Looking to Upgrade GPU, CPU and PSU to Improve Gaming Performance. $800 Budget.

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TomHaverford

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Hey everyone,
I'm looking to improve gaming performance on my PC listed below, and I'd like some input on upgrades. I know that a new graphics card would give me the biggest performance boost but I'm open to a CPU and/or PSU upgrade as well if necessary.

I play Planetside 2, Battlefield 4, and DayZ.

My current system: (runs BF4 on minimum settings at about 60 FPS.)
GPU: AMD Radeon HD7750
PSU: 500 Watts
MB: M68MT-S2
CPU: AMD FX 4100 Quad-Core Processor
RAM: 8GB DDR3

All suggestions are welcome, and just let me know if you need any other specs.
Thanks!
 
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You would want to upgrade your processor because the FX-4100 is based off the crappy bulldozer architecture.
But then your motherboard is low quality and it probably won't support an overclocked 8-core, so you would want a new motherboard to go with that.
But since you're switching motherboard, you need a new OS.
The psu in that computer is low quality, so you want a new, higher quality psu.
You're going to change a lot of the components, but it's worth it.

You can go for something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU...
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TomHaverford

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Alright do you think a CPU upgrade would be worth it or would I be better off spending most of my budget in the graphics card?
Thanks for the response.
 
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Krishna Moorthy

Krishna Moorthy

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you have to be careful about neglecting spending money on your cpu and putting it all into your gpu because you will then run into gpu bottlenecks
 
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KillerGamer

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It's definitely worth upgrading to CPU to an FX8350. Look at the R9 280X for the GPU or the HD7870. You will need a 700W PSU if you want to OC. A 650W will be fine if it's an 80+ certified. I recommend buying only 80+ certified PSUs.
 
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Krishna Moorthy

Krishna Moorthy

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TomHaverford

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Okay thanks. My knowledge about oveclocking is pretty limited so I might be better of with a factory overclocked card. If I do that, would I still need a 700W PSU?
 
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Krishna Moorthy

Krishna Moorthy

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if you look at the card in the specification it should tell you how much is recommended. They normally over recommend so you get some headroom to overclock and whatnot
 
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realchaos

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You would want to upgrade your processor because the FX-4100 is based off the crappy bulldozer architecture.
But then your motherboard is low quality and it probably won't support an overclocked 8-core, so you would want a new motherboard to go with that.
But since you're switching motherboard, you need a new OS.
The psu in that computer is low quality, so you want a new, higher quality psu.
You're going to change a lot of the components, but it's worth it.

You can go for something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99X EVO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($114.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($334.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - OEM (64-bit) ($94.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $764.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-29 03:52 EST-0500)

It's topping out your budget, but you get a good 8-core processor with a high quality motherboard that enables you to overclock the processor.
The CM Hyper 212 EVO allows you to moderately overclock the 8320, you should be able to get around ~4.3-4.5ghz give or take.
The psu is a very high quality psu that has ton of headroom for overclocking. Don't worry, 650w is plenty for these components and overclocking.
As stated, since you're changing the motherboard, you need a new OS. I included Windows 8.1 because it has many advantages over Windows 7 and you can easily bypass the interface to make it look like Windows 7.
The GTX 770 can max out anything at 1080p. You can definitely go for a GTX 760 and it should still allow you to play those games very well. I would recommend the R9-280X but with all of the bitcoin miners, all of the reasonable priced 280X are sold out.
 
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Krishna Moorthy

Krishna Moorthy

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realchaos

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The 280X is much stronger than the 7870. The 7870 is a mid-range card that can play games very well for the price, mostly at high settings. The 280X is a much stronger card, which justifies it's price. It can play any game at 1080p at max settings easily. The MSRP of the 280X is suppose to be around ~$310 but there are a lot of bitcoin miners buying the 280X, which is why a lot of the 280X are sold out and are on back order. Due to the high demand by said bitcoin miners, Newegg decided to increase the price of their graphic cards. They turned a ~$310 gpu into a ~$400-500 gpu for profit purposes, which is not worth it. Retailers that do sell the 280X at around the $310 mark are all backed out.
This is why I don't recommend the 280X right now. The GTX 770 performs very similar to the 280X but it can be easily found for ~$330.

Also, Krishna, the 7870 is supposed to be $150-200. Don't use gpuboss, it's not a very good website to compare gpus.
 
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Krishna Moorthy

Krishna Moorthy

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what would you recommend then?
 
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TomHaverford

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The parts you mentioned look great, and are within my budget. But is a major overhaul like this something you would recommend to a novice like me (at both PC building and overclocking)? I originally had in mind something minor like a new GPU and maybe CPU, but I would take the time to figure all of this out if it would make a big difference.
 
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realchaos

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@Tom: It's not that hard to replace parts. You can watch videos on how to build a computer, so you will know what to do when replacing the parts. It's very easy. All you do is put a certain component in a certain spot and plug in the connectors. The psu connectors are probably the hardest thing, but all you need to do is read the motherboard manual and you'll be fine.

@Krishna: Anandtech.com is a decent website to compare the raw performance of two gpus. However, you're better off learning which gpu is simply better. You can read up professional reviews from Tomshardware, Jonnyguru, Hardwaresecrets, etc. You should soon become familiar with the GPU naming scheme and know which gpu is better.
Also, gpuboss is bad because of the link you posted. It's scores the 7870 higher than 280X, but it's evident that the 280X performs much, much better.
 
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Krishna Moorthy

Krishna Moorthy

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okay thanks for you information :D
 
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TomHaverford

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So it seems like upgrading from my current FX-4100 processor to an FX-8350 starts a sequence of new components I'll need (Motherboard, OS, PSU). Without that upgrade, the price would be much lower. Is there a lesser processor upgrade that wouldn't require me to get a new motherboard? I'm trying to find the best bang for my buck here.
Thanks!
 
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KillerGamer

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As Krisha said, they will provide you with the recommended Wattage, but it's always advisable to buy a PSU which has more Wattage than what's recommended. Go for any card, just make sure it has enough juice and OC ability to fulfill your needs.
 
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TomHaverford

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Awesome. Thanks so much for your help, I really appreciate it.
 
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KillerGamer

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You're most welcome. Enjoy your new build.. :D
 
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