Some insight on upgrade components

C

Cups

New Member
Hi! I've been contemplating junking my old geforce 7950GT in favor of the new GTX460 to modernize my gaming PC. However, as my computer is a couple years old and still running XP, I decided maybe a system overhaul is in order. After all, that GTX460 will likely be bottle-necked by my old processor and PCIE 1.1 port.

My "rig" is currently equipped with:
MOBO- Intel ASUS P5GPL-X
CPU- Intel Pentium 4 3.0GHz 800MHz FSB
GPU- geforce 7950GT 512MB
PSU- Hiper Type-R 580W
Memory- 2 x 1GB, not sure about DDR or brand
HDD- 500GB I think

Here are links to the specific upgrades I'm looking at on Newegg, in order of priority:

MOBO-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131393R

CPU-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037

GPU-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127510

Two supplemental items:

Aftermarket CPU heatsink and fan unit-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134

Memory(2x2GB)-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166


  • I think the 580W psu is sufficient to operate my system, so I haven't considered a new one.

  • I also think 2GB of RAM is standard, and it probably isn't necessary for me to increase to 4.

  • A few of the reviews for the CPU mentioned overclocking capabilities from 4-4.5GHz, so if I ever want to OC to that extent, I think the aftermarket heatsink & fan is a good one.

My brother recently upgraded to Windows 7, so I think he can install it on my computer. I'd like to be able to have the option of expanding memory open, as well as utilize DirectX 11.

This is sort of a budget limited upgrade, so please don't suggest a better component unless it is almost the same price.
 
different PCI-E versions have very little difference.

You won't notice an improvement going from 1.1 to 2.0 or 2.1 with any card. You will however see a good difference from getting a GTX 460.

Your cpu and mobo link are the same.
 
linkin said:
different PCI-E versions have very little difference.

You won't notice an improvement going from 1.1 to 2.0 or 2.1 with any card. You will however see a good difference from getting a GTX 460.

Your cpu and mobo link are the same.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I appreciate this bit of knowledge. I fixed the mobo link.

Do you believe my current Pentium 4 would significantly hamper the performance of the GTX 460? If so, I would like to consider the other components.
 
The pentium 4 bottlenecks anything modern. It is a single core. We have 6, 8 and even 12 core processors.

Even today's celeron processors (dual core, wolfdale core based) will wipe the floor with a P4. Hell the Athlon's of the day wiped the floor with the P4.
 
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