How much longer do you think my computer has? Should I build a new computer?

Well I'm a gamer. I don't play all the latest games, but I do play some fairly new games and I like them on high graphic settings. However, I know my system is getting a little old and isn't quite delivering the high quality I expect. A few games I play:


Mass Effect 1 %26amp; 2,


Fallout 3,


GTA 4


and a bunch of older, less demanding games.





I plan to play Dragon Age Origins, Crisis (all of them), BioShock (1 %26amp; 2), Mass Effect 3 (when it comes out) and I just want to be prepared for the newest games. I usually play FPS and RPG's on PC.





My specs:





CPU: AMD Athlon II x4 630 @ 3.4GHz


MOBO: ASUS M4A785-M


RAM: 1x 2GB DDR2 1066 (@ 972MHz due to OC instability)


GPU: MSI Radeon 4670 1GB


HDD: 750GB 7200RPM


PSU: 530W continuous


OS: Windows XP Professional SP3





What I'm thinking to build:


CPU: Phenom II x6 1055T or 1090T


RAM: 4GB DDR3 1666+


GPU: Radeon 5770 or 5830


HDD: 60 - 120GB SSD and 1TB+ HDD.


OS: Win7 64bit (Ultimate?)





So basically I want to know if building a new system along those lines is worth it. If not, how much longer should I keep my current rig until I build a new one? Any suggestions for the new rig?





Thanks for your input.|||You don't need to build a whole new computer to play tough titles well, you just need to upgrade your graphics card and upgrade to Windows 7 (for DX11 support).





Just replacing the Radeon 4670 with a 5770 would double your fps! And that probably wouldn't even require a psu upgrade... The 5770 has a minimum requirement of 450W but your OC may be pushing power consumption.





http://www.techspot.com/review/209-ati-r鈥?/a>





Overall, gaming performance is about 66% GPU-based and 33% CPU-based. In older games it's actually closer to 75% GPU-based. So it's the graphics card that you really want to invest in- your current rig is fast enough to drive a Radeon 5830 or 5850, if you *really* want performance.





At stock speeds, the Phenom II X6 1055T is weaker for gaming than the Phenom II X4 965, so there's no reason to go hexacore unless you're building a video editing/3D design workstation. For gaming rigs, those additional cores are less valuable than higher clockspeed.





http://www.techspot.com/review/269-amd-p鈥?/a>





With a GPU and OS upgrade (and arguably a little more RAM) your current rig will be good for another couple of years. By then there will be a new generation of processors and graphics cards.|||Heres the solution....get a Mac!|||I'm in the same situation as you, except I don't even have a computer for gaming yet. On what you are about to build, you could make some changes.





You don't need Win7 ultimate unless you use bitlocker or you like using different languages. You don't even need Pro unless you back up to network drives or have legacy programs that need xp mode. (you can't really run any games in XP mode, as it is more aimed at accounting software that companies rely on). I am going to get Win7 Home Premium as it is all I need. I am getting the system builder's edition as it's only $99.99, off of Newegg.





For the CPU, you don't really need a six core for gaming from what I hear. I don't think any games can use that many cores. You can get one of their 3.4Ghz x4 phenom IIs black for like 150-180? Then you have more money for a good heatsink.





For the SSD, I recommend only buying one as two in RAID can not utilize TRIM. Just get one really good one. I am going to get this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as鈥?/a>





As for the graphics, I don't know much but people on forums always tell me to go with the Radeon 5850. I really don't know.





Get a good case that is big enough to house a new graphics card. The bigger the case the better the cooling, I think.





Good luck.|||if your old computer has an pci express(2.0) slot i see no problem in just upgrading the gpu instead of replacing the whole computer.





and i feel that your new build is a little silly, i would much rather reccomend skipping the ssd and going for a better gpu. And i have never been a fan of high-end amd proccessors, if you need something more powerful than the phenom ii x4 965 you are better off with an intel proccessor. and i really think you need to prioritise better, first you get a decent gpu then you start thinking about a ssd.





this could be a i7/ 5850 build, but you would rather get an ssd?





i also reccommend pirating xp and dual booting it with ubuntu instead of getting windows 7.


or just pirating 7, but people have had problems with pirated 7 installs, so i wouldnt reccommend it.





@luke


5850 is the way to go, it is one of the best ati cards available and there is a huge price gap between it and the 5870


5770 is ok too|||your PC really isnt as bad as you might think. the only thing i see weak about it is your graphics card.





if you were to upgrade your graphics card and get 2 more gb of Ram you would still have a very good computer.





i would probably suggest a 5830. with that and the Ram you would still be able to max out those games.





i personally think SSD are a waist. and seeing as how games are only JUST beginning to use quad cores i dont think x6 are necissary.