Help, Entire New System vs Upgrade Current System?

RAviles

Honorable
May 26, 2013
5
0
10,510
Hello to all THW fans. I would like input and suggestions. Should I build a new system, or upgrade current old system if possible or worth it?

Below is my 2009 $500 budget gaming system I did for my son. Budget around $500-$600. PC for light to med gaming, school projects, and video BD playing.
I need a very sturdy strong (inexpensive) case as we do a lot of travel in the military.

PS: I upgraded the DVD player to a BD player since 2009. I now have a 2012 Samsung BD player.

My big concern is the old DDR2 RAM might choke any CPU+GPU upgrade. I'm thinking a new Core i3 should do the trick. Please let me know.

Thanks for all replies and suggestions in advance.

Rosendo from Fort Meade, MD


Tom’s Hardware $500 Budget Gaming PC_2009:

SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223B - OEM

XFX HD-485X-YDFC Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ/ST500DM005 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 64 Pro 92mm Ceramic CPU Cooler

AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor 2.9GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor ADX245OCGQBOX

Antec Two Hundred Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

GIGABYTE GA-MA770-UD3 AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard

OCZ ModXStream Pro 500W Modular High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandybridge Core i3 i5 i7 and ...

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model

I forgot, this system is linked to an Acer 23" monitor. Model H233H, 16:9, 1920x1080, full HD. Should I upgrade to a better 1080P? $150-$200 extra budget.
 

X79

Honorable
I think it should be a new system.

Check this out bro:


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($149.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $553.94
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-26 18:42 EDT-0400)

That's without a case, PSU, monitor etc. But I'm sure those old parts are still useable

from the 2009 build actually. The monitor you have already is perfect too.
 

mattius92

Distinguished
Aug 27, 2010
504
0
19,060
CPU: Intel Core i5-3450 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($212.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $552.94
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

Unless you can drive to a microcenter, you won't be able to get those super low prices, also the GTX 660 isnt as good of a GPU as the HD 7870 Ghz Edition. You can reuse your case, PSU, HDD, disk drive and monitor. This system will tackle all the latest games and multi-task like a boss. Plus you can't beat Intel.
 

RAviles

Honorable
May 26, 2013
5
0
10,510
Thanks to all. That's what I had in mind, new i5 CPU+GPU, MOBO and DDR3 RAM. Re-use my case, PSU, BD, monitor, and use my HDD as backup. Maybe get a new HDD 2TB WDC blue or green.

My case is maxed out with extra fans. Perhaps add a 120-128 GB SSD for OS. Also add a CPU cooler like the CM Hyper 212 Evo. I have decent Keyboard and Mouse combo. I'm using the free trial of Windows 7 Enterprise 64-bit for OS and Ubuntu/Mint partitions.

My question is, can my 500w PSU handle all the new hardware and GPU, or should I get something like 650w for the 660/660ti or 7850/7870 GPU?

Thanks again,
Rosendo
 

RAviles

Honorable
May 26, 2013
5
0
10,510
Thanks. I have to find my extra PSU cables now. I guess I need 2 PCIe power cables for those GPUs. My old 4850 only needed one, so I put them away in a box in storage. Thanks to all for your advice and recommendations.
 

RAviles

Honorable
May 26, 2013
5
0
10,510
Thanks. I'm looking for my PSU extra parts now. Need to find second PCIe cable. The 3570K looks impressive but a little expensive. And yes, I found out I do have a MicroCenter about 30 miles from Fort Meade north of Baltimore MD. I believe it's on sale for $169.99. In-store only. One per customer. I might take a trip up there and check them out.

Edit/Add

I noticed all of you suggested ASRock MOBOs. How do they compare to the Gigabyte Z77 D3H series, besides the lower price. I've never used ASRock before. I have experience with MSI, Asus and Gigabyte.
 

mattius92

Distinguished
Aug 27, 2010
504
0
19,060
Personally I have zero problems with AS-Rock and I love their mobos. They are build build quality and most are packed with features.

It would probably be worth the drive to save some money by driving to your Microcenter. You cannot beat the price anywhere.