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Upgrading a Custom Built PC for Gaming/Work

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  • Computers
  • Systems
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February 17, 2014 3:29:37 PM

Hey Guys,

About 2-3 years ago I had a custom built PC built. It was decent back then, but now since I have decided to go into the Computer Industry, I would like to upgrade it by myself, and I do have a computer expert as a friend, whom I would call to help as a last resort (not that I don't like him, I just want to learn how to do it myself.)

My Current Specs:

Operating System:
Windows 8.1 64-bit
CPU:
AMD Athlon X2 5200+ 28 °C
Regor 45nm Technology
RAM:
3.00GB Dual-Channel DDR2 @ 401MHz (5-5-5-18)
Motherboard:
BIOSTAR Group N68SA-M2S (Socket AM2 ) 40 °C
Graphics:
2243W (1920x1080@60Hz)
1024MB ATI AMD Radeon HD 5450 (MSI) 30 °C
Storage:
465GB Seagate ST500DM0 02-1BD142 SCSI Disk Device (SATA) 26 °C
Optical Drives:
TSSTcorp CDDVDW SH-222AB SCSI CdRom Device
Audio:
High Definition Audio Device


I would like the computer to run games like Battlefield and Titanfall smoothly with high/ultra graphics. I currently have about $200 to spend at the moment, and in the near future I should have some more. I know the RAM and the Graphics card are slow, so those are the first priorities.

I would really like to have this finished in the next 2 years because I will probably then take this with me to College, and it saves me from having to buy a Gaming Laptop because I want to game a bit and I have to write plenty of papers.

Thanks

More about : upgrading custom built gaming work

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February 17, 2014 3:35:24 PM

I would recommend first upgrading to 8gb of DDR3 ram. Then take care of the gpu. You could get something such an AMD 7770 for around $100 but you can get something much more powerful for $250 such as an AMD r9-270x or GTX 760. After you have upgraded those take care of a new cpu. When you upgrade that you will need to get a new motherboard as well. You will then need to reinstall windows so that it works with the new hardware. Hope this helped.
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February 17, 2014 3:36:51 PM

jrlawson said:
I would recommend first upgrading to 8gb of DDR3 ram. Then take care of the gpu. You could get something such an AMD 7770 for around $100 but you can get something much more powerful for $250 such as an AMD r9-270x or GTX 760. After you have upgraded those take care of a new cpu. When you upgrade that you will need to get a new motherboard as well. You will then need to reinstall windows so that it works with the new hardware. Hope this helped.


Thanks

If you could post what kind of motherboard and cpu I should get after that, it would be great
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February 17, 2014 3:44:55 PM

I would recommend getting an intel i5 4670k for around $240 with a gigabyte GA-Z87-UD3H for around $150. While this costs around $400 total the performance will be great.
If you would like to go a little cheaper you could go the the AMD 8350 cpu with the gigabye GA-990FXA-UD3. This setup is cheaper at $340 total, and the performance is similar but the processor is a full year older than the i5
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February 17, 2014 3:51:46 PM

These are good products. I would recommend getting 8gb of ram due to games requiring more these days.

This gpu is cheaper also. (Dual fans aren't necessary as these cards don't produce that much heat)
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February 17, 2014 3:53:50 PM

jrlawson said:
These are good products. I would recommend getting 8gb of ram due to games requiring more these days.

This gpu is cheaper also. (Dual fans aren't necessary as these cards don't produce that much heat)


So would this one be a better option for a good gaming experience?

http://www.amazon.com/XFX-DisplayPort-PCI-Express-FX775...
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a b 4 Gaming
February 17, 2014 4:27:10 PM

1. Suggest *not* upgrading the RAM. 4GB is what tom's uses in it's gaming builds for price/performance contests and your memory is DDR2 which is past end-of-life and will not carry forward into your next build. Buying more ddr2 now is a waste.
2. Suggest you upgrade VIDEO first. Buy a card you can cry forward into your next build. Your budget was $200, there are some great $150-200 video cards available now, and nvidia's MAXWELL generation is just about to ship. Look at the 'best video card for the money' article then buy a GPU. Your current gpu (AMD Radeon HD 5450) is a fine home theater card, but it's not a gaming GPU. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-car... note: all modern PCIe video cards will plug nicely into the PCIe slot in your MB. There are no compatibility issues.
3. I could not see your Power supply listed. Can you post it? You may need to upgrade your power supply when you get video. A good power supply is $50-$60. A bad power supply is a nightmare at any price.
4. If you need a better gaming experience after getting the the new video card you are in for a LARGE $$ budget. The CPU and MB and MEMORY all need to go as a unit. (your mb will not support a much better CPU, and new/good CPU will require a MB that needs DDR3 memory). That puts you in the $200 to $400 range additional over and above the video card. Given a total budget for today of $200 or less the right approach is get great video. Run it as hard as you can with your current CPU/MB/Memory then carry the video card forward into your next build a few years from now. As an FYI this table will show you 5200+ CPU gaming performance compared to all other CPUs you are apt to get. A 3 tier move is considered noticeable. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-o...
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February 17, 2014 4:41:18 PM

