Thinking of upgrading Desktop (Video card, OS) over Christmas

[Rockstaru]

I'm thinking of upgrading my desktop over Christmas, but I'm having trouble figuring out the best way to do this.

Current setup:

Intel Q6600 2.4 GHz Quad Core
Nvidia 8800GTX 768 MB
4GB DDR2 RAM
32-bit Vista Home Premium
http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/4985/cpuzgn1.jpg

What I want to do is an SLI setup (was hoping for the same card), and to upgrade to a 64-bit OS (Vista Ultimate) over the holiday break. However, I can't find out whether it's possible to upgrade from 32-bit home premium to 64-bit ultimate. Additionally, I've been told that it's very difficult to put together an SLI setup when the cards are bought separately.

Does anyone have any advice?

Thanks.

[Shuemue]

Overclock that CPU for starters

[Pikarya]

Existing power supply?/Power supply upgrade?

[Rockstaru]

Power supply is 1 kilowatt, I'm not sure of the brand right now (detailed spec sheet is back home.)

[Shuemue]

Check the PSU brand please, not all 1kw PSU's are created equal. It's probably fine if it's branded though.

[Cephius]

It'd be pretty pointless to upgrade your GPU if you're not going to overclock. The CPU is your bottleneck long before you reach the max capacity of that video card.

[Rockstaru]

Alright, I took a couple of pictures, dunno if these will help:

Power supply:
http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/4347/picture2lm3.jpg
(sorry for the blurry picture - I'm working in a cramped space.) Near as I can tell, it's just a Dell power supply.

Processor info:
Processor Type = Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU
Processor Clock Speed = 2.40 GHz
Processor Bus Speed = 1066 MHz
Processor L2 Cache = 8 MB
Processor L3 Cache = 0 B
Multiple Core Capable = Yes (Quad)
Hyperthreading Capable = No
64-bit Technology = Yes (Intel EM64T)

That was the information system setup (from the boot menu) had for my processor. There was an option to allow/disallow software to overclock computer components near the bottom of the menu - I left it alone for the moment.
You say that the processor is more of a bottleneck than the GPU? What would be the easiest way to overclock it (and would I have to get a better cooling system?)

EDIT: I suppose I should've included this in the original post: this is a Dell XPS710, not a custom built system (I know, lolDell and all. Not my choice, it was a graduation present.)

[viperlasson]

You still have a great video card, what resolution do you game at? If it is 1680 x 1050 or under, you really will not see a big improvement with a SLI setup. And wtf, CPUz is saying your processor is operating at 1.6GHz that is a HUGE bottle neck to your system. Dell must have under clocked your CPU? (Stock is 2.4GHz)

Overclocking can only be done in the BIOS, check the advanced settings, you'll want to raise the multiplier to the highest with the highest bus speed. (Multiplier multiplies your bus speed giving you your GHz). I wouldn't worry about your cooling, Core 2 Duo's are awesome overclockers, specially the Q6600. Try finding two numbers equaling around 3000 or 3200 MHz.

I would also recommend your 64bit vista upgrade that you mentioned, since you already have 4GB of ram. Microsoft has a program here:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/win...e-advisor.aspx
that can help you with your question

[Rockstaru]

Well, right now I've been playing Fallout 3 at all settings maxed out, 1920x1200 resolution. It does fine with inside environments, but outside framerates tend to slow down. It wasn't fallout specifically that prompted this though - mostly Crysis, Doom 3, and other resource hog FPS games that did.

The 1.6GHz reading will jump up to 2.4GHz when I'm doing something that eats up resources - for example, it's jumping back and forth between the two as I'm typing this.

That Update Advisor program didn't really tell me much - all it will report back is that my computer can run Windows Vista, which I already am. I was just curious if there was any sort of upgrade from 32-bit to 64-bit - not one that necessarily preserves all my files (I have a 500GB external I can import and export from), but something that doesn't require me to buy the full version of Vista Ultimate.

[Avanarius]

doom 3? wut? that computer should tear doom 3 apart.

also, if you're looking for an upgrade worthwhile from 8800gtx I recommend waiting for new 55nm cards hopefully sometime this month.

[Cephius]

And wtf, CPUz is saying your processor is operating at 1.6GHz that is a HUGE bottle neck to your system. Dell must have under clocked your CPU? (Stock is 2.4GHz)

That's Intel Speedstep, which automatically underclocks your CPU when idling in order to conserve power. It can be disabled in the BIOS as well.

