Best upgrade options (CPU, Video, RAM - pick 2)?

Kyzen

So I'm looking at upgrading my system a bit this week. However, I only have about $600ish for the task.

Currently I have:
C2D 6300
2 gigs RAM
Nvidia 7900 GS
Vista 64

I was looking at getting either a C2Q 6600, 4 more gigs of RAM (2x2048) for a total of 6 gigs in my system, or an 8800 GTS (though on that I can't decide if I would be best off with the 320 or 640 meg card). Unfortunately, my budget really seems to only allow for me to get 2 of these items.

I did just pick up a Tuniq Tower this week that will allow me to overclock my 6300 beyond the stock speeds it's currently at.

Any suggestions on what upgrades might benefit me the most? I primarily use my computer for gaming - Battlefield 2142, various Source games, Civilization IV, WoW, NWN2. I do some work on it as well (coding) but it's already more than powerful enough for that, so these upgrades are with gaming in mind.

whuppins

Out of those three components, I'd say the one that is closest to lagging behind the curve is your RAM. And as you may know, memory is also about the only thing that WoW cares about (I can't speak for the other games you mentioned, but I have heard people complaining that 2GB is the new 'bare minimum' for running new games). I'd definitely take RAM to start with.

As for the other two, is there an option to hold off and save your money? An overclocked dual-core 6300 is still very capable, and we're still not seeing games that demand an 8800's DX10 capabilities. They both seem like pretty minor upgrades considering the money you'd be spending. By the time you really need an 8800, for example, it will cost far less than it does now.

Edit: Don't forget, if you end up planning to buy a video card, memory size can be very misleading, as a lot of companies throw a bunch of extra RAM on the card (since it's so cheap) that will never be used, just to get a bigger number on the box and sell more units. Check an in-depth site like Tom's or something if you're comparing cards; don't just assume that a 640 meg card > a 320 meg card.

Kyzen

Well then in the vein of saving money, is $200-$250 on 4 gigs of RAM (for 6 total) a good option, or would I be fine with 2 gigs more (total of 4), for like $80, and just doing a complete rebuild down the road with DDR3?

KMFurDM

2 gigs of RAM is probably plenty. I wouldn't add more really. Only replace with better. I'd probably just do the video card at this point.

whuppins

If it were me, I'd do 2 gig for now, but then again I don't play very new games and I don't need a bleeding-edge system. Of course, none of the games you mentioned are super-recent either, so maybe that works for you too. I'd probably drop the $80 and see if that savings makes an 8800 or a quad core any more palatable.

Edit: Though I love his hot dog avatar, I strongly disagree with KMFDM about RAM. The GFW guys were complaining about the "2 gig minimum" on their podcasts six months ago. The bar is really moving up and until DX10-only games start coming out, that will be the bottleneck that you'll hit first.

Clipse

It should be noted, with regards to RAM upgrading, that the 32 bit versions of Windows max out at somewhere less than 4GB of RAM (with the exact limit dependent on your system). It will work fine, but you won't be getting the whole advantage of having 4GB of RAM. An explanation of this can be found here. The 64 bit versions (both of XP and of Vista) support much larger amounts of memory without any trouble.

saggio

Kyzen wrote: »

Well then in the vein of saving money, is $200-$250 on 4 gigs of RAM (for 6 total) a good option, or would I be fine with 2 gigs more (total of 4), for like $80, and just doing a complete rebuild down the road with DDR3?

DDR3 is still expensive as all hell, and both Intel and AMD won't be able to actually reach the ceiling for DDR2 for another six or so months. I can't honestly see DDR3 even starting to become viable until Q2 2008 - and even then, that would depend on memory prices and availability. I'd stick with the DDR2 for now, and wouldn't worry about DDR3 unless you are looking to upgrade every six months.

As far as CPU vs. GPU goes, you have to ask yourself - do you want to wait for Penryn? Intel's next gen processor is going to be dropping in the next two months and it's supposed to really be a large step in performance over its current offerings, including being able to offer a real quad-core chip (rather than just two dual-cores on the same die). If you don't care about Penryn, get yourself a new chip at the now insane discount prices of sub-$300 (last I looked, anyway).

IreneDAdler

I agree with whuppins. The first thing I would do is get 2 more Gigs of RAM and see how you like it. If you feel like you need more oomph, upgrade the processor. It seems to me the graphics card should be the lowest priority since you have a pretty nice one from the 7 series, and there isn't a pressing need to go to the 8 series yet.

