veritas88

I've got a "Frankenstein-esque" gaming computer and I'd like some feedback on what I could improve, as well as how much it'll run me $$$. It's been with me since 2004 (i think?) and I've had to replace a few parts here and there.
Most notably, about a year or so ago, my GeForce 6800GT failed on me while I was playing Crysis, (go ahead and laugh; I sure as hell did) and I decided to go ahead and ditch AGP and go all out for the PCI-e, which of course meant that my motherboard, processor, and RAM all had to go too.

Mobo: Intel P35DPM
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad-Core 2.4GHz (Q6600)
RAM: 2x1GB DDR2 (not sure what brand - assume standard grade stuff - I know this is the FIRST thing that needs to be replaced, but with what?)
HDD: 2x120GB RAID 0 (same as the RAM: unknown brand, I know I need to replace them esp. since they are now pushing 5 years of faithful service)
Video Card: EVGA 8800GT

Ive also got a sound card in there (Audigy 2 something, it's been around since I originally built the computer, in all honesty I may have not hooked it back up when I replaced the mobo; I realize now that I've gotten rather lazy when it comes to maintainence)

Is it worth upgrading the RAM and HDD's again?
If so what do you recommend?
Should I wait and/or maybe spring for a new custom computer based around Core i7 or Core i5?
If so when, and what should I look into getting?

Reply with any thoughts or questions. Thanks in advance.

mrquick42

Most of your components look like they should still be pretty solid performers. The first thing (maybe the only thing I would do if it was my system) is upgrade the RAM and DDR2 800 RAM is cheap and a very strong performer.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231122

If you feel like spending a little bit of money you could upgrade the video card as well. A 9800GT card will probably get you a few more FPS in your favorite game.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130339

As far as the core I7 stuff goes, I would probably wait most of a year for some of the bugs to get worked out and for the price to come down. Personally I don't see the point in paying $1000+ for a new mobo and CPU that *might* perform 10% better than what you already have.

veritas88

Thank you for the imput. You don't think the HDD's need to go too? I ask because I'm worried about mechanical failure, and since I'm set up in RAID 0, it would not be pleasant. Perhaps I should just back up my drives to an external HDD to give me a little peace of mind. I wouldn't be too upset if I lost all of my data, but it would be nice to be able to keep some important files.

I realized that I completely forgot to include information about my operating system, which used to be Windows XP Pro 32-bit, but when I had the video card failure, I "upgraded" to Windows Vista Business 64-bit. I'd also like any thoughts on what operating systems are best for gaming PC's.

veritas88

Sorry for the double-post... I tried to edit my last post, but it was past the 30min timer.

I wanted to include some more information about my parts outside of the box itself so I could get recommendations about them as well as update on some of things I couldn't remember while I wasn't at the PC in question.

The sound card is a Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS, it is hooked up, I don't remember if I wired in the front panel though.

The case itself is a Thermaltake Tsunami Dream that has held up fairly strong, though it can be a bit noisy and occasionally will vibrate my desk (probably the result of a dying fan off it's axis) adding to the noise and annoyance.

The speakers are Creative SBS 5.1 560 that work fine, although (this may just be the games themselves, or the settings) I play a lot of FPS's and they get VERY quiet VERY quickly when I am next to someone who is talking or shooting etc. and I am not facing them. Also, the center speaker doesn't put out sound. I've moved the speakers around, but it's always the center one that doesn't work.

I have a dual monitor setup and really enjoy it. My main monitor is a decent 19" (maybe) Neovo F-419 LCD that only gets resolution up to 1280x1024, which is fine but I'd like to look into other monitors that can get 1600x1200. My secondary monitor is an old Optiquest Q41 CRT (I dug it out of the basement) that gets 1024x768. It takes up too much desk space which is why I want a new monitor so I can move the Neovo to secondary.

I have a Logitech S510 cordless keyboard/mouse that work fine, though I'd like to look at some keyboard/mouse setups that were designed with gaming in mind. I like the wireless, but I would like rechargeable batteries this time around. (I'm sick of buying batteries... and whose freaking idea was it to make the mouse take AA and the keyboard AAA!?)

veritas88

*Bump*

...while I'm thinking about it would it also be worthwhile to get 8g of RAM (2x what mrquick42 suggested) or would the other 4g basically go to waste as "too excessive"?

wrench97

What OS are you running if 32 bit windows the 4Gig is the max it will see.
The P35/ Q6600 can still be a potent set up maybe a pair of 2Gig sticks in DDR2 800 and a good heat sink and fan then OC the Q6600 to around 3Gig.

