What should I upgrade?

Hi gurus!

I was hoping to get some advice as to what i should upgrade for my computer to extend it's useful life and see some performance upgrades. My COHHelper log is down below. My guess is that I should first upgrade to Windows 7 64 and then add a few sticks of memory. On a related question: My kids have somewhat newer cpu/mobos and windows 7 64 but the same video card. What should I get them for Christmas?


---System information gathered by CoH Helper version 0.2.0.2---

DxDiag gathered at November 14, 2011 10:01 (-05:00)
Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.101209-1647)
System Manufacturer: System manufacturer
System Model: System Product Name
BIOS: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Central Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E6750 @ 2.66GHz (2 CPUs)
Memory: 3582MB
.Net Memory Report: 2576MB out of 3582MB available
Page File: 4566MB (897MB currently in use)
C Drive: (SAMSUNG HD321KJ) 187378MB out of 305234MB (61%) free
D Drive: (SONY DVD-ROM DDU1615) zero-size drive
E Drive: (LITE-ON DVDRW LH-20A1H) zero-size drive
Windows directory location: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DirectX Diag version: 5.03.2600.5512 (32-bit version)

Display Notes: No problems found.
Sound Notes: No problems found.
Input Notes: No problems found.

Monitor: Plug and Play Monitor
Monitor's Max Resolution: 1600,1200
Video Device Name: NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX+
Manufacturer / Chip: NVIDIA / GeForce 9800 GTX+
Video Memory: 512.0 MB
Driver Version: 6.14.0012.8558
Driver Date: 10/7/2011 11:50:00 PM
Driver Language: English

Sound Device Description: SB Live! 24-bit
Driver File: P17.sys
Driver Version: 5.12.0001.0514
Driver Date: 6/15/2007 9:47:26 AM


WMI Information
Motherboard Manufacturer: ASUSTeK Computer INC.
Motherboard Model: (empty)
Motherboard Product: P5N-E SLI
Motherboard Version: 1.XX
BIOS Manufacturer: Phoenix Technologies, LTD
BIOS Name: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
BIOS Version: Nvidia - 42302e31
BIOS Release: 20070809000000.000000+000


Registry Information for Current User
Resolution: 1440x900
3D Resolution: 1440x900 (Not using renderscale)
Full Screen: Yes
Maximized: No
Screen Position: 0, 0
Refresh Rate: 60Hz
Vertical Sync Enabled: Yes


Physics Quality: High
Maximum Particles: 50000
Max Particle Fill? 10.000
Physics Card Enabled: No


Anti-aliasing: Off
Anisotropic Filtering: 4x
Texture LOD Bias: Smooth
Water Effects: High quality
Bloom: 1.000 (turned on)
Depth of Field Enabled: Yes
Desaturation Effects (Sepia) Enabled: Yes
Shader Detail: High


World Texture Level: Very High
Character Texture Level: Very High
World Detail Level (Vis_Scale): 1.000
Entity Detail Level: 1.000
Shadows Enabled: Yes
Shadow Mode: Shadow maps
Shadow Map Shader: Low quality
Environmental Reflections: Low quality
Advanced Occlusion Settings: No
Ambient Occlusion: High performance
Occlusion Strength: Slight
Blur: Fast
Ambient Resolution: High performance


Gamma Correction: 0.900
Geometry Buffers (VBOs) Enabled: Yes
Suppression of FX When Camera Close Enabled: No
Close Suppression Range: 3.000
Show Advertisements: Yes

Audio Mode: Performance
3D Audio: Yes
FX Sound Volume: 0.076
Music Sound Volume: 0.000

Show Advanced Graphics Options: No
Overall Graphics Quality: 0.750
Reverse Mouse Buttons: No
Save Login Username: Yes
Transfer Rate: 621478 bytes/second
Current Game Version: 2010.201104210057.1
Installation Directory: C:\Program Files\City of Heroes

Mod files in the Data directory
.\texts\English\Menus has 6 files
.\texture_library\GUI\Icons\Powers has 75 files
.\texture_library\MAPS\city has 1 file
.\texture_library\MAPS\Midnight_Squad has 1 file
.\texture_library\MAPS\Safeguard has 9 files
.\texture_library\MAPS\sewers has 44 files
.\texture_library\MAPS\static has 40 files
.\texture_library\V_MAPS\City has 1 file
.\texture_library\V_MAPS\Outdoor_Missions has 9 files
.\texture_library\V_MAPS\Static has 16 files

Well you would need to upgrade to a 64-bit OS if you want to add more memory. That motherboard has a 8GB limit (4x2GB, DDR2-800). But this is a dead end since nearly all modern CPUs use DDR3.

