PC Upgrade - $500 to spend

Duffman49 · Aug 31, 2013

Hey guys, so I'm looking to upgrade my PC for Skyrim and upcoming games like Battlefield 4, and I have about $500 to spend. My Current Specs are:

CPU: AMD FX 4100 Quad-Core Processor 3.60 GHz
Video Card: AMD Radeon HD7750
RAM: 8GB
OS: Windows 7 Home, 64 bit
Power Supply: 500 Watt - AC 120/230 V ( 50/60 Hz)

Do any of these specs stand out as needing improvement? What would be an effective and efficient way to improve gaming performance with my budget?

I could also put some of my budget into peripherals. Right now I use a pretty basic Xtreme Gear mouse and keyboard. Would a more expensive mouse and keyboard really be worth the investment?

Any advice would be appreciated,
Thanks!

RohNain · Aug 31, 2013

Go for a FX 6300 which will costs you around $ 119.99 but a fx 4100 is still good and yh for a graphic boost you surelly needs to change your graphics card to HD 7850 oc 2gb gddr5 $184.99 by which you most likely be able to play bf4 at med-high settings on 1080p . Expensive mouse and keyboards , that depends on you i dont really care about mouse or keyboards (not like i use the cheapes ones)just use a nice combo of them and that would be perfect .

toyftw · Aug 31, 2013

Duffman49 :

Hi - The biggest performance boost (I'm sure you know already)would come from the GPU,
I think you should jump to a 7970 (less than $300 at Newegg), or a 7950 boost, if it will fit in your case.
That will require a PSU upgrade as well, but there are good deals on those as well right now.
You can get quality 550 or 650 units well below $90. If you hit the right deals on those two things
you could then look at bumping your CPU.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202007 7950 w/boost @ $250
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202008 7970 @ $280

http://pcpartpicker.com/mr/newegg/seasonic-power-supply-ssp550rt gold rated 550 nets to $68

http://pcpartpicker.com/mr/ncixus/corsair-power-supply-tx650v2 quality 650w unit - nets to $77

You can see if you mix n match these, you will have enough left to upgrade CPU if you choose.

Duffman49 · Aug 31, 2013

toyftw :

Duffman49 :

Hi - The biggest performance boost (I'm sure you know already)would come from the GPU,
I think you should jump to a 7970 (less than $300 at Newegg), or a 7950 boost, if it will fit in your case.
That will require a PSU upgrade as well, but there are good deals on those as well right now.
You can get quality 550 or 650 units well below $90. If you hit the right deals on those two things
you could then look at bumping your CPU.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202007 7950 w/boost @ $250
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202008 7970 @ $280

http://pcpartpicker.com/mr/newegg/seasonic-power-supply-ssp550rt gold rated 550 nets to $68

http://pcpartpicker.com/mr/ncixus/corsair-power-supply-tx650v2 quality 650w unit - nets to $77

You can see if you mix n match these, you will have enough left to upgrade CPU if you choose.

Ok, thanks for the response. My current graphics card came with the program GPU Tweak, which I find really useful since I have no experience overclocking. Would you still recommend the 7970 or 7950 boost to an overclocking noob such as myself?
Also, are there any CPU's you would recommend to go along with my upgrade?

Thanks!

toyftw · Aug 31, 2013

Duffman49 :

Hi - the 7950 boost is factory overclocked, so you wouldn't need to do any more OC on it.

Yes, there are FX processors available, your 4100 is tier 3 on AMD (Tom's) gaming CPU
hierarchy chart. I wouldn't recommend upgrading for only one tier, but a 2 tier jump might be worthwhile.
The FX8150 and FX8320 are tier 1 and are on promo right now.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103960

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113285

These are both 125w CPU's, you just need to check your motherboard documentation and
insure 125w is OK (it probably is, but need to be sure). Either one should still keep you below $500 total.

toyftw · Aug 31, 2013

Duffman49 :

Hi - the 7950 boost is factory overclocked, so you wouldn't need to do any more OC on it.

Yes, there are FX processors available, your 4100 is tier 3 on AMD (Tom's) gaming CPU
hierarchy chart. I wouldn't recommend upgrading for only one tier, but a 2 tier jump might be worthwhile.
The FX8150 and FX8320 are tier 1 and are on promo right now.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103960

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113285

These are both 125w CPU's, you just need to check your motherboard documentation and
insure 125w is OK (it probably is, but need to be sure). Either one should still keep you below $500 total.

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PC Upgrade - $500 to spend

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