As for the HD's 5 years is time especially since the brand is unknown I would just use 1 Seagate 320 or 500 Gig drive with the 32meg cache.

You will not see a lot of difference between the 8800GT and the 9800GT if any, A GTX260, 280 or 285 yes but what power supply are you using?

veritas88

64-bit windows vista business on a 64-bit processor... I hear tell that I need AT LEAST 4g of RAM to take advantage of 64-bit technology, which is why i thought why not go for 8g if it's only gonna run me another $40?

As a side note I was wondering about changing my OS:
I've heard that Vista Ultimate is faster than any other edition, but I've also heard that there is a 64-bit version of XP floating around somewhere. I've heard the 64-bit XP has some stability issues but other than that I know next to nothing about it. Additionally, would it be stupid to downgrade to 32-bit XP Pro? (which I actually have)

I was looking into some velociraptor HDD's... are they worth it for my setup?

"The P35/ Q6600 can still be a potent set up maybe a pair of 2Gig sticks in DDR2 800 and a good heat sink and fan then OC the Q6600 to around 3Gig."

I assume you meant 3GHz, but my immediate problem then becomes my case. It's fairly cramped in there as it is, and I need to invest in at least one or two new fans (the one installed now are noisy esp. the main one in the rear which has become such an annoyance I have disconnected it from the PSU and left the side of my case open to help compensate... yes I know it's a bad idea, but I'm not currently OCing, so I'm not very worried)

I am unsure what kind of PSU I have installed, but it WAS replaced along with the mobo, ram, and video card; I just forgot to mention it. It was a little bit bigger than my previous one, and I had trouble actually fitting it into the case. I think it should provide enough power for most anything I would want to put in there, though I could do some math when I get off work and am actually in front of the PC in question.

wrench97

With the side off the label should be easy to see on the PSU.

64 bit XP is 64 bit XP be it Home or Pro Same with Vista Business it is not faster or slower the Ultimate or Home Premium just a different feature set.

Task manager will show you how much ram you are using I bet not even close to 4Gig I've had 4 person work stations in a graphics environment that didn't log over 6gig of usage with 4 people using the machine at the same time.

If the Case does not have good cooling then I would consider upgrading it, I think the i7 setup needs more time they are not that much faster then a current P45/P35 with a E8500 Dual core(since most software only runs on 2 cores) are expensive and have a few bugs yet, The point being maybe you should start working your way to the next setup with a Case, The ram will not go forward as i7's are DDR3 only boards so I would stay with 4Gig, D\L Cpuz it will ID the ram you currently have and the speed> http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

Raptors are a waste of cash IMHO they are not much faster then the latest Sata Drives may save you .2 of a second opening a program but costly and fail quicker then standard drives.

Next question is budget do you have an amount in mind?

veritas88

Frankly I didn't think budget would be much of an issue at first, but I would say I am not looking to drop thousands to make my PC a "top-of-the-line" super computer, but I am willing to spend enough to upgrade what I think is already a well-built machine with a few weak areas to a solid, all-around gaming setup that any gamer would be proud to own.

Things I would like some more information or newegg links to:
HDD's - good, dependable, fast (does RAID0 read/write noticibly faster than a single HDD? and if so how many HDD's does it take to notice a difference?)
Cases - I'm not a flashy guy, so somthing with customizable Case LED's that strobe to the beat of your iTunes isn't my kind of thing, (actually that would be pretty cool to see) but I do like style.
OS's - what's the "best" 64-bit OS to play games on?

Monitor's, Speakers, Keyboards/Mice

linderman

Hard drives = I agree it would be very SMART to add two 500gb sata drives to your rig ......... like seagate sata300 drives with 32mb cache

case ................. smart money = COOL temps and plenty of room = FULL tower

antec 1200 or this one

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119160


ram choice

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145214


cpu has plenty of wallop proividing your motherboard is capable of overclocking ..... am checking that now

you could use a good cpu cooler = zalman 9700


you must verify power supply ............... your video card has plenty of muscle IMHO ....... in fact the Q6600 at stock speeds cant drain the muscle out of that card .......... plus that card will overclock very well !!

linderman

nix the memory I listed above ............ I dont see support for 1066mhz ram ........... so grab the next closest thing

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145194



these will be almost darn near as good and as fast

wrench97

The Os you have is fine all it's missing that Ultimate has is Media Center for recording TV/Movies and bitlocker to encrypt the hard drive in case it gets stolen, maybe a good thing on a laptop but if someone steals your desktop you probably have larger problems.