There is no "upgrade CD" that allows you to jump from 32 bit to 64 bit vista, you need to format and start over. However you shouldn't need to buy a CD, if Vista came with your computer you should be able to order a 64 bit DVD from Microsoft, that's what I did. Only costs about 10 dollars. Use this link to do this, you just need the product key of your OS, which should be on the sticker on the side of your computer.

[Killgannon]

Overclock that CPU for starters

agreeing with lolshue is not often a good idea, but i have to agree here

i have the same processor and its running very stably at 3.2GHz

upgrading to 64bit will allow you to use all 4GB of ram, but not much else (maybe make you a bit more futureproof)

edit: your RAM is also 2 different speeds, toss it all out and buy some mushkin or something off name brands of ram make baby seals get clubbed

[Rockstaru]

That's Intel Speedstep, which automatically underclocks your CPU when idling in order to conserve power. It can be disabled in the BIOS as well.

There is no "upgrade CD" that allows you to jump from 32 bit to 64 bit vista, you need to format and start over. However you shouldn't need to buy a CD, if Vista came with your computer you should be able to order a 64 bit DVD from Microsoft, that's what I did. Only costs about 10 dollars. Use this link to do this, you just need the product key of your OS, which should be on the sticker on the side of your computer.

I tried the link you gave, it just comes back with a message saying "no offer found." It's a legitimate copy of Vista; do I just not qualify for this?

Thank you for all the replies, guys!

EDIT: Is it possible for me to even upgrade my video card at this point? I thought that ATI/Nvidia had largely moved to the x16 2.0 standard, and the maximum my motherboard will support (according to CPU-z) is x16.

[viperlasson]

yeah your motherboard supports the latest PCI-E 2.0 16x. First try overclocking your CPU, run through games, then see if you still want to buy a new card. I would reccomend an nvidia 260 or ati 4870.

I personally have an ATI 4870 1GB. It is all I can ask for from upgrading from an old nvidia 7900.

[Rockstaru]

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/4885/speedfaney0.jpg

Are these temperatures normal for idling?

[Cephius]

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/4885/speedfaney0.jpg

Are these temperatures normal for idling?

Speedfan usually shows temps about 10 degrees cooler than what they are. That's a bit hot for stock speeds. The again, dell heatsinks are pretty much crap.

[Rockstaru]

I tested it against a second program, Core Temp...are they both off? =/

http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/9...compareoz8.jpg

[Cephius]

Oh, maybe they fixed it, usually speedfan has a different TJmax which makes it off. But Real Temp has the right one there so that's your correct temps. Those temps are fine if not a <i>little</i> on the hot side for stock speeds. But yeah, you have a little room there to overclock if you want to.

[Rockstaru]

Alright, cool. One last question for you guys--I've been doing a little bit of research, and what I've read suggests that the BIOS loaded on most Dell motherboards does not allow overclocking through BIOS. There is an option I can check in BIOS that allows software overclocking, but I can't adjust anything directly through BIOS. If that's the case, then 1)What software overclocking programs are out there/which one would work the best for my PC, 2)would a software overclock only work while the software is running, or would it be a permanent change, and 3)do software overclocking programs have some sort of safeguard that prevent you from going too far (i.e., something that will monitor the temperature and automatically scale back the overclock if things get too hot?)

Thanks so much for the help, everyone!

[Cephius]

First off, its true that most Dells will not let you overclock... but XPS systems should be an exception to this. At least with my old XPS 600 it was an option. However if you don't see it... you might be out of luck. I highly recommend against doing software overclocking, as it's terribly inaccurate. Most of the time, the voltages, temperatures, and fan speeds passed from the BIOS to the OS are grossly inaccurate. You run the risk of overvolting your system if you try to do this, and I wouldn't recommend messing with it unless A) you have an idea what you're doing already and B) you can overclock from the BIOS.

Now this guide is for a Nvidia 780i motherboard, but it provides a good basis of information that should get you an idea of what is involved when overclocking. Better yet, your CPU is listed there, so it should give you some pre-tested settings to play with if you choose to.

It also gives you the golden rule of overclocking: If you can't afford to replace it, don't overclock it