Which Part Should I Upgrade?

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Edman90

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Mar 6, 2013
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I am debating whether buying a new cpu or gpu.
My budget is 330$

Here are my pc specs
RAM- 8gb 1333 mhz
CPU - AMD FX 4100
GPU - GTX 660 (non ti)
MOBO - 760g GA-78LMT-S2P
PSU - 750 watt


I am thinking about buying an FX 8350 and overclocking it and get a bunch of fans for my computer and have some money left over.
But I don't know if i should get a 7950 . I run at 1920-1080
Please help
 
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mattius92

mattius92

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Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($93.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($219.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $313.98
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

I think your quad-core CPU is fine for now, a GPU is more important for gaming anyways. However, a 7870 Ghz Edition and a SSD will overall add a nice boost to your system. The 7870 overclocks like crazy and when overclocked comes close to a 7950 in terms of performance.
 
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Edman90

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I almost forgot. It is amazon credit
 
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Edman90

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I have a Seagate Barracuda 500gb. I use it mainly for gaming, but I record at the same time for youtube.
 
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Branden

Branden

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tom's hierarchy chart shows the 7870 is on the same tier as the 660 you already have, not a worthwhile upgrade (if it even is).

fact is you've already got a capable machine for mid-level gaming, any significant upgrade is going to cost much more than $330.
i'd suggest either keep saving up till can afford to make such an upgrade, or get a SSD and enjoy the much improved boot & load times.
 
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mattius92

mattius92

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Motherboard: ASRock 990FX Extreme4 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($76.17 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($98.76 @ Amazon)
Total: $314.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

With your budget, this will probably give you the most performance increase. The new SSD, and fast DDR3-1866 RAM, paired with the 990FX motherboard, you will be ready for any CPU/GPU upgrades down the road.
 
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Branden

Branden

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you've got to come back to reality. you have $330 to spend and with it want to buy a new mobo, gpu, & cpu; and end up with a computer superior to you existing one - can't be done. your existing mobo, gpu, & cpu are already more than $330.
upgrading to a gpu that's just one tier better is going to be $400 alone.

i still suggest either keep saving up until you can afford an actual gaming-worthy upgrade, or get a SSD and revel in its speediness.
 
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Edman90

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What about
MotherBoard: ASRock 990FX EXTREME3 Socket AM3+/ AMD 990FX/ AMD Quad CrossFireX& nVidia Quad SLI/ SATA3&USB3.0/ A&GbE/ ATX Motherboard ($119.99 @ amazon)
CPU: AMD FX 8350 ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Cooler:Cooler Master 212 PLus ($27.76 @ amazon)

Also I heard the motherboard I have is not good for overclocking. So Should I get a new mobo overall
 
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Fulgurant

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Yeah, a marginal (if that) GPU upgrade would be silly. Buying a 7870 to replace a 660 is like paying $400+ for a single ~$220 graphics card. Even if you sell the 660 used, you're still gonna lose in the deal.

And it's not like the 660 is bad at gaming at 1080p. If the OP's computer has a significant bottleneck, it's the CPU.

What's your BIOS version number, OP? You might be able to toss an FX-8300 into that socket. That'd probably help most for pure gaming performance. Or you might consider grabbing an SSD for a sizable quality-of-life improvement.
 
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Fulgurant

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The problem with swapping the motherboard is that you may also have to purchase a new Windows license. That's $90-100 on top of whatever hardware you buy.
 
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Edman90

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I Don't know the version number. But I can give you the link to the MOBO http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0054OWT0G/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
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Edman90

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Why is that
 
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Edman90

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Lets say I dont have to buy a new windows license. Is that a good buy?
 
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Fulgurant

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It should tell you what the BIOS version when you first boot up the machine. I asked because I looked up the CPUs supported by your motherboard (see my link in previous post), and it seems the best CPU you can get (the FX-8300) requires BIOS version number F5a (or later).

You can always flash the BIOS, of course, but it'd be easier if you didn't have to :)
 
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Edman90

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Alright. So should i buy a new mobo then. OH DANG. I forgot to say I am also running a minecraft server
 
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Fulgurant

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Of course, it seems the best CPU you can slot into your current motherboard isn't available on the consumer market in the US. Hm. ;)

The more I think about this, the more I think you should probably just buy an SSD and call it a day, as Branden suggested earlier.
 
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mattius92

mattius92

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Edman? Do you still have the original Windows Installation DVD? Because you can actually use it again, up to three times before you are not longer allowed to activate.

However, buying a new SSD would only be good if he installs the OS on it. So regardless you have to reinstall the OS. So get the new MOBO and SSD and then add a fresh copy of Windows on there. Then you will be set.
 
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Fulgurant

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Only if he has a retail copy. If it's an OEM copy, it's a one-system license.



He would be well advised to reinstall Windows if he were to buy an SSD, because a clean install of Windows is rarely a bad idea -- but he wouldn't necessarily need to do it. He could clone the existing system drive and toss it onto the SSD.

A new motherboard without a new CPU is frankly a terrible value proposition. It's unfortunate that the guy has such a large sunk cost in his existing system, and it's unfortunate that his existing platform is so limited, but the situation is what it is. Unless the OP absolutely cannot tolerate the performance of his current CPU, then he should stand pat for a little while longer til he can justify what amounts to a ground-up rebuild.

 
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mattius92

mattius92

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I have reactivated OEM copies up to three times. Thats even on different builds. Microsoft figures you might upgrade your HDD or MOBO, so they leave a little bit of room for re-activations.

And yes, point taken, he should really just save for a LGA 1150 (Haswell) platform...
 
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Fulgurant

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Did you have to call Microsoft to sweet-talk them into it? The effortless process you describe seems completely contradictory to my experience and everything I've read on the subject. Here's a link I found in a throwaway search: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-windows_install/how-exactly-does-windows-7-retail-vs-oem/fae7b2ab-c530-45e6-aeb3-cc55cf7b9231

The motherboard is the only component that Microsoft doesn't allow you to upgrade on the same license, because a line has to be drawn somewhere in order for the OEM arrangement to make any sense, and the motherboard is as good a place as any at which to draw that line (and better than most). As noted in the link, if Dell sells you a computer system with a P4 motherboard in it and it dies five years later, does Dell send you a modern motherboard to replace it? No. They send you the exact model you had before.



Sadly, I think that is the bottom line here.
 
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