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Gaming Rig Upgrade

S

sclary

n00b
Joined
Jan 2, 2013
Messages
5
If you're gonna ask us to build/list a PC for you or seek advice about a build, please answer all of the following questions:

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming, Web Browsing
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
500$
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Canada
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
CPU, Motherboard, Video Card
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Corsair CX430
GSKIL http://www.gskill.com/en/product/f3-12800cl9d-4gbxl Memory
WD 500mb Blue
OCZ VERTEX 2 60GB SSd

6) Will you be overclocking?
yes
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1080p
HP 2311xi
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
ASAP
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
USB 3.0 thats about it
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes Windows 8.1 64bit

I'm looking into upgrading my gaming rig, Current Rig Specs are:
AMD Phenom II X4 B55
ASRock Extreme3
GSKILL F3-12800CL9D-4GBXL
WD 500MB WD BLUE
OCZ VERTEX 2 60GB SSD
RADEON HD5770
Corsair CX430

I have 500$ and would like to upgrade what I can, Any thoughts?
 
From what I see the ASRock Extreme 3 is an AM3+ board with USB 3 so I'd keep that as the base. I'd for for a FX8320 for $160 and use the rest for something like a GTX770 or thereabouts.


http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-gtx770dc2oc2gd5
http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-fd8320frhkbox

I'm not sure how strong the PII X4 B55 is but with the 8320 you're getting into Piledriver which should be a good step up. I can't find the B55 but it looks like you'd be looking at a 4 rung step up according to the Tom's chart.
 
1) What case do you have?
2) Which Asrock Extreme 3 do you have? The 990FX or the 970?
 
II x4 B55 is Phenom II x2 555 BE so is becomes a quad core Phenom II with almost the same amount of cache as I can see, http://www.anandtech.com/show/2927 http://www.game-debate.com/cpu/inde...m-ii-x4-b55-vs-phenom-ii-x4-955-black-edition
955 is not a slow chip I use mine and am happy with it (granted not the same level of fast as current chips, though should be better single threaded for older games then FX is) the overclock headroom on his will be slightly diminished though if he chooses to do that, either way, I would say same, if clocks up FX8320 so can match 8350 speed for less cost. Buddy of mine just went to a 8320 from a 955 and he said BF4 in 64man is WAY smoother then the 955 was as on his machine it posed issues with the 6950, but now, just butter.

Make sure you have proper BIOS version to support the 8320/8350 if you go this route.

1080p so anything above 260x or 7850 level for Radeons, 265 is out very shortly, or 660Ti or above Nvidia should do very well, I would be hesitant about spending most of said budget on the gpu alone, although the cpu upgrade could handle it, IMHO at 1080p 60Hz you will not be getting the most out of that card either.

CX430 28a 336w available on 12v, FX8320 125w TDP (so around 150 most they say usually 20-30% for max power use) will it be leaving enough headroom to use a 770 http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-770-gk104-review,3519-25.html which going by this is ~18a gaming.
 
dragonstongue said:
CX430 28a 336w available on 12v, FX8320 125w TDP (so around 150 most they say usually 20-30% for max power use) will it be leaving enough headroom to use a 770 http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-770-gk104-review,3519-25.html which going by this is ~18a gaming.
Click to expand...
Your numbers are kinda off there: The Corsair CX430 has 32A on the +12V rail, not 28A. In addition, Tom's isn't a solid site for power consumption figures.
sclary said:
The Extreme 3 is a 870
Click to expand...
Then you're looking at a new CPU and mobo as that mobo doesn't support the new FX CPUs. Since you're looking at a new CPU and mobo, you're looking at an Intel platform.

Go for this setup:
$208 - Intel Core i5-4430 CPU
$90 - Asus B85M-G Intel B85 Motherboard
$210 - MSI GTX 660 Gaming Edition PCI-E Video Card
---
Total: $508 shipped
 
I referenced the V2 so not wrong but not right lol, so it does depend on which he has really am sure one can easily overlook that depending on where he got it and when.

