What should I upgrade? *Help needed*

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MRC390

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Oct 6, 2012
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Hello everyone. Currently my system is a Radeon hd 7770 OC from MSI, Core2Duo 6600 @ 2.4GHZ, 2GB of ddr2 memory, all running on a nForce 680i SLI socket 775 motherboard. I have a case branded "Ultra" which was given by my uncle. It's fairly big but i'm not sure if is a full tower or a mid tower. I also have a cheap Thermaltake 430w power supply.

-I received this build from my uncle.

I play games on my old HNC monitor at 1440x900 resolution. I can play every game maxed out except some MMO's and FPS's such as RIFT, Blacklight: Retribution, and some other games. However i can run BF3 maxed out, Skyrim maxed out, and left 4 dead 2 maxed out.

My question is, what can i do to get more performance? I don't have the money to build a new rig. I've been told my graphics card is enough for my resolution, and i don't plan on buying a new monitor any time soon (happy with my current one)

Should I upgrade to a low end i5 and a super cheap motherboard for it, and get 8gb of ram and keep my current 7770 graphics card? I'm not really sure what to do, but my budget is under $500

I know theres not much i can do with this budget, but please, if anyone can help. I would greatly appreciate it.

I just wanna be able to play those MMO's and other games at playable frame rates for MY resolution which I find very enjoyable. I don't think overclocking is an option because my power supply is from thermaltake and i hear they make crappy units. Also its a low wattage PSU.

Thanks in advance =]
 
Solution
adimeister
That is actually a big budget already. Keep your 7770. Then upgrade your cpu, yep a lowend i5 is good enough. :) Then mems - 2x4gb 1666 kit. You're currently having a bottleneck bro.
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MRC390

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Hi! thanks for the quick answer. However i have another question, My case has ZERO cable management options and only 1 120mm fan. To keep the build in $500 what should i do?
 
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adimeister

adimeister

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Are you overclocking your system? Or do you have any plans on overclocking it? You can still keep the same case to make the build cheaper and put your money on other components, like upgrade your PSU for instance. Can you take a picture of your case? I'm sure you can install at least 2 fans on that case. Even generic cases can install 2 case fans. :)
 
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Tavo_Nova

Tavo_Nova

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with your case like that I doubt you can do any overclocking, but a cheap i5 non K (K if you plan to overclock and get some cheap 70$ case) some motherboard H87/H77 or Z77/Z87 (for oc) and you're all set.

this one for 519$ http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1l922 and with a corsair graphite 600T case a very wonderful case to boot. also included a good corsair cx 500 80plus psu

and this one for saving

 
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MRC390

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the cheapest i5 (non k) is $189 dollars. It's the i5 3350P on ncix for $189 bucks. I'm from Canada and its the cheapest around here. I don't plan on overclocking, ever. The cheapest 1155 socket mobo -
MSI B75MA-P45 with usb3 and sata3 for $70. With a $500 budget buying a $70 case isn't happening )=
 
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MRC390

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Even the lower end i5 is really pricey. The cheapest one i found on NCIX.ca is $189 it's the i5 3350P and to be honest I really hate my case, i was thinking of getting the Zalman T1 Mini but it has no usb3 support )=
 
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MRC390

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I don't mind AMD, the problem is that their CPU's use more power, and since im using a cheap power supply, i'm not sure if its a good idea... ]=
 
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Tavo_Nova

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MRC390

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Yes actually, NCIX is the retailer i will be buying from :)
 
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MRC390

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