Upgrade rig... thoughts?

**Bane** · 10-19-13, 03:23 AM

Xis' thread gave me the idea to post this.
My rig has seen lots of action over the years. However, I do think it's time to upgrade a few things.
Any input is welcome!

Current Rig:
CPU: i7 920 C0 stepping
CPU Cooler: Corsair H50 cooler
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5
RAM: OCZ 6GB (3x 2GB) OCZ3P1600LV6GK
GPU: eVGA GTX285 SC 1GB
PSU: PC Power & Cooling 610W Silencer
HDD: WD 640GB Caviar Blue, WD 1TB salvaged drive
Case: Antec P160 with modifications (120mm floor intake, 2 x 140mm top exhaust)
Sound Card: SB Audigy 2 Platinum (PCI)

Old but functional PC. I don't think i've even pushed the i7 920 to her limit yet.

Some planned upgrades I have are
Case: Cooler Master HAF XB EVO
Amazon.com: Cooler Master HAF XB EVO - High Air Flow Test Bench and LAN Box Mid Tower Computer Case with ATX Motherboard Support: Electronics

Monitor: ASUS PA248Q 24" 1980x1200 monitor
Amazon.com: ASUS PA248Q 24-Inch LED-Lit IPS Professional Graphics Monitor: Computers & Accessories

Do you guys think it's high time to upgrade the video card? Sound card? I don't have a lot of budget for major upgrades. I have a Nexus 5 hopefully coming when Google finally releases it and I was thinking about a Nexus 7, but with my family upgrading to Comcast Triple Play I might get a new kindle for free. Thanks guys.

**Kanati** · 10-19-13, 09:23 AM

yes. Biggest bottleneck for certain is the GPU. I'd upgrade that FIRST.

**gehn** · 10-19-13, 10:41 AM

One decent upgrade to that GPU and your CPU will instantly become your bottleneck. If you want to stick with NVIDIA, buy ANYTHING currently out in the 700 series, they are all 4.5 times better than what you have. If thats too much money, get a 650 Ti, thats 3 times better than your card.

**Bane** · 10-19-13, 01:22 PM

I was looking at the GTX 760 as a viable upgrade option, but I don't think my motherboard has PCI express 3.0. Shouldn't be a problem right?

Since my computer has a terrible time overclocking, the H50 shouldn't be an issue if I keep it right? I originally wanted to OC this CPU to 3.0Ghz, but after multiple restarts and blue screens I kept it at stock frequencies. The H50 does a much better job over the stock cooler, but I have been reading good reports with air coolers that outperform the H50.

**DJ Ms. White** · 10-20-13, 08:24 AM

You'll be fine with 2.0 for the 760.

Sent from my SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

**HeavyG** · 10-20-13, 10:33 AM

You should also consider the AMD R9 280X. For $299, it is a pretty hard candidate to beat. For $249, the GTX 760 is still pretty sweet.

**Bane** · 10-24-13, 12:01 AM

Yup looking into the 280X vs 760. Haven't had an ATi/AMD card since the Radeon 9700 Pro :P

**WileECyte** · 10-24-13, 08:24 AM

AMD's pretty competitive in the single-GPU market. Their performance is top notch and are priced competitively. In the single-GPU market, you really can't go wrong. If you're ever considering multi-GPU... nVidia is the way to go...

**Bane** · 12-24-13, 12:55 AM

Grrrrrrrrr
Amazon gift card to use.. and the R9 280X can't be found for under $350?? I thought retail was $299.99?
At this point, would it be better to just get a GTX760 or even the 770? I don't have a huge budget so I'm leaning closer to the GTX760. Or would it be better to get the R9 270X?

**Gumby** · 12-24-13, 05:48 AM

I am having a mild love affair with my R290 for what that's worth. I thought it was great, then I realized it was on quiet mode. Now it's full on awesome. Ear plugs sold separately