Hi all
I'm a bit behind on the latest chips etc so have joined to ask some advice.
My current PC is a Core2 Duo 6300 1.86, 2GB RAM across 4 slots, GeForce 9500GT and and ASRock ConRoe945G-DVI mobo with a couple of SATA drives and a DVDRW. I'm running Windows 7.
My main use (aside from email and browsing) is Photoshop, Dreamweaver and InDesign but boot up times and app start up times (esp the Adobe stuff) are starting to get ridiculous.
I also play the very occasional game of COD or MOH so gaming isn't a major priority.
I could re-format but I'm thinking it may be time to throw some cash at it instead.
My current options are:
a. I'm aware my RAM is probably a bottleneck and for around £80 I could get 2 x 2GB sticks of DDR2 667 RAM but this would probably only be a temp solution.
b. Buy AMD Phenom II X4 945, Gigabyte GA-870A-UD3 and 4GB (2x2GB) Corsair DDR3 PC3-10666 (1333) and keep the rest.
c. Buy AMD Phenom II X6 1055T, Gigabyte GA-880GMA-UD2H and 4GB (2x2GB) Corsair XMS3 DDR3 PC3-12800 (1600) and keep the rest.
I suppose my questions are....
1. Will I notice the difference of option c over option b? Will it last me considerably longer for the additional £50ish it will cost?
2. Will a newer graphics card help?
3. What power PSU will I need for b and c?
4. Do I need a separate cooler for the chip or is the retail one adequate? I'm not interested in overclocking.
Any comments, or better suggestions appreciated!