Help me update my gaming experience.

D

Doodlehed

Limp Gawd
Joined
Feb 1, 2012
Messages
147
Not just my rig, my gaming experience. I built this in feb/12, so it's a bit dated. What would you upgrade?

fx 4100 @ stock (had it at 4.4ghz for 8 months with no problem)
radeon hd 6870 GPU
ASRock 890FX Deluxe4 AM3+
Antec NEO ECO 620C 620W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.3
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)
21" AOC cheap LCD monitor. Seems to have a crappy refresh rate and smears while gaming.
10$ logitech KB
R.A.T.3 gaming mouse....Although I like logitech in my hand.
OLD PCI HDD 300GB.

My WEI is:
CPU: 7.3
GPU: 7.8 - both
RAM: 7.3
Primary HDD: 5.7

Problem is, I play BFBC2 a lot, some WoW. In BFBC2 I play on low settings because it's easier to see people. I think my framerate is in the 50s generally but I'm now 32 years old and it seems harder to catch people. I used to be able to just spin around and pop a cap in someones ass but my screen smears or my FPS is too low to pinpoint player models.

So, GPU? New monitor? HDD? What do you think. I can deal with slow load times with my crappy HDD. I just feel like my FPS is low or my monitor is trash. It was like 120 bucks at best buy, worst thing they had but I was using a CRT.

I looked up GPU's and I'd probably have to spend over 200$ to get any increase at all in performance so that isn't looking like a good option. 120 hz monitors are kinda sexy. I'm just not sure. :\

Thanks for reading.
 
Doesn't look like you mentioned what your budget was, so its hard to recommend anything.

If that was my system I would grab a 120 SSD for $100, an fx-8350, and a Radeon 7950. That's around $550 or so total, and would feel like a whole new machine. Your current cpu and gpu would sell for around $150 or so to help offset your cost.
 
I don't really have a budget but the girlfriend is always happier when stuff is cheaper. I do like the 8350 and seems to do quite a bit better than my 4100 on most benchmarks, also not terribly expensive + same socket. I'm wondering though if there are going to be any new chips like the 9xxx 5ghz FX chips that are about to hit. Those are out of my price range but maybe some similar scaled down models will surface?

That video card is probably 250$ though. Do you think it would last at least a year? Play battlefield 4 on good detail with 50+ fps?
 
Yeah....

If you wanna talk overall "experience", I would upgrade in this order:

Monitor -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009483

SSD -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147188

RAM -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231425

Video Card -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131478

Processor -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113284

Your monitor really seems to be an issue for you. Hence the IPS panel recommendation....

An SSD is a given. You will notice a huge difference in your overall computing experience compared to that old IDE drive etc. Trust me, I didn't buy into the SSD hype either but finally upgraded a month ago.... TOTALLY WORTH IT.

As for the RAM, it's a cheap upgrade that is just a given these days (4GB is quickly becoming the bare minimum.)

Video card, honestly your 6870 isn't thattttt bad. But your next logical upgrade would definitely be a 7950 etc.

Processor, same thing.... The FX-4100 really ISN'T that bad and the next logical step up would definitely be the 8350.

OVERALL, I would REALLY recommend the monitor, SSD, and RAM upgrades first (if your on a budget etc)
 
Thanks for that detailed post, horror. I appreciate the time you took to research for me.

I agree, SSD is a long time coming and it'll be such a big boost.

As for the monitor. I kind of want a 120hz item. It might cost twice as much but man, I bet it's awesome even if i cant hit those 120 fps.
 
I have the same monitor lol, that's fine. If you can hold out till black friday in november there's lots of good deals the day or so before online. By then your options will be better. Gpu mostly is going to give the best upgrade for your money.
 
Ssd, ram, and monitor are going to give you no increase in fps in bfbc2 n I can guarantee that. Moving to a 120hz and being able to get a consistent 120fps would be golden for the game you are playing. If your comfortable on low settings the 6870 will do you fine. I know many people that play it on low with better systems than yours because they can see enemies better and be more accurate. CPU upgrade will DEFINATELY help you. Turning graphics down increases CPU load and vice versa. When turned up it increases GPU load and decreases CPU load. I'd say get an 8350 and 8gb of ram if your planning on sticking with low/med settings and get a 120hz monitor. I love mine. But an lg ultra wide is REALLY got me drooling Lol. Get a 120hz for sure. Don't listen to anyone suggesting a 60hz. If you want to dominate a game like bfbc2 or bf3. Its like a hack.
 
That orange monitor has some pretty nasty reviews. I think I'll search for something a notch above in the price scale. That one caught my eye earlier when I was browsing but a lot of people are talking about humming and ghosting.
 
Random question, is BF:BC2 still popular online?

I played the hell out of it when it first came out etc.

