I have the choice of two possible upgrades in about 2 months. I can either get a second 7950GT for SLI, an SLI PSU, and a Athlon 64 X2 3800+,

OR

I can get a Core 2 E4300, ASUS P5B, and 2GB OCZ Value DDR2-667. Based on my system specs in my profile or signature... which is better?

EDIT: June 2nd, 2007 2:56PM EST -- Please read down to the bottom... the situation has changed quite a few times

Well you could overclock the 4300 to 2.8 on air, and the 2 gigs r good too, What are you playing that needs more than one 7950?

I already have 2 gigs, and FEAR seems to lag a bit if I put it on max (35-40FPS in big action) in online games with 12 or more players... I fix it by playing on minimum... but I dearly want to play on max Just wondering which is the OVERALL better upgrade, not just the better one based on a few circumstances...

The Core 2 Duo outperforms the Athlon 64 X2. You know this already.

The question is: should you get a good processor while keeping your current graphics configuration, or go for a lesser processor and get more gaming performance.

Since you asked which is better for an overall upgrade, my vote goes to the E4300 plan. The overall performance of your PC is largely dependent on the CPU, and I'm sure a Core 2 Duo (plus some overclocking maybe?) will give you more of an overall boost in performance.

Turn down those settings and live with your 7950GT for a bit longer .
Besides, shouldn't you be saving up for that 8800GTX?

I'd go with the c2d if i were you

Yea, I think I will go with the C2D. But just wondering, how far will I be able to overclock it with an ASUS P5B (P965 chipset)?

Also... What 8800GTX? Who said I wanted one of those?

I recommend the Core 2 Duo.

See this article.

on the asus psb u can get a 70% overclock on that badboy with a decent wind tunnel in your case, and higher on liquid. My brother overclocked his 4300 on to right under 4Gz with his coolit eliminator, I highly recommend the board if you want to get to 3Ghz

That's cool.

I think this further confirms that the Core 2 Duo is the way to go.

So ASUS P5Bs are good for overclocking/performance?

yeah, I'm thinking of buying the wifi edition just so I can overclock my quad to 4Ghz+

Which should I get if I can get a P5B for a total of $150 or a Gigabyte GA 965P DS3 for $200, assuming I want to save money, but don't want to totally overlook performance to do so?

In other words, is the Gigabyte worth the extra money considering I have to go over my budget, wait another month and a half for the upgrade, and order it from online so I have to pay shipping?

The Gigabyte board is good, but the p5b still has better reviews.

Alright. So the upgrade is looking like a Core 2 E4300, ASUS P5B, and 2GB (2x1024MB) of OCZ value ram.

With my CNPS 7000B, would it be possible for me to reach 3.2 GHz?

you should be able to get it to 2.9 or higher on stock, so I would think you can obtain that.

Just wanted to add/update to the thoughts here. I really want to make the right purchase so I want to add that the choice is now between the following:

Core 2 E4300, ASUS P5B, 4GB OCZ DDR2-800 (instead of 2GB OCZ DDR2-667 before) (there's been a price reduction )


OR:

Keep everything in my current system and add an 8800GTX.

Is the Core 2/P5B/4GB still a better option considering I will most likely overclock the Core 2 to the maximum possible extent that my cooling solutions provide?

/bump/ anyone???

oh man you throw a gtx into the picture, that's a different story, but arent you worried about the gtx being bottlenecked by your old cpu. might want to wait till after july22 when intel cuts cpu prices.

I think you should go with the C2D+Mobo+RAM upgrade.
I think this would be a better choice than getting an 8800GTX, because getting that top-of-the-line graphics card for your current CPU/Mobo/RAM configuration might pose a bottleneck. The last-gen DDR RAM and S939 Athlon might hold back an 8800GTX.

And about your new decision of 4GB OCZ RAM, is it still the OCZ Value series you mentioned before?
I'd like to suggest that instead of getting 4GB of OCZ Value RAM, you should get 2GB of high-end performance RAM. High-end memory modules will benefit your overclocking intentions better than the OCZ Value series products.

Not to mention that you probably will have too much RAM with 4gb.... Will probably get flamed for suggesting there is such a thing as too much RAM....


Much better to get yourself 2gb of high performance RAM, save up money, and get another 2gb later on when you need it. Overclocks better too.