Hi there,
I mostly use my PC for editing in Premiere Pro CS3 although I do play the odd game. Unfortunately performance isn't great in Premiere or games (possibly due to the Quadro graphics card).
I'm considering either upgrading the CPU from an Athlon X2 6000+, or buying a new motherboard and a few other innards. I was was wondering if you would mind giving me some feedback as to whether this would improve performance significantly and if it's worth it?
I'm based in the UK and I've jotted down some prices against the kit I'm considering, however don't let it put you off offering advice about the tech if you're in a different region :-)
Current spec
Mobo: Asus M2N-SLI Deluxe
Processor: Athlon X2 6000+
RAM: Corsair 6GB DDR2 Memory
Video: Quadro FX 4600
HDD: S-ATA 72000rpm 250GB (if I've remembered right)
OS: Windows 7x64
Option 1: Upgrade with the existing motherboard
Keep the above spec but upgrade the CPU to an AMD Phenom II X4 945 (£65). I wouldn't want to do more as the motherboard is old so I'd have to be equally old kit. I'd also probably not get an SSD as the motherboard only supports S-ATA 3Gb/s and I gather the latest kit is much improved.
Option 2: Upgrade with a different motherboard:
Mobo: M5A78L-M/USB3 (£65) or M5A97 (£30)
Processor: AMD Bulldozer FX-Series FX-8120 Black Edition (£118)
RAM: 16GB DDR3 1066 (£55) or 8gb (£40)
HDD: Possibly intall an SSD
Windows 8: x64 (£25)
- And then sell the existing motherboard, CPU and RAM.However this will probably be too expensive for me at the moment.
Mobo
I know the more expensive motherboard would be better but would I really see a difference if I opted for the cheaper one? I'm trying to stick with Asus if possible as I've been really impressed with this model - it's lasted for years and I still have a few upgrade paths available. Most stable mobo I've ever bought.
Memory
I'm taking into consideration Premiere CS3 is 32 and so would only see 3GB. Originally I was going to try and use my existing DDR2 till I realised it wouldn't be supported.
Graphics
I could either keep the existing Quadro FX 4600, or I could replace it with a mid-range GeForce GTX 650 1024MB GDDR5 (£80). With the improvements in technology, is the Quadro still a good card to have or would a GeForce be any better (and also open up the possibiity of some light gaming?)
I originally purchased the Quadro for animation in Maya along with editing in Premiere and Photoshop, but I've not had the opportunity to do that so whilst I'd like to keep the option open, it's not essential. Any thoughts?
Hard drive
Windows 7 currently tells me that the hard drive is the slowest component in the system but I'm holding off getting an SSD as I've concerns I'd run out of space on the one I could afford if I bought it as a primary drive.
Or I may end up leaving it alone if it doesn't look like it's worth upgrading the existing system and I can't afford to build a new one. What do you think?