Need some upgrade advice

[TheVegeet]

I am looking to upgrade my gaming rig some time soon. My current specs should be in my signature.
Here are the possible upgrades I'm thinking of making:

AMD FX-55 2.6GHz (Socket 939)
New Motherboard

AMD AM2 4200 - 4600 (Socket AM2)
New Motherboard
New RAM, probably 2 x 512MB

I have already looked into the single vs dual core issue, and I understand that single cores are generally a better value for a gaming rig, at least right now.
I am also considering upgrading my video card, but I haven't looked into that much yet because my budget is $200-300.
So here are my questions:

Is my CPU the best thing for me to upgrade right now (will it give the most performance increase)? If not, what is?
Would it be wiser to settle for a cheaper CPU (Athlon 3500-4000) and also get a new video card (Geforce 7x00)? If so, what video card?
Am I correct about the single vs dual core issue mentioned earlier?
Should I also get a new hard drive and load Vista onto it?

Thanks a lot for any help, and feel free to give criticism as this is my first post.

 

[regnez]

With $300 at the most, I would not bother upgrading. Save some more money, and then upgrade when you have enough to do it right.

Welcome to Anandtech, by the way.

EDIT: If you really wanted to upgrade, you would do best to upgrade your video card, as that is something that you can move over when you do a complete upgrade. I would recommend a x1950 pro if you want ATI, or a 7950gt if you want nvidia. Right now, both those cards offer a very good performance/price ratio, and you would see a pretty good upgrade in games with either of them.

 

[Bradtechonline]

I'd go with Dual core because most of the Core 2 Duo's will outrun the fastest single core chip in gaming. Plus you have the added benefit of being able to multitask a lot better with a dual core. *Alt-Tabing out of games etc*

However, if you do not have a lot of money you would be fine with going with an Athlon 3700+ or 3500+ AM2, and spending a lot more on a GPU. I would also get a new HDD if your current HDD has got some years on it.

I just got done building two Core 2 Duo systems for some friends. One was a E6300, the other was a E6600. Both had the same 7900GS in them, and I couldn't tell much of a difference in performance.

If you are a gamer I'd definatly spend the extra on a good GPU unless you got the cash.

2 GB of ram would be better for vista gaming also from what I hear.

 

[TheVegeet]

I forgot to say that I'm very much an AMD fan, and would prefer not to switch to Intel (unless some of you have some very convincing arguments). The same goes with Nvidia over ATI, but I'm not quite as loyal there.

Another thing that would be helpful is some comparisons of CPUs to GPUs of equivalent power. I don't want one to be much more powerful than the other.

 

[Bradtechonline]

Originally posted by: TheVegeet
I forgot to say that I'm very much an AMD fan, and would prefer not to switch to Intel (unless some of you have some very convincing arguments). The same goes with Nvidia over ATI, but I'm not quite as loyal there.

Another thing that would be helpful is some comparisons of CPUs to GPUs of equivalent power. I don't want one to be much more powerful than the other.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103031 $79.00 CPU

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130073 $99.00 after MIR Video Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145568 $101 for RAM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131042 $79 Mobo

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822136036 $59 HDD

That's pretty cheap right there.

 

[TheVegeet]

Originally posted by: Bradtechonline

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103031 $79.00 CPU

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130073 $99.00 after MIR Video Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145568 $101 for RAM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131042 $79 Mobo

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822136036 $59 HDD

That's pretty cheap right there.

I like that setup except for the CPU (Athlon 3000). Its not much better than the one I have now unless I'm missing something. Although, it is out of my $200-300 price range.

 

[regnez]

Originally posted by: TheVegeet
I forgot to say that I'm very much an AMD fan, and would prefer not to switch to Intel (unless some of you have some very convincing arguments). The same goes with Nvidia over ATI, but I'm not quite as loyal there.

Another thing that would be helpful is some comparisons of CPUs to GPUs of equivalent power. I don't want one to be much more powerful than the other.

C2D is about the most convincing argument there is right now when choosing Intel over AMD. With your budget though, it doesn't matter; you are not going to be able to afford a C2D upgrade.

