Upgrading a PC on a tight (<$600) budget - CPU/Motherboard/Video Card/Memory
16 replies, posted
Okay, I'm trying to upgrade my current PC to be ready for the Q3 and Q4 gaming lineup - Battlefield 3, Dead Island, Saints Row 3, et cetera. I know it's a bit ambitious to expect to do that on a budget of <$600, but that's what I've got. I don't demand ultra-high, 100+FPS performance, but my current computer would break playing any of the above.
Let me preface this by saying that I've honestly not kept track of advancements in computer hardware since the dawn of multicore processors - the last processor I owned that could accurately tell you the speed of would be my Sempron 3400, which was 6 years or more back. Once processors became multicore I never bothered learning how to compare speeds, only that you probably couldn't just multiply the number of cores by the clockspeed of each core, so the fact my current CPU has two cores running at 2800 MHz each tells me (personally; you probably get something out of it) next to nothing. Video cards and memory I've lost track of as well, I have no idea which type of memory is now the best or fastest, whether it be DDR3 or whathave you for RAM, or GDDR5 et cetera for video memory.
I understand basic principles like CPU sockets, expansion slot types, bus speeds, et cetera, but multicore processing has thrown me for a loop. I do not, however, have any experience with overclocking, memory voltages, bit ratings (for memory bus width; 64 vs. 32 bit I get), or more intricate details of hardware speeds. Basically, I'm coming at this from a very ignorant, or at least [I]delayed[/I] standpoint, so pretend I haven't bought a new computer in the last six years, and bear with me please.
At the moment, I'm running this system:
AMD Athlon II X2 240 (Socket AM3)
3GB DDR2 PC2-6400 (400 Mhz) memory
[URL=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128394]Gigabyte GA-MA785GM-US2H[/URL] (Socket AM3/AM2 - 2600MHz HyperTransport FSB support, Memory Standard DDR2 1200)
[URL=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130328&cm_re=9600GT-_-14-130-328-_-Product]EVGA GeForce 9600GT[/URL] (512MB GDDR3 256bit)
Case is covered, but I am concerned about my power supply - a 550-watt. Hopefully my list of intended hardware will reveal whether or not I need to upgrade my PSU as well. At the moment, the reason I have chosen these parts is because they were offered in Combo Deals on Newegg, and fit my budget nicely. I do realize the motherboard supports Crossfire and not SLI, but I have never used either and don't have any pending intention to use them in the future.
So, replacing the first list will be:
[URL=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16819103913]AMD Phenom II X6 1100T[/URL] (Socket AM3)
[URL=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233185]8GB DDR3 PC3-12800 memory[/URL]
[URL=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130269]MSI 890GXM-G65[/URL] (Socket AM3 - 2600MHz HyperTransport FSB support, Memory Standard "DDR3 800/1066/1333/1600 (OC)/1800 (OC)/2133 (OC)"
[URL=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130625]EVGA GeForce GTX550 Ti[/URL] (1GB GDDR5 192bit)
With those in mind,
[B]1.[/B] Do I need to replace my power supply with something larger?
[B]2.[/B] Any glaring conflicts or inadequacies I'm not noticing in that parts lineup?
[B]3.[/B] Could I be more efficiently using my money? Reducing spending in one area and getting bigger performance gains by investing it in another?
Thanks in advance for any advice you folks can offer.
Do you really need six cores? It's useless for games. 550w is good for a single card.
cheaper ram
[url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145315[/url]
phenom ii x4 955 (only get six cores if you video edit.etc)
[url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808&cm_re=phenom_955-_-19-103-808-_-Product[/url]
saves u about 80 dollars
Can probably get a 6950. It's a bit better then the 550.
Don't get a 550 Ti.
And he has enough to get a i5
GPU: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102948[/url]
CPU/Mobo: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.689882[/url]
[editline]14th July 2011[/editline]
And if your computer just for gaming, get 4GB of RAM
[url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150523&cm_re=radeon_6950-_-14-150-523-_-Product[/url]
get the 2gig version if you run multiple monitors
You got two chooses
i5 and 6870
Or
Phenom II and 6950
first, can you check whether your dvd drive/hdd use sata/IDE?
next, can you tell me the model of your PSU?
Also, as for your build, unless you need it, I suggest drop the RAM down to 4GB
Anyways, here's what I came up with.
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211364]4GB DDR3 1333 [/url]
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.689882]2500K + Gigabyte Z68 combo[/url]
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133377]PNY GTX 560 TI[/url]
comes out to $595 grand total
[QUOTE=peterboi;31125675][url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150523&cm_re=radeon_6950-_-14-150-523-_-Product[/url]
get the 2gig version if you run multiple monitors[/QUOTE]
Well, I do run multiple monitors, but I don't do any multi-screen gaming, the second one is just for my Photoshop tools, Skype and such; will I still need the extra gig?
