Upgrade or new build?

[paintb4707]

Well, I've been out of the loop for awhile and I have a pc that's been sitting in my closet collecting dust for several months now. I decided its time that I do something with it.

I most importantly need a new psu and HDD because they're both shot. I figure if I'm going to fix it, I might as well upgrade it and make it game worthy... which leads me into the direction of more ram and a new video card as well.

I currently have an Opteron 165 which I plan to OC to about 2.5ish, asus a8n-sli premium, and a 1 gig stick of ddr500 crucial ballistix

I figure if I upgrade it with the selected parts:

http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=5958371

I'm looking at a subtotal of $851.96.

However... If I spend about double that, I can convert to AM2 for some serious processing power.

http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=5142731

I know back in the day... you only needed about 2.4ghz of AMD processing power to prevent bottlenecking from a 7800gt, but how about an 8800GTS?

If I spent 850 on an outdated machine, could it take the heat from the latest games like Bioshock and MOHA? What about the games to soon be released like UT 2k7 and CoD4? Should I just scrap it and do a new build completely?

I figure... if I spend 850 now I may sometime in the future need to upgrade to AM2, which will cause me to buy a new mobo, new ram, and a new cpu. However, if I spent 1500 now, it will last for quite some time without upgrades (possiby 1yr+).

Help me decide.

 

[Dangman]

For $1500, you could build a Core2 Duo setup that'll outperform that $1500 AM2 setup.

Well before I can help you out, I need a few questions answered:
1) How big is your monitor?
2) How long do you think you'll go for before another upgrade?
3) What games are you planning to play?

 

[paintb4707]

For $1500, you could build a Core2 Duo setup that'll outperform that $1500 AM2 setup.

Well before I can help you out, I need a few questions answered:
1) How big is your monitor?
2) How long do you think you'll go for before another upgrade?
3) What games are you planning to play?

1) Only a 17", so max resolution I'd be using is 1280x1024. May go bigger in the late future.
2) I'm planning to last as long as it takes till the next best game comes out that would require more
3) As stated above, Bioshock, MOHA, CoD4, UT 2k7, and Crysis. Would like to play with max settings.

 

[Dangman]

Oh are you planning on getting a bigger monitor within the next year or so? Because for a 17" monitor, all you need now is the $137 x1950Pro. Or if you want to go high-end, a $260 HD 2900 Pro.

 

[paintb4707]

Oh are you planning on getting a bigger monitor within the next year or so? Because for a 17" monitor, all you need now is the $137 x1950Pro. Or if you want to go high-end, a $260 HD 2900 Pro.

An x1950 pro would be pushing it. I already have a 7800GT in my current pc and it can barely handle MOHA at medium settings (1024x768). But then again I only got 1 gig of ram in this one as well.

 

[Dangman]

Well the x1950Pro is a faster card than the 7800GT. But like I said, if you want a bit more oomph then go for the HD 2900Pro. It performs about the same or better than the 8800GTS 320MB, costs $260, and can be OC'd to 2900XT speeds:
Sapphire 100212SR Radeon HD 2900 Pro 512MB PCI-E Video Card - $270

Also, that PSU is overkill. At most, all you need is this:
Corsair HX520 520W PSU - $100

But if you more headroom for future cards, then this will do as well:
Corsair HX620 620W PSU - $147

Both PSUs are made by Seasonic so you're still getting Seasonic quality but at a lower price.

 

[paintb4707]

Well the x1950Pro is a faster card than the 7800GT. But like I said, if you want a bit more oomph then go for the HD 2900Pro. It performs about the same or better than the 8800GTS 320MB, costs $260, and can be OC'd to 2900XT speeds:
Sapphire 100212SR Radeon HD 2900 Pro 512MB PCI-E Video Card - $270

Also, that PSU is overkill. At most, all you need is this:
Corsair HX520 520W PSU - $100

But if you more headroom for future cards, then this will do as well:
Corsair HX620 620W PSU - $147

Both PSUs are made by Seasonic so you're still getting Seasonic quality but at a lower price.

I love Seasonics because they're very quiet as well, are Corsairs the same?

 

[Dangman]

Yes, the Corsairs are very quiet, just like Seasonics. The Corsairs also come with a five year warranty. Also, you may want to hit up the For Sale/For Trade forum here to find a good deal on overclockable DDR RAM.

 

[engiNURD]

The vidcard and HDD you can take to a new system. The RAM you can't, so don't spend so much on RAM. Find a deal on some used sticks, like Danny said.

Corsair's HX series PSUs are made by Seasonic.

 

[paintb4707]

Yes, the Corsairs are very quiet, just like Seasonics. The Corsairs also come with a five year warranty. Also, you may want to hit up the For Sale/For Trade forum here to find a good deal on overclockable DDR RAM.

Well.... I WAS sold on the Corsair until I just realized I had selected a 700w psu

I thought you said overkill meaning the price (beacause Seasonics usually are expensive)

I think what I really meant to pick was this 500w one.

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817151029

I'll spend the extra 30 bucks to keep it all from Newegg for now.

 

[engiNURD]

I'll spend the extra 30 bucks to keep it all from Newegg for now.

I don't mind spending $30 more for something if I get something for my money... but I, personally, don't feel like giving newegg $30 for nothing.

Keeping it all from newegg just saves you 10 minutes of your time. Thats how long it would take to order it from somewhere else. If you think all your shipments will come at the same time because you ordered from one place, there's still a good chance they won't. Newegg often ships from their out of state warehouses as well.

 

[paintb4707]

I don't mind spending $30 more for something if I get something for my money... but I, personally, don't feel like giving newegg $30 for nothing.

Keeping it all from newegg just saves you 10 minutes of your time. Thats how long it would take to order it from somewhere else. If you think all your shipments will come at the same time because you ordered from one place, there's still a good chance they won't. Newegg often ships from their out of state warehouses as well.

Well... I honestly appreciate all the help and feedback but no one really has answered my main question yet.

Im still wondering if it be worth it to spend close to 800 on an upgrade or just do a new build completely?

The vidcard and HDD you can take to a new system. The RAM you can't, so don't spend so much on RAM. Find a deal on some used sticks, like Danny said.

Which leads me to the same question. Would it even be worth the upgrade? I personally prefer not to spend the hassle of buying parts from another person, also playing the guessing game wondering whether or not the part is even going to make it to my doorstep.

 

[engiNURD]

Im still wondering if it be worth it to spend close to 800 on an upgrade or just do a new build completely?

I guess I'll say it another way: $800 to upgrade a dead platform just isn't worth it. Either save your money and buy used, or save your money until you have enough for a new build. There are hardly any good deals anymore on the parts you need. Heck, you could build a whole gaming rig for $800!