Can't get to the Asus motherboard site to check on CPU compatibility but like DDR2, it's an expensive dead end.

Hard drive prices are skyrocketing due to the flooding in Thailand so no go there unless you want to go with a "small" 120GB SSD.

Obvious choice then would be video card. The 9800GTX+ was a 160 watt card so something like the GTX 560 or 560 Ti shouldn't tax your existing PSU (similar power use).

New video card, if your system meets the power requirements, and the space for one inside. If you find it isn't enough of an improvement, save the new card for the next upgrade.

Win 7 and more ram helps as well. Anything above 6 GB will show an improvement, especially if your running other things in the background. Those 2 things will be best to try, and if you still find your system lacking, you'll have Win 7 and a new graphics card to start with to put in a new system. I think the for Nvidia, the 560ti is about the sweet spot for cards atm.

COH tends to be a little more graphic card intensive since it is coded in Open GL, and if you can keep other background programs to a minimum, you should see an improvement even with that older processor. My 2 cents

Tough choice...Socket 775 is a dead end and buying more ram and upgrading OS won't yield performance gains. Those upgrades would just be a big waste of money.

A new video card would be a decent boost, but at least for CoX would be held back somewhat by the old CPU. So its an easy upgrade, but it will be a modest gain.

If you live near a Microcenter. Its possible to pickup a new 2500K + AsusP67 MB for $250. Toss in 8GB of DDR3 ram for another $50 and for $300 you would get a very nice boost in performance.

just my .02 INF

A GTX 460 1GB might be a good choice for a "cheap" video card.

So you guys agree that a ~$200 card would get me more of a performance upgrade than ~$160 for windows 7 and another 2 gigs memory?

I guessed the opposite. I should have pulled a Costanza and gone with the opposite of my first reaction.

Thanks for the opinions. Others feel free to chime in to agree or disagree.

Edit: *Looks up Micro Center* The closest would be about 5 hours away in Atlanta. Is it that much cheaper than what i could get from Newegg or equivalent?

I agree that a video card would be a better choice over RAM/OS but probably not the choice I would do.

New CPU + MB + RAM. I have no idea if you a near a microcenter, but the current deal they have going if you buy a 2500k/2600k + MB is very sweet. Its $100 less than newegg.

Look on page 27

http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/...ac#/33e9daac/1

GPU is the only quick fix. The only thing other than that which would see significant improvement is a new GPU+New Motherboard+New Processor+New Ram.

I had to do the same thing to improve my system. Fortunately there were enough good sales going on that I was able to do it relatively cheaply.

With the next gen 28nm video cards coming soon, a 460 1GB would be a reasonable choice (esp if someone is buying 3)...Of course, its not the best choice. Note, I already said MB + CPU + RAM.

TLR get a new CPU + MB + RAM.

Hyper, the video card "upgrade" would be a fairly horizontal one, it won't improve zoning times, lag etc...It will increase fps somewhat, but as I said, it not really a good choice. It would yield better results than buying more DDR2 ram for a dead end socket 775 MB + windows 7 64.