Raid0 is faster you already have raid so not a learning curve so much for installation.
http://www.pcguide.com/ref/hdd/perf/...eLevel0-c.html
2 or 3 of these would be fast> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148288

Cases I use a lot of Coolermaster cases and like them a lot > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...119152&bop=And
Just got one of these for a build today can't tell you yet how bright the light is> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811133074
But the neon is part of the fan so easy to get rid of if necessary.

Monitors > In what size?

Speakers> Bad thing to ask a tone deaf guy like me:)

Keyboard and Mice need to feel right to you, I use a lot of everything, anything but I do like the Razors. > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16826153003

veritas88

I'm glad to hear all my research and work putting this PC together paid off.
I looked into some Corsair RAM, but to be honest is it worth paying over twice the price for Corsair as I would for these?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122
What are the bonus's in going with Corsair so I know if it's worth the extra $$$ to me?
I also wasn't a big fan of the case designs either... not sure why. Maybe I'm just looking for something thats not black this time around. It might just be that simple.
As for the HDD's, I think getting more speed for my money than space is more important to me. I'd guesstimate I won't need more than 500G total.

linderman

that Gskil ram is not bad ram ......... but that model is not a really good one either ........ high performance ram is rated for 2.1 volts ........... I am assuming you are chasing "performance" other wise why bother with this adventure at all ?

your linked ram is kind of like higher class economy ram ................. not bad stuff ...... just not great

linderman

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148212

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227371

veritas88

I've always fear OCing my computer because of some nasty rumors I've heard about what it can do, plus I know if I didn't want to be one of those who blew up their system trying to push it too far, I'd have to invest in some other higher quality "aftermarket" parts like fans and a nice heatsink. Maybe it is just good fortune that I either NEED to replace my fans, or buy a whole new case outright. If I got my hands on some nice fans, and a bigger heatsink, I'd be ok with OCing my system to get a little bit more performance out of it. I wouldn't want to push it, but I see no point in playing it safe having my nice, expensive computer operate at half of what it's capable of. (esp. since the way technology is if it doesn't fail after a year it's obsolete and needs to be replaced anyway)

The point is I NEED some more RAM the 2x 1G Kingston DDR2 800 RAM I have in there now is pretty much laughable when compared to the rest of the system. Would Corsair RAM operate faster and perform better than those other RAM's? Or would it not be noticeable until after I've heavily overclocked my system?

Of the RAM linked throughout this thread which would you recommend for my system if I chose not to OC it, or only slightly OC it, and would I still need to get a better heatsink if I plan to do ANY OCing?

linderman

I dont push or suggest pusing ANY systems to breaking edge........... your Q6600 is plenty capable of hitting 3.0ghz with zero danger !

all you need is good case air flow ............ a roomy case thats not all cramped up / good memory / good psu >>>>> you still havent given us this info .........

all DDR2-800 I have linked will meet your needs at prices of $59.00 to buy 4 gigs ??????


kingston is economy ram (for the most part) ................. there is no need for that in todays cheap ram prices !

veritas88

Just got home...

PSU: NSpire PSH450V
Monitor: Not good with numbers... something LCD for sure (maybe 22" or at least around it?) preferrably of a decent size with good resolution
Speakers: Good quality sound preferrably with a good woofer that can really bring those FPS's to life

If I push the CPU to 3.0GHz, do I need to purchase any aftermarket heatsinks or fans? (please specify if it's a CPU fan or a case fan etc.)
If so, do you have any recommendations?
It looks like the OCZ Platinum RAM is a better deal... Any thoughts?
I still need to find a good case that I like too... do you know of any that are recommended that maybe come in a silver or gunmetal color or something other than flat black?

linderman

http://www.pugetsystems.com/part_info.php?part=4591


the oCZ ram is very good .......... no worry there

cpu heatsink/ cooler = zalman 9700 .......... go to the zalman website and you will find an install movie there too !

I am shocked youre getting by with that 450 watt power supply .............. hope I didnt just jinx you !

veritas88

haha so you're saying that my PSU will need to be replaced as well? What do you recommend there?
I saw that case a while ago and I really liked it, have you ever use a case with an air filter like that one? I assumed it would be VERY quiet and clean, (which I would love) but might be prone to overheating. I've looked at it more closely and seen that it's got a lot of features I would love. I'm sold on the case thank you very much!