Gaming Rig Upgrade Recomendations

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icepickjazz

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My son wants to upgrade his entry level gaming pc to something better. He complains about video and cpu. Would like to reuse the case and the monitor. Should we buy 2nd video card and use crossfire or buy new? Here's his current config:


    Rosewill Challenger ATX case
    ASRock 870 EXTREME3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
    ASUS VH232H 23" 5ms Widescreen Full HD 1080p LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 ASCR 20000:1
    Sony Optiarc CD/DVD Burner 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model AD-7260S-0B - OEM
    AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz
    Radeon HD 7850 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
    CORSAIR TX Series CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE
    G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory


Approximate Purchase Date: this week
Budget Range: (e.g.: $1,000) Before Rebate Before Before Shipping

System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming, watching movies, surfing the internet
Are you buying a monitor: No
Parts to Upgrade: CPU, mobo, RAM, maybe video

Do you need to buy OS: Yes
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Parts Preferences: I would like to upgrade to Intel CPU
Overclocking: Maybe
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe
Monitor Resolution: See above
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Slow video, slow cpu
 
Solution
M
Well LGA 1155 still has some life in it, and when you consider overclocking may be a better option, but I figure a LGA 1150 will let you upgrade the CPU down the line if needed so

ASRock Z87 Extreme4 LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $139.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157369

Intel Core i5-4670K Haswell 3.4GHz LGA 1150 $239.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116899

PowerColor AX7850 2GBD5-DH Radeon HD 7850 2GB $149.99
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131473

Mushkin Enhanced Chronos MKNSSDCR240GB-7 2.5" 240GB SATA (SSD) $174.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226371

CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin...
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rolli59

rolli59

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Really it is not bad at all but if on 64bit OS he could do with 2x4GB ram and aftermarket cooler so you can overclock his CPU. I have in my household a rig with 955BE @ 3.6GHz and HD7850 and it was a big improvement over the original CPU clock of 3.2GHz.
 
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icepickjazz

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I forgot to mention he is running windows 7 64-bit and has a COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler and Samsung SpinPoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB SATA2 7200rpm 16MB Hard Drive. Don't think he's doing much with overclocking. Maybe add 2nd 7850?
 
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megamanx00

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Well LGA 1155 still has some life in it, and when you consider overclocking may be a better option, but I figure a LGA 1150 will let you upgrade the CPU down the line if needed so

ASRock Z87 Extreme4 LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $139.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157369

Intel Core i5-4670K Haswell 3.4GHz LGA 1150 $239.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116899

PowerColor AX7850 2GBD5-DH Radeon HD 7850 2GB $149.99
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131473

Mushkin Enhanced Chronos MKNSSDCR240GB-7 2.5" 240GB SATA (SSD) $174.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226371

CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 $133.99 * 2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233299

XIGMATEK Gaia SD1283 $24.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233082

Total $997.93

32GB of RAM may seem like overkill but I say just go for it :D. You can go with just 16GB instead and put more money towards a larger capacity SSD.
 
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Solution
rolli59

rolli59

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Overclocking and stronger graphics would do the trick but if you are upgrading then LGA1150 would be the way to go.
 
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realchaos

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If you wish to upgrade, I would keep the following things:
-Monitor.
-Optical drives. No need for a new one since it's going to work the same anyways.
-CPU Cooler. You're not overclocking, so the Hyper 212 EVO is already unnecessary but since you already have it.
-PSU. Great quality psu there. Just remember that you should replace a psu every 5 years or so.
-RAM. This one pretty much depends. Does the Ripjaws fit under the Hyper 212 EVO? If it does, buy another 2x2gb set of the exact same module for a total of 2x4gb. 8gb of ram is plenty for gaming.

The only thing I would worry about is getting a new processor, motherboard, os, and a new gpu.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($174.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI H87-G43 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ Vector Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $854.95
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-30 21:01 EDT-0400)

-The i5-4430 is the best processor option for your needs. Great performance in games, locked since you're not overclocking, and cheaper than most other i5's.
-Standard, locked motherboard.
-Upgraded gpu. Your son won't complain anymore since the GTX 770 maxes out any game on 1080p. If you think it's too strong of a gpu, consider the Radeon HD 7970. The 7970 also comes with free games, so it's a great value.
-Added in a SSD.
-You need to re-install windows since you're changing motherboards and adding in a SSD. If you already have an OS disk, you don't need this one.

The main reason I'm recommending to upgrade the gpu instead of getting another 7850 in crossfire is that H87 chipset motherboards doesn't allow SLI / crossfire. You would need to spend more money on a Z87 chipset motherboard. I would just get a new, stronger gpu. However, if the 7850 can play games with just a processor upgrade, then definitely just stick with your current 7850.
 
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icepickjazz

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What do you consider stronger graphics?

 
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rolli59

rolli59

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HD7950 or GTX760 up or even HD7850 CF but I am in favor of single stronger card.
 
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icepickjazz

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There have been some recommendations for i5-4430 or i5-4670. How do those compare? How do those compare to i5-3350p or i5-3570?
Thinking video upgrade first and maybe overclock 2nd. Then if that is not good enough look at cpu/mobo upgrade?
 
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rolli59

rolli59

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I5 3350P does not have IGP (graphics) therefore it sits at a great price point and is constantly a recommended buy for gaming, only downside is that it has a locked multiplier and does not OC. If upgrading then LGA1150 is the way to go and the I5 4670K would be my choice since it is only K CPU's that overclock.
 
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icepickjazz

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What type of cooler? I've been reading that OC on Haswell take huge cooler.

 
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rolli59

rolli59

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Your current CM Hyper 212 EVO should allow for nice overclock although not the max.
 
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