When to upgrade from an E6600 based system?

[megawhompertoo]

Maybe a lot of you are in my boat? I've got a pretty nice system circa 3 years ago--
E6600@3.4ghz
2x2gb + 2x1 gb for 6gb of ddr2 @ 850mhz
Asus P5E (x38 chipset)
hd4870 512mb
2x samsung 160gb single-platter hd's
Thermalright si-128 cpu hsf
Antec trio 650w
Antec p180

So, I'm thinking about ebaying the processor, ram, and mobo while they are still worth something ($150 all together?) and moving onto either an AMD or Intel-based DDR3 system with a couple of SSD's and an hd 5870. Aside from swapping the hd's for solid states, though, I'm not really sure that dropping $1200-$1500 is going to get me much of an improvement over the trusty old C2D with six gigs of decent memory and my 4870.

I typically play LOTRO and older games, but I've been thinking about getting Bad Company or another newer fps. I'm finding that MMO's take too much time and don't offer as much satisfaction.

Also, how much longer do I trust my current PSU? I've had it now since 2007...

[CptainCrunch]

Re: When to upgrade from an E6600 based system?

Working backwards:

You trust your psu until it dies. Unless you have a lot of issues there isn't much reason to worry about it.

Your system should run BC2 fine as it is. I wouldnt think you would have any problem with most FPS games now.

I have the same motherboard and a Q6600 processor and in all honesty I think you could get another year or two out of your setup. The harddrives are a bit small, but nothing a harddrive upgrade couldnt fix.

You are correct though that if you want to upgrade, now is the time because of the worth of the equipment.

I am thinking of upping the RAM on my system and building a new one to turn them into lab machines to run some virtual stuff. Its a hard decision to make because the system is still pretty good.

Crunch

[megawhompertoo]

Re: When to upgrade from an E6600 based system?

Thanks for the response. Hmmm...what I'm really worried about is having one component go bad and playing the used gear roulette and ending up pouring good money into something that isn't so good (ever have a motherboard sporting socket 478/agp/ddr go bad in a C2D world, anyone?). Then again, if it runs for another couple of years I guess I've saved myself enough money to justify it...

Good to know about the PSU. It's out of warranty now but still running like a champ. I won't bother it! :P

I'll have to see what the individual components are selling for on ebay. If all else fails, charging $25 for shipping them individually will make up some ground! (kidding)

[megawhompertoo]

Re: When to upgrade from an E6600 based system?

*Gar*, well I've been itching to build something. Maybe I'll put off a complete system build and just mod something nifty onto my graphics card instead. I moved to a warmer state recently, and I've recently decided that the stock hsf is intolerably loud for my tastes. I've been holding onto a thermalright hr03gt because I was a bit cautious of the vrm cooling (or lack thereof) but folks have done interesting things with the stock plate/fan + aftermarket cooling.

Le sigh...maybe I'll watch ebay for a cheap Q9550 (say $125) or an e8400 ($90)...??? Would that even be much of an upgrade?