Should I build a new rig?

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Should I build a new rig?

Sorry about starting a thread on a personal topic.

This is a question I am on the fence about. With the upcoming Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 games which obviously I am greatly anticipating, I do worry about how my PC is going to cope, I felt my PC's age recently when I had to run Bioshock Infinite at medium settings. First game in a while I had to set that low to keep a decent framerate. Big problems I know, medium *gasp* :p but this does bring up the question about how it can handle games from the next couple of years.

Rather than give you a dxdiag I'll list my most important parts. This rig was built back in late 2008 btw

ASUS M3A78-T motherboard (AM2+, PCI Express 2.0 x16 etc etc).
Radeon HD 4870x2
Phenom 9950 quad core black edition
4gb RAM.
Finance situation, could be better but not about to go hungry and homeless. Can easily save up for parts.

I welcome any and all feedback, suggestions, tips, etc etc.
 
Well, first thing's first, motherboard soundcards are shit. Period. If you're fine with that, then good luck to you. I hope yours has a bass lever, because they usually don't have one. Second, RAM is something you can up of course, depending on your MB.

GFX is a moneysink, so be wary of that. Also, if you go for a processor, you might want to go for a new MB, and that might mean new RAM as well (not necessarily though.)

ATi has unfortunately fallen behind nVidia in power in the past years, or so I've heard. Having a Radeon means you're gimping yourself, basically. I've also heard the same about AMD processors. Right now you'd want to be sitting on an Intel and an nVidia. Or so I've heard.

Don't spend anything crazy, that's the best advice.
 
I would advise you not to upgrade anything till the specifications for TW3 are actually released- people are able to satisfactorily run TW2 on not-so-top-of-the-range PCs, so there's some leeway there. There's nothing wrong with window shopping, but it's hard to give a reasonable response when we're unclear on the specific requirements for the games in question.
 
Well, first thing's first, motherboard soundcards are shit. Period. If you're fine with that, then good luck to you. I hope yours has a bass lever, because they usually don't have one. Second, RAM is something you can up of course, depending on your MB.

GFX is a moneysink, so be wary of that. Also, if you go for a processor, you might want to go for a new MB, and that might mean new RAM as well (not necessarily though.)

ATi has unfortunately fallen behind nVidia in power in the past years, or so I've heard. Having a Radeon means you're gimping yourself, basically. I've also heard the same about AMD processors. Right now you'd want to be sitting on an Intel and an nVidia. Or so I've heard.

Don't spend anything crazy, that's the best advice.

Motherboard sound isn't a problem for me. Plus I own some good 5.1 headsets anyway. And this isn't the first time I built a PC so I have that to fall on with judging price on components. I'll take a look at Nvidia and thanks for the advice, I was planning on looking at an intel i5 at least anyway.

I would advise you not to upgrade anything till the specifications for TW3 are actually released- people are able to satisfactorily run TW2 on not-so-top-of-the-range PCs, so there's some leeway there. There's nothing wrong with window shopping, but it's hard to give a reasonable response when we're unclear on the specific requirements for the games in question.
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Yeah I was just thinking I should have waited for the specs, maybe they won't be as scary as I am anticipating. I am just trying to anticipate how much longer my system can last and although I can run Witcher 2 at pretty high settings, I can't deny the hardware is getting a bit dated now.

I guess I jumped the gun a bit my apologies.
 
Also, the TW3 release is a year away, the CP77 even further. By the time they're about to come out, technology will have moved on, current models will be a lot cheaper, new models will be out. It definitely makes more sense to wait, unless your current PC is having problems.
 
I agree it`s best to wait a bit unless you`re having major issues right now . PC technology is always evolving and expanding and sometimes not for the better . So with that being said I would start saving now and then when the specs are released for Witcher 3 you might be in a better position to fully upgrade your system . There is a saying that goes something like when upgrading your PC and you have all the parts needed then throw them in the trash can and return for the latest that has now been released . While not exactly accurate it isn`t far from being correct .
 
