upgrading hard drive vs. video card- need help

[Matt2662]

i am in the process of choosing a new upgrade for my gaming computer. first, here is my current setup:

- Asus A8N-SLI Premium motherboard
- AMD Athlon64 4000+ CPU
- 3GB DDR400 PC3200 RAM (1x1GB, 2x 512MB)
- 2x BFG GeForce 7800GTX Overclocked video cards
- 120GB SATA150 7200RM Maxtor Diamondmax HD
- Generic 450/500W PSU (can't remember which it is)

i am trying to decide between two upgrade options and i'm not entirely certain which option to go with in order to get the best performance boost for playing games (mainstream games).

Option 1: upgrade my current hard drive to a Seagate SATA300 7200RPM 500GB HD

Option 2: upgrade my current set of video cards with a Diamond ATI Radeon 3650 1GB video card

My assumption is that the video card upgrade option would be the better bet- even if the card is a low end one i think it still beats out the combo i have right now in terms of performance.

Can anyone provide some suggestions or advice on this?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[wahnula]

Your hard drive has the LEAST impact on game performance. First is always the GPU. I would recommend taking your budget for the (2) cards and applying it towards the single best card you can afford, like the 4850 X2 series from ATI/AMD. This will slaughter two lesser cards in CrossFire, and you can always add another!

Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[cdogg]

Yep, I'll echo that as well. The hard drive has very little impact when compared to a video card upgrade. This is especially true in your situation when moving from an existing SATA 7200RPM hard drive to another. The only way you'll notice any difference in speed from that transition will be if the older SATA drive doesn't support NCQ but the newer one does. Even then, the difference will be minimal in comparison to your other options.

As for your pick of the Radeon 3650 HD, keep in mind that this is only a slight upgrade to what you have now. In most benchmarks, it will only entail a 10% improvement or less over the 7800GTX, and in some cases actually lose. Also realize that there are two flavors of the 3650. In order to get the one that will outperform the 7800GTX, you must select the higher-end "800 MHz GDDR3 memory clock" version.

Personally, I would hold out for a better upgrade. Use this interactive chart to help you decide:

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/gaming-graphics-charts-q3-2008/benchmarks,30.html

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Einstein
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[paparazi]

Couple of points:
2 X Nvidia cards means SLi not crossfire....The grafics card option has much more of an influence on gaming performance full stop. My problem here is the 7800GTX was Nvidia's top 7000 series and two of them in SLi are pretty formidable and to be honest...I should think faster than a single, middle ranking card like the 3650 (the fact that it's a 1gig card doesn't really make it any more powerful, that's down to the GPU)
If you are going to better this older but powerful pairing you will need to go for a single ATI 4850/4870 or 9800GTX/GTX260 or HIGHER.
Frankly I suprised that you rig hasn't gone bang yet! running two power hungry 7800GTX's on a generic 450/500watt PSU, is I'm afraid just a matter of time so best get that changed for a 600watt plus quality replacement ASAP.
We also have to be a little careful here....your aging platform will be bottlenecking any ultra fast replacement graphics card...how much by is hard to determine but you may need to look at this as the first step in an overall upgrade solution so choose you parts with one eye on the next step you are going to take.
Hope this helps


On wings like angels whispers sweet
my heart it feels a broken beat
Touched soul and hurt lay wounded deep
Brown eyes are lost afar and sleep

 

[CiscoGuy33]

Matt,

I am with paparazi you said - "- Generic 450/500W PSU (can't remember which it is)" I would do a little checking on a "name" power supply.

In my job at a large college, I see lots of students, and they ask on their game rigs - when I ask about the power supply it is ALWAYS the thing they spent the least on if anything at all - it came with the case or out of that other PC they had. I had one guy tell me he spent $30 on the case and the 450 PS it came with :-(

When I built one of my PCs several years back, I started with a Lian Lee case and the top rated power supply at the time was about $130 went in it to replace the "generic" ps or should I say pos that I had. That system to this day runs smooth as can be!!

A top rated power supply in most cases will not make the rig any faster, but things should run better and your parts will last longer if the power they are getting is "right"!!

It's like some of those kit cars from the 70's-80's - you took a VW bug engine/frame/wheels and drop a Ferrari "like" body on it, it might look like a Ferrari, but it runs and performs like a VW Bug

Hope this helps!


E.A. Broda
CCNA, CCDA, CCAI, Network +

 

[Matt2662]

thanks for all the responses- i just realized that i failed to mention the memory size for the video cards i have- they are both 256MB cards.

and i am on a budget so i cannot afford to purchase a new video that sells for more than this particular one does (or more than the new hard).

 

[paparazi]

Sorry Matt...in that case stick with what you have for now and spend the monies you have for the 3650 on a decent power supply......I know this is not what you want to hear but it is my advice as a concerned fellow Tek-Tips member.
Martin

On wings like angels whispers sweet
my heart it feels a broken beat
Touched soul and hurt lay wounded deep
Brown eyes are lost afar and sleep

 

[Matt2662]

on the contrary, Martin- what i want to 'hear' are any good tips/suggestions that others cane bring to this decision making process- thank you for yours

and for all others as well!

 

[SimonDavies]

GPU all the way, as to which brand?? well that's down to you.

Are you planning on SLI'ing again in the future? if so then it's an Nvidia card, if you're planning on Crossfire it's the ATI card.

It all comes down to personal choice really, I have been using Nvidia cards for a while now (I had the old 7900gtx's which were awesome), have had the 8800's and the 9800gtx's. I even have a gtx295 sitting in a box waiting for me to finish building an intel based machine (currently got an Nvidia board that I am using with my 9800gtx's). I looked at the ATI options out there but simply didn't like the heat they put out.

In all honesty I would have a look at the prices for an 8800 Ultra if you can find one, they are still one of the best cards out there and should be affordable.

Simon

The real world is not about exam scores, it's about ability.

 

[cdogg]

I overlooked that. I agree that it is essential that you have a quality power supply. You know you hear a lot of people say it, but this article actually explains all the reasoning behind it.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-radeon-power,2122.html

From the article:

GeForce 7800 GTX SLI (256 MB) 156.6 watts at full 3D load 13.0 A current required

Not all power supplies (especially generic ones) have a high 12V current rating measured in Amps. Check the label on yours to be sure. Most high-end cards these days require a range of 20-25A with some that go even higher. Bookmark that chart!

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Einstein
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