Old computer upgrade?

[Therow]

Hello everyone! I did some reading through the stickies of this wonderful forum and they sure were insightful! I have a question for the community at large -- based on my computer specs ( soon listed to the best of my knowledge ) should I go with an upgrade or completely replace my hardware.

I have ( again to the best of my knowledge since my computers gpu died ) as follows:
Asus p6x580 premium MOBO
Ati Radeon 5970 fxf HD ( this died on me :c after 3 long hard years )
6 gigs corsair ddr3
850w power supply
Intel i7 ( I think it's the 3.1 ghz quad core but I can't check since the gpu died and I tossed the box. I can't take it out to check either since I shaved it. But I'm pretty sure...)

I have pictures also, if I can figure out how to post those...

Anyway, I was just curious if I should seriously think about upgrading into the ddr4 realm sine the next years will be seeing ports from next gen consoles etc etc.

Thanks guys! Oh and I have around 1800 budget!

 

[PP Mguire]

DDR4 won't be around until the end of this year in the HEDT area, but rather useless considering DDR3 1600 is more than plenty bandwidth for literally any computing need.

That being said, that is completely up to you. The 1st gen Nehalem i7s still do rather wonderfully in gaming these days. Considering the rest of your rig is up to par I'd say just get a 780ti and maybe an SSD (if you don't have one) and wait until Haswell-E comes out.

Btw a clarification, most AAA titles are being developed for PC now and ported to the new consoles

 

[Therow]

Thanks for clearing that up! I have been worried that since my CPU fan died ( which I didn't really need until recently since the heat sink was so huge ) that I may have had some heat issues. When playing some games the real temp software showed some heart stopping temperatures in the 90's Celsius ( I think rage was the one I'm recalling ). I know I need to upgrade some fans and get a few new ones to bring temperatures back into reasonable ranges but I'm not sure where to start. Also, what would be the consensus on getting more ram? Sometimes I feel as though 6 gigs is a bit lacking ( or maybe I'm bottle necking somewhere and I'm not sure how to diagnose that issue ). And what would you guys think about upgrading to a ssd for just the OS? Thanks so much and I'll look into that graphics card upgrade!

 

[PP Mguire]

You definitely need a fan on that heatsink. You could be throttling causing some issues but even though the 5970 was a beast it's a bit lacking for gaming these days. So that could also be half your issue. But 90c is definitely extremely high for a CPU.

8GB is the gaming standard for now so 6 isn't too bad. Just make sure you aren't capping your current now or have most background tasks closed.

As to SSD, I personally feel every machine should have one. You can get a nice 120GB Corsair Neutron GTX or Samsung EVO for reasonable prices.

 

[Drogos]

i back up the first gen i7 im using one myself. i was running all new games pretty much maxed or very close to with my gtx 670 with that card pp mguire suggested you'll destroy games.
as far as ram im only running 8gb of 1333 and havent had any issues yet. and like he said get a SSD it helps a lot lol.

 

[Therow]

Would this cause any conflict with my MOBO? Newegg.com - EVGA 03G-P4-2884-KR GeForce GTX 780 Ti Superclocked 3GB 384-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support w/EVGA ACX Cooler Video Card

Also, if I got another 2 gigs of ram, would a new version cause any conflict?
What types or brands of fans do you feel are 'best'?
And do you feel like an Ssd should be for only key applications like the OS or is it ok to use it like a normal hd and slap it with all the things?

I'm running this ram also http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231335

 

[Drogos]

for fans noctua, and yes only keep windows and basic aplications on the SSD and install the games on a different drive is what i been doing for a few years and its great wen u wipe ur pc u don't have re install games. only stuff the games needs like derectx and such lol.

 

[Therow]

Would this cause any conflict with my MOBO? Newegg.com - EVGA 03G-P4-2884-KR GeForce GTX 780 Ti Superclocked 3GB 384-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support w/EVGA ACX Cooler Video Card

Also, if I got another 2 gigs of ram, would a new version cause any conflict?
What types or brands of fans do you feel are 'best'?
And do you feel like an Ssd should be for only key applications like the OS or is it ok to use it like a normal hd and slap it with all the things?

I'm running this ram also G.SKILL PI Series 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7T-6GBPI - Newegg.com

In addition to the above questions this link looks like the heat sink I have in my computer right now... Would I want to setup 2 noctua 120mm fans in a push pull configuration on either side of the heat sink? Noctua NH-U12P SE2 120mm SSO CPU Cooler - Newegg.com

 

[Drogos]

yeah if u can do that on that cooler why not better air flow better performance.

 

[PP Mguire]

Noctua or Scythe Gentle Typhoons. You should only need one really.

As to RAM another 2GB stick of the same thing or another 2GB stick of 1600 should be fine.

I would put everything on there except music/tv/movies/pics and games except BF4/BF3 and Skyrim. The SSD that is.