Never bought the Vietnam expansion.... (by then I was kinda burned out)

I'm asking, cuz if regular/vanilla BF:BC2 is still boomin', I'll definitely re-install!
 
Your #1 upgrade has got to be the monitor. Really, you should skimp on everything else in favour of the monitor, keyboard, and mouse. After that, an upgrade to 8 GB RAM. Third comes the video card. A SSD is nice but a luxury.
 
horrorshow said:
Random question, is BF:BC2 still popular online?

I played the hell out of it when it first came out etc.

Never bought the Vietnam expansion.... (by then I was kinda burned out)

I'm asking, cuz if regular/vanilla BF:BC2 is still boomin', I'll definitely re-install!
Click to expand...

Its still populated but not as popular as BF3. Heck even BF2(retail not free) still has a small population
 
If your in US try microcenter they usually have really good deals on CPU and monitors. Benq XL2420T like I have is a great monitor. People will complain a bit about the color, but if you calibrate well its a great monitor. I love mine, but stock presets were REALLY washed out and had no saturation. Some small tweaks helped this a lot. The market is very small for 120hz. Last time I looked there were only a few that were as renowned as the benq but they were mostly 27" and quite pricey. By his sig he has already got the 8gb of ram upgrade ???. I say keep low/med settings, grab an 8350 and 120hz monitor and you'll fly threw bc2. 6870 holds pretty strong in bc2. Will avg about 40-50fps if I remember correctly, so even on high settings with hbao and msaa turned down you'll get great fps. Your CPU is definately holding you back.
 
horror, hit me up on steam if you're going to play bfbc2! steam = wang0r....don't ask, i made it like 10 years ago. Or anyone else who wants to play bfbc2 for that matter. I have bf3, but i havent even played it yet.

I think I'm going to pick up a SSD and an 8350 then get the monitor a couple weeks down the road.

It'll be nice having a sexy monitor but when everything on my pc is going to be sped up by the first two items, i think i'd enjoy that more.

Edit: sigs wrong, 4 gb ram.
 
Grab the 8gb ram as well. Another 2x2gb matching kit to tours would b cheapest. N don't listen to people suggesting 60hz. U want 120hz for fps multiplayer.
 
Another vote for a 120Hz monitor but go with something proven to take advantage of Lightboost motion blur reduction. Then grab a new video card so you can use all 120 of those screen updates :)

Also, BC2 still rocks. You'll find me (Haemato) on various softcore conquest servers - usually Arica Harbour or Laguna Presa (KoS servers). If you happen to find me please let the other players in the game know that I don't cheat ... my gaming rig is responsible for most of my play.
 
For gaming, a 120 Hz display is a solid investment. The catch is that getting the most of it means that you have to invest in quite a lot more hardware. It's a good way to revitalize your interest if you have the means, though.

That said, 21:9 aspect ratio displays are as interesting as 120 Hz displays and are starting to get reasonably affordable. You might prefer something like that over 120 Hz (because you can't have both at this time).
 
I think the main thing you need is a nice fast SSD. Don't underestimate the significance of load times especially for online gaming. Next would be 8gb of DDR3-1600mhz ram. After that, gpu, monitor, and cpu in that order.
 
kametsukida said:
I think the main thing you need is a nice fast SSD. Don't underestimate the significance of load times especially for online gaming. Next would be 8gb of DDR3-1600mhz ram. After that, gpu, monitor, and cpu in that order.
Click to expand...

Op clearly expresses a need for more frames. An ssd will provide no frame rate gain. It should be last on the list.
 
Ok, I re-installed. Just thought you might wanna know, my rig runs BF:BC2 at 1080p MAXED at a constant 60fps.... (/w vsnyc on)

(figured it might give you an idea of what you need etc)
 
If you are looking for a cheap, all-around upgrade: grab yourself a fx6300 (or 6350 if you can find them), a Radeon 7870 or 7950, and bump up your RAM amount. The 8350 is a tad bit faster than the 6300 in games, but I would rather save and grab the 6c chip and spend a bit toward the video card. As for your monitor, I know your feel; maybe upgrade to a 24" IPS screen, but I'm no monitor nut.
 
Throw your money at a decent SSD. You will not be disapointed. After that, I would work on the graphics. For now, I would work on the hard drive performance.
 
At stock speeds the FX6300 compares to the i7-920 ,but it's unknown to me what happens when both are overclocked. I use the i7-930 and it's overclocked to 3.8Ghz and paired with a HD 7950 clocked at 1002/1503 and it seems to play anything I want in single or 3x1 Eyefinity setup.

So I would do some digging around and see which AMD cpu matchs the i7-920 overclocked as it may save you afew buxs to throw at that HD7950.. the other stuff would take a back seat to me.

Here is my setup playing BF 3 MP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNI48TfCD94
 
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