It's time for PC upgrades


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#1 hotdog963al

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Posted 09 February 2012 - 13:12

Good day,

I am just about to purchase some upgrades for my box and thought I best get some advice from people in-the-loop (aka you guys!)

Current specs:
ASUS P7P55D EVO (Skt LGA1156)
Intel i5-750
2x 2GB OCZ PC3-12800 / 1600MHz
Sparkle GTX 260 1792MB
WD 500GB 7200 + WD 1TB 7200

Thinking about upgrading the RAM, GPU and adding an SSD:

OCZ 120GB Agility 3 (£114.99)
http://www.ebuyer.co...gt3-25sat3-120g
OR
Corsair 120GB Force 3 (£122.99)
http://www.ebuyer.co...cssd-f120gb3-bk

RAM... Not sure what's good these days, all looks the same!
Corsair 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3 1600MHz Vengeance Blue Memory Kit CL9 (9-9-9-24) 1.5V (£77.06)
http://www.ebuyer.co...16gx3m4a1600c9b

Asus GTX 560Ti DirectCU II 1GB (£168.54)
http://www.ebuyer.co...i-dcii-2di-1gd5

What do you guys think? Anyone got any better ideas?

Thanks for looking :)


#2 Muhammad Farrukh

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Posted 09 February 2012 - 13:15

I think thats a nice little upgrade right there.
Either one of those SSDs will do, as both of them seems to have good reviews.

Also, if you have some extra cash, and you can find the limited edition 560Ti 448 Cores version, it'll be worth considering

#3 threetonesun

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Posted 09 February 2012 - 13:17

The GPU is probably worth it, and going up to 8GB of RAM might make a slight difference, but in reality you could just get the GPU and would probably be happy.

#4 OP hotdog963al

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Posted 09 February 2012 - 13:24

View PostMuhammad Farrukh, on 09 February 2012 - 13:15, said:

I think thats a nice little upgrade right there.
Either one of those SSDs will do, as both of them seems to have good reviews.

Also, if you have some extra cash, and you can find the limited edition 560Ti 448 Cores version, it'll be worth considering
Very interesting, although I'm not sure the extra cores are worth the 30% price bump... thanks for the info though! :)


View Postthreetonesun, on 09 February 2012 - 13:17, said:

The GPU is probably worth it, and going up to 8GB of RAM might make a slight difference, but in reality you could just get the GPU and would probably be happy.
I was just thinking I might as well max out my board RAM-wise considering how cheap it is. Obviously I'd swap out the 4GB for the 4x 4GB modules.

#5 StrikedOut

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Posted 09 February 2012 - 13:31

Think about dropping the RAM to 8GB and use the extrat to put towards the GTX 560Ti 448 series. I think the PC will be better for it when gaming.

I have 8GB of the same RAM and never get anywhere close to saturating the RAM.

#6 threetonesun

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Posted 09 February 2012 - 14:21

View Posthotdog963al, on 09 February 2012 - 13:24, said:

I was just thinking I might as well max out my board RAM-wise considering how cheap it is. Obviously I'd swap out the 4GB for the 4x 4GB modules.

It is cheap, although if you're never using over 8, it's like paying more for nothing. I really don't think we'll see 16GBs of RAM used for desktop applications any time soon.

#7 Muhammad Farrukh

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Posted 09 February 2012 - 14:28

There'll be rarely a moment when you'll need RAM more than 8 GB. Infact, I think 8 GB is pretty damn good, for almost everything.

Basically, 448 Cores edition rivals the higher priced 570, that is why I suggested that if you have extra cash, go for it. Otherwise, 560Ti is still an excellent choice

#8 +Jdawg683

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Posted 09 February 2012 - 14:47

w/ the LGA1156 series, you'll want triple channel ram - so get a (3x4GB) kit.

also, i'd recommend that Corsair Force SSD.

as for the gpu, that 560Ti is great, but have you considered an AMD 7950? just asking.

#9 tsupersonic

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Posted 09 February 2012 - 14:59

View PostJdawg683, on 09 February 2012 - 14:47, said:

w/ the LGA1156 series, you'll want triple channel ram - so get a (3x4GB) kit.
No, for LGA 1156, you'll want dual channel. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGA_1156

#10 +Jdawg683

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Posted 09 February 2012 - 15:03

View Posttsupersonic, on 09 February 2012 - 14:59, said:

No, for LGA 1156, you'll want dual channel. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGA_1156
my bad, i was thinking of LGA1366

#11 OP hotdog963al

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Posted 09 February 2012 - 19:09

View PostJdawg683, on 09 February 2012 - 14:47, said:

w/ the LGA1156 series, you'll want triple channel ram - so get a (3x4GB) kit.

also, i'd recommend that Corsair Force SSD.

as for the gpu, that 560Ti is great, but have you considered an AMD 7950? just asking.
I'm very lost when it comes to ATI cards, so definitely sticking with nVidia, even if it's less cost effective :3
Cool, I'll make sure I get the Corsair over the OCZ then :>

#12 Hum

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Posted 09 February 2012 - 21:24

Why is it time for upgrades -- the phase of the moon ?

#13 +Jdawg683

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Posted 10 February 2012 - 20:06

View Posthotdog963al, on 09 February 2012 - 19:09, said:

I'm very lost when it comes to ATI cards, so definitely sticking with nVidia, even if it's less cost effective :3
i know, waiting is pointless, but IF you can wait, new nvidia cards are set to be released in april. just a thought.