Last year I made a [URL="http://facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=1419855"]thread[/URL] about upgrading my old old build and since then I got a Xeon E5430 to put in it and I did get a new GPU, however it died fairly fast and the first few times it came DOA so I just decided to grab a refund and throw a negative review at the company. Anyway, back to the present, I will be getting a job for the next month which will net me ~100$ to try and upgrade this build.
Before you try to kill me because I'm still using LGA775 in 2015, consider that I don't really have much money to spend on stuff.
A few possible options are:
a) grab 4 GB of DDR2-1066 ram and replace the current one and OC the crap out of the CPU
b) change the motherboard to a LGA 775 DDR3 one and grab some ram for that (6-8 GB) and also overclocking
c) get a new motehrboard and cpu for 100$ (not gonna happen with the current prices)
d) ? - suggest something else
Also, will be getting a second hand GPU from my neighbour , a HD 6790, it's not much but it should eat this one for breakfast and it's for free!
How much RAM do you currently have and what is the wattage of your current PSU?
I would recommend buying a stick of 2GB of RAM (if you already have a 2GB RAM in there)
Then save up for a better graphics card if your PSU can handle it and your mobo supports PCIE.
[QUOTE=joshdasmif;48234270]How much RAM do you currently have and what is the wattage of your current PSU?
I would recommend buying a stick of 2GB of RAM (if you already have a 2GB RAM in there)
Then save up for a better graphics card if your PSU can handle it and your mobo supports PCIE.[/QUOTE]
1 stick of 1 GB and 1 stick of 2 GB, currently on a 450w PSU, however I have a 550w for that GPU it's just not installed yet.
I would probably save up for the motherboard and processing unit, then purchase RAM later. The 550w PSU you have should suffice for most gaming graphics cards
With your new information:
That free GPU, at 1280x1024, is more than enough. You'll be CPU limited in newer stuff but otherwise you'll be so much better off in every other way.
Since you have a 64bit OS more memory is good. Here's where you need to be honest with yourself. Is there any chance you'll be upgrading motherboard/CPU to something fairly new any time soon? If yes, then you don't want to sink more money into DDR2.
Otherwise I'd buy one more stick of 2gb DDR2 to pair with the one you have now. You'll be running a 64bit OS with 4gb ram in dual channel and a new videocard for the lowest possible price.
I'd rather spend the extra money on an SSD instead of the motherboard/DDR3 upgrade that you mention in option B. I wouldn't bother overclocking, either your computer can run it or it can't.
I'm not sure this is the best solution, but I'd save up $200 and upgrade the motherboard, cpu, ram and cpu cooler:
[URL="http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Vkp8cf"]PCPartPicker part list[/URL] / [URL="http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Vkp8cf/by_merchant/"]Price breakdown by merchant[/URL]
[B]CPU:[/B] [URL="http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646g3258"]Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor[/URL] ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
[B]CPU Cooler:[/B] [URL="http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rrb10212pg1"]Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler[/URL] ($19.89 @ OutletPC)
[B]Motherboard:[/B] [URL="http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-z97pcmate"]MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard[/URL] ($81.98 @ Newegg)
[B]Memory:[/B] [URL="http://pcpartpicker.com/part/patriot-memory-psd34g13332"]Patriot Signature 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory[/URL] ($19.99 @ Amazon)
[B]Total:[/B] $171.85
[I]Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available[/I]
[I]Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-20 13:29 EDT-0400[/I]
As I said above, I'm not sure this is the best solution (as its not much of an upgrade at this point), but upgrading the CPU is pretty easy as the motherboard can support I3's I5's and I7's
The CPU I chose is overclockable (the motherboard allows for overclocking too), so you may be able to get a bit more power out of it if you need to do
Well, new ram arrived today, now I have 4 GB, yay! :joy:
As far as getting a new build, I'll wait for Skyline to come out and see how they perform, probably won't be getting anything new until this Christmas or spring next year.
I'll have to wait for that GPU tho so I'll leave this thread open for a bit to post how this thing performs when it comes.
One more question , how can I cool down my GPU even further? I applied new thermal paste, put a new fan on it and it's still in the 60 C range which makes the clock crash and go back to 2D mode.
60 degrees should be alright for a GPU, just make sure your case has good airflow, ensure that the card has been cleaned (I'm assuming that you've already done this when applying new thermal paste) and if you can do, set up a custom fan curve so that the fans kick in earlier to help cool the card
Yeah, 60 C should be fine, even the manual says it goes to 70 when gaming but this card just hates it for some reason. Mayba a bad chip? Oh and this card doesn't support fan profiles it just runs at 100% fan speed all the time.
Maybe there was a reason they swapped it out and gave it to you, but yeah.. the temperatures seem fine
[t]http://i.imgur.com/xYR58Iw.jpg[/t]
:excited:
EDIT: Well results are amazing so far
GTA V = 80 fps when standing still, 40 ish when driving in city (was 15)
PAYDAY 2 = 75 flat (I capped it at 75 because of the refresh rate) (was 20 ish)
Blacklight:Retribution = 70~80 (was 40~60)
CS:GO is where it becomes weird, it holds a flat 110 but goes no more, CPU bottleneck? (was unstable 60)
I'm guessing all the other GPU heavy games will see at least a 2x or more improvement
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