Ok I shall wait in anticipation for the witcher 3 specs along side everyone else. At least TW2 was pretty well optimized for what it has so long as you don't use ubersampling, I can take comfort in that as proof CDPR know what they are doing.
 
Of course I doubt that any specs will be revealed but Gamescom is getting very close . I expect to see something new about either W3 or 2077 . Hopeful anyway .
 
Yeah. Aren't we all.

I wouldn't wait for the W3 specs or 2077 specs. Specs aren't worth much in my experience.

Instead, wait for a month or two before release - six months at worst. Then start examining price points. Intel is still on top, although that may change and Nvidia is on top right now, but again, that may change. You're looking for a price point typically three down from the top for CPUs - sometimes more if you o/c - and at least two down from the top for GPUs.

Memory doesn't matter so much anymore, nor does your HDD. Longer you wait, cheaper and larger SSd drives will be, but frankly, other than boot up time, they just don't make that much of a difference.

So, wait. I typically buy in early fall with Back to School sales, or late fall with Black Friday/Christmas-era sales. Start examining Anandtech, HardOCP and Tom's Hardware, Guru3D around then for reviews.
 
Yeah. Aren't we all.

I wouldn't wait for the W3 specs or 2077 specs. Specs aren't worth much in my experience.

Instead, wait for a month or two before release - six months at worst. Then start examining price points. Intel is still on top, although that may change and Nvidia is on top right now, but again, that may change. You're looking for a price point typically three down from the top for CPUs - sometimes more if you o/c - and at least two down from the top for GPUs.

Memory doesn't matter so much anymore, nor does your HDD. Longer you wait, cheaper and larger SSd drives will be, but frankly, other than boot up time, they just don't make that much of a difference.

So, wait. I typically buy in early fall with Back to School sales, or late fall with Black Friday/Christmas-era sales. Start examining Anandtech, HardOCP and Tom's Hardware, Guru3D around then for reviews.

Question about Nvidia cards actually. Probably a stupid question as well I imagine for Nvidia owners. I do a lot of hardware comparisons before I buy, and from what I see ATI usually win out in most category's, which is what prompted me to buy my HD4870x2 in the first place. So what is it about Nvidia that makes it popular?

Also that sounds like the best thing to do at this point. Although the specs will help determine how my current PC will be able to handle those games as well.
 
You're looking for a price point typically three down from the top for CPUs - sometimes more if you o/c - and at least two down from the top for GPUs.

This, definitely. I'm pretty sure that all tech companies put a "bragging rights" surcharge on the top models. The price hike from the second-highest to the top of the range never seems to tie in with the different in specs.
 
It's almost worthless because it will change before you buy, Vincent, but for example, http://www.anandtech.com/bench/GPU12/372 demonstrates that with a few exceptions ( very expensive cross fire solutions that few will invest in), Nvidia is on top of the charts right now. Generally. Mostly.

It's pretty academic, though, unless you are a fanboy who keeps track for some inane reason. What really matters is when you are buying, you determine your desired performance level with your desired machine, then examine card performance and price point in similar games. That's what will make you happy.
 
This, definitely. I'm pretty sure that all tech companies put a "bragging rights" surcharge on the top models. The price hike from the second-highest to the top of the range never seems to tie in with the different in specs.

Haha yeah especially when there is hardly a worthwhile perfomance gap between them most of the time.

It's almost worthless because it will change before you buy, Vincent, but for example, http://www.anandtech.com/bench/GPU12/372 demonstrates that with a few exceptions ( very expensive cross fire solutions that few will invest in), Nvidia is on top of the charts right now. Generally. Mostly.

It's pretty academic, though, unless you are a fanboy who keeps track for some inane reason. What really matters is when you are buying, you determine your desired performance level with your desired machine, then examine card performance and price point in similar games. That's what will make you happy.

Makes sense, just check to see whats available when your buying and go from there. Thanks Sard. I should have just realised Nvidia overshot ATI since I last bought a GPU :eek: oh well.
 
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