I've seen them all and read them all. I've read all the optimization threads, tweak threads, watched some kid on Youtube go over and over about the configuration settings and how important they are(even tho they really aren't). I've read the official configuration guide more than once. I've read the thread "Will pcsx2 run fast on my computer?", Name it, Ive done it, but still don't know how to upgrade my computer. I am a lost kid with no idea of what to do next.

I'm trying to play NBA Street V3. In the GS window, my CPU slams at 99% most of the time and stays there; my GPU reads only 34-40 while using an internal resolution of 1400X788. I usually get around 30-40 fps while playing the game. My question is, What do I upgrade next? How do I know how good of an upgrade I should get? Are there any test, like benchmarking test per se so i can know how good of an upgrade i should get? I currently have two options:
1) u see, my motherboard is a budget mobo meaning it doesn't overclock well, for some reason i cant go over 400mhz fsb otherwise my computer will fail recognize my sata hard disks. So i'm thinking of buying a new mobo that overclocks better. I'm currently at 3.0 ghz with a 400 mhz fsb. Im thinking of getting a board that overclocks well and push that q8300 to even 4.0 ghz. Thats a needed 533 mhz fsb to hit that mark. And yes i know ill need good cooling. And don't feel sorry for the little sucker as i bought it thinking it would pwn anything out there but it turns out to be a fail. So im pushing the little sucker till it implodes.
2)I upgrade to a core i7 cpu which means ill have to buy a new mobo and DDR3 memory as well(because my previous board was 775) and overkill the thing.
How will i know? I just want some kind of direction. Is there any software or way i can determine what cpu to get next by comparing the stress on my cpu and deciphering how much more ghz i have to squeeze out of my cpu to get full fps? I'm lost, anyone is welcome to give their views on this topic. Even if its just an old bum who stumbled upon a computer and just wanted to ask me for some money. Please drop a comment. I know there are people out there that feel the same way as me, as I've seen the threads that this forum is full of. Please excuse my long post as i just wanted to be clear.
PS:Wouldn't it be great if the PCSX2 community made a list sorta like the "Can you run it" list and let us maintain it?

I can tell you that your overclock is also limited by the CPU itself.
A Q8300 will probably not go over 3.4 or 3.5Ghz unless you feed it bad amounts of voltage.

So it may be better to save your money and go for an upcoming Sandy Bridge system.
This time make sure to get an "okay" mainboard though

Much thanks for the reply.
I did overlook the high amounts of voltage needed to reach the 4 ghz mark. It might get close but wouldn't last long anyways. I totally overlooked this as i'm a noob at ocing. I have now made up my mind to upgrade to a core i7. Does it matter which core i7 get? Is it worth it to buy a core i7-980X or is the core i7-870 enough to do the job. Also, is sandy bridge worth the wait? I just don't want to buy another cpu that wont live up to the task again.

(11-16-2010 12:16 AM)XS Butter Wrote:  Is it worth it to buy a core i7-980X or is the core i7-870 enough to do the job. Also, is sandy bridge worth the wait? I just don't want to buy another cpu that wont live up to the task again.

The extra cores in the i7-980X are wasted on PCSX2 as it really only fully utilizes two cores (keyword: fully). Given how close we are to January, I'd suggest waiting - not necessarily to buy Sandy Bridge but just to see how much of a performance gain it brings to the table, not to mention we still don't have any confirmation on the overclocking front for non-K processors.

The Q8300 you have isn't all that bad. What speedhacks do you have enabled?

(11-16-2010 04:31 AM)ilovejedd Wrote:  The Q8300 you have isn't all that bad. What speedhacks do you have enabled?

None. I always leave them disabled as they don't seem to do anything.

If i buy a core i3, will you show me how to overclock it?

(11-16-2010 05:47 AM)XS Butter Wrote:  

(11-16-2010 04:31 AM)ilovejedd Wrote:  The Q8300 you have isn't all that bad. What speedhacks do you have enabled?

None. I always leave them disabled as they don't seem to do anything.

If i buy a core i3, will you show me how to overclock it?

The i3 are really good overclockers, just adjusting a little bit the volts would give you 4.2 Ghz with HT enabled or disabled, enables is good, but disabled is better, I'm at 4.2 with the stock fan and the temperature never reach 70° , but If I enabled HT, then I reach 76° easily, in 20 minutes >_<

Speedhacks do a ton >_>

(11-16-2010 07:41 AM)Hungry Man Wrote:  Speedhacks do a ton >_>

Agreed! I've got a 2,2Ghz quad, and with speedhacks I get some 80% of the games I play to the max fps! Tweeking and playin' with 'em furhter prevents games to crash!

Yeah except for games with really huge areas (damn XMEN-LEgends 2 >_>) I get huge speedups from the speedhacks. I play most games at full fps because of them.