Need To Upgrade. Okay Maybe Not NEED. lol

[Uberg33k]

Hey all,

So I'm getting bored of my current system (see sig) and would love to upgrade as much as I can for OCing mostly and of course gaming. Some have suggested that RAM may be my real only upgrade cause it may be bottle-necking my OC? What would you guys recommend? RAM? MOBO? CPU? Should I dive into Sandy bridge? CrossFire? I have about $1000 to spend.

[_dangtx_]

if you really want to spend some dough, hmmm...maybe a pair of 6950's?

an ssd for boot?

hr-02 for better thermals/quieter ? :)

[Uberg33k]

Originally Posted by _dangtx_

if you really want to spend some dough, hmmm...maybe a pair of 6950's?

an ssd for boot?

hr-02 for better thermals/quieter ? :)

Would a pair of 6950's really blow away my 5870? Or is it minimal? You're the first person that didn't say my RAM sucked! lol

[CMetaphor]

I agree with all three of dangtx's suggestions. Xfire some 6950s and used the leftover for a decent SSD (or two) and a better heatsink. The ram isnt so bad, but it is harder to overclock if your 12Gb is in 6 sticks. Typically, fewers sticks the better for RAM OCing.

[Uberg33k]

Originally Posted by CMetaphor

I agree with all three of dangtx's suggestions. Xfire some 6950s and used the leftover for a decent SSD (or two) and a better heatsink. The ram isnt so bad, but it is harder to overclock if your 12Gb is in 6 sticks. Typically, fewers sticks the better for RAM OCing.

Okay here's a good question then; Would these...

Vengeance

Be a better choice? I can grab them for under $250 Also I always thought you had to have multiples of three to run correctly, that kit is 4. Please educate me on this. lol

As for SSD's, I've heard nothing but bad horror stories regarding the glitching and crashing and even quick death with them. has that changed lately?

[_dangtx_]

first of all for gaming you got too much ram.

secondly, the 6950's will totally kill any single card at higher resolutions

sure it will set you back a bit more than one gtx 580...but but

ASUS Radeon HD 6950 CrossFire Review - Page 21/23 | techPowerUp

[Uberg33k]

Originally Posted by _dangtx_

first of all for gaming you got too much ram.

secondly, the 6950's will totally kill any single card at higher resolutions

sure it will set you back a bit more than one gtx 580...but but

ASUS Radeon HD 6950 CrossFire Review - Page 21/23 | techPowerUp

My Wife and I do a lot of Photoshop as well as Video editing so the RAM over 8GB is a must, that's why I suggested getting better RAM all together. Wow, I'm shocked the difference two 6950's CrossFired beat a single 5870. I mean 1:1 they're almost identical in terms of numbers. But we are definitely getting somewhere now. My next question would then be, what if I just got a second 5870? They would perform the same almost no?

[_dangtx_]

scaling on 6900 series is better + they do better at higher resolutions

ok on the ram...maybe keep it stock for stability sake ? :)

btw, photoshop works well with cuda i hear, so maybe 2 560's?

[Uberg33k]

Originally Posted by _dangtx_

scaling on 6900 series is better + they do better at higher resolutions

ok on the ram...maybe keep it stock for stability sake ? :)

btw, photoshop works well with cuda i hear, so maybe 2 560's?

When you say stock you mean keep my current setup? I would like to keep my 5870 if I can, selling it would be a pain in the ass. lol i have a 460M in my lappy like it a lot. I may just do two 6970's. ;) lol

I hear ya on the CUDA angle. Photoshop works better on my lappy with oonnly 8GB of RAM.

[_dangtx_]

no,stock settings for ram if your work is important :)

cool, look for another 5870 but unless you get lucky and find a cheap used one? dont even think about new lol.

unless again you find something like 200 bucks.

yup, the latest nv cards are pritty cool with some apps. like folding.