If I get a 4870 1GB I'm going to need a new mobo??

[Chad711]

Currently have this board: Foxconn mobo (M7VMX-K)

One source told me I will need a new mobo because eventually it will die due the amount of volts it spreads?

Just wanted to ask some options here. If I need to do it I should go ahead and get it over with. If I do need to get a new mobo I'm taking suggestions!

 

[saltynay]

What a load of crud that board will be fine the limiting factors are your PSU, CPU and RAM
Psu- whats the make and model as the power may not be sufficient this is a high-end graphics card
Cpu- what is it and whats the clock? Can cause a "bottleneck" preventing the graphics card reaching its full potential
Ram- What OS are you using? xp you will need 2gb for gaming and vista needs 4gb (64bit)

 

[Chad711]

I'm sorry I am reading over his text message now and I think I misunderstood him. Guess I threw him under the bus for no reason!!

He said I should be fine with 650W but the psu will die soon, not the mobo. Sorry I screwed that up.

Here are my specs

dual boot XP Pro/Vista 32bit
-Quad Core 2.4GHz Q6600
-2 GB RAM (taking RAM upgrade suggestions)
-Foxconn mobo (M7VMX-K)
-HD 3870

I want to game on Vista. You know I have been trying to run my games on Vista but it crashes and such. I bet it would help alot if I went to 4gb of RAM then? I know my card isn't up to the standard for running very high settings but I think maybe more RAM would help me here too?

Back on topic, I guess he meant I need a new power supply. Sorry I am not at home so not sure which one I have but it is 650W

 

[saltynay]

650W sounds good and should be fine with those specs but really do need to know the model as it makes all the difference. Vista crashes??? sure you haven't got driver conflicts? ran the update utility lately? The 4870 will cain the majority of games at high settings upto 1600x1020 resolution (20" monitors). Your Ram and cpu are possible bottlenecks. I would buy an extra 2gb of ram but need to know the model of your current set to tell you which to buy. A cpu cooler and overclock that quad its quite slow

 

[Chad711]

I will get the model info when i get home in about 30 minutes! (and the memory info)

What do you mean here: A cpu cooler and overclock that quad its quite slow

Overclock my processor? I know nothing about overclocking.

Yes when I play Crysis WH on the second to highest settings with anything else on (AA) it runs like CRAP! It will crash very quickly actually...after a cut scene. On the gamer settings with nothing on it works ok but FPS are crappy too.

I game on my 1080p LCD TV actually so it's 1900 x 1080p and 46" in size. Refresh max is 60 FPS. I have a PC monitor which is a LG 22" max 1680 x 1050 too but I do not game on it.

Edit: update utility? for vista or my gpu? Vista automatically searches for the best drivers and installs them. Is that what you are asking me?

Edit 2: My quad is slow? haha wow I just got that sucker like 6 months ago and I thought the thing was super fast! Guess I am behind the learning curve here

 

[saltynay]

Your pc is quite underpowered for that resolution and hardly anyone can play crysis warhead at max settings at full resolutions like 1900x1200 but thats with sli/crossfired 4870s or nvidia 280s. Its ridiculous that your trying to on a 3870. I have sli'd 8800gts 640mb so 2xgpu and 1.28gb on a 24" which has a 1900x1200 resolution I get ok fps on crysis warhead but my settings are
full except for AA. Also have 4gb of ram and an E6600 @ 3.4ghz cpu

Overclocking is so simple as core for the cpus are essentially the same no matter what model number you can make a E8400 (3ghz) run at the same speed as a E8600 (3.4ghz) by changing bios settings. There is little risk as your computer will shutdown or won't trn on if you try and set the settings higher then the cpu can achieve. It does come with increased heat though hence why an aftermarket cooler is preferred. Loads of guides on the net and a seperate section on the forums if you want to start overclocking.

The reason why your Q6600 is slow is because its only 2.4ghz most games will only utilise one core so essentially you have a 2.4ghz cpu as default. I have an E6600 at (3.4ghz through overclocking) my pc will be faster then yours although I only have 2 cores to your 4. 2.4ghz will cause a bottleneck as the cpu processes all data at some point. It can offload graphical data to a graphics card. If the cpu is offloading data to the graphics card faster then the gpu can handle then your golden but if its not your cpu is causing the whole graphic intensive program to slow down and not utilising your gpu's full potential. Like forcing water through a bottleneck. A wide tube (i.e. fast cpu) will always outperform a slender tube (slow cpu)

 

[Chad711]

ok found the serial numbers to my memory so here is what I have. If you think I need to replace these let me know. If just adding another 2GB is fine then cool.

Newegg.com - SUPER TALENT 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory

My power supply is this:
Newegg.com - BFG Tech BFGR650PSU 650W ATX12V V2.0 / EPS 12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Power Supply - Power Supplies

So basically overclocking my q6600 will help run games better? If that is the case I would like to look into doing this at a reasonable overclock speed. How much do aftermarket coolers cost?

 

[veg1992]

Depends if you want a good one.. to a mediocre one...

$20-40

I recommend the Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer

 

[Chad711]

ok thanks! I want to purchase some stuff on newegg tomorrow saltynay so if you can let me know what you suggest I get that would be great!

I'll go back to gaming at 1680 x 1050. Thanks for the tip. Sorry I am new to all this.

 

[BongWizard]

yeah you'll definitely have to OC that CPU to get the most outta a 4870... if its the e0 stepping revision then you can probably get to 3.6-3.8GHz with a modest cooler... Id recommend the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7, the Core Contact Freezer (like vernong said) or the Noctua NH-U12P