Upgrading my Gaming PC

Sincat · 11-04-2009, 07:47 AM

So I'll be travelling to the US at the end of November (I live in Europe) and figured it might be a good idea to upgrade my gaming PC while I'm there. If anyone has a recommendation for any improvements, that would be REALLY appreciated.
I'm a real graphics nut, and I really want to get the most out of my machine.
Just a quick note, I don't really know the first thing about overclocking, and a fear of burnt out hardware makes me a little nervous about trying it.
I'll be picking up a copy of Windows 7 Home soon too, so I guess that should help. (I've heard it's pretty handy for PC gamers)

Here's my system as it stands:
Motherboard: ASUS P5N-D ( NVIDIA 750i SLI - Socket 775 - FSb 1333 ) 2 x PCIe
Processor: INTEL Core 2 Duo 3.16GHz E8500 + Ventilateur [ LGA775 - 6MB - 45nm - 1333MHz]
Memory: DDR2 2GB [1GBx2] DDR800 (PC2-6400) - CORSAIR TwinX x 2
HDD: SATA300 80GB - 7200 SEAGATE Barracuda 7200.10 (8 MBytes) (x 2 RAIDed)
SATA300 1.0To (1000GB) - 7200 SEAGATE Barracuda 7200.11 (32 MBytes) (x 2 RAIDed)
Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce 9800GTX+ PCIe ( GeForce 9800GTX+ 512MB 2xDVI )
Sound: Onboard
Power: 500W OCZ Technology StealthXStream Power Supply

Any help would really be appreciated. I have until the 20th of November! :P

**Tyree** · 11-04-2009, 07:57 AM

My first suggestion would be a PSU. You are underpowered for one 9800GTX GPU (450W minimum).
Upgrading to one powerful GPU and a PSU to power it might be good.
Two GPU's yield very little performance gain.
Replacing the 2X1GB of RAM with a 2X2GB matched pair might also help.

Sincat · 11-05-2009, 02:52 AM

Okay, so you're saying I should get an PSU to suppliment my current graphics card?
I'm a little worried about how much space there is inside my box, because the Graphics card I have is quite large. (My case is the ANTEC Nine Hundred)

Sorry, I wrote my RAM wrong, I actually have 4 gig total.

**Tyree** · 11-05-2009, 07:14 AM

All ATX PSU's are the same physical size and any of then will easily fit into your Antec 900 case.

Sincat · 11-05-2009, 07:19 AM

I'm confused though. Why would I need to get at least 450w when my current power supply is 500w?
Is there any Power supply and graphics unit you could recommend for me in particular? That's the issue, I don't really know hardware too well. And if i need to upgrade my power supply and graphics card, then I wouldn't have a clue what to look for for my hardware. My gaming is mainly focused on PC, so I'm really interested in the latest games.

**Tyree** · 11-05-2009, 08:59 AM

I wasn't suggesting you get a 450W PSU.
450W is the minimum suggested, by the manufacturer, PSU for a 9800GTX.
I don't game so I'm not up on GPU requirements for gaming but I'm certain someone will suggest one for you.

Phædrus2401 · 11-05-2009, 09:28 AM

The 9800GTX+ is still a quite competent card, unless you're playing on very large resolutions that shouldn't need an upgrade. However if you do want an upgrade the best deal under $200 is the Radeon 5770. This won't be a huge improvement over you current card, but it will be some, plus you get DX11 support. For a bit more cash you could get a 5850, which is an excellent high-end card.

The power supply is dangerously low as is. If you want a new graphics card you'll definitely want to upgrade it to at least a 650W from a quality brand like Corsair or SeaSonic. The manufacturer always low-balls the power requirements to what is the minimum required for the card to function. They don't take into account things like derating.

Sincat · 11-06-2009, 03:25 AM

Sounds good to me. I'll look into a new PSU and check out the 5850 when I'm in the US in November.
Thanks so much for the help.

11-04-2009, 07:47 AM	#1 (permalink)
Sincat Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 9 OS: Windows Vista Service Pack 1, Windows XP Service Pack 3	Upgrading my Gaming PC So I'll be travelling to the US at the end of November (I live in Europe) and figured it might be a good idea to upgrade my gaming PC while I'm there. If anyone has a recommendation for any improvements, that would be REALLY appreciated. I'm a real graphics nut, and I really want to get the most out of my machine. Just a quick note, I don't really know the first thing about overclocking, and a fear of burnt out hardware makes me a little nervous about trying it. I'll be picking up a copy of Windows 7 Home soon too, so I guess that should help. (I've heard it's pretty handy for PC gamers) Here's my system as it stands: Motherboard: ASUS P5N-D ( NVIDIA 750i SLI - Socket 775 - FSb 1333 ) 2 x PCIe Processor: INTEL Core 2 Duo 3.16GHz E8500 + Ventilateur [ LGA775 - 6MB - 45nm - 1333MHz] Memory: DDR2 2GB [1GBx2] DDR800 (PC2-6400) - CORSAIR TwinX x 2 HDD: SATA300 80GB - 7200 SEAGATE Barracuda 7200.10 (8 MBytes) (x 2 RAIDed) SATA300 1.0To (1000GB) - 7200 SEAGATE Barracuda 7200.11 (32 MBytes) (x 2 RAIDed) Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce 9800GTX+ PCIe ( GeForce 9800GTX+ 512MB 2xDVI ) Sound: Onboard Power: 500W OCZ Technology StealthXStream Power Supply Any help would really be appreciated. I have until the 20th of November! :P