Also, am I missing something here ([URL=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150527&cm_re=6950-_-14-150-527-_-Product]1GB[/URL] [URL=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150548&cm_re=6950-_-14-150-548-_-Product]2GB)[/URL] or is the extra gig of memory just $20 more? Because I'll just get that.
[QUOTE=Jaehead]first, can you check whether your dvd drive/hdd use sata/IDE? [/QUOTE]
My hard drive is SATA, my DVD-ROM is PATA, so I'll only need one PATA channel (or none, I can't recall the last time I used my optical drive, so I can just get a SATA drive later if I need it)
[QUOTE=Jaehead]next, can you tell me the model of your PSU? [/QUOTE]
[URL=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371016&Tpk=antec%20bp550]My PSU[/URL] - I assume the model is important for the plugs it provides, I went through one or two before finding one that had the extra 4-pin for my 9600 and the extra 6-pin for my motherboard; will this new build require more plugs than that one has?
That's a good PSU, you'll be fine.
[editline]14th July 2011[/editline]
There are also cheaper 6950 1GB models;
[url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150523&cm_re=6950_1gb-_-14-150-523-_-Product[/url]
For the GPU, I say go for the 560 ti, just because it's so much cheaper than 6950s at the moment
[QUOTE=FZE;31126667]My hard drive is SATA, my DVD-ROM is PATA, so I'll only need one PATA channel (or none, I can't recall the last time I used my optical drive, so I can just get a SATA drive later if I need it)
[/QUOTE]
As for your DVD drive, as you can see, getting a [url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007627%20600093976%20600029948&QksAutoSuggestion=&ShowDeactivatedMark=False&Configurator=&IsNodeId=1&Subcategory=280&description=&Ntk=&CFG=&SpeTabStoreType=&AdvancedSearch=1&srchInDesc=&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=e0zzjwkphbsx]1155 motherboard with PATA[/url] really limits your options, so I suggest you stick with the Gigabyte Z68 above
[QUOTE=FZE;31126667][URL=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371016&Tpk=antec%20bp550]My PSU[/URL] - I assume the model is important for the plugs it provides, I went through one or two before finding one that had the extra 4-pin for my 9600 and the extra 6-pin for my motherboard; will this new build require more plugs than that one has?[/QUOTE]
Your PSU'll work fine with the build, I wouldn't worry about it
[QUOTE=Armotekma;31126728]There are also cheaper 6950 1GB models;
[url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150523&cm_re=6950_1gb-_-14-150-523-_-Product[/url][/QUOTE]
I saw that one, but it was rather poorly rated, and if the reviews are to be trusted the cooling setup is less than adequate.
Newegg reviews are..not to be trusted. The cooling is 'sufficient', but if you want the card to be cooler/quieter, then Twin Frozr or something else with dual fans would be what you want.
Ah, well I don't mind heat or noise so much, but my room does get a disproportionate amount of dust because the furnace is in my closet, so I'll probably have to blast it out a bit more often.
All right, so looking over the topic, here's my revised build:
[URL=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727]Phenom II X4[/URL]
[URL=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130269]MSI 890GXM-G65[/URL]
[URL=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820178265]4GB DDR3 PC3 12800 memory[/URL]*
[URL=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150523]XFX 6950[/URL]
*The motherboard indicates it supports 1600 with overclocking - does this mean that it can support 1333 overclocked to 1600, or could I just fit 1600 in it and the motherboard can be set to use it?
Get what Jaehead recommended
[QUOTE=Jaehead;31125796]
Anyways, here's what I came up with.
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211364]4GB DDR3 1333 [/url]
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.689882]2500K + Gigabyte Z68 combo[/url]
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133377]PNY GTX 560 TI[/url]
comes out to $595 grand total[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Armotekma;31128039]Get what Jaehead recommended[/QUOTE]
Is the i5 2500K $70 more than the Phenom II x4 because of the integrated graphics chipset? If so, is that going to offer me any kind of benefit or will it be disabled like the motherboard's integrated graphics once I plug in the video card?
The 2500k will absolutely destroy the X4.
[url]http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/88?vs=288[/url]
[QUOTE=Armotekma;31143140]The 2500k will absolutely destroy the X4.
[url]http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/88?vs=288[/url][/QUOTE]
That site's benchmarks also indicate that the 1GB 6950 comes out ahead of the 560 Ti in 26 tests (vs. the 560 Ti coming out ahead in 15), although the results are usually pretty close. Is there a reason to get the 560 over the 6950 other than price?
Look at the benchmarks closest to your resolution and then decide.
[editline]15th July 2011[/editline]
Nvidia has Cuda, and better OpenGL support, among other things like PhysX
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