u can start of wit changing ur CPU...

 

[aford10]

+1, it's hard to recommend something such as a psu, or even RAM, when we don't know what your current mobo supports.

 

[maddogg27]

i can support all core2duos and core 2 quads ddr2 and 600 watt atx powersupply.

 

[Siggy19]

How much memory do you have ? Get 3 or 4GB if you don't already have it and ditch your virtual memory and you may get a nice performance boost. Beyond that, get a fast dual core if you need something to last only a year or two before a more major upgrade. Then start saving so that you can blow $1,000 in 2011 to upgrade practically everything.

 

[rberry]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116072

That would be a good one for ya in your 75 to 100 dollar price range, it overclocks well too.

Hope this helps.

 

[luckyusaf]

$75-$100 doesn't really give you much to upgrade with. I would save a few more bucks and get very overclockable e7200 ($120). (How To: Get A 4 GHz Dual-Core For $120)
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/overclocking-core-2-E7200,2072.html

Or go with a GeForce 9800 GT ($110). (Best Graphics Cards For The Money: Feb. '09)
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-radeon,2151.html

 

[Dougx1317]

Why would you spend money upgrading your GPU when you said it plays all your games fine?

As for CPU, go for E5200 or E7200.

 

[aford10]

Upgrading to the 9800GT wouldn't provide that much of a performance increase. It may have been one of the better performance/price cards, but since the OP already has a 9500GT, it's not worth paying the full price for that little of an upgrade. Specially if the OP says it plays what it needs to play.

You can get a lower budget cpu like the e5200 or e7200. They are good cpu's to OC. But if you have a budget board that doesn't allow much or any tweaking in the bios, you're better off with a higher end cpu like the e8400 or e8500.

 

[Siggy19]

How much memory do you have ? If you only have 1 or 2GB, some extra may be a better upgrade.

 

[maddogg27]

i have 2 gigs of corsair xms2 ddr2 ( i dont know the timings) and i can support a max of four i have a dg31pr intel based motherboard. i have not seen any overclocking in the bios but i have thought to remove or change the jumpers on the board to see what happens .

 

[sprucebr1]

In this case, RAM would be a good place to start, seeing as you can get 4GB DDR2 for $65. Otherwise, a CPU upgrade would be better, The E5200 would be good. Don't pay $200+ for the E8400+, cause Intel will be lowering prices soon due to its new P55 chipset etc. Your 9500GT works for you, so go with the RAM, you'll notice a difference. When it comes to gaming, RAM and GPU matter more. Hope that helps.

 

[Dougx1317]

RAM would be the cheapest to upgrade. 4GB can get as low as $35-40. Depending on what you're doing this may or may not be worth it. I recently upgraded from 2GB to 4GB, and I saw no difference.

The cpu is what I'd upgrade first, and all the previous posters are pretty much right with their suggestions of E5200, E7200, and E8400. Get what you can afford.

You don't need to upgrade the graphics if they work for you. But if you do upgrade, you should look into used parts. I recently bought an 8800GT OC on ebay for $55 to replace my 8600GT that I ended up selling for $40. I got a pretty good upgrade for only $15 and a little bit of my time. Find someone upgrading to a GTX2xx and you may be able to get a good deal.

 

[aford10]

In this case, RAM would be a good place to start, seeing as you can get 4GB DDR2 for $65. Otherwise, a CPU upgrade would be better, The E5200 would be good. Don't pay $200+ for the E8400+, cause Intel will be lowering prices soon due to its new P55 chipset etc. Your 9500GT works for you, so go with the RAM, you'll notice a difference. When it comes to gaming, RAM and GPU matter more. Hope that helps.

I do like these suggestions. However, the e8400 doesn't cost $200.
e8400 - $165
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037
e8500 - $190
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115036