Please help: Should I upgrade, OC, or build a new one?

ico

New Member
This is my current computer config which I built in mid 2007:
- Thermaltake Soprano DX VE7000BNS Black 0.8mm SECC Chassis/ Aluminum Front Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
- Thermaltake toughpower W0103RU 600W
- Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 2.66GHz LGA 775 65W
- ASUS P5K DELUXE/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX
- 2 Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
- 1 Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
- 2 Patriot Extreme Performance 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin
DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel (4 Gig Ram total)
- XFX PVT84JUDD3 GeForce 8600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card
- 2 LITE-ON 20X DVD Burner LightScribe SATA LH-20A1L-06
- Win XP SP3

I want to upgrade my software Adobe Lightroom 1.4 to version 3, but my computer would be too slow for the latest version.

Would upgrading the CPU to Quads and the RAM to 1066MHz be the best bang for the buck or should I just build a new one with perhaps i5?
Maybe if I get a new motherboard I can reuse some of the peripherals here like the case, power supply, DVD drives, harddisks, and the video card?

Too bad Newegg doesn't have XP pro anymore. I like XP and some device that I use like my monitor calibrator is compatible with XP only (I think). If I build a new one, I will have to buy a new OS.
I may have to check other sites if they still sell XP Pro.

Here is the spec of the MoBo:
Supported CPU
CPU Socket Type LGA 775
CPU Type Core 2 Quad / Core 2 Extreme / Core 2 Duo
FSB 1333/1066MHz
Memory
Number of Memory Slots 4×240pin
Memory Standard DDR2 1066 / 800 / 667 MHz
The chipset officially supports the memory frequency up to DDR2 800MHz. Tuned by ASUS Super Memspeed Technology, this motherboard natively supports up to DDR2 1066MHz
Maximum Memory Supported 8GB
Channel Supported Dual Channel

Complete Mobo Spec
----

Will I get significant speed increase by changing the CPU and RAM on my current MoBo?
The FSB says 1333/1066MHz. Does that mean I can use a 1333MHz RAM?

Some recommend that I could also overclock, but I'm not brave enough to do this. I read few articles. Some warn that I may get blue screen if the settings are incorrect.

Thank you in advance,
Leo
 

fastdude

Active Member
Upgrading would make your system run faster, as would OC'ing [see how to Overclock guides online (or on this forum) ] If you're sensible with it, it should be stable and make everything that little bit smoother.
The FSB is to do with the CPU. Your mobo will support all socket 775 upgrades except the Core 2 extreme [FSB 1600Mhz] your mobo only supports up to 1333mhz.
Upgrading the GPU would help alot, but starting from scratch/near scratch would be the best future proof option. Maybe an AM3 setup, as the new AMD bulldozer architecture is supposedly backward-compatible?

:D
 

ico

New Member
If you look at the mobo spec from the link I posted, the mobo seems to support Core 2 Extreme.
Which is faster, Extreme or Quad?

Leo
 
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