To Upgrade or Rebuild?

[roaming_builder]

I have a computer now that is over 3 years old. It is starting to show its age. I am trying to decide if I should spend a little money upgrading this system or spend alot of money building a new one =S. I am just on the fence right now.

I am constantly building for other people, so I am very familiar with the new performance builds. I also know that they are insanely faster than what I have, but I also know that most of the builds I create would be overkill for myself.

I am mainly looking to upgrade for the gaming side of things. I do not really do any video editing, rendering, or anything that is more CPU intensive. However I am running 3 monitors (on 2 gpu's), and it is not uncommon for me to have MANY applications open at once (and I feel the impact in the memory).

My current build is as follows (just the important parts).

MOBO: ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor BX80570E8400

MEMORY: CORSAIR XMS2 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C5

MAIN GPU: EVGA 512-P3-N807-AR GeForce 8800GT AKIMBO 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

HDD, OPTICAL, CASE, PSU, ...... are all fine as is.

I am trying to decide where to go from here. I know that it is not as fast as a new build would be. If I upgrade, I know that I will likely just buy another one of those memory kits, and upgrade to 8GB, my mobo's max.

I also need to upgrade my GPU. I am trying to figure out what to get for this. I have used ASUS ENGTX460 DirectCU TOP/2DI/768MD5 GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 768MB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support ... in builds in the past, and it seemed to perform well, but it is now deactivated. Any recommendations on a good value performer? I would like to keep it under 200 for the GPU, unless there is a good reason to spend more. should I be looking at the 500 series? I think that my mobo should still be able to handle any of these.

Also, I have been considering overclocking my CPU to get a little extra oomph, but that will be additional research into the OC-ability of my CPU, my mobo, and what that would take $$ wise. I rarely see my CPU usage high, so maybe it would not be worth it.

My goal is to try to put off a new build for another year or so. If I buy a decent GPU when I upgrade, I will be able to use that in my new build, so it will not be lost money necessarily. The RAM will be wasted, but that is only $50, not a big deal. A $250 upgrade is waaaay better for me right now than a $1000 build. Plus if the video card can be re-used, I am not wasting much.

Any input on a good GPU, and anything that I might be overlooking? Anyone know if it would be worth looking into OC'ing my CPU?

[rwest]

I don't think overclocking your cpu is gonna do you any good at all. As far as a cpu goes, I think a quad core would do you more good than bumping speed.

I think if you're looking at upgrading or rebuilding soon or next year, buying DDR2 ram (even at $50 bucks) is just a waist of money. If you are starting to page file, maybe get a another hdd and use it only for that. I saw that in another thread. Great idea if planning on upgrading in the near future.

Sorry, I'm not a gamer. I can't help with video.

[jdeb]

You did not list your power supply

Here is the list I trust
Best Graphics Cards For The Money: July 2011 : Updates From June

You have a more than capable CPU, one of my favorites. I would just put the money (upgrade) into a GPU and transfer it when your ready for a new build.

[roaming_builder]

Wow, that is a great article. How have I never seen that one?

Thanks for the input guys. I think I will upgrade the gpu for sure. I will have to ponder the RAM a little more, but I probably will get it anyway. I always use my old machines for servers in my house, so the computer will end up being re-purposed =)

[doubledragon5]

If you add more ram and at $50 that's not a big deal. When you are ready to build a new one. There a plenty of people out there still looking to buy older parts. So you should not have a hard time getting rid of it..