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Jul 20, 2015 Old
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Jul 20, 2015 Old
I need an upgrade, but what should I upgrade first?
Hey there, my computer at the moment is lackluster, and I'm saving up to upgrade my computer. It'll be done slowly as I gather enough money to comfortably buy the new parts, but right now I need to know what parts I should be prioritizing in my build. I'd also like some suggestions for parts to replace my current stuff if you guys are up to that.

My current build:
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3
RAM: 2x4GB Patriot Viper Xtreme DDR3
CPU: AMD FX-4150 @4.0 GHz
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Not the exact model but close enough)
HDD: 1 TB hard disk (i don't remember who made this but I don't think it's that important)
PSU: Diablotek 650w Power Supply (Not entirely sure of the exact model, but hopefully the brand and wattage will be enough).

So uh, yeah. Any and all help is welcome.

Current planned build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($13.00 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock B150 PRO4/D3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($79.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Patriot Viper Xtreme 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($285.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Thermaltake VO545A1N2U ATX Mid Tower Case w/450W Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($24.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($89.88 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: HP W2072a (A3M50AA#ABA) 60Hz 20.0" Monitor ($118.98 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Redragon Perdition Wired Laser Mouse ($33.99 @ Amazon)
Headphones: Logitech G430 7.1 Channel Headset ($59.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $1002.67
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-25 21:39 EST-0500
Last edited by NotShadow; Dec 26, 2015 at 03:39 AM.
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Jul 21, 2015 Old
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Jul 21, 2015 Old
First I would recommend gathering some data. Use something like http://www.overclock.net/t/1229915/h...th-fps-in-game to figure out if your CPU, GPU or RAM is bottlenecking your system. Once you find the one that's holding you back, do a bit of research to buy something that has the performance you want. Then rinse and repeat.

Before upgrading you might also want to get an SSD, at least a 60gb one to put your OS/most commonly played games on. You could also grab another 2x4gb of the same ram to fill out your slots. Maybe upgrading your HSF for your cpu might be a good idea too.

Looking at your setup I imagine the 560Ti is the bottleneck.
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Jul 21, 2015 Old
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Jul 21, 2015 Old
Originally Posted by cocacobra View Post
Before I think about investing time, what's your budget?

Let's go with $500 for now, but I plan to upgrade over the next year or so.

Originally Posted by ImmortalPig View Post
First I would recommend gathering some data. Use something like http://www.overclock.net/t/1229915/h...th-fps-in-game to figure out if your CPU, GPU or RAM is bottlenecking your system. Once you find the one that's holding you back, do a bit of research to buy something that has the performance you want. Then rinse and repeat.

Before upgrading you might also want to get an SSD, at least a 60gb one to put your OS/most commonly played games on. You could also grab another 2x4gb of the same ram to fill out your slots. Maybe upgrading your HSF for your cpu might be a good idea too.

Looking at your setup I imagine the 560Ti is the bottleneck.

I installed both the things and I have no idea what I am looking at.
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Jul 21, 2015 Old
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Jul 21, 2015 Old
If you configured it correctly you should see an overlay when you play game and then you can figure out what your bottleneck is.
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Jul 21, 2015 Old
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Jul 21, 2015 Old
I'm a little confused, so do you have 8GB ram or 16GB ram?

To be honest i would upgrade the Mobo and the GPU, since that 560Ti is kinda too old for those years. I would say to find a mobo with PCI. Express x16 3.0 also that fits your CPU Socket, and for the GPU i would go with this beuty http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-S.../dp/B00CZIQXBA

Even tho most of the people think the EVGAs models are crap, i don't really belive it, i think they are the most powerfull of all models of a GPU.
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Jul 21, 2015 Old
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Jul 21, 2015 Old
Intel i5-4460
Cheapest B85 Mobo
R9 380/GTX 960/R9 280X (this priority order, look for 4GB versions)

roughly 450$

Since AMD is lacking new CPU architectures since '12 there is no reason to not go for Intel (except when you are on a 400$ budget for the whole PC then go AMD).

Which Mobo you get doesnt matter, as long as your cpu fits in it. I recommand to avoid H81 Boards since they are very spartan and not worth the 10$ saving on a B85.

The GPUs I listed should be able to play modern games on medium to high settings fluently. One note is that VRAM gets more and more important these days, so try to get the most as you can.

EDIT : It would be also useful to know what your power supply is, since we don't know how much power you can pull off your wall nor the amout of 6pin/8pin pcie connectors.
Last edited by Mongius; Jul 21, 2015 at 08:50 PM.
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Nov 28, 2015 Old
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Nov 28, 2015 Old
Hey there, sorry about the age old bumps, but I'm here with more information. I have a job, and some money, but I'm still on a budget and looking for some good deals around Cyber Monday. ATM I'm looking at whether or not it makes sense for me to get an R9 290 at $220 over a GTX 970 at $360 (I'm hoping the 970 will go down to about $250, and I have the patience to wait if it is considerably better for me).

