What PC part should I upgrade (Budget : £250)

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
B

Birdgd

Honorable
Jan 3, 2014
7
0
10,510
Okay, so, I can currently run most games fine whilst on low settings. I play Infestation: Survivor Stories at about 20 FPS on low settings, and about the same with DayZ. One of the main games i would like to be able to run on high settings is Arma 3. I can currently barely run Arma 3 even on low settings. I was wondering, from my current specs, what would be the best component (or multiple components) to upgrade to allow me to play fairly demanding games such as Arma and DayZ on High+ graphic settings?

The max i can really spend on upgrades is around £250.

My current specs:

Intel Quad Core Q8300 @2.50 GHz
RAM: 4096MB
GFX: AMD Radeon HD 5670
I am running: Windows 7 (64 bit)


So, if anyone can help me to work out which part i should upgrade, it would be much appreciated. :)
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
K

KillerGamer

Honorable
Dec 4, 2013
522
0
11,160
Upvote 0 Downvote
B

Birdgd

Honorable
Jan 3, 2014
7
0
10,510
Ok thanks that seems good, but what about the AMD FX-8350 4GHz processor instead of the i5?
And also i havd 2x2gb ram atm, and its DDR2 so i definately need a new Mother board to support DDR3 :)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
K

KillerGamer

Honorable
Dec 4, 2013
522
0
11,160
Yea... Go for the AMD card if you live in a cold country because they overheat a lot. Also, the FX series is OCable so it's better that way. However, if you play games which require less cores then go Intel due to better performance per core. Also, one of my friends have had a bad experience with his FX8120 due to overheating. If you want to buy a cheaper AMD processor then go for the FX8320 as it's basically an underclocked 8350. Hope this helped :D
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
coozie7

coozie7

Champion
Jun 2, 2007
10,015
10
59,215
That old Quad is still a decent gaming CPU, the weakest part of the build is its graphics card, by a long way.
The GTX 650 Ti isn't a bad choice but I'd go up a notch and aim for either the R9270 or HD7870, they're available at similar prices and, despite the naming change, to all intents and purposes, the same card.
Check the installed power supply has both the Wattage and PCI-E leads to power a new card, 500Watts with dual 6 pin PCI-E leads for the AMD cards and one 6 pin for the GTX650 Ti.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
B

Birdgd

Honorable
Jan 3, 2014
7
0
10,510
Hmmmm thanks for feedback. I was thinking though, if i got a 2gb Graphics card, when i only have 4gb RAM, will the remaining 2gb be enough to run everything else?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
jb6684

jb6684

Distinguished
Feb 20, 2011
1,554
1
20,460
You'll get the most improvement in FPS by simply updating your GPU card....
- you should check and post the powersupply make and model (most 500---600watt units will do, but, some are simply NOT up to the task...)

I would go for a GTX760 @ 200 pound mark:
http://www.ebuyer.com/519311-msi-gtx-760-twinfrozr-oc-2gb-gddr5-dual-dvi-hdmi-displayport-pci-e-n760-tf-2gd5-oc

http://www.ebuyer.com/525309-gigabyte-gtx-760-2gb-gddr5-dual-dvi-hdmi-displayport-pci-e-graphics-card-gv-n760oc-2gd-rev2-0

You might not get 100% of the FPS outta the new card in the older system, BUT, you will a tremendous improvement ...
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
coozie7

coozie7

Champion
Jun 2, 2007
10,015
10
59,215
The system is running 64 bit Windows, it will be able to use the full 4Gb of system RAM and the graphics cards memory to its fullest as well, the 4Gb memory limit I think you are talking about only applies to 32 bit operating systems.
Like I said, check the power supply can handle the card/s you have in mind.
Personally I'd say the HD7870/R9 270 (not the "X" version) would be my top suggestion, if you're using a 1080 monitor, if the monitor resolution is lower AND you have no intention of upgrading soon, the GTX650 or HD7850 would be a better match.
As always shop around.
And here are a few UK sites I prepared earlier: Dabs, Ebuyer, Novatech, Scan, Aria, Overclockers, CCL, Pixmania and the ever popular Amazon.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom