New Rig Advice

jme2010

Currently.

Phenom II x4 B40 3.45 GHz
ATI Radeon 4870x2 2GB
2GB Crucial Ballistix
750W XPS PSU

Crappy Case & Mobo

==========================

Objective: Game at max settings ~ 1660x1080 30+ fps

1) Should I upgrade my CPU? Go for a higher x4 or i5 (can not afford i7 )

2) What gfx should I upgrade to for < €200. I'm thinking a 460???

3) Will a new mobo really make much of a difference? (Granted I'll need a new one if I switch to intel)

4) Which case should I get for under €100? I like this Cooler Master http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/product/ZKB_01COM/02_PCCASE/07_MIDITOW/productdetails/15579816/Cooler_Master_CM_690_II_Advanced_Mid_tower_ATX/RC_692_KKN2_GP/default.aspx

Any advice is great.

Cheers.

deconduo

RAM is your biggest weak point I think, just grab 2GB more and you should be flying. I'd recommend the HAF 912 instead, that 690 is a bit overpriced imo.

jme2010

Cheers mate.

So I may stay on the quad core and beef up the Ram.

But I will upgrade the GFX to a DX11 card. So at HD resolutions which card should I get? €200 max for now.

cian1500ww

Have a look at the GTX 460 cards, this one is under budget and should be fit for HD gaming: http://www.pixmania.ie/ie/uk/6389292/art/pny/geforce-gtx-460-oc-1-gb-g.html

deconduo

Going from a 4870X2 to a 460 is moving sideways at best and backwards in most games. Its a waste of money unless you badly need the DX11 support. Its a beast of a card, and at 1660x1080 you will not be bottlenecked by it to any extent.

jme2010

deconduo wrote: »

Going from a 4870X2 to a 460 is moving sideways at best and backwards in most games. Its a waste of money unless you badly need the DX11 support. Its a beast of a card, and at 1660x1080 you will not be bottlenecked by it to any extent.

Agreed.

But what's your view on going from 4870x2 -> 6870?

Cheers

uberpixie

jme2010 wrote: »

Agreed.

But what's your view on going from 4870x2 -> 6870?

Cheers

It would be a nice jump, a 6950 would also be in your price range and would be a step above the 6870 for about 50 quid extra.

Monotype

Is the B40 an OEM processor? When you say XPS PSU, is this a dell XPS we're talking about? Is that overclocked?

The 4870x2 is a very good card, I'd have agree with deconduo and get a RAM upgrade first. Maybe clean up your computer if performance is suffering - defragmenation, getting rid of junk you don't need.

Otherwise, sell the 4870x2 and buy something with a greater difference.

Jonny7

Oops post disappeared

The 4870x2 coupled with that processor is gonna pretty much max out every game at that res, if you do splash out a ton of money on new processor and graphics card you will prob struggle to see the difference

2 gigs of ram would be good though

Edit; Actually the 4870x2 is about the same speed or even a tiny bit faster than the 5870... I dont think there is a game out that even pushes the 5870 yet.. unless maybe u want to invest in a 30 inch monitor

jme2010

Thanks for the advice lads.

I did see a 6950 last night for €254 on hardwareversand.de.

My search was for a DX11 card that runs faster, cooler & quieter than the 4870x2.

If I'm getting a few components from hardwareversand, will that give value over the delivery charge, or is there a better price for the 6950?

Cheers.

deconduo

The cheapest one after shipping is on komplett afaik.

However, you are much better off spending your money elsewhere. Get a decent case with a nice cooling system, an SSD and some RAM.

(What motherboard are you using? Is it an unlocked Athlon II X3 you have?)

jme2010

deconduo wrote: »

(What motherboard are you using? Is it an unlocked Athlon II X3 you have?)

The mobo is bog standard ASRock M3N78D :rolleyes:.

Yeah I unlocked my X3 a few months ago and its been stable ever since...woo!!

================================

I'll let you know what I decide. Have some pondering to do.

Monotype

While not the most amazing board, it wouldn't really be to your advantage much to upgrade it. That CPU isn't holding you back enough to force an upgrade, but maybe you could squeeze more out to give better performance on the CPU heavy games.

Are there any specific games that you are stuggling with that are not optimised for that card; your drivers are up to date?

jme2010

Monotype wrote: »

Are there any specific games that you are stuggling with that are not optimised for that card; your drivers are up to date?

Its more of a noise & heat issue. The card is very loud & hot. But I plan to play Metro 2033 maxed out in full hd 22" monitor.

I'm gonna buy either a 6950 or 6970.

So I need these answered

(1) I know the 6950 can be flashed to a 6970, will it give near identical benchmarks?

(2) For god sake which brand do I buy? Power Colour, XFX, Club 3D, ASUS, Gigabyte. Which should I look out for and which to avoid?

Cheers.