Upgradin' Da Computah

Horus Taber · Dec 6, 2014

GPU will definitely need an upgrade as well as the ram. Do you know if your current ram is DDR3 and the speed they run at? If you have the funds the cpu could be upgraded as well. Send me a message and I'd be happy to help more :-)

Annitias · Dec 6, 2014

It is ddr3 for sure. That's all it can run.

Pending on what speed it is, may not need an upgrade right now. The GPU will need an upgrade.

As far as the psu can you link the model? That can make a huge issue if you have the wrong style.

The CPU may need to be swapped out down the road. It runs slower than an i3.

The mobo is a lower end set. Not what I would use but may still work...

Macabre Poetry · Dec 6, 2014

RussianJ said:
It is ddr3 for sure. That's all it can run.

Pending on what speed it is, may not need an upgrade right now. The GPU will need an upgrade.

As far as the psu can you link the model? That can make a huge issue if you have the wrong style.

The CPU may need to be swapped out down the road. It runs slower than an i3.

The mobo is a lower end set. Not what I would use but may still work...

I L L U M I N A T I

RussianJ = Illuminati
-Confirmed-

CrashMan054 · Dec 6, 2014

Macabre Poetry said:
I L L U M I N A T I

RussianJ = Illuminati
-Confirmed-

This is what TEST members do when they have too much time on their hands.

As for PC advice:
As most other people here said, I'd upgrade that GPU. Go with a 970 or equivalent. The CPU could also use an upgrade, I'd swap out motherboards and get a new i5 or i7.

Annitias · Dec 6, 2014

Macabre Poetry said:
I L L U M I N A T I

RussianJ = Illuminati
-Confirmed-

!KGB

Shar Treuse · Dec 6, 2014

Thought I'd chime in since I've been doing this for the last oh...30 years or so.

I'll start with the necessary:

1) Hard Drive is not Memory, it's storage. Anyone who tells you otherwise is blowing smoke.
2) Anything you buy today will be obsolete by the time Star Citizen comes out, so you will need to both plan ahead and, when it is released, buy another new video card unless you blow a fortune now.

You didn't state what PSU (power supply unit) you got, so I'll just briefly say that I hope you got a good brand. The PSU is the single MOST critical component of a computer and the hardest thing to get right. If you want PSU advice let me know and I'll do a whole post just on that topic.

Fortunately you can make do for now with the motherboard and CPU you have, at least for the next year or so. All of the details about the CPU are unimportant except MHz and model number. I should note that this CPU has 4 actual cores, not 2, and Hyperthreading only exists on Intel processors. What this means though is that it can handle any current game and anything that comes out in the next year, though not necessarily at maximum settings.

Your memory is also fine. Though not the fastest on the market, you have plenty for the time being and it's fast enough to give you decent, if not prime, performance. Besides, all you could do right now is add more quantity of RAM. To get faster RAM would mean either overclocking your memory (not the best idea as memory is a lot more picky than CPU and GPU) or replacing your motherboard, CPU and RAM entirely.

Monitors are monitors, and you have a good one from a good company so don't spend here unless you are having problems with screen ghosting.

So this leaves GPU, a.k.a. video card. This is where you absolutely need to make a change. Your motherboard supports PCIe 2.0 so you'll be able to use anything out there as all new GPUs support PCIe 2.0 and 3.0 at this point. As you aren't using multiple monitors or an extremely high resolution monitor, you definitely do not need multiple GPUs. This also means your 650W PSU should be sufficient to supply your computer. Dual GPUs need around 800W or more.

So now you have to decide one of two paths:

A) Just upgrade to a decent GPU that will get you through until Star Citizen is close to release, and then replace your entire computer and give the old one to your little brother/sister to play browser games.

B) Replace the entire computer now and expect to replace the GPU again when Star Citizen comes out.

Here's a decent chart of GPUs to comparison shop, I recommend something in the range from the GeForce GTX 770 upwards.

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

Though I recommend nVidia boards, that's a personal choice for reasons. A lot of people prefer AMD/ATI, buy what you like. If you're taking option B, lean towards the high end if you can afford it.

CrashMan054 · Dec 6, 2014

FireData said:
Alright, added the PSU to list of things.

I'd go with gold or higher for a gaming PC.

Annitias · Dec 6, 2014

Shar Treuse said:
Thought I'd chime in since I've been doing this for the last oh...30 years or so.

I'll start with the necessary:

1) Hard Drive is not Memory, it's storage. Anyone who tells you otherwise is blowing smoke.
2) Anything you buy today will be obsolete by the time Star Citizen comes out, so you will need to both plan ahead and, when it is released, buy another new video card unless you blow a fortune now.

You didn't state what PSU (power supply unit) you got, so I'll just briefly say that I hope you got a good brand. The PSU is the single MOST critical component of a computer and the hardest thing to get right. If you want PSU advice let me know and I'll do a whole post just on that topic.

Fortunately you can make do for now with the motherboard and CPU you have, at least for the next year or so. All of the details about the CPU are unimportant except MHz and model number. I should note that this CPU has 4 actual cores, not 2, and Hyperthreading only exists on Intel processors. What this means though is that it can handle any current game and anything that comes out in the next year, though not necessarily at maximum settings.

Your memory is also fine. Though not the fastest on the market, you have plenty for the time being and it's fast enough to give you decent, if not prime, performance. Besides, all you could do right now is add more quantity of RAM. To get faster RAM would mean either overclocking your memory (not the best idea as memory is a lot more picky than CPU and GPU) or replacing your motherboard, CPU and RAM entirely.