I'm also wondering whether or not I should invest in a better CPU, specifically The AMD FX-8350, just because I wouldn't have to get a new mobo for it. Are there any CPUs that perform similarly that are considerably cheaper?

I've also heard a lot of bad things about my PSU, specifically that it is a safety hazard and is not reliable. Do you guys think there is any truth in that? Should I find a better PSU (I've been looking at This one specifically). Or is the one I have now good enough.



Sorry about all those questions, and thank you in advance if anyone takes the time to help.
-----
Originally Posted by azzeffir23 View Post
I'm a little confused, so do you have 8GB ram or 16GB ram?

To be honest i would upgrade the Mobo and the GPU, since that 560Ti is kinda too old for those years. I would say to find a mobo with PCI. Express x16 3.0 also that fits your CPU Socket, and for the GPU i would go with this beuty http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-S.../dp/B00CZIQXBA

Even tho most of the people think the EVGAs models are crap, i don't really belive it, i think they are the most powerfull of all models of a GPU.

What's important about PCI. Express x16 3.0? I'm not familiar with Mobos at all. Also, the 770 is at about $600 new right now, it'll probably go down when Amazon gets a new shipment in but right now it's wayyyyyyyy out of my price range.
-----
Originally Posted by Mongius View Post
Intel i5-4460
Cheapest B85 Mobo
R9 380/GTX 960/R9 280X (this priority order, look for 4GB versions)

roughly 450$

Since AMD is lacking new CPU architectures since '12 there is no reason to not go for Intel (except when you are on a 400$ budget for the whole PC then go AMD).

Which Mobo you get doesnt matter, as long as your cpu fits in it. I recommand to avoid H81 Boards since they are very spartan and not worth the 10$ saving on a B85.

The GPUs I listed should be able to play modern games on medium to high settings fluently. One note is that VRAM gets more and more important these days, so try to get the most as you can.

EDIT : It would be also useful to know what your power supply is, since we don't know how much power you can pull off your wall nor the amout of 6pin/8pin pcie connectors.

I added my PSU to the OP. Why exactly would getting a new mobo and an i5 be better than just getting a better AMD card? Is it worth spending the money to get a 970 over a 960? Or a 970 over a R9 380?



I also apologize about the lateness of this reply, I completely forgot about this thread, but now that I have some spare money and some more knowledge on the subject, I'm more interested in it.
Last edited by NotShadow; Nov 28, 2015 at 10:01 AM. Reason: <24 hour edit/bump
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Nov 28, 2015 Old
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Nov 28, 2015 Old
I added my PSU to the OP.

I honestly never heard of Diablotek so no opinion on this.
Why exactly would getting a new mobo and an i5 be better than just getting a better AMD card?

AMD's current best CPU is as fast in games as an i3 4170, which is a 120$ dual core. It is wrong to assume that more clock and more cores mean a faster Computer, all megaherz are not equal.
Your FX 4170 will be the bottleneck in the forseeable future so you should change that. You always need a new mobo when switching brands because of the socket and the connectors of the CPU, and Intel releases a new chipset every generation of processors, that's why 1150, 1155 and 1151 exist. The newest one is Skylake (socket 1151, chipsets B150, H170 and Z170). Now I recommand a B150 board and an i5-6400. Intels i5 series is just really damn good, their cpus from 2011 (2500K) are still good without any bottleneck. If you want to squeeze the maximum out of your wallet then upgrade your CPU AND GPU
Is it worth spending the money to get a 970 over a 960? Or a 970 over a R9 380?

AMD recently released the R9 380X which is 12% faster than the R9 380. Nvidia is now releasing the 960 ti, I would wait for that before buying a GPU
Last edited by Mongius; Nov 28, 2015 at 02:28 PM.
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Nov 29, 2015 Old
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Nov 29, 2015 Old
Originally Posted by Mongius View Post
AMD recently released the R9 380X which is 12% faster than the R9 380. Nvidia is now releasing the 960 ti, I would wait for that before buying a GPU

If I can get the 290 and the 380X for roughly the same price, which would be preferred?


Also, if I got the new mobo would I have to overclock to get better use out of it, or would it's stock clock rate be okay? I've never overclocked anything and with my PSU and fan I'm a little concerned about pushing anything to its limits.

Especially when the reviews for my PSU look like this:

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2010/...2#.VlpsrokrK70
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/26...diablotek-good
http://www.amazon.com/Diablotek-Seri...ews/B0009MIP8I

I was thinking of using this PSU instead
Last edited by NotShadow; Nov 29, 2015 at 04:14 AM.
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