EZ Server

I am considering upgrading my video card soon and was wondering if anyone had suggestions on a good card to buy where I would get a good card at a decent price.

I currently use a ATI Radeon x1900 card.  I am looking for a card that would be good for gaming... (EQ and other gamer games)

The other specs of my computer are as follows:

Windows 7 Home Edition
Intel Core2 CPU 6400@2.13 Ghz
4GB Ram

I was also thinking about upgrading the cpu... Would that make a bigger difference than upgrading the video card?

I do know the basics about computers, but not to advanced in certain areas.... Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am always looking to learn new things.

Thanks in advance!

Since you didn't give a budget I'll just go for bang for the buck...


GPU:   ATI 5850 or 5870

CPU:  i7 720Q/740Q

well upgrading ur cpu is limited to what ur montherboard supports so it might not be able to handle the I7 you have to figure out whats the best CPU for that MB

I actually thought about that shortly after I posted this... My mother board is an Asus P5B Deluxe... really not sure how advanced of a cpu it could handle.

Could it handle the one posted earlier?

no it can not

heres your MB

Model
Brand    ASUS
Model    P5B Deluxe
Supported CPU
CPU Socket Type    LGA 775
CPU Type    Core 2 Extreme / Core 2 Duo / Pentium EE / Pentium
FSB    1066/800MHz
Supported CPU Technologies    Hyper-Threading Technology
Chipsets
North Bridge    Intel P965 Express
South Bridge    Intel ICH8R
Memory
Number of Memory Slots    4×240pin
Memory Standard    DDR2 800
Maximum Memory Supported    8GB
Channel Supported    Dual Channel
Expansion Slots
PCI Express x16    2
PCI Express x1    1
PCI Slots    3
Storage Devices
PATA    1 x ATA100 2 Dev. Max
SATA 3Gb/s    7
SATA RAID    0/1/5/10 Matrix RAID
Additional RAID Controller    JMicron JMB363
Onboard Video
Onboard Video Chipset    None
Onboard Audio
Audio Chipset    ADI AD1988B
Audio Channels    8 Channels
Onboard LAN
Max LAN Speed    Dual 10/100/1000Mbps
Rear Panel Ports
PS/2    2
COM    1
USB 1.1/2.0    4 x USB 2.0
IEEE 1394    1 x IEEE 1394a
eSATA    1 x eSATA 3Gb/s
S/PDIF Out    1 x Optical, 1 x Coaxial
Audio Ports    6 Ports
Onboard USB
Onboard USB    4 x USB 2.0
Onboard 1394
Onboard 1394    1 x 1394a
Physical Spec
Form Factor    ATX
Dimensions    12.0" x 9.6"
Windows Vista    Certified for Windows Vista
Power Pin    24 Pin
Features
Features    Notice: Only DDR2-800 memory supporting JEDEC approved 1.8V operation with timings of 5-5-5 or 6-6-6 is supported on Intel Desktop Boards based on Intel 965 Express Chipsets

What would you suggest? a new mother board and cpu and video card? or just upgrade the video card and go wth the cpu and mb I currently have?

i dont see any reason to upgrade ur cpu really. upgrade to 8gigs of ram and new video card doesnt have to be the best on the market just a newer card

Assuming you are running a 64 bit OS.

Gotta ask what you are upgrading for, if you want to speed up the system get a SSD as a boot volume/eq volume/frequently used app volume and use your regular drive as secondary storage. You'd be amazed how fast your system will feel.

If you are upgrading to box more toons - more memory with a 64bit OS.

I don't know ATI but if that model is equal to the GF 8800 that's an extremely capable card. I used an 8800 until early this year and was able to run high end titles on it quite well (Oblivion, Fallout3, Mass Effect 2, etc).  I'm sure it would run EQ about 3x faster than needed (esp. without luclin models) but might be worth upgrading if you want to play other (modern) games on it.

The cpu could also be upgraded too.  You have a socket 775 board which is still (more or less) current.  Any Core2 Duo or Quad will work.  Depends on how much you want to spend - you can get a E6300 (dual 2.8ghz) for $79, or a Q8400 (quad 2.66) for $169.  Or anything up to the fastest quad core that will fit in that socket (Q9650) for $329.

A good proccessor choice might be the AMD 955 black (3.2ghz quad) for about $150. You'll need an AM3 capable motherboard for this which will likely result in you needing DDR3 RAM (Corsair recommended) also. Most MSI/Gigabyte/ASUS AM3 motherboards are good boards.

nVidia just came out with the gtx460 card, basically a budget version of their highest end GPUs for about $200. (EVGA is the brand to go with on nVidia cards)

If you want to go a step further you might look at the gtx470 which ranges from $300-$350.

All that should run on a 500w power supply easy.

I would recommend the i7 processors, a big step up in processor tech.

My current setup is an i7 920, Gigabyte MB, 12 Gigs of DDR3 and a Radeon HD 5870 on Windows 7 64 bit. But as far as graphics cards go you really don't need the top end for EQ.

5870 is leagues ahead of the 8800 series.

He's got a x1900 that's what I was comparing it to.

He can't use a AMD or i7.... he's got a socket 775.  Yeah I'd recommend i7 too.. except the mobo's are $220+ and the chips are almost $300.  Throw in some DDR3 ram and you are looking at $600+ for a decent setup.

Orrr he could throw in a Q8400 (quad core 2.66 Ghz) in the same board, keep the same ram, for $169.  Big difference.

Indeed, just throwing out options and opinions. At some points people deciede to go in the direction of new system instead of upgrade.

I think a lot of stuff that outpaces what he has and isn't necessarily top of the line/cost is on the market now.

Very much so.

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

Does this mean my motherboard would not be able to handle ddr3-1600 ram?

That is correct.  You're limited to DDR2 800.

depends on what your need are, your video card is fine for EQ.

the gtx460 and ATI 5850 are both in the 200-260 price range and great cards for the price. going any higher is like paying a premium for the small increase you will see.


not sure how much you know about overclocking but most core 2 duo chips overclock well. you could overclock your chip to around 3ghz. overclocking is not for everyone, it takes little greater understanding of how PC's work to do it but, you should have no issue finding a guild to assist you.  http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1198647 (http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1198647) here is a database of C2D overclocks reaching 3ghz with a E6400 should be pretty easy. http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1138241 (http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1138241)

right now i would consider a video card updated and overclocking your cpu. then save your money for a full new system. intel has moved on new sockets so while you could upgrade to like a 3ghz chip yours will overclock to that for free. just have to understand the risks. i run cpu/gpu overclocked 24/7 just keep everything cool dont overvolt more then few percent and you dont have to worry about killing hardware.

The P5B Deluxe isn't a good mobo for overclocking but I don't see any reason why you couldn't get another 20-25% out of the E6400.

My Q6600 is at 3.9 GHz.  It gets very hot so remember cooling is extremely important.  The hotter your ambient is (room temp) the harder it's going to be to cool your pc.

Invest in some high quality 80-120mm fans (depending on your case) and replace all your stock fans.  Some good thermal compound on your processor and gpu helps too.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and suggestions.

For now I am upgrading the ram to see if that makes a noticeable difference.

If I am still not where I want to be, I think I may just build a new machine.