Windows 7 - Speed- give me what I need !!!?

Hey all

I am considering installing Windows 7 64 bit version.

I have been hunhappy with my speed and have always assumed my gear wasn't too bad-

I am considering either upgrading to 8 Gig of RAM and Windows 7 64

Or upgrading the processor.

I mainly use CS4 for business, with large Photoshop working files

Not much of a gamer and am also considering possibly overclocking slightly using a safe automatic setting with InTune ?

Here is my gear- any suggestions would be greatly appreciated- I just want lightning speed and no hangups...


Cheers

CoolerMaster 650W Extreme SLI Ready

Kingston DDR2 4(2x2G)PC6400 800Mhz HyperX(KHX6400D2K2/4G)

Western Digital 640G SATAII 7200 rpm HDD (WD6400AAKS)

Intel CORE 2 QUAD Q9550/2.83GHz/12MB CACHE/1333MHz FSB/LGA775

Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R P45+ICH10R DDR2 1200, 1600 MHz PCI-E 2.0 SATAII

MSI GF9800GT 512M OC GDDR3 2xDual Link DVI PCI-E 2.0

Thermaltake V9 Mid Tower with Window

2 x LG H22NS30 SATA 22X+- Super Multi DVD Rewriter Black with Software $56.00

BenQ G2400WD 24 Lcd Mon.D-sub Dvi-D HDMI 5ms

i have since added an extra 500 Gig HDD

Running XP 32 bit currently

Also using Firefox, WindowBlinds, Cursor FX.

Onboard sound.

I would upgrade ram and to windows 7, processor doesn't need upgrading

You need higher clocking RAM (and a different brand). Get rid of that WD640 and buy an SSD.
You can overclock the Q9550 to 4GHz on air if you're smart; otherwise 3GHz will do.
Everything else looks in check, though I would recommend buying a GTX2xx series card.

Putting it blankly, you system is good enough as is, but if you want lightening speed and are a graphics designer, you want a better GPU and an SSD.

Additionally, don't even bother with Windows 7. XP x64 will do it for you, and it scores higher in the graphics department. Still, if you really want Windows 7 (for future proofing and all that media crap), may as well.

Thanks fellas.

Any suggestions as to RAM- brand, specs etc

How will a Solid State affect the processing speed- is it cache related ?

Will attempt a 4GHz OC and run some tests...

For the record, I am running the same processor that you are running and I find that the Q9550 is an absolute beast.

I disagree with LuzTeTT...you don't "need" higher clock speed RAM. DDR2 800 won't run at full speed unless you overclock that CPU to at least 3.4Ghz. I'm running mine at 3.2Ghz, using a 400Mhz clock with an 8x multiplier. I'm running on the stock cooler and my temps are great.

I don't really think that you would benefit much from upgrading that Nvidia 9800GT video card. I think that card is plenty for Photoshop.

The SSD drive is a solid recommendation. I recently put one in my box and that was the biggest single upgrade and most noticeable change that I have made to a computer in quite a long time.

Edit: Well I just saw your post saying that you want to try for a 4Ghz overclock. If that is the case, then you are certainly going to need faster RAM. You will need something capable of running a 470mhz FSB...so I would probably look at something in the 1066mhz area. I've been very pleased with my g.skill RAM...but then I only go for modest overclocks.

Either way, you are going to have to invest in some good aftermarket cooling to push that Q9550 to 4.0ghz.

An SSD doesn't effect processing speed, it effects the rate at which you can get data in to memory. It's faster to transfer from your HDD to RAM when you have a faster read rate. That's what you're doing 90% of the time if you're a graphic designer - using your RAM, HDD and pagefile (which is also on your HDD).

Any higher clocking RAM with lower latency will give a benefit.

No, he doesn't "need" it, he wants it. Photoshop loves to play with RAM, and the faster your RAM the better. You might want to look up the definition of 'DDR' as well.

Dont just jump to 4ghz, Read some guides on overclocking if you dont know how, Could end up having to upgrade your processor after all if you dont do it right, I would suggest corsair or ocz ram

Thanks for input PP

So , you are saying (correct me if I am wrong)

upgrade to 8 Gig I think the available RAM from Umart is :
Kingston DDR2 4(2x2G)PC6400 800Mhz HyperX(KHX6400D2K2/4G)

Throw in Windows 7 64

And overclock to anything 3.4+

Hold tight on the GT , and swap the main HDD for an SSD, I will notice significant speed difference ?

Doesnt sound to harsh and doable in about 10 minutes.. (overclocking excepted)

Well I still think the clock rate on the RAM will hold you back just a bit in terms of 'lightening speeds'. But other than that, you're flying.

In his original post, he indicated that he "might" perform a "slight" overclock. Thus DDR2 800 provides plenty of overhead for that.

A stock Q9550 runs at a 333 Mhz FSB with an 8.5 multiplier. DDR2 800 can handle a 400Mhz FSB speed and maintain a 1:1 ratio with the CPU. So, unless he bumps up the FSB to at least 400Mhz..he still wouldn't be maxing out the RAM that he currently has installed. 400mhz x 2 = 800Mhz At stock clock speeds, his DDR2 800 RAM is actually running at DDR2 667 speeds (333mhz FSB x 2).