Wont comment on Intel build not enough experience with the lower end for choice recommendations and well you already made one.

Is there no 7850 in this price range as another choice, R7-265 should be next little bit and still well within budget(if not saving a couple $ maybe making a more powerful cpu or mobo becoming still in budget) so might be a good idea to hold just for a touch more before final decision on at least the gpu, doubtful much will change cpu or mobo in this regard.
 
dragonstongue said:
I referenced the V2 so not wrong but not right lol, so it does depend on which he has really am sure one can easily overlook that depending on where he got it and when.
Click to expand...
Hmmm... I stand corrected then.

dragonstongue said:
Is there no 7850 in this price range as another choice, R7-265 should be next little bit and still well within budget(if not saving a couple $ maybe making a more powerful cpu or mobo becoming still in budget) so might be a good idea to hold just for a touch more before final decision on at least the gpu, doubtful much will change cpu or mobo in this regard.
Click to expand...
I can't even find a HD 7850 for a good price here in the United States of America from a decent manufacturer. Canada isn't going to be better. The HD 7850 is just too overpriced due to the crypto-currency bullshit.
 
so if the 265 is released at MSRP or just a touch over will be a very good deal, and save a few $ to up cpu or board?

always worth to wait a bit if one can never know when you can get a wicked deal of the week type thing.
 
dragonstongue said:
so if the 265 is released at MSRP or just a touch over will be a very good deal, and save a few $ to up cpu or board?

always worth to wait a bit if one can never know when you can get a wicked deal of the week type thing.
Click to expand...
If it is actually released near MSRP (it more than likely won't), it still wouldn't affect my CPU and mobo recommendation since he's not overclocking nor has he stated any particular features requirements that can only be found in a more expensive motherboard.
 
Thanks for the Replys,

I just got a new job opportunity and am looking to increase my budget to 1000$.

Any new ideas?
 
1080p opens up the gpu side but of course ramping up to a higher end psu (more then likely we will see what Dangman says) and/or adding an SSD as well of course.

SSD Samsung 840 EVO 120gb or higher
GPU Radeon 7850 or better for 7k series, and R-265 as mentioned or higher for Radeon R series
Nvidia 660/660Ti, 760 and so forth.
 
dragonstongue said:
1080p opens up the gpu side but of course ramping up to a higher end psu (more then likely we will see what Dangman says) and/or adding an SSD as well of course.

SSD Samsung 840 EVO 120gb or higher
GPU Radeon 7850 or better for 7k series, and R-265 as mentioned or higher for Radeon R series
Nvidia 660/660Ti, 760 and so forth.
Click to expand...

Yeah I would definitely upgrade the PSU: I wasn't exactly thrilled at recommending the GTX 660 with a Corsair CX430. Upgrade the PSU to the Seasonic SSR-550RM 550W PSU or, if you want to save money, the XFX 550W.

I definitely concur with the SSD recommendation that dragonstongue made. Video card wise, just go to the GTX 760 and you'll be set there.

Also, add in the cheapest single stick 8GB of DDR3 RAM you can find as that will help make the system run a little smoother than 4GB. I don't recommend getting a second 4GB stick of RAM since 4GB sticks of RAM tend to be extremely overpriced in comparison to 8GB RAM pricing.

Case: what case will you be using?
 
Right now i Have a small gigabyte case, I'm thinking of getting an Antect Threehundred, unless anyone has any better recomendations?
 
 
sclary said:
Right now i Have a small gigabyte case, I'm thinking of getting an Antect Threehundred, unless anyone has any better recomendations?
Click to expand...
The Antec 300 isn't a good choice. Too cramped, has little to no cable management, severly lacking in quality, etc. I recommend these cases instead:
$50 - NZXT Source 220 Black ATX Case
$60 - Corsair Carbide Series 200R ATX Case
$70 - Corsair Graphite Series 230T Black w/ Window ATX Case
$93 - Corsair Carbide Series 400R ATX Case
$105 - Antec 1100 ATX Case
$110 - Corsair Carbide Series 500R ATX Case
 
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