• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

Cheapo Gaming Upgrade Advice

L

Ladic

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Mar 30, 2006
Messages
1,232
Ok want to upgrade an older gaming pc, but I'm on a budget.
Reso that I will play in is 1680x1050
Already have OS just need a few parts.
No Overcloking
My idea is to stay below $250 on the 3 pieces I need.

Current Build:

CPU: C2D 4400 (2ghz)
MoBo: Gigabyte (cant remember model)
Ram: 3gb ddr2 (2gb 800 and 1gb 667)
Video: Nvidia 880gts 320mb


Parts I can reuse:

Case: Coolermaster
PSU: OCZ StealthXStream OCZ700SXS 700W
Video: Radeon 4870 512mb (I have this card already)
hardrive, dvd drives, etc

What I need to Buy:

CPU, Ram and Motherboard


So Far I was thinking the following parts:

CPU:AMD Athlon II X3 445 Rana 3.1GHz $74
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103872

MoBo: ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X $84
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131402

Ram: CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 $70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145260

Total: $228 + shipping

Ok so would this give me a noticeable improvement in gaming over the old build?
Is this the best I can do for under $250?
 
You can get a faster CPU if you're willing to cut down on the motherboard a little:
$180 - AMD Phenom II X4 925 CPU + MSI 870-G45 AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard Combo

RAM wise, since you're not overclocking, zero reason to go with DDR3 1333 RAM:
$60 - G.Skill F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT 2 x 2GB DDR3 1333 RAM
 
Go with the G.Skill kit that Danny recommended, as it has free ground shipping.
 
That corsair ram does not have a heat spreader. That is a sticker. RIPJAW ram is 64.99 if you want some good cheap ram. %64.99, free shipping.
 
Ryan_Brantley said:
That corsair ram does not have a heat spreader. That is a sticker. RIPJAW ram is 64.99 if you want some good cheap ram. %64.99, free shipping.
Click to expand...

The lack of the heatspreaders on the RAM is not a dealbreaker, especially if the OP isn't overclocking.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top