Considering upgrading my computer.... areas to concentrate on?

[iMpathetic]

Hey everyone!

I've been getting my feet wet recently in the whole PC tinkering/building thing. I really like it, and I was thinking about putting a little more money into my rig, but I don't really know what my priorities are upgrade-wise.

Specs as of now:


-- Rocketfish case, took off the door so it looks more genuine LL
-- 1000W Enermax Galaxy PSU
-- Gigabyte X48T-DQ6 motherboard
-- Core 2 Quad Q6600 3.6GHz, 9x400, 1.37V
-- 2GB DDR3 1333MHz memory
-- two 150GB Raptors
-- Thermaltake Big Typhoon CPU cooler
-- Radeon HD 4350

I have been able to OC pretty far, but I don't know if I want to try and go i7 from my Q6600. The Core 2 line seems to be dying and I want to stay current, but my current processor is still plenty fast.

GPU is an obvious weakness, but I don't really play games that often.

I need more RAM, I think.

I would also like to try water cooling (not that I need to :D) and getting a side window cut into my case and some LED fans.

Whichever should I do first? :D

[PC_User]

If you decide to upgrade the CPU, you're going to have to spend more money to upgrade the motherboard (X58 chipset) and RAM (DDR3) as well.

Looking at your setup right now, I think it would be wise to upgrade the video card if you're into gaming, but since you don't play them too much, 4830 might be enough for now.

The PSU will last you some time. You can easily reuse that in your next build.

I'd definitely get at least 4GB of ram for a DDR2 setup, and 6GB if you plan on upgrading to i7 and going with DDR3. *This should probably be your first upgrade if you don't go to i7 at the moment.*

Hard drives seem fine...I don't see a reason to upgrade those unless you need a larger drive for storage.

Not sure about that cooler...haven't been a big fan of Thermaltake.

Basically, it all depends on what your needs are. If your current setup (at 3.6 GHz) is enough for your current needs, then you might as well hold off and wait. If not, and your budget permits the upgrade, you can upgrade to i7.

[iMpathetic]

The memory I'm using now is dual-channel DDR3.

I don't think I really NEED to upgrade anything, but there are a few things I could do (WC, side window, lights, etc) that would be FUN!

I don't really have any living expenses, all my income is disposable. I love being a kid. Flame on.

[DementeD]

yea if i were u id go to atleast 4gbs of ram everything else seems fine..other then id get a 1tb + storage
like you i want to upgrade more but really its not worth it just yet..i plan to wait for prices to drop and maybe go to ddr3 and whatever the best cpu at the time is..i just finished my water setup so i dont want to tear it apart just yet..also my next build i will focus a little more on cosmetics and do some upgrades right now that i can carry over to a new build..

[hitek420]

With that system my first upgrade would be 4gb of ram, I'd replace the video card too but there is no real point if you don't game.
More storage is always nice too, and nothing is wrong with wanting to make your case look the way you want it to look. (windows, leds, etc)

[iMpathetic]

I already have installed four LED fans and two sound-reactive cold cathodes. GPU is now a Visiontek 3870X2 OC. Will go i7 eventually....

[hitek420]

LED fans!
http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/5793/over900leds.th.jpg (http://img4.imageshack.us/my.php?image=over900leds.jpg)

[iMpathetic]

I has those!

I put it in an Antec Three Hundred, the RF was so big my parents were complaining.

As it is now:

http://i44.tinypic.com/riydmo.jpg
http://i41.tinypic.com/351fsb6.jpg