I've been thinking of upgrading my old PC so that it can handle Far Cry 3 better (the game runs okay on medium settings, but it stutters a little when loading geometry), and I'd like some thoughts on my upgrade ideas.
This is what I have right now:
CPU: Intel Core2Duo E7400 2.8 @ 3.0GHz, 1066 @ 1145 MHz FSB, 3MB L2 cache, socket 775 (I do have an E8600 lying around somewhere, but I accidentally got thermal grease on the contact surface, so I don't know if it'll work)
GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTS250 1GB PCI-E
RAM: 2x2GB DDR2-800 @ 860MHz (I also have some 4x1GB DDR2-1066 sticks from the E8600 machine, but they don't work on my motherboard)I'm not quite sure about the PSU, but I'd guess it outputs something between 500 and 600W.
Now, this is what I have in mind:
CPUMy CPU uses the discontinued socket 775, and therefore buying new-in-package parts is out of the question. However, I found quite a lot of chips on ebay. I ignored the dual-core and lower end quad-core chips, but I did find some good candidates:
Core2Quad Q9400:
[1][2]Core2Quad Q9450:
[1]Core2Quad Q9550:
[1][2][3]Core2Quad Extreme QX6700:
[1]I'd expect these chips to be sold for ~$100. Is this a reasonable price, or should I look somewhere else?
Also, none of the CPU's listed come with heatsink/fan. I have the heatsink from the E8600; will that do, or do I need something beefier? If I do buy a new heatsink I don't want to waste money on a factory heatsink, but rather something quieter and with better cooling. Are there any specific models I should be looking around for?
GPUFor the GPU I've been considering the Nvidia GTX460, since it's been getting quite good reviews. It's a bit old by now, so I might be able to buy a used, cheap one.
So, what do you think of my ideas? Is there some sense to them, or is it just a waste of money?
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