GPU and CPU Upgrade Suggestions

[Method]

Build is a bit old now and has been causing some problems so slowly replacing its guts.

New HD and OS has been installed, and got 8GB worth of DDR3 on the way to replace the 4GB of DDR2.

All that leaves is the GPU and CPU.

Ill be looking to max out games like BF3, but I am on a relatively low res of 1440 x 900.

Been looking at nVidia 560's, as my price range is around £150 for a GPU. Whats your feedback on this card?

Also, would it be better to invest in a more pricey version of the 560 that has a higher memory (2gb over the 1gb cards) or higher core clock?

And I may be looking into a new CPU, although I'm not sure if it would be needed really with everything else upgraded? Its still not a bad quad for today. Whats your reccomendations for a new Quad 775 socket CPU?

Specs in signature.

 

[Yami]

New HD and OS has been installed, and got 8GB worth of DDR3 on the way to replace the 4GB of DDR2.

Is this still the same motherboard? Because DDR3 won't fit in DDR2 slots and vice-versa.

Been looking at nVidia 560's, as my price range is around £150 for a GPU. Whats your feedback on this card?

Good card, I'd recommend one.

Also, would it be better to invest in a more pricey version of the 560 that has a higher memory (2gb over the 1gb cards) or higher core clock?

The extra memory would be more helpful if you were gaming at a higher resolution, but 1GB should be plenty for you at 1440x900. Buying a higher-clocked version is a complete waste of money, as you can clock it higher yourself safely and easily.

And I may be looking into a new CPU, although I'm not sure if it would be needed really with everything else upgraded? Its still not a bad quad for today. Whats your reccomendations for a new Quad 775 socket CPU?

It's probably not really worth upgrading to a new CPU on the 775 socket; if you could find a Q9*** series CPU for less than, say, £50, I'd go for it. But I had a look recently myself and they were still going for over £100, which is a waste of money since you're not going to get much of a noticeable performance boost. You'd be much better off saving that money and buying something like a 2nd-gen i5 later.

 

[Method]

Thanks for the reply.

Its the same motherboard, but that particular motherboard supports both. It has DDR2 and DDR3 slots.

Thanks for recommending the 560, it does look good for the money.

i5's dont fit into socket 775's do they? How do Q6600's stack up today? Im yet to really see any games (what I will be using it for mostly) really utilize or need a pricey Quad.

 

[Yami]

i5's dont fit into socket 775's do they?

No. When I said 'i5' I meant 'i5 and new motherboard for it', sorry about that

 

[Method]

No. When I said 'i5' I meant 'i5 and new motherboard for it', sorry about that

Ha, ok no worries.

Yeah I want to hold off on a new motherboard as long as possible purely because I cant be bothered to deal with gutting the whole thing, rather just replace the parts I can from taking off the side panel. Ill save a new MOBO and CPU for an entirely new build.

How'd my Q6600 Quad do for gaming? Still decent? Havent been really PC gamed for a good 18 months now.

 

[Yami]

Q6600 should be ok for now. I had a dual-core E8400 until last week, and it was ok.

 

[Method]

Great.

Thanks for the help!