Processor Link
Might not be worth it, though.

7950 Link
The best thing to upgrade for your budget.

Compare video cards.

 

[Bradtechonline]

You may just upgrade your video card for a 7600 GT AGP card from newegg. If you don't have much cash for an overall upgrade. You can pick up one for 150-200 bucks.

 

[engiNURD]

gpureview.com is also a good site for comparing gpu's. Here's Bradtechonline's suggestion:
http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=354&card2=385

$110 - eVGA 256-P2-N615 Geforce 7600GT 256MB ($130 - $20MIR)

for a convincing argument, just read the anandtech article:
http://anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2802

while single core is great right now, the newer games will all take advantage of dual core; some already do, like the source engine. You should really wait until the cheaper core2duos come out in Q2'07:
http://dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=5414

If you wait, you can get the E4300 ($113), the GA-965P-S3 ($110), and G.Skill 1GB DDR2-800 1GBNQ ($110).

However, if you want better gaming performance, you'll have to upgrade the GPU... I'd suggest the X1950Pro, since DX10 cards are so expensive, and there won't be any DX10 games for a while.

$170 - SAPPHIRE 100176L Radeon X1950PRO 256MB ($190 - $20MIR)

 

[TheVegeet]

So if I just upgrade my GPU, won't my old CPU be holding it back? Would it be better to spend $100-150 each on a new CPU and GPU?

 

[regnez]

Originally posted by: TheVegeet
So if I just upgrade my GPU, won't my old CPU be holding it back? Would it be better to spend $100-150 each on a new CPU and GPU?

Depends on the resolution you want to run your games at. If you were to get a 7900GT or 7950GT, and if you run games at nothing higher than 1280x1024, a new GPU would really help.

 

[TheVegeet]

Originally posted by: regnez
Depends on the resolution you want to run your games at. If you were to get a 7900GT or 7950GT, and if you run games at nothing higher than 1280x1024, a new GPU would really help.

Actually, I just got a new 20" widescreen monitor. As far as I know, there are basically two usable widescreen resolutions: 1680x1050 and 1280x720. I haven't tested all my games with widescreen, but the ones that I have I run at 1680. Oblivion doesn't run well at either of those resolutions, so I stopped playing that until I get an upgrade. Company of Heroes didn't seem to run much slower at 1680, so I run it at that, but with low settings. I wouldn't mind playing at 1280 if I could crank up the settings, and run Oblivion well. (I'm pretty picky when it comes to FPS, I won't play it if its under 30)

Thanks for all the help, guys. It's looking like I'm going to get GPU (Geforce 7600-7950), but by all means, keep posting.

 

[regnez]

It is going to take one helluva setup to get Oblivion to run at >30fps at 1680x1050, especially in the outdoor environments. To accomplish this, you are going to have to do a complete overhaul of your system, not just an upgrade.

For most other games though, FEAR and a few others excluded, a 7950gt should be able to pull you along with some pretty good FPS at 1680x1050. You also might consider going with 2gb of ram if possible, as that would help in games where there is a whole lot going on at once.

 

[TheVegeet]

So with a 7950gt, how well will I be able to run Oblivion at 1280x720? Maybe I was unclear, but I wouldn't mind playing at 1280.

 

[regnez]

Originally posted by: TheVegeet
So with a 7950gt, how well will I be able to run Oblivion at 1280x720? Maybe I was unclear, but I wouldn't mind playing at 1280.

Look up some Oblivion benchmarks; it really beats the hell out of any card it is running on. If that is the game you are most concerned about though, you would be better off with an ATI card, as they handle the game better.

 

[engiNURD]

You'll need alot more than $300 to get oblivion running nicely at that res.

 

[151528]

if you want a cheap upgrade, then i would say a 7600 seems the way to go, you'll see an improvement, and you'll be able to put some of the spare cash to building a new rig, as its clear you'll need one soon if you want to play the games you've mentioned at those settings. And when the time comes, you wont need to fork out more for a GPU as you'll have a decent one for a short while, although that would have to be the first upgrade you make when you move on...
well thats just my 2 cents

TK