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Which component to upgrade first?

M

MuZI

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 1, 2006
Messages
344
My brother is thinking of upgrading something in his aging computer. It is about 5-6 years old so it has a AMD X2 245 Proc, 2GB Geil RAM, old 7.2k HDD...the vid card is a 8600 GTS.

I'm not a gamer but he says he wants a few more FPS when gaming. I think he plays WoW and LOL mostly. The PSU is an older 430W Thermaltake.

I think he wants to keep the upgrade at ~$150.

Which would make the biggest improvement? CPU? SSD? new Vid Card?

I know a 955 goes for $89 these days. I can get him a 128GB Crucial SSD since he never uses more than 80 GB. I'm not sure what the best bang for the buck vid card these days is... I stopped following at 5770.

Resolution he uses for gaming is 1920x1080.
 
A system that old could really use a complete overhaul, there's no one component that will magically do the trick. Heck, I imagine even at 430W, that Thermaltake doesn't have as much 12V capacity as you'd want to see running a newer videocard. An SSD will help with your overall system responsiveness but won't increase your FPS in games. His CPU is actually the best thing he's got going for him. A new videocard would blow away that old 8600, but he also needs more RAM.

He should be able to get the RAM up to 4GB very cheaply if he checks the for sale forum. I'm guessing he's running DDR2, but those Socket AM3 chips actually support both DDR2 and 3, so you'll need to check the actual RAM/motherboard to be sure. Example: this guy has 8GB DDR2 kits for $35, and you only need another 2GB. (8GB total would be a plus, but isn't essential.)
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1708114

That PSU limits what you're able to do videocard wise, there are some much faster cards for not much more money, especially used. The 7770 is a good example of a solid card using only one 6pin PCI Express power connector. At $117 AR shipped this would do:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127687

EDIT: you mentioned a Phenom II 955, my bad. That would be a good future upgrade, but RAM and GPU come 1st.

TL;DR: Check what kind of RAM he's using and get him to a total of 4GB or more, then upgrade to a new videocard like the Radeon 7770 that uses no more than one 6pin PCI-e power connector.
 
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Also, an AMD 7750 or 7770 would e a decent card to look into that does not use much power (especially the 7750)

EDIT: Didnt see the rec above for the 7770 above, thought you were going down the psu lie thre. heh.
 
If he could do $200 we could get him going much better.

If not, go for 4gb RAM upgrade, and I'd grab a used 6850 or a used GTX 460.

For $200 get him 4gb ddr3, an H61 motherboard, a G530 cpu, and a used 5770. I believe you could do that for $200 or a little less.
 
DooKey said:
I'd grab a used 6850 or a used GTX 460.
Click to expand...

I was thinking one of those cards too, except he's using a 430W PSU that's already had ~6 years of service and probably has only ~300-350W on the 12V rail. Doesn't look like we have the money to replace the PSU if it dies so I didn't want to tempt fate here, thus the lower power GPU. But if you're OK with the minor risk of killing the PSU, you'll definitely see more FPS.
 
matt9669 said:
I was thinking one of those cards too, except he's using a 430W PSU that's already had ~6 years of service and probably has only ~300-350W on the 12V rail. Doesn't look like we have the money to replace the PSU if it dies so I didn't want to tempt fate here, thus the lower power GPU. But if you're OK with the minor risk of killing the PSU, you'll definitely see more FPS.
Click to expand...

The PSU is older than 6 years. This computer originally had an Antec 450w that I killed. It was replaced with a cheapy Thermaltake 430w from ebay I picked up for $30. I only planned to use it as a temp but totally forgot. It was sent in poor packing and was hott in the 100 degree weather outside. I'm surprised it's still working and don't really want to tempt killing it just yet.

I should probably replaced the PSU...

---

I just remember the motherboard is a ASUS M4A785-M 785G. I killed his previous MB and bought a temporary one... which he has been using these past few years...

Looks like I might be paying for a bit of his upgrade....
 
Well it's still running for now, so no sweat.

The M4A785-M has 4 DDR2 slots, so that helps - grab that 8GB for $35 or find a similar deal, that'll be plenty for Windows 7/8 x64. Grab a 5770 or 7770 or similar. The x2 245 actually isn't too shabby, it'll be enough to max out a videocard in your price range, and you can put a 955 in later for cheap.

Newegg often has quality 500-550W PSU's for under $50, if you snag one he'll be set for another several years and can up his videocard to boot.
 
The 245 is already an Athlon II, might as well get the 955 if you're going to upgrade. Only $10 more anyway.

CX 500 would do fine. Peace of mind, if nothing else.
 
Although you got some good help here....and good advice going


I would go to the GENERAL Forum and ask For advice there...Danny and others will post a list and prices for you..to get the best bang for your buck....just remember to answer the questions in the first Sticky post...it helps w/ the parts buying.......GL
 
AP is correct. General Hardware forum will get you much more input.
 
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