Question on my system and upgrade possiblities

[Mombo]

Ok here is my system ( I should just put it in my sig I know im lazy)

 

Evga 680i A1 Mobo (not sure on firmware I haven't updated it in a while I will soon)

Conroe C2D E6600 ( OC'd to 3.4ghz)

FSP 500w PSU

Evga 7600gt

OCZ plat rev2 ddr2 800

Raptor 76gb

 

Alright I am looking at doing some upgrades to my system. I am trying to figure out which pieces are still good to keep though and which ones are holding me back.

 

Plans up to now are to get a new psu ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16817341001 ) its the OCZ 600w one that seems to have a sweet price.

 

Also looking at a new GPU which is the evga 8800gt dont need to link that everyone knows what that is If anyone knows of a sweet deal on one other then newegg please do share.

 

Questions now! Firstly on the gpu you think the 512mb 88gt is the better purchase over the 3870 or no?

 

Next is my RAM holding me back at all? I was thinking about getting the Crucial Balistix ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820148069 ) this has the micron d9's right? Is there any other ram I should be looking at? And is the ddr2 - 8500 route a good way to go?

 

Next is this mobo still a good one? I remember reading that the 680i's are still pretty good so I was thinking maybe just a firmware upgrade and better ram and I could take my CPU further? I was hoping to get stable over 3.6 - 3.7 ish atleast.

 

 

Edit: With only a dual core and 2gig of memory should I go for a 64bit Vista or 32bit? Should I try and get 2x2gb ddr2 800 and go for 64bit for sure?

 

THIS COMP IS A GAMING MACHINE! Every so often I do some 3d programs and video editing on it if I am running short on time. Mostly games! Just saying if that changes any opinions!

 

plz help and thanks for the help and opinions!

Edited January 12, 2008 by sdy284
I put your specs in your sig... cuz it's late and i'm bored :P - sdy284

[exeter_acres]

what is happening when you say "holding me back"

 

What are you measuring this by and what are you looking to improve?

[kingdingeling]

Why get new RAM? Just overclock the ones you have right now, they should at least do a wee bit more

[Verran]

Good call on the PSU and video card. I think the 8800GT is a better buy than the 3870.

 

Next is my RAM holding me back at all? I was thinking about getting the Crucial Balistix ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820148069 ) this has the micron d9's right? Is there any other ram I should be looking at? And is the ddr2 - 8500 route a good way to go?

Why are you asking us? You would know more than anyone if your ram is holding you back.

 

Buying faster RAM is not necessarily going to make your rig any faster. Actually, there's a strong possibility that it will make it slower. The 1066 memory that you're looking at is 5-5-5-15, and I'd be willing to bet the memory you have now is 4-4-4-X. The only way the memory is going to help you at all is if your OC is RAM limited and you push it a bit farther with your new memory. But that's highly unlikely.

 

Your E6600 is at 3.4 right now? That's probably 378x9 -ish, right? Which means your DDR2-800 is running at DDR2-756. So your memory is currently underclocked. So your memory is almost guaranteed to not be your limiting factor right now. So this means that your 1066 ram will end up running at this same speed but with looser timings, ultimately being slower than what you had before B:)

[Mombo]

ugh I need to go check that....if its underclocked thats a sad time for me for sure

 

I guess what I need to do is upgrade my bios and go at it again for a while. One thing that always bothers me is setting the voltages on the northbridge cpu and ram though. I never feel quite comfortable raising those cause I am not exactly sure what to bring them to.

[Comp Dude2]

underclocked by 44mhz, it is hardly the end of the world lol

 

you could maybe get more ram? though i assume you will be on 2gb already there is the issue of 64bit os's and wether it will make a difference etc.

 

Psu and Gpu should be changed first as they will give you the biggest boost

[oralpain]

Only glaring weakness I see for gaming is the video card.

 

What are the specs on that Fortron PSU? Fortron has somev ery good models, so you may not need a new PSU at all. A quality 500w is more than enough for a fast dual core and a single 8800.

 

I've been running, in what is now my secondary system, a 420 watt Enermax (29A +12v) for over a year with an overclocked dual core opteron (now an oced C2D), and an OCed G80 8800GTS. I've had zero power related problems.

[Mombo]

I have this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16817104934 for a power supply it has been pretty good for me. For some reaosn I thought going up to the 600w would be the best choice for a stable overclock with the more power hungry gpu.

[kingdingeling]

You could keep that, it's a real neat PSU! When you posted Forton 500W, I thought of the BlueStorm immediately, which is pretty crappy

[Mombo]

Ah great then I will just grab then graphics card then thats a pretty easy upgrade. Trying to think of what else to get lol. I have been considering getting a seperate receiver from my home theater to run my computer into and getting some component speakers maybe ill set that extra hundred down towards that.

 

I was thinking the Onkyo 505 would be a nice addition

 

edit: LOL did someone change my sig? I was just thinking about needing to redo it and then I saw it down there already....well whoever did that thanks! Ill add some

Edited January 12, 2008 by Mombo

[davidst]

The only thing you really need is the video card upgraded to a 8800gt. I'm using a coolermaster 500w

[Mombo]

Sheesh hey anyone know what voltages work well with this ram? Right now im running 2.0v on the ram 4-4-4 timings at 750 clock. I cant seem to get the ram to stay stable at 800 though. What voltage should I have my cpu at? Any other voltages I can play with?