new build

[MajorGrave]

hi all am after some advice. i currently have a stock q6600 cannot overclock due to dell machine . windows 7 8gb ram ÂÂ*650w psu and hs6850. am thinking about building a new rig based on i5 2500k. have been told a gpu upgrade would be better as cpu is still good. anyone that could give me some advice would be gratefull if this would be worth it or should i stick for another year then do a complete rebuild.many thanx.

[Neera]

- what do you want to do with this rig?
- what are your problems with the old one?

If upgrading today:
gtx570 is under 200€ here allready. take asus or evga.
i5 2500 is the fastest Intel you can get for gaming. everything faster is only in benchmarks. i7 is not for every game. Only buy the "2500K" if you want to overclock. The "k" is for overclocking. 200€
motherboard and ram goes for under 150€ together. asus and corsair
->550€

New intels ivy bridge comes not before may. Nvideas faster gaming cards also. The more budget ones even later.

Your graphics card should be in dimension to your cpu. So try to upgrade CPU and GPU. Your psu can handle all new builds with one gpu if it is a quality one.

Maybe someone can give you some advice on an AMD build.

[MajorGrave]

thank you for your reply. rig is just for gaming.am happy with the performance though i have been told cpu is to slow although it doesnt seem to struggle with anything. just wondered whether upgrading now would bring a big increase in games or maybe be better to wait a bit or just do a gpu upgrade

[Hidde]

Q6600 is old, needs to be upgraded. Get a 2500K and keep the 6850. You can run crossfire 6850's later, although 1 card is always better. Keep in mind that Dell likes to be a bitch with mobo's, they have been using BTX motherboards in the past (or still do?) so an ATX board won't fit in your Dell case. BTX motherboards are not available at all. Also, the PSU probably does not have enough PCIe connectors to run crossfire 6850's.

solution?
Get a new pc.

@neera - GTX570 isn't €200... more like €300. In the UK they cost at least £250 (=€298).

[Neera]

Indeed, 570s are now under 300€.

if you upgrade the CPU now, every game will run about the same. The graphics card is kind of slow in comparison to the CPU. Better upgrade both.



am happy with the performance

So there is no point in upgrading now!

[Hidde]

GTX570's have never been cheaper...
-
Graphics card is FASTER than the Q6600, HD6850's are from late 2010, while the Q6600 is a lower to mid-end quadcore from jan 2007.

[MajorGrave]

thanx for all your advice very helpfull. think i will do a complete new build this summer.