New CPU+Mobo or GPU upgrade?

I have currently been looking at upgrading the computer. As it stands I have a ASUS P5Q SE Mobo with 4GB RAM, Intel core 2 duo E8300 processor, 8800GT GPU and I forgot which RAM (The good stuff anyway ). Currently running XP pro but just got hold of W7 and away to pick up an HD LED monitor.

I have noticed Dabs doing some great deals at the moment on quad core bundles but I'm not sure if they are worth upgrading over what I have.
My next thought was to just leave the mobo, processor etc as it is and change out the graphics card to something like the Geforce GTX 460 1GB as it seems to be getting good reviews. Not really wanting to spend a fortune on a card to be honest though. I sort of set my limit to £150.

So what are the recommendations? New CPU/mobo combo or GPU upgrade?

PSU wattage?

Ok, I got a few things wrong on my initial post. Just found my inoice and this is what I have:

ASUS P5Q SE iP45
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Socket 775 (3.0GHz) 1333FSB 6MB L2 Cache
Samsung HD753LJ 750GB
OCZ 4GB Kit (2x2GB) 800MHz/PC2-6400 Memory Platinum Performance CL5
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro
Zotac 8800GT 512MB
Arctic Power 700W PSU

Hope that helps.

700W PSU is absolutely fine for the Geforce GTX 460 1GB. You should be able to get a Gigabyte (manufacturer�s name) model for just less than £150.

Edited by 4M2 (Mon 24-Jan-11 16:26:32)

So would you recommend keeping my existing setup and just changing the GPU or buy a new motherboard, CPU, Ram etc and keep my existing 8800GT?

I was going to get the PNY GTX 460 from ebuyer for £125 delivered. I have also read that they give good results when clocked and still have headroom when done.

I've not looked into much computer parts lately so my knowledge is a bit outdated at the moment. I have had a quick look at the CPU benchmarks on some websites and the best quad setup didn't outperform the E8400 by that much, That's what made me think of getting the GPU.

Thanks for your help though

This could be what you are looking for. http://preview.alturl.com/69frv

I have the 768 MB version and it is an excellent card (I upgraded from a gainward 8800 GT golden sample)

EVGA offers a 10 year warranty and has a 90 day upgrade offer so that if you want to get a better card in their range you can by paying the difference.

I just like Gigabyte cards they run cool and almost silently - sometimes connecting up audio over hdmi can be a little tricky though...

Hi Kamelion. Thanks for the link. It gave me a 404 page error but went on the Scan website and searched the card. A little more expensive (Only a fraction so doesn't matter) I gather you were trying to link the EVGA GTX 460 1GB SC super 3800MHz card?

Would it be worth paying the extra £20 to get the Gainward GTX 460 GS GLH (4000MHz)??

the evga card can clock really high plus that 10 year warranty is really reassuring. It's up to you though, its your money

Sorry just noticed your reply too 4M2. I'm currently using a Roccat Kave 5.1 headset so will no doubt continue using that for my sound.

Hmm interesting! A 10 year warranty!! Could really be worth a good look at then.

So after all the talk of cards, I presume the choice would be leave the mobo,CPU etc as is and opt for this graphics card. Cheers folks

Really easy with this card - it is built in. The card comes with a HDMI cable too.

Very difficult to advise on way or another regarding mobo etc. vs GPU - guess that depends entirely upon you usage requirements.

But the EVGA 768MB card recommended by kamelion also looks very good.

Thanks for the info kamelion

I think my current setup would probably do for now. I mainly game but only playing COD4, MW2, CSS and AVP. I guess as the machine runs these games fine at the moment a better GPU is a bonus.

Here's an idea of your CPU:

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core2+...


If you're looking at the i3 530 bundle (less than £150)

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i...

I would say that for the outlay, and the gain (quad CPU, 75% perf gain), then if you don't need to replace any other kit, it's worth a punt. Consider Gfx, PSU and Mem though.

Ahh the E8400 makes it closer to a 60% gain. Still a decent deal, but personally, with a new chipset, and the potential of the new kit, I would consider memory and gfx too, which means PSU etc.

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core2+...

Generally, I don't tend to upgrade parts. I've an E8400 myself, and have always figured I could upgrade to a Q9550/Q9650. A bit pricey though. Easier to overclock the CPU to 3.6Ghz and squeeze an extra free 20% and just replace the entire system when you can. Much more fun anyway.

Edited by camieabz (Mon 24-Jan-11 18:53:08)

I think I was looking at the untel ultimate bundle over the AMD gamer bundle. I think the intel one was the i7 930. Could be wrong. Priced around £350 mark.
I also thought about just changing the CPU on my existing motherboard but for the cost of a decent quad core socket 775 CPU I would be better off getting a bundle from Dabs.

Sorry it is the E8400 I have and not the E8300

What is the main usage of your PC, is it a "gaming" specific PC or just for normal day-to-day surfing, e-mailing and not CPU intensive graphical processing?? If your main usage is NOT for gaming then I would say your existing PC may be good enough IF you replace your "boot-drive" with an equivalent SSD drive, i.e. see attached comments http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/windows-7-and-ssds-ju... to greatly improve your Windows boot and general SW applications loading performance. Of course the capacity of such SSD druves may be around 64GB and would cost you around £80--, but the transformation of your Windows and general SW Application loadings are considerable too without breaking your bank!! P.S: you may even consider installing non-essential SW applications in your normal drive instead of the SSD drive to conserve the SSD drive space.

My computer is generally used for browsing and downloading although I do play games on it too. The games I am playing are not really overly heavy going on the machine. These games are AVP, COD4 and MW2. They seem to play quite good at my current settings and not had problems.
I did read that newer processors etc will be out shortly so in the mean time I may just go for the graphics card to go with my new monitor. If/When these new processors come out, I may be able to get a great bargain then.

Also just got an email from ebuyer regarding the Gigabyte GTX 460 OC2 card which they have on offer for under £150.

As someone mentioned earlier about a 10 year warranty, Thinking about that earlier is quite pointless as no doubt that graphics card will be obsolete in a few years max anyway.

hello
Well im a gamer and I have to say I would rip out that CPU and chuck a quad core in there, you could pick one up on ebay cheaply enough.
bin the 8800GT, get an ATI, nvidia are usually overpriced and over rated, the new ATI 5850 is acracking card and can handle anything, and is way better value for the money than a 460 or 560.

you could pick up a cpu off ebay as I said for £70, buy new gfx for £150, sell your old parts on ebay and hopefully pull back in £40-50.

dual cores are ok...ish, but for gaming you really need a quad core now, the latest games perform a hell of a lot better with that.