I've also read from other sources that Windows 32 doesn't really utilize more than 4GB of RAM, so I wouldn't go beyond 4 for now. As for switching to a 64-bit OS, wouldn't that just be asking for trouble on a 32-bit CPU? I know that many people who build with 64-bit CPUs don't use 64-bit OS's because of the added headache of compatibilities with many apps.

Clipse

IreneDAdler wrote: »

I've also read from other sources that Windows 32 doesn't really utilize more than 4GB of RAM, so I wouldn't go beyond 4 for now. As for switching to a 64-bit OS, wouldn't that just be asking for trouble on a 32-bit CPU? I know that many people who build with 64-bit CPUs don't use 64-bit OS's because of the added headache of compatibilities with many apps.

Core 2's are 64 bit processors.

Meritt

I cant imagine your system having problems running any of those games right now. Why do you feel you need an upgrade in the first place?

Anyway, if I had to pick, I'd say the ram. 8800GTS and C2Q Processors are both still very expensive relative to how much they will cost in say 1 year. DDR2 ram isn't going to ever get much cheaper than it is now.

IreneDAdler

Clipse wrote: »

IreneDAdler wrote: »

I've also read from other sources that Windows 32 doesn't really utilize more than 4GB of RAM, so I wouldn't go beyond 4 for now. As for switching to a 64-bit OS, wouldn't that just be asking for trouble on a 32-bit CPU? I know that many people who build with 64-bit CPUs don't use 64-bit OS's because of the added headache of compatibilities with many apps.

Core 2's are 64 bit processors.

Ah, I see. Thanks

Steve Bennett

Why are you wanting to upgrade? That seems like a pretty good system, and - although you can always spend more money - you wont recieve much results appart from bragging rights on stats.

Assuming you have a moderate amount of background apps running and you only run 1 game while not doing any other primary task, I'd be surprised if your system used the entire 2gb of ram. Check your task manager's Processes while running a game and see what the memory usages are (espcially the game's). I'd be surprised if any of those games go above 512mb. Sum up OS's usage and that of background apps, and I think you'll see 2gb is enough.

If you do coding (say, on a virtual PC like I do), and want a game running at the same time, then more memory might be useful.

If you're set on upgrading gaming performance, the video card is (and has been for oh so many years) your choice. A distant 2nd to that is CPU.

Raslin

I would go for the video card. Your current card is probably the most needed of an upgrade of all three, though really, you should be playing all the games you mentioned fine.

wunderbar

I would wait. Honestly, wait. Wait for penryn, and for the next gen video cards.

Your system is honestly in the top 35% in performance still. it's not the fastest, but should be handling any game you throw at it just fine. If it's not, that's a software problem, not a problem with your hardware.

So ya, wait, and save your money.

anable

Reference this chart to see the performance difference between your 7900 and the 8800.

I personally don't see a problem with your RAM amount or CPU. It sounds like you want to upgrade these just for the sake of upgrading. If you were doing something other than playing those games you mentioned you might be able to justify a memory upgrade, but I honestly doubt you'll see a difference.

The difference in performance of just upgrading your GPU will be more than upgrading your RAM and CPU together.

Rook

anable wrote: »

Reference this chart to see the performance difference between your 7900 and the 8800.

I personally don't see a problem with your RAM amount or CPU. It sounds like you want to upgrade these just for the sake of upgrading. If you were doing something other than playing those games you mentioned you might be able to justify a memory upgrade, but I honestly doubt you'll see a difference.

The difference in performance of just upgrading your GPU will be more than upgrading your RAM and CPU together.

anable

Awww. My first lime. I feel so special.

KMFurDM

whuppins wrote: »

If it were me, I'd do 2 gig for now, but then again I don't play very new games and I don't need a bleeding-edge system. Of course, none of the games you mentioned are super-recent either, so maybe that works for you too. I'd probably drop the $80 and see if that savings makes an 8800 or a quad core any more palatable.

Edit: Though I love his hot dog avatar, I strongly disagree with KMFDM about RAM. The GFW guys were complaining about the "2 gig minimum" on their podcasts six months ago. The bar is really moving up and until DX10-only games start coming out, that will be the bottleneck that you'll hit first.

Thanks for the compliment.

Speculation is at this point that any DX10 hardware out now is already obsolete. DX10.1 FTW apparently. Realistically he's better off doing nothing, saving the money, and waiting until next year when DX10 is basically finalized. But for better play with current games? A better video card will give him the best bang for the buck...though only right now. Especially if he wants to push higher resolutions. But as I said...he's better off just waiting. I know I am. I was going to build a new box at the end of the summer, but its just not worth it yet.