Best use of $700 to upgrade my rig?

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Christopher MacQueen

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Looking to upgrade my gaming rig. Prefer keeping things on the cheaper end under $700, even cheaper even better. But if over $700 a tad not tight on money. I play mostly MMO's and RPGs, Not looking for the super top end but would like to be able to play MMO's and future MMO's at max settings.

Current specs:
Mobo - Gigabyte GA-990FXA-D3
CPU - AMD Phenom II X6 1055T
Memory - 16gb 1333mhz
Vid - AMD Radeon HD 6570 2gb
HDD - 7200rpm multiple drives

My PSU I forget but is a solid 700/800 watt PSU so no issues
Monitor is a 27" 1080p LG IPS

What upgrade suggestions can people make? I've been thinking maybe these areas. Any suggestions on specifics or better idea's to upgrade? I do prefer sticking with AMD.

SSD:
CPU:
Vid:
Memory:
 
Solution
hyun18
Get an i5 3570k or 4670 k or a better i7 alternative for CPU. Fx 8350 if you want a cheaper one.
z77/z87 mother board (around the 150-200 price tag) or an AMD alternative (990fx MOBOs) for FX 8350.
Recommend ASUS, Gigabyte & Asrock ones.
But remember to ALWAYS read reviews and ratings :D
Dont forget cooler. For that Hyper EVO is the way to go.

Also. Upgrade your GPU to at least gtx 760 ($250) or something similar in value . 7950/7970 + for AMD
For Nvidia, I recommend MSI GTX 760 . Great cooling + performance. OCable to 770 performance.
Then you can 2-way SLI later.
2x GTX 760 = $500 --> Outperforms a titan and the 780.

The rest looks solid.
Your ram speed (1600/1866) dont really matter. Hardly any difference. But I'd suggest at...
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hyun18

hyun18

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Oct 1, 2013
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Get an i5 3570k or 4670 k or a better i7 alternative for CPU. Fx 8350 if you want a cheaper one.
z77/z87 mother board (around the 150-200 price tag) or an AMD alternative (990fx MOBOs) for FX 8350.
Recommend ASUS, Gigabyte & Asrock ones.
But remember to ALWAYS read reviews and ratings :D
Dont forget cooler. For that Hyper EVO is the way to go.

Also. Upgrade your GPU to at least gtx 760 ($250) or something similar in value . 7950/7970 + for AMD
For Nvidia, I recommend MSI GTX 760 . Great cooling + performance. OCable to 770 performance.
Then you can 2-way SLI later.
2x GTX 760 = $500 --> Outperforms a titan and the 780.

The rest looks solid.
Your ram speed (1600/1866) dont really matter. Hardly any difference. But I'd suggest at least 1600 @ CAS 9 (9-9-9-24). But not a BIG issue. You dont even need 16g, that's overkill. 8gb is enough.
For that maybe a corsair vengeance, or G.Skill ripjaws. Popular brands.

If you leave out the ram and go with the Intel build.
You should be able to get the new haswell i5/i7 + good z87 mobo + GPU for just barely $700.
I'm getting a new PC and Im getting i5 4670k . 3570k is the best bang for the buck but you cans step it up a notch.
And z87 MOBOs are newer . And gtx 760 performance should be enough . And like I mentioned, you can always SLI later for cheap.
 
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Solution
deadlockedworld

deadlockedworld

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Its that GPU that's really holding you back. I'd suggest you dump maybe $250-350 into it, and then wait to see how performance improves.

I'd call the processor the number 2 upgrade, particularly since MMOs aren't often that CPU intensive. Maybe try overclocking before replacing it?

Also, you need to inspect the power supply to see what kind/what specs it has before upgrading. This is one of the most important areas that many builders ignore -- if the PSU goes bad it can take your entire PC with it.

Finally, a reminder I often like to share with people -- don't forget accessories. Gaming devices/7.1 surround headset/etc are well worth the money to help you appreciate what you are paying for.
 
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deadlockedworld

deadlockedworld

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I agree these are alright choices if you are going for a complete rebuild. SSD in particular is a nice perk that I should have included in my response above as the #3 priority.
 
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hyun18

hyun18

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Oh and yeah,definitely upgrade to SSD too and install OS there. 120gb should be enough.
Recommend samsung h30/h40 .

But I think FIRST you need to upgrade those main components. And since youre willing to spend $700. Then at least make the best out of it and get the latest performance so you wont be needing upgrades as sooner.
 
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Christopher MacQueen

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I'm a bit unsure on my PSU. I seem to recall it being a Raptor or some such power supply for gaming. I'm not even in the same country currently as my rig to check. I'll try and get my lady to check when can get a hold of her.

Hence unsure on a R9 280x which cheapest runs $300. Much of a difference I'd notice with my setup with a 270x? I was also thinking maybe better a 250GB Samsung as more room as most MMO's take up 20-30gigs each and often have 2-3 installed at a time plus OS.

My catch is where I live (Philippines) can't get solid high end stuff easily at all. I'm currently in the states on business so my chance to get make the best of my trip and bring back the goodies and will be returning in barely over a month.
 
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hyun18

hyun18

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Oh that one seems fine. Good ratings.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118003

And if your PSU is still in good condition, then you should be fine.
700/800w is more than enough . As long as it's 80 +
If you ever find its model name,look it up online.

As for the GPU, really dont know much about the new AMD graphics.lol
Goodluck!
 
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Christopher MacQueen

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Found my PSU when had my lady check. Rapter II 500.... not 80+ and only 500. odd for me as I tend to aim 700+. guess need a new PSU as well. Any suggestions on altering things to fit in a decent PSU. Needa to be able to have it set on 220-240v though.

Needs to be one that is capable of handling in the Philippines which is 220v.
 
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hyun18

hyun18

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How about tx650 or cx750 .
Look it up on newegg. Same price.
Their wattage is the same as model number.

And did you decide on what cpu + mobo youre getting?
 
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Christopher MacQueen

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Thanks, what about cutting corners on other things above to fit in the PSU around $700ish? Also thinking that $300 vid card a bit to high end for my needs.

Already have my same old mobo. Gigabyte GA-990FXA-D3
Was thinking maybe an AMD FX-6350 Vishera 3.9GHz. I'm not sure if there's another better one for what I do that's not $200.
 
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nokiddingboss

nokiddingboss

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the fx8320 fits that bill nicely. its just a few tenners more ($160 currently on newegg) but with 2 more cores at your disposal and better multithread performance. very good value considering the recommended requirements for games these days.
 
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deadlockedworld

deadlockedworld

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Corsair is a good PSU maker. There are also good models by Seasonic (the best), Antec, Enermax, PC Power and Cooling, etc.
 
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