My PC is home built. The "new" PC options account for keeping the same case, PSU, HD, and DVD drive (if I bother).
The current PC has 4GB of DDR2 1066. This is 2x2GB. It had 4x2gb but a stick died. I removed the two matching sticks, as you are supposed to match them with dual channel memory. My motherboard supports both DDR2 and DDR3 (2 slots for 1, 4 for the other), but not simultaneously. 2x2GB of DDR2 1066 is roughly the same price as 2x4GB of DDR3 1600. So replacing it with the 1600 is the logical choice as it is faster. With it comes the possibility that I could sell the remaining 2x2 DDR2 sticks.
I'm a huge proponent of video gaming on Xbox or play station over PC. You don't get sucked into the latest and greatest upgrade cycle on pcs.
That said, just buy new ram.
Totally understandable. I have a PS3. Its ok, but has a number of issues I don't have to deal with on a PC. PC gaming is still much more fun to me, not to mention I use it for more than gaming. As you can see by 1) my 6 year old computer and 2) my proposed upgrades, I'm hardly stuck on the latest and greatest upgrade cycle.
Are you actually finding you're running out of RAM or anything? Not sure whether you still have 4Gb working.. That's what I think you're saying, 8Gb = 2x4Gb sticks, one of which is dead?
Yeah, I tap the 4GB limit.
If you're into gaming, I'd go the mid route. 3700 to 4200 'points' on the GPU.. who cares? Drivers will do stuff, but generally if a game will work on one it'll work on the other. 1200 -> 3000 is a pretty big leap...
Agreed, its a huge leap. For now, its more than adequate, but the question is will the extra overhead at a minor cost extend the service life of the machine? I suppose leaving that $ on the table allows for a GPU upgrade in several years.
I like to think I chose my components well if my current PC was able to last this long and perform as well as it did. I can only hope that I am able to do the same with the next build should I choose to upgrade.
And I have a personal preference for energy efficient components and passive heatsinks that I can cool with quiet/silent airflow.
I usually lean that way. I have a big cooler with a large low RPM fan thats pretty quiet. BUT, the upgrade components I suggested are 95W and 125W TDP processors. I would love to go with an Intel chip for the MUCH better thermal efficiency, but the performance/$ just isn't there, especially when you consider that the AMD chips are unlocked and you cannot overclock the i5/i7 without buying a $$$$ K series :(. Its a shame. Being able to extract 20-30% extra performance for free is pretty nice.
Part of me is still kicking myself for not getting a 1st or 2nd gen i5 or i7 where overclocking was possible and it would still be competitive from a performance standpoint today. I wonder if this is still an option.... off to ebay...
If you find that the PC is ever starting to feel slow or sluggish on Windows, you can always install Ubuntu or some other free Linux distribution.
Ehh... sorta. Linux is definitely lightweight and fast by comparison, but... I run Ubuntu on my laptop. Great for web surfing and basic office stuff, not much else. Lightroom, CAD work, games, etc. are much better supported in the Windows environment.