**Advice Needed*

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by *WavyGravy*, Aug 10, 2006.

  1. *WavyGravy*

    *WavyGravy* Corporal

    Hey peeps, was trying to upgrade my pc for the new expansion packs coming out later this year...and got stuck. Cant figure out which to buy...I really need a new cpu(AMD64 3500+) so I was thinking of an AMD64 x2 4200+ what with the price war, but do I need a new cpu or would a second 7600gt in SLi be more beneficial than a cpu upgrade? I was told that without enough memory a strong cpu would be wasted by bottlenecking....any thoughts guys?

    (Im getting more memory later)


    Thanks for any help "rendered"..

    *Wavy*
     
  2. froggy_style

    froggy_style Private E-2

    i`ve got a 7600GT and was thinking of putting in a second one in sli..searched google and found test showing that 2 gpu`s give you 1 or 2 fps less than 1..so i don`t think its word the extra money on a gpu an would go for a other gpu or cpu
     
  3. InYearsToCome

    InYearsToCome MajorGeek

    your CPU is fine, and rather than a second 7600, i would upgrade to a single 7800 or 7900, or perhaps an X1900. CPU only bottlenecks the GPU if its significantly slower or older, and a 3500+ is neither.
     
  4. *WavyGravy*

    *WavyGravy* Corporal

    froggy_style : Thanks for the reply. LoL, I didnt know that adding a second GPU would actually slow things down. I know that going SLi isnt that powerful but I thought any little bit helps, you know. You got a link to that source.


    InYearsToCome:Thanks for the reply. Well I wasnt planning on upgrading my GPU again until Vista comes out, but I figured a stronger CPU would only help (although not many games utilize the dual core thing)...would I see a big difference by adding a second gig of memory instead????????

    Thanks again for the replies peeps.:)


    *WavY*
     
  5. InYearsToCome

    InYearsToCome MajorGeek

    While many games run better with 2GB of RAM nowadays, i still feel its more your GPU holding you back. Your CPU is fine for some time now (as you said, most games dont utlize dual core yet), and 1GB is still fine for now, but your graphics card is mid range.
     
  6. froggy_style

    froggy_style Private E-2

  7. *WavyGravy*

    *WavyGravy* Corporal


    Thx for the link, most informative, .....damn cheap @$$ 7600gts. But I see their point, Im able to run BF2 at full settings with this setup, same with Oblivion (minus Actor and Item Fade Distance which causes sheering) but it seems SLi wont add anything new. Plus this is in favor of InYearsToCome's posts as well.

    Well youve both saved me a good deal of money, TY. I guess I'll look into a new GPU. Will there be any dramatic changes to the GPUs when Vista comes out with DirectX10, so that it would be better to wait for another year instead of buying one now?

    Once again thanks for your time and posts:)


    *WavY*
     
  8. froggy_style

    froggy_style Private E-2

    no problem, was looking for it myself as a upgrade
     
  9. MellowMan

    MellowMan First Sergeant

  10. InYearsToCome

    InYearsToCome MajorGeek

    Well DX10 cards are on their way fairly soon. If you are not satisfied with your current gaming performance, it might be worth it to upgrade to something more powerful without spending a ton of money-- like a 7800gt or 7900gt.

    If you are happy with performance now and think you can manage for another number of months, its probably worth waiting for DX10 cards to appear, and then splurge on a higher end card
     

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