should i get a new system or upgrade the current one - opinions wanted

Breadbin

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May 26, 2012
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i currently have this
Phenom 2 555 - can unlock to quad no bother
asrock 790gx pro
4gb corsair
2tb hd
nvidia 9800gt
both 17" sony trinitron and 28" samsung lcd
northq 380w psu

it works well for me as i use the 17" crt and don't ever go over 1024x768 in games. the only trouble is the motherboard is broken and every now and then it just freezes. could get 12 hours without freezing and then i could have 4 in 10 minutes so its just so annoying and needs to be fixed.

my options are

1. get a new motherboard and keep going from there - i'm 99% sure the problem is with the mobo because i checked everything else. i could possibly upgrade something else if i went this way like a 670gtx or something but then i would need a new psu then too but. i could get a mobo, gfx card and psu for same price as next option.

2. get new system. i was looking at a core i5 3570k build for about £400. the thing is the phenom 2 as quad is perfect at the moment i dont ever find myself struggling or giving out so i am perfectly happy with it. the only reason i was thinking of the i5 was in case the mobo was not the culprit and i wasted money buying a new mobo that i didn't need. its really only the gfx card i would need to upgrade.

so i don't know what to do as regards this, i need to stabilise the system somehow cos its freezing is driving me insane!

quick fix could be a asrock 970 extreme 3 for £80 - should unlock the phenom to quad core and stop the freezing but then if it didn't it would be a complete waste of money. and could upgrade in my own time down the line
 

edogawa

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Jan 4, 2012
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I would highly suggest a new build. No matter what you try to upgrade, you will also need a new power supply. The most important gaming component is a graphics card, and that power supply won't cut it. Even if you get a new processor, you still have a very outdated graphics card which will not allow you to play games in the last 3-4 years.

I think a good method, if your tight on case, right now for you would buy a new case, processor, and graphics card, hard drive that you really want, and get a cheap replacement board Then upgrade the motherboard, memory, processor a little later on.
 

Breadbin

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May 26, 2012
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Thanks for the reply. I got myself a new board and power supply so that I will be able to fit a new graphics card in there at some stage. I didn't go the intel way cos I don't really need the processing power like you say the 9800 is the bottleneck. It's not so bad though I can play everything I want at the minute so won't upgrade yet. Should have the pay and mobo soon enough!