Will a new GPU be a big enough jump?
 

Hello all,

I'm finenaly finishing my computer build. What happend was I started building it a while ago, and then ran out of money and whatnot... you know how it goes. Long story short, the system will be a bit out dated but should be a big increase from my current set up. My bottle neck has always been my processor, which is an E6300 at 1.86 GHz. Upgrading to a Q6600 so that should help a great deal.

Now I am adding a SSD and upgrading to windows 7 as well, which should speed up the system as well as be usable parts in the future. Already have a new Mobo and RAM from when I started working on it.

I have been running an 8800GTS 512mb for a long while. It always seems to give me playable frame rates, but I am curious if it is going to be my new bottle neck? I should have the cash for a new GPU in month or two, and there are some great prices on the GTX 460 1GB. With the budget of $200, and planning on sticking with Nvidia, will the new card be a big enough jump to be worth it at the moment? Or should I wait and see what comes in the new year as I am not in a big rush?

Thanks for the input all, and hopefully I wasn't to long winded heheh.

Lyxtwing

if you have bought the quad, ok. if not, dont. it will serve better in a couple games vs a similarly clocked dual core counterpart.

at higher resolutions, hell even at lower ones you should see an increase with the 460. if you can wait, why not?

i would get a faster dual core,again, if the quad wasnt already bought. 2 fast cores,most of the time, are better than 4 slower ones, in most games :)

I went quad core because I use this computer for Cubase and other audio programs that are optimized for multiple cores. I agree that two cores is better for games by a long shot.

*2 faster cores :)

cool. listen, at higher resolutions the gpu is the king anyway.

Yea, the 460 will be a nice big jump. Especially if it's a 1GB model. Very good for 150-200 price range. They overclock nicely too.

However, if you can wait, I would say wait then. Nvidia might release a GTX 560 after the holidays perhaps.
Also, prices on the 6950 might drop by boxing day.

Good idea getting an SSD though. A MUST these days for any system.

The Q6600 is a nice jump from the E6300, I made that change years ago myself. Don't buy into the faster dual core myth. I've got an E8500 at work which feels sluggish compared to my Q6600.

Good choice on upgrading to quad core. There are quite a few programs now that are designed to take advantage of more cores. Speed is just a bonus now.

What resolution do you game at?

I'm normally against SSDs as I don't feel the cost is justified for the performance it brings. However to each their own.

Well, I was going to come on and say that I am sticking with my card for a while, but a co worker just gave me $80 for it so I think I'll order a new GTX 460 this week heheh. See what boxing day brings.

Edit: Playing on a 46" 1080p Samsung at the moment, and aiming for a new 720p 3D projector in a couple months.

You can build a great little system out of that setup, especially if your board can OC well and if the q6600 is g0 edition. I'm running a 470 (OC'd 460 can hit similar performance) and my stock q6600 does well with most anything I throw at it. Once that 2.4ghz is OC'd to 3.4 or 3.6, based on experience with friends PC, I should be able to chew through most games.

I'd highly recommend the upgrade and would aim for OC ability. A good case with proper airflow and a proper CPU cooler to match will set you back ~$150 when you are ready for that upgrade which will return nice bang for the buck.