possible upgrade? psu/graphics

mas11 · Feb 6, 2014

Hi, I got my PC in late 2012, still quite happy with it.
I recently got a HDMI monitor though, running games at 1080p isn't that great.

I've been considering updating the graphics card for a while now, but realize I probably need a new PSU aswell.

I think the PSU is probably crap, it's fairly loud at times but I'm not sure how difficult it is fitting a new one.

My specs:
AMD A8-5600K Quad Core 3.6Ghz
ASRock FM2A75 Pro4 Motherboard
NVidia Geforce (Zotac) GT640 2GB 128bit DDR3
16GB RAM DDR3
LG Blu Ray Drive
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit

ATX-500 PSU - unbranded I think I don't know.

Any advice appreciated, many thanks.

H4X3R · Feb 6, 2014

What you may consider to upgrade is/are:
1) the PSU --> i suggest the cx 430/m, it is a good, cheap and reliable PSU.
2) the graphics card (depending on the games you play)

Those are the 2 parts that i recommend you change. The graphics card is actually pretty decent but may not be able to handle newer triple A titles at a good frame rate.

mas11 · Feb 6, 2014

thanks for your reply.

maybe the PSU is more important to change. It does get quite loud sometimes.
I've never changed a PSU before, is it simple enough to do?

the graphics card is good when running lower res, but at 1080p not so great.

H4X3R :

H4X3R · Feb 6, 2014

PSU is easy to change. Just plug out all the connections, screw out your old one, put in your new one, screw it in and plug the necessary cables into the correct places.

cst1992 · Feb 6, 2014

Do you have the 640 DDR3 2GB card?
You must be having a VRAM bottleneck.
How much can you afford to spend on a new one?

The combined budget for a card and PSU would be nice.

H4X3R · Feb 6, 2014

LOL. Vram bottleneck. I dont think so ^^

mas11 · Feb 6, 2014

yeah it's the DDR3 version. sorry didn't put the full spec, just looked in the case.
Zotac GT640 2GB 128bit DDR3

I'm not sure how much I'd need to spend to see a significant improvement.

thanks

cst1992 :

cst1992 · Feb 6, 2014

H4X3R :

There is a HIGH chance of a VRAM bottleneck even with a 10GB DDR3 card.

cst1992 · Feb 6, 2014

mas11 :

Doesn't matter. What matters is how much you can spend on the card and power supply.
If you don't have enough cash for both, I recommend upgrading the PSU first.
Getting a good quality psu will enable you to both have low temperatures and put out around 5% extra performance out of your 640. You could even overclock memory to reduce the bottleneck.

Also state your budget in your own currency.

mas11 · Feb 6, 2014

I think I'll replace the power supply first then. Not sure how much a decent one costs - £50?

I know graphics cards can be expensive, but I want something that would be worth while - £100? not sure.

thanks

cst1992 :

cst1992 · Feb 6, 2014

I suggest you fall in love with a GPU first.
I did

Then I'll suggest a good PSU based on that GPU.
There's no use in me suggest a too weak/strong PSU for you. You'll either cheap out/pay too much for the new PSU.

How about the 650Ti boost/660?
I'd also suggest you wait for the 750/750Ti launch of the 18th. The Maxwell GPU core is supposed to be much faster than the Kepler of your 640.

mas11 · Feb 6, 2014

I'm not sure which GPU I'd like, but I think I'll save up for something better.

PSU is my first priority because I'm a bit concerned this one gets quite loud sometimes - crap I think.

Corsair CX600M is about £50, been looking at some reviews mostly positive.

thanks

cst1992 :

cst1992 · Feb 7, 2014

A 600W PSU will allow for a good card.
Going modular also is a good idea.
How does the GTX 760 sound for you? It's around GBP200.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-Nvidia-TF-PCI-E-Graphics/dp/B00DJPPCLK

mas11 · Feb 7, 2014

I also noticed CS650M, and XFX 650W XXX Edition which is a bit more, around £80.
I'm not sure which one is best to get.. just want something reliable!

I've learnt my mistake with a crap PSU when I first bought the PC.

GTX760 sounds good. what about all these different versions though..
MSI, EVGA, ASUS, Gigabyte, Pny, or is there little difference between them?

many thanks for your advice

cst1992 :

H4X3R · Feb 7, 2014

The XFX model is more reliable as it is of better quality than the CS series.

mas11 · Feb 8, 2014

thanks to you both for your advice.

I think I'll go for the XFX 650W XXX Edition for now, and get the MSI GTX760 at a later date.
I'm not sure on difference between them, but I assume MSI is the best version.

They'll both definately be compatible with my setup?

cst1992 · Feb 8, 2014

Yes. They're compatible.

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