11-04-2009, 07:57 AM	#2 (permalink)
Tyree Mentor Hardware Team Join Date: May 2009 Location: Illinois Posts: 5,356 OS: XP Pro-7RC-Mandriva My System	Re: Upgrading my Gaming PC My first suggestion would be a PSU. You are underpowered for one 9800GTX GPU (450W minimum). Upgrading to one powerful GPU and a PSU to power it might be good. Two GPU's yield very little performance gain. Replacing the 2X1GB of RAM with a 2X2GB matched pair might also help. __________________ Posting your PC specs will help us to help you quicker and more efficiently.

11-05-2009, 02:52 AM	#3 (permalink)
Sincat Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 9 OS: Windows Vista Service Pack 1, Windows XP Service Pack 3	Re: Upgrading my Gaming PC Okay, so you're saying I should get an PSU to suppliment my current graphics card? I'm a little worried about how much space there is inside my box, because the Graphics card I have is quite large. (My case is the ANTEC Nine Hundred) Sorry, I wrote my RAM wrong, I actually have 4 gig total.

11-05-2009, 07:14 AM	#4 (permalink)
Tyree Mentor Hardware Team Join Date: May 2009 Location: Illinois Posts: 5,356 OS: XP Pro-7RC-Mandriva My System	Re: Upgrading my Gaming PC All ATX PSU's are the same physical size and any of then will easily fit into your Antec 900 case. __________________ Posting your PC specs will help us to help you quicker and more efficiently.

11-05-2009, 07:19 AM	#5 (permalink)
Sincat Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 9 OS: Windows Vista Service Pack 1, Windows XP Service Pack 3	Re: Upgrading my Gaming PC I'm confused though. Why would I need to get at least 450w when my current power supply is 500w? Is there any Power supply and graphics unit you could recommend for me in particular? That's the issue, I don't really know hardware too well. And if i need to upgrade my power supply and graphics card, then I wouldn't have a clue what to look for for my hardware. My gaming is mainly focused on PC, so I'm really interested in the latest games.

11-05-2009, 08:59 AM	#6 (permalink)
Tyree Mentor Hardware Team Join Date: May 2009 Location: Illinois Posts: 5,356 OS: XP Pro-7RC-Mandriva My System	Re: Upgrading my Gaming PC I wasn't suggesting you get a 450W PSU. 450W is the minimum suggested, by the manufacturer, PSU for a 9800GTX. I don't game so I'm not up on GPU requirements for gaming but I'm certain someone will suggest one for you. __________________ Posting your PC specs will help us to help you quicker and more efficiently.

11-05-2009, 09:28 AM	#7 (permalink)
Phædrus2401 Hardware Tech Team Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: New Orleans Posts: 3,706 OS: Vista Ultimate x64 SP1 + Ubuntu 9.04 My System	Re: Upgrading my Gaming PC The 9800GTX+ is still a quite competent card, unless you're playing on very large resolutions that shouldn't need an upgrade. However if you do want an upgrade the best deal under $200 is the Radeon 5770. This won't be a huge improvement over you current card, but it will be some, plus you get DX11 support. For a bit more cash you could get a 5850, which is an excellent high-end card. The power supply is dangerously low as is. If you want a new graphics card you'll definitely want to upgrade it to at least a 650W from a quality brand like Corsair or SeaSonic. The manufacturer always low-balls the power requirements to what is the minimum required for the card to function. They don't take into account things like derating. __________________ Good PSU brands: Corsair, SeaSonic, CWT, PC Power and Cooling, Thermaltake Toughpower, CoolerMaster Real Power Pro On 80+ Certification - PSU Information and Selection - Power Supply Myths You don't get what you don't pay for.

11-06-2009, 03:25 AM	#8 (permalink)
Sincat Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 9 OS: Windows Vista Service Pack 1, Windows XP Service Pack 3	Re: Upgrading my Gaming PC Sounds good to me. I'll look into a new PSU and check out the 5850 when I'm in the US in November. Thanks so much for the help.