Looking to spend £200 upgrading my PC. Any suggestions? - Hardware & Software

I'm getting some money for my birthday in a few days and I am looking to use that as well as what I currently have in order to finally make some upgrades to my PC. I made my computer a few years ago (with help from people on here, thanks guys) so understandably it is slightly dated by todays standards as it was not exactly a top of the line build when I made it. I use it for gaming, though I have not been able to play many brand new titles as I can just barely scrape the minimum requirements, which means I would have to play them in the lowest graphics possible and even then it's not exactly smooth. My current specs are as follows: Processor - Intel Core i3 2100 @ 3.10GHz RAM - 4.00 GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 665MHz MOBO - MSI H61M-E33 (MS-7680) Graphics Card - AMD Radeon HD 6770 Hard Drive - 500GB Seagate HDD, 2TB Western Digital HDD Case - Cooler Master Elite 430 Monitor - Acer X193HQ (1366x768@60Hz), Samsung T24D391 as second monitor (pretty much just for movies/TV) I have a budget of around £200 and looking at it myself, I am thinking of going for HyperX FURY Series 8GB RAM for £53 and then I'm unsure on where to best invest the other £150. What do you guys think would be the best bits to spend money upgrading?

That processor is rather dated. Was pretty low spec even when it was new. I would probably recommend a new mobo/processor combo if you can afford it. I'm not a builder though so you'd be best waiting for someone else to recommend which model(s) you should buy.

I'm not an expert but I'm upgrading a friends computer sometime soon with roughly the same specs. I agree with benbb with the processor although you should be alright with your motherboard. If you dont mind using ebay for a CPU, I'd say get these parts: CPU - I5 2500 - £80.98 [url]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Intel-Core-i5-2500-3-3GHz-Socket-1155-CPU-Processor-/181655581451?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2a4b84330b[/url] GPU - GTX 750 Ti - £109.99 [url]http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00ICUGOP0/?tag=pcp0f-21[/url] With such a low budget you wouldnt be able to get any ram whilst getting a cpu / gpu upgrade. If you needed the ram, then I'd suggest skipping the cpu upgrade and get the same type of ram as is already installed.

[QUOTE=Zarconite;47101437]I'm not an expert but I'm upgrading a friends computer sometime soon with roughly the same specs. I agree with benbb with the processor although you should be alright with your motherboard. If you dont mind using ebay for a CPU, I'd say get these parts: CPU - I5 2500 - £80.98 [url]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Intel-Core-i5-2500-3-3GHz-Socket-1155-CPU-Processor-/181655581451?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2a4b84330b[/url] GPU - GTX 750 Ti - £109.99 [url]http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00ICUGOP0/?tag=pcp0f-21[/url] With such a low budget you wouldnt be able to get any ram whilst getting a cpu / gpu upgrade. If you needed the ram, then I'd suggest skipping the cpu upgrade and get the same type of ram as is already installed.[/QUOTE] Do you think I would get a better noticable improvement if I was to upgrade the GPU and RAM or the GPU and CPU? I was only leaning towards the RAM because I've noticed that 8GB seems to be the norm these days as I don't know anyone with less than 8GB's of RAM and video game specs tend to be leaning that way more aswell. Maybe I am imagining it though and 4GB will suffice for a while longer.

[QUOTE=Frustration96;47101488]Do you think I would get a better noticable improvement if I was to upgrade the GPU and RAM or the GPU and CPU?[/QUOTE] It depends on what games you plan on playing. Could you list some for me?

[QUOTE=Zarconite;47101634]It depends on what games you plan on playing. Could you list some for me?[/QUOTE] The main ones I am thinking of are GTA V and the new Battlefield. There are other games that I can't think of off of the top of my head but they are generally fast pased shooters really, with the odd adventure type game mixed in.

I'm going to say you'd need both for these games, I've checked the minimum requirements for both games and your specs are good enough as it is although if it were me - I'd go for the cpu first and get the ram ASAP. I'd wait for more opinions on it from more experienced people though.

[QUOTE=Frustration96;47101691]The main ones I am thinking of are GTA V and the new Battlefield. There are other games that I can't think of off of the top of my head but they are generally fast pased shooters really, with the odd adventure type game mixed in.[/QUOTE] Good luck doing anything like that with your specs. Save your money and invest in a whole new build. You're going to be pumping money into a machine that just won't be worth it.

[QUOTE=3com111;47102411]Good luck doing anything like that with your specs. Save your money and invest in a whole new build. You're going to be pumping money into a machine that just won't be worth it.[/QUOTE] I don't expect to be playing them at max settings, rather to play them at low-mid tier graphics depending on the game. Is my build that old that even with a new CPU+GPU it would still not live up to that?

Eh, I'd still recommend picking up a used i5 2500 and a new GPU. A 750ti or R9 270.

The r9 270 is only £10 more expensive though and performs better.

Thanks for the help guys, I'll definitely be getting a GP, but I have some more questions on the CPU. Is £100 a good price for a pre-owned i5 2500k? I'm willing to wait a little bit if I am likely to get a better deal on another day.

[QUOTE=Frustration96;47106849]Is £100 a good price for a pre-owned i5 2500k? I'm willing to wait a little bit if I am likely to get a better deal on another day.[/QUOTE] £100 is a decent price although with your motherboard it won't be overclockable.

I would try to get a 2500 non k if possible. Less chance someone cranked the voltage to plaid.

If you want a noticable boost in speed, get an SSD. Even a 256gb drive for your OS and main installs. I promise, you will never go back to mechanical drives.

[QUOTE=Meekal;47107866]If you want a noticable boost in speed, get an SSD. Even a 256gb drive for your OS and main installs. I promise, you will never go back to mechanical drives.[/QUOTE] It pretty much has no noticeable difference for video games though, so the 2500 and new graphics cards would be better option.

[QUOTE=Levelog;47107627]I would try to get a 2500 non k if possible. Less chance someone cranked the voltage to plaid.[/QUOTE] I found a 2500 for £20 less than the 2500k, what are the differences? I know that the k can be overclocked, but is that it? I can't see me getting another mobo to overclock anytime soon anyway so if that's the only difference I guess I might as well save the money.

[QUOTE=Frustration96;47108160]I found a 2500 for £20 less than the 2500k, what are the differences? I know that the k can be overclocked, but is that it? I can't see me getting another mobo to overclock anytime soon anyway so if that's the only difference I guess I might as well save the money.[/QUOTE] Yeah if you have an H series motherboard just get the 2500.

If you plan on getting a Z motherboard then i'd say go for the 2500k (watch out though, 2500k's are generally overclocked alot and may not last as long as a non overclocked model) If not then stick with the normal 2500 for the reason above. As far as the SSD goes, I have to agree that it would make a difference, but its not a priority over getting a GPU / CPU