Was thinking of upgrading my computer...

[BlackAzrael]

Alright so i was thinking of upgrading mainly my graphics card but maybe my RAM too.

The thing is my motherboard is a Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P which is Socket 775 and only supports DDR2 memory up to 1033mhz (the specs says 1336mhz but it's limited support).

Here are the specs of my computer for more info:
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P
RAM: Corsair XMS2 CM2X2048-6400C5 800mhz
CPU: Intel Quad 2 Core Q9550 2833mhz
Graphics Card: Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 6850 1GB
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W

So i was looking for some advice on a new graphics card and maybe possibly more RAM if needed.

Thanks in advance!

And just in case, here are the specs for the motherboard: http://ca.gigabyte.com/products/pr [...] 19&dl=1#sp

 

[patonb]

Welcome to TF,

You can probably benifit from a new gpu, do you have 2 or 4 gig? And what OS?

Most importantly, whats your budget?

 

[PP Mguire]

What kind of games are you playing? A 6850 and that 9550 should be able to hammer out all the current games right now easily.

As was asked, how much RAM do you have and what OS are you using?

To be clear, that 1336 support is for overclocking with FSB above 1066. I have that same board in my server right now.

 

[BlackAzrael]

Oh damn, i forgot to specify that haha. I have 4gb of RAM yes, i play at 1920x1080 resolution (native res for my monitor) and i run on Windows 7 Pro 64-bit. As for the kids of games i play, it's mixed really but here's a few examples: Diablo 3, Metro 2033, Saints Row 3, Left 4 Dead, Dead Space 2, Second Life, etc.

I can run most games at max but for demanding games like Crysis and Metro 2033, it's almost at max. I usually cannot put anti-aliasing at max or other stuff that heavily affects the performance like ambient occlusion, etc.

As for the RAM, you're saying that the 1366 thing is just if i had 1066 ram and overclocked up until that point if i understand correctly?

 

[PP Mguire]

The only game in that list that should give you a problem is Metro2033. Crysis shouldn't give you any problems at all as the game naturally runs around 40-45fps.

1366 is achievable from an OC only, no matter the speed your RAM natively runs at. You would have to up the FSB (which in turn also overclocks the CPU) to get that speed. The max standard clock you can run should be 1066.

Idk, you have a pretty decent setup right now. With the price of DDR2 there really isn't a point in trying to go for 8GB of RAM, and that 6950 should be able to handle Metro maxed without MSAA (it even bogged my 580 a bit). Have you tried lowering your background processes to speed things up? I mentioned this to another member with a similar setup and he noticed a difference.

 

[BlackAzrael]

Well for Crysis 2 i can run it at max without anti-aliasing and Crysis 1 and it's expansion i can run them at max with a bit of anti-aliasing (like4x or 8x i think) but when i try 16x high quality (i don't remember the exact name) it lags like hell. As for Metro 2033, i can kind of run it at max without AA but it still lags sometimes. I usually keep my background programs to a minimum when playing, never really checked into disabling useless windows services honestly.

As for the memory upgrade it<s a shame i can't have DDR3 since i saw that deal on tigerdirect: Buy the Corsair Vengeance 8GB Desktop Memory Kit at TigerDirect.ca

Seems the deal is off now but it was 39.99$ for 8gb. But yeha, the only progs i usually run in the background are steam, windows live messenger, winamp (sometimes) and skype when i play a game in multiplayer.

By the way, not sure if it was a typo, but i have the 6850 not 6950

 

[Baez]

As for the memory upgrade it<s a shame i can't have DDR3 since i saw that deal on tigerdirect: Buy the Corsair Vengeance 8GB Desktop Memory Kit at TigerDirect.ca

You can always find better prices on NCIX. Tigerdirect is the most overpriced store for computer parts in Canada.

 

[patonb]

Even newegg.ca, then Price match the newegg price on NCIX so you still get the service.

 

[PP Mguire]

Well for Crysis 2 i can run it at max without anti-aliasing and Crysis 1 and it's expansion i can run them at max with a bit of anti-aliasing (like4x or 8x i think) but when i try 16x high quality (i don't remember the exact name) it lags like hell. As for Metro 2033, i can kind of run it at max without AA but it still lags sometimes. I usually keep my background programs to a minimum when playing, never really checked into disabling useless windows services honestly.

As for the memory upgrade it<s a shame i can't have DDR3 since i saw that deal on tigerdirect: Buy the Corsair Vengeance 8GB Desktop Memory Kit at TigerDirect.ca

Seems the deal is off now but it was 39.99$ for 8gb. But yeha, the only progs i usually run in the background are steam, windows live messenger, winamp (sometimes) and skype when i play a game in multiplayer.

By the way, not sure if it was a typo, but i have the 6850 not 6950

Idk why I read that as 6950. Yea I'd say you could use an upgrade.

 

[BlackAzrael]

Some people suggested me to overclock my cpu and gpu in the meanwhile (until i get a new rig). In fact my gpu is already overclocked a bit, although i never OCed a cpu, not sure if it's very safe.

So, any suggestions for a graphics card upgrade then?

And another question for when i buy a new rig, what socket for a mobo would be best? Was thinking of getting either an i5 or i7 but not sure with which socket.