Sorry to start so many threads on the same system, (however the threads seem to die after a few days, and I know I shouldn't reply to old threads (I know I did to one and I shouldn't have))...

I just need to find out what I should upgrade to in my system before it's finally finished.

Right now, I have a:

*Intel Pentum D 805
*Nvidia GeForce 7800 GTX 512

I'd like to be able to run LFS, GRID, TDU, TMUF, etc, at high settings, with maybe 2xAA or more, without dropping below 60 fps.

Budget is still undecided, but I'd prefer for the total cost to be somewhat below $300-400, so I still have enough to buy S2 once I finished upgrading.

[PSU is an Antec TP 550 (New Version) with 1x6pin PCI-E + 1x6[+2] pin PCI-E]

Thanks in advance.

what kinda power supply ya got? you have a 650W iirc

for $300, a core2duo and a 4870 perhaps.

funny thing is... looking at the benchmarks for left4dead, i see the $168 e8400 pulling 130fps, the $100 phenom II x2 550 pulling 128fps and the $110 phenom II x3 710 pulling 125fps

at the benchmarks for far cry 2 the x3 710 does 82fps as does the $190 e8500. the x2 falls a bit 10% behind at 75fps.

at the benchies for GTA 4, the x3 is about as fast as the $190 quadcore 6700

in short you should've listened to the amd fanboys.

i have a e8400 and a 4650, 8x aa and 16 af in LFS, solid 60+fps

Amd Phenom II 710 + motherboard with 785 chipset + 4870/4890/gtx260 core 216 + Corsair 450vx power supply will last you for at least 2 years. If you don't mind spending a bit more, go for a motherboard with the 790fx chipset and a Corsair 650tx so you can crossfire in the future.

Of course, prices in australia are a lot more than US, so you might have to settle for less.

The 4890 is a 210W card and the 710 a 95W cpu.

Suggesting a 450W, even if it is a corsair, is pushing it.

Now that i think about it, dude should just get a 4850, he'll see a great improvement over the 7800.

it's at least 4 times faster (7800gtx has half the performance of a 3850 and that is half of the 4850, roughly speaking)

Quote from george_tsiros :

The 4890 is a 210W card and the 710 a 95W cpu.

Suggesting a 450W, even if it is a corsair, is pushing it.

Now that i think about it, dude should just get a 4850, he'll see a great improvement over the 7800.

it's at least 4 times faster (7800gtx has half the performance of a 3850 and that is half of the 4850, roughly speaking)

If he is overclocking, a 450 will be pushing it. If not, it will be perfectly fine.

actually, even if he overclocks it'll be fine. It only has 1-10 watt increase from the 4870, and I have personally owned a 4870 with a PhII 720 overclocked with 3 hard drives and 3 fans, and it was rock stable. As i've said a hundred times, people overestimate how much wattage they need.

As for the 4850, it all really depends on his budge. The higher he goes, the more AA he can get out of it and the more he will enjoy the experience.

Thanks for replying,

I recently bought and installed an Antec TruePower New 550W PSU, and a Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3LR mother board.

I had thought of getting an AMD CPU/MB, but I'm already deep in the Intel line.

I compared the 4850 512, GTX 260, 4870 512 and the GTS 250, (in price/performance ratio), and the 4850/GTS 250 seemed to be the about 0.01 between each other.

They seem to about the same performance wise, with about $10 difference in price.

I do game at less than 1900x1200, but I don't want to skimp out on the graphics card either.

I wouldn't mind overclocking the components, although I have to mention that I use air cooling, rather than a ridiculous water cooling system or what not.

CPU wise, a E8400 would be great. However, is there a similar performance CPU in the E7xxx series that is slightly cheaper? Like a E7600?

i've seen psus work at 110% of their reported power ratings, but that is not reason to suggest components that "worked for me so it must be ok to do so generaly". You might get away with straining a piece of hardware, you might not.

a psu working at 90% will be under strain and if it is meant to develop problems, it will do so sooner, possibly taking with it other components. if it is working at a lower workload, it might not do so before the next upgrade (which means ever)

you want to risk your components' life by getting a psu that is just within the ratings? go ahead, i won't stop you, it's your pc, your money and your decision. But i would not suggest for someone else's pc to go that way.

Does your post suggest that 550W is not enough headroom for what ever new components I am purchasing?

My previous PSU had died on me, (an Antec Neo 480W), so I had decided to get a replacement that had plenty of headroom.

I would want the system to last as long as possible.

no, it was an explanation why 450W may be enough but is not safe enough.

clockspeeds are very important.

your overclocked 64x2 is not puny. you probably have it at about 2.6, am i right? it's a cpu made for gaming.

a psu working at 50% load is slightly more efficient than at >=70% so a 500W psu coupled with a 300Wsystem will generate a little bit more heat than a 600W of the same quality.

I know my Pentium D 805 is supposed to be very overclockable, so should I try and see how it overclocks before I purchase a new CPU?

(I'm purchasing a Core 2 Duo/maybe [4850/GTS250/4870] somewhat this weekend, when my birthday is)

since you'll be getting a new cpu anyway, you won't gain anything if the overclock is successful.

if however the overclock is not successful you are risking damaging other components. rare, but not impossible.

i'd say leave it as is. in a few days you'll be cool. in the meantime, relax.

Aaah okay.

Thanks mate.

(OT: BTW, how did you pay for your S2, I'm looking into how I can, and internet transfer doesn't seem safe)

with paypal, if i remember.

"The payment methods we accept are credit card (VISA, Mastercard and UK debit cards), Paypal, Moneybookers, UK Cheques and Money Orders. More information can be found on the 'Buy a license' pages (make sure you are logged in)."

debit cards are pretty safe imho