i5-3350p Computer build, Need help!

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jack24008

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Nov 16, 2013
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Hi guys, I'm trying to upgrade my old desktop computer bit by bit. I'm on a very tight budget (300-400$) I would like to run games like League of Legends, Path of the Exile, Skyrim, etc.. While streaming my games on twitch! (Takes a lot of my GPU)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=19-116-782&SortField=0&SummaryType=1&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Keywords=%28keywords%29&Page=1#scrollFullInfo ... This is what I'm hoping to upgrade into! But I have no idea if my Motherboard/Powersupply can take it! Current GPU-Intel Core2 Duo E7300) Which is 5 years old!

I currently have a 4gb RAM that wont take streaming and playing at the same time! Should I upgrade to http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314&nm_mc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r&cm_mmc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r-_-Memory+(Desktop+Memory)-_-G.SKILL-_-20231314?

My Graphic card is what I'm worried about also.. I have no idea if it will be compatible with the new GPU. Current-http://www.amazon.com/MSI-PCI-Express-N550GTX-TI-M2D1GD5-OC/dp/B004TAFI68/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1384600287&sr=8-13&keywords=nvidia+geforce+gtx+550 .. --NOT Exactly it, but its very similar--

This one is a bit tricky. My motherboard is an "Off the shelf" desktop. --I'm not 100% if I have the right specs-- Main Circuit Board -Dell Inc. 0K068D A00 (Has a Bus clock of 266 megahertz) :(

Sticker isn't on my PSU. I will have to remember.

I would really appreciate feedback on my computer!
 
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robax91
A 550ti isn't a bad card for gaming in HD (not 1080p though) and should do fine for playing games on moderate settings while streaming in 500p. As someone who's streamed, I know that:

1. Streaming is most affected by your internet. A 5MB upload speed will get you full 1080p HD and plenty of speed for your online games. 3MB up will get you 720p with enough to play online games. Most people including me, get 2MB upload, which is only enough for streaming around 400-500p (streaming at ~800-900kbps) leaving just enough for online games (League of Legends).

2. A weak CPU will hurt streaming more than a weak GPU. Media encoding takes CPU power while a GPU handles rendering.

So if you want to make an upgrade that will help you more into the...
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robax91

robax91

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Dec 26, 2012
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A 550ti isn't a bad card for gaming in HD (not 1080p though) and should do fine for playing games on moderate settings while streaming in 500p. As someone who's streamed, I know that:

1. Streaming is most affected by your internet. A 5MB upload speed will get you full 1080p HD and plenty of speed for your online games. 3MB up will get you 720p with enough to play online games. Most people including me, get 2MB upload, which is only enough for streaming around 400-500p (streaming at ~800-900kbps) leaving just enough for online games (League of Legends).

2. A weak CPU will hurt streaming more than a weak GPU. Media encoding takes CPU power while a GPU handles rendering.

So if you want to make an upgrade that will help you more into the future, upgrade your CPU/mobo for now and keep your GPU and other parts and upgrade them down the road. I have a 3570k which is great for gaming and works with streaming, however I've seen the AMD 8350 performance while streaming and both CPUs are great (some better at specific things).

I'd probably go with these:

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 EXTREME4 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($99.49 @ Newegg)
Total: $281.48

For $300, you can get 8-cores which can handle a heavy load while still giving great gaming performance. If you prefer Intel, I'd suggest the 3770k and a z77 motherboard. They will be more expensive, but either way, you won't have a CPU bottleneck if you go with either of them in the coming years.

Edit * If you also wanted to add more RAM, it couldn't hurt. A good thing about AMD CPUs is that there isn't a warning on using RAM over 1.5v, so you can get cheaper/faster RAM that is above 1.5v like:

Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($68.85 @ Newegg)

Those just happen to be 1.5v either way, there is a CODE for a reduced price, so watch this offer in case it ends soon.
 
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S

sora

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Oct 30, 2013
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The 550Ti is a pretty solid card for the tight budget.
 
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jack24008

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Nov 16, 2013
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robax91, Thank you for your feedback! My current Download speed is around 50-60Mbps, while my upload speed is around 10-22Mbps during streaming. But yet, my game starts to lag. As is, the key reaction time is around one second, instead of immediate.
If I look at my CPU Usage, its maximum and cant take anymore programs. Should I just upgrade my CPU and my RAM now?
 
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robax91

robax91

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Yes, if the CPU is causing a bottleneck, you should upgrade it. I recommend using OBS (free and open source streaming program) for twitch streaming. If you need more help or OBS configuration/stream settings I can try to help out. With some settings, even with your current setup, I'm sure you can have a decent quality stream.
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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I have a 550TI, it's not a good card. Although I don't get why you would pay good money for hardware that is almost two years old now.
 
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robax91

robax91

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"Good" is relative, for the OP to be playing League of Legends, it is way more than enough.... and he wouldn't be able to stream 1080p anyways so all he has to do is a mix of high/medium settings, turn off shadows and anti-aliasing, and put the res at 1600x900 or something similar to get 60frames with v-sync on. Despite popular belief, getting 140FPS or even 300FPS in a game is pointless unless your monitor can display that many images per second. All you have to do is get 60, and the 550ti is more than good enough to do that.... I got that with my old 250 green version with medium settings on that res. And he probably already has the 550ti, if he doesn't already have one, then yes I would suggest something else, but spending $120 more to get 30% more performance seems like a waste.
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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Yeah I agree that it's all relative, but the 550TI is so old that it's hard to recommend it even to someone looking to upgrade their system. There's far better cards you can get even in the sub $150 range like the GTX 650TI Boost or the Radeon 7790. Both of those would be a significant improvement over the 550TI.
 
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jack24008

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Nov 16, 2013
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I'm going for the AMD CPU, ASRock motherboard, and the 8GB RAM for the final touch. But, I run into another issue.. My computer case cant hold everything.. So now I need to find a good case under 75$.. Any suggestions?
 
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