Bionic, if you don't have a microcenter, its about $100 more at newegg. For whatever reason microcenter likes selling CPUs at a loss. Newegg is considered the "standard" price for many since they do sell a wide variety of computer stuff at pretty tough to beat prices.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hyperstrike Okay I'm going to have to disagree here. Sorry guys. He's on 32-bit Windows maxed at 4GB of RAM (3 actually). And you want him to plonk in a 1GB video card? Essentially what is going to happen here is that you're cutting down on available system memory for things besides the OS. This may or may not impact performance in the game, but it'll definitely impact long-term stability of the client in-game. So we're kinda 6 of one, a half dozen of the other. Bionic, what kind of budget do you have? Also, are you planning on overclocking? I know it's a pain but: You've answered a good chunk of what's needed already. But your budget is the big one here. Both for yourself and your kids' computers.

Another option is to get Win 7 64-bit, to allow him to use all the memory he has installed, and a 1GB video card like the GTX 560Ti.

My concern is making sure what he buys today can be used in a future system. That pretty much eliminates more DDR2 ram or a Socket 775 CPU upgrade.

Otherwise it's a full CPU/RAM/MB transplant and that just kicks the cost way up.

For Hyperstrike:


1) What will you primarily be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

It's an all-purpose computer. I mainly play CoH but occasionally steal one of my kids' games for a week or two. I also use it as a home office (word processing, spreadsheets, e-mail) and web surfing.


2) What's your budget? (Real Dollars) Are tax and shipping included? This is important as it allows people trying to help you to suggest things appropriate to your budget.

I can't see spending much more than $200 this time of year on myself. I might be able to get family to buy items for $100 or less, or the equivalent in cash/gift cards.


3) Where do you live? This is important as it affects what vendors you may buy from and how much shipping costs might be.

Tallahassee, FL. I generally buy parts from Newegg and built systems from cyberpowerpc.


4) Are you planning to buy or build?

Buying parts and self installing . . . a slow build, I guess.


5) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need. If you're unsure what exactly you need, say so.

I'm not looking for all new, just the next logical upgrade to extend the life and see some improved performance.


6) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

I guess my case (black X-Cruiser) and my PSU (Ultra V-series 600watt) and peripherals (keyboard, mouse, monitor, printer)


7) Will you be overclocking?

Not planning to. Never have before.


8) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?

19" Viewsonic Optiquest



9) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?

Between now and New Year's Eve.


10) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? etc.

I went with SLI since I tend to favor Nvidia and thought I might pair up one day. I suppose it's still viable to get one or more kids a new graphics card and then pair up 9800s in mine.


11) Any specific must-have features? Must be able to max out Ultra-Mode? Must have 6+GB of RAM? Must have an SSD? etc.

Not really. I like pretty graphics but I value stability, longevity, and ease of use more.


12) Are there any vendors/brands you'd specifically prefer to use?

I generally go Nvidia and Intel, but the last 2 computers I bought (for the twins) have AMD. For other parts I prefer well-known, favorably reviewed brands (WD, Seagate, EVGA, PNY, etc.) to fly-by-nights. But I have bought generic stuff as well if the price was right.


13) Are there any vendors/brands you'd specifically prefer to avoid?

Nope.


14) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit? (Note: If your current OS came with your computer, odds are that it is NOT transferable.)

OEM Windows XP Pro 32bit.

Going with Windows 7 "retail" can be used in the current and next system but it won't make much of a performance gain.

Heck, looking at things, I would say buy 2x4gb 1333 DDR3 (8gb) 1.5V ram now while its really cheap. Never know when the next disaster will hit and make comptuer prices go bonkers (see Thailand and Hard Drive prices)

I don't like the idea of hoarding computer parts, so I don't really see much in the way of low hanging fruit for you Bionic. While its certainly possible to get a CPU + MB + RAM for $200, it would not yield enough gains to be worth it.

So not in any order with a $200 budget.

1. Windows 7 "retail"
2. New Video card
3. Buy cheap DDR3 ram for the CPU+MB upgrade later.
4. SSD hard drive, but you probably want Windows 7 first.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Father Xmas Another option is to get Win 7 64-bit, to allow him to use all the memory he has installed, and a 1GB video card like the GTX 560Ti. My concern is making sure what he buys today can be used in a future system. That pretty much eliminates more DDR2 ram or a Socket 775 CPU upgrade. Otherwise it's a full CPU/RAM/MB transplant and that just kicks the cost way up.