Monitors are monitors, and you have a good one from a good company so don't spend here unless you are having problems with screen ghosting.

So this leaves GPU, a.k.a. video card. This is where you absolutely need to make a change. Your motherboard supports PCIe 2.0 so you'll be able to use anything out there as all new GPUs support PCIe 2.0 and 3.0 at this point. As you aren't using multiple monitors or an extremely high resolution monitor, you definitely do not need multiple GPUs. This also means your 650W PSU should be sufficient to supply your computer. Dual GPUs need around 800W or more.

So now you have to decide one of two paths:

A) Just upgrade to a decent GPU that will get you through until Star Citizen is close to release, and then replace your entire computer and give the old one to your little brother/sister to play browser games.

B) Replace the entire computer now and expect to replace the GPU again when Star Citizen comes out.

Here's a decent chart of GPUs to comparison shop, I recommend something in the range from the GeForce GTX 770 upwards.

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

Though I recommend nVidia boards, that's a personal choice for reasons. A lot of people prefer AMD/ATI, buy what you like. If you're taking option B, lean towards the high end if you can afford it.

As a competition overclocker, I agree with most of that. The FX chips share some of the cache and other parts together. That's why you have "modules" of two cores. It operates with similar performance to a Intel core with HT.

MHz is not the single most important fact but is important. IPC (work per cycle) matters as much or more. I have a old 775 clery that will do 7ghz+ but is slow as sin due to low ipc.

As far as PSU. I fully agree. It is not the brand but the quality of me model itself. A corsair AXi 1500 has masterful build and quality but the CX line is pretty much trash in quality. Working with the PSU team at OCN we have a massive list of great PSUs at all size and price points now. I would say to look it over for anyone needing help

CrashMan054 · Dec 6, 2014

Just to add, I got a CX(not knowing they were crap). I found out the hard way that it barely supports the 425W my PC draws, even though it's supposedly 500W.

Shar Treuse · Dec 6, 2014

FireData said:
damn me and my loss of boxes

I am actually terrible when it comes to boxes, I have boxes for shit I threw out or gave away years ago. Fortunately they come in handy, my PSU box from oh...3 builds previous is still my "junk box" for little spare parts smaller than an add-in card and bigger than a case screw.

As for overclocking, I actually tend to avoid it for the most part as I have concerns over the longevity of components when placed under high stress. This is even more so now that I know I have at most 2-3 years to live, so my current CPU is also the last one I will ever buy barring some unlikely event like winning a majoy lottery jackpot. Factory overclocked components like my GPUs are one thing, as they are manufacturer certified, but you won't ever see me running my i7-3930k at 5GHz.

Shar Treuse · Dec 6, 2014

I'll put in a few words about PSUs since it seems to be becoming an issue.

Some brands are more consistent than others, Corsair has its ups and downs while Cooler Master has been pretty decent since they stopped using crappy third-party cooling fans in their PSUs. Thermaltake are mostly good, but the true boss of PSUs is PC Power & Cooling. They can be a bit spendy, but are worth every penny as they are rigidly quality controlled and use the heaviest duty components. There are other good brands but they are even less consistent than Corsair and sometimes hard to find, like Enermax.

As long as you're not using dual (or more) video cards, you can easily get by with a 650W or so unit, but if you ever plan to go with multiple GPUs you want an 850W or better (check the draw for each GPU toplan for 3 or 4). If you plan to use liquid cooling for anything, extra storage devices, lighting kits, fans, etc. just total up the draw of the powered components and add that in to determine how beefy a PSU you need. Be sure to leave a 15% slack as PSUs will degrade over time when they are pushed too close to the limit. A 500W unit may be able to handle your need for 475W for a few months, but soon it will drop below your demands and things will start to fail when you most need them, like during an intense dogfight or while blowing away hordes of zombies/enemy soldiers/etc.

Annitias · Dec 6, 2014

Shar Treuse said:
I am actually terrible when it comes to boxes, I have boxes for shit I threw out or gave away years ago. Fortunately they come in handy, my PSU box from oh...3 builds previous is still my "junk box" for little spare parts smaller than an add-in card and bigger than a case screw.

As for overclocking, I actually tend to avoid it for the most part as I have concerns over the longevity of components when placed under high stress. This is even more so now that I know I have at most 2-3 years to live, so my current CPU is also the last one I will ever buy barring some unlikely event like winning a majoy lottery jackpot. Factory overclocked components like my GPUs are one thing, as they are manufacturer certified, but you won't ever see me running my i7-3930k at 5GHz.

Just a few years to live? Be optimistic mate! I have run CPUs to the limit for years with little to no issues. Your be fine for less than a 5 year run

Shar Treuse · Dec 6, 2014

Not the CPU, me.

Snowianth · Dec 6, 2014

RussianJ said:
Just a few years to live? Be optimistic mate! I have run CPUs to the limit for years with little to no issues. Your be fine for less than a 5 year run

umm i relly wish that was typo and he ment that CPU life span

Annitias · Dec 6, 2014

Shar Treuse said:
Not the CPU, me.

You will survive. You will survive.

Now tell me you sang that to the tune of I will survive. Now you went back and read it in that tune. Yep.

Anyway mate, your be fine and the CPU will take it as well.

Shar Treuse · Dec 6, 2014

Upgradin' Da Computah

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