if you want to play games like bt4 and call of duty ghost and titan fall @60 fps on ultra sittings then you will need a very powerful gpu and a medium cpu for the gpu you can get a amd 280x or a nvidia gtx 770 both are the same and for the cpu you can get an fx 8350 or an equivalent i5 and both the cpu and gpu are more than 200$ and you need at least 8 gb of ram @ 1600 mhz i advice you to wait until you have the money
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a b 4 Gaming
February 17, 2014 5:16:52 PM

Slyfox98 said:
Okay thanks!

The first things I was looking at upgrading was the RAM and the Video Card

RAM: http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-1600MHz-Non-ECC-KHX1600C...


Video Card: http://www.amazon.com/GDDR5-technology-Graphics-Cards-H...


Would these be suitable choices for the time being?


The video card is not a bad choice. 7770 is very good performance for the price, and uses very little power compared to other cards of the same strength. It should also OC a bit.

The memory will not work. Look at the memory carefully and you will see that it is DDR3 memory. Your motherboard only supports DDR2 memory.
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a b 4 Gaming
February 17, 2014 5:18:53 PM

deleted dup append. The system append twice, not me. that's my story and i'm sticking to it.
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February 18, 2014 10:09:18 AM

Okay, I dont think the Video Card can fit in the PC I have... The RAM is DDR2 and I dont think I will upgrade to another gaming PC for another 5 years so I really want to spend some money on this one. The RAM is being blocked though by the current Video Card I think, Im not sure.... I tried to post a picture but it isn't working or letting me
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February 18, 2014 10:22:28 AM

The RAM slots look like its DDR3 rather than DDR2... Im sorry for the Pic being so small.....
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February 18, 2014 11:16:14 AM

listen to me u need a lot of money if you want be able to play modern games on ultra and @ 1080p @ 60 fps even if you bought a powerful gpu and say you got your hands on 16 gb of ram ddr2 your Athlon x2 will boot-link your gpu and then you will need to buy a good cpu so you will need a mobo that supports it and they are ddr3 not ddr2 so my advise is you wait till you have enough money and get a new pc if you want it to last for 5 years
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February 18, 2014 2:28:38 PM

If I buy 8GB of DDR2 or DDR3 (which ever one runs on my computer) and a AMD 7770 Graphics card will it work on my computer? Thats all I want to know. Im sticking with this PC for a while now and Im not going to buy an expensive gaming only PC.
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February 18, 2014 3:56:27 PM

yes it will work but your mobo supports till 8 gb ddr2 and not ddr3 and i would advise you not to buy a 8gb stick but 2x 4gb so you wont face any issue and make sure that the 7770 would fit on your case the sapphire toxic ones are the best of amd and good luck
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a b 4 Gaming
February 18, 2014 5:58:08 PM

"..If I buy 8GB of DDR2 or DDR3 (which ever one runs on my computer) and a AMD 7770 Graphics card will it work on my computer? Thats all I want to know. ..."

Hi, You can buy up to the MB max DDR2 memory your MB supports, and you have 64-bit win8 so you can use it however memory above 4GB does not typically give gaming performance so would not be a great way to spend money. Given you have 3GB I'd stay there. However buying more will not hurt you. Read you MB support page and make sure you are buying memory that is supported by your MB.

The hd7770 graphics card will work in that MB, and you will see a HUGE performance gain. The card is a good choice. Assume your CASE is midtower, if it's a small form factor then the card will not fit. Cases with a CD drive horizontal will usually fit a full size video card. Cases with the CD slot vertical might not. Post your case dimensions if you are not sure.

Assume you have a reasonable power supply -- the HD7770 does not draw much power, but it's still a lot more than your 5450. http://www.hwcompare.com/11942/radeon-hd-5450-vs-radeon... You need min 300W power supply. 350W would be safer and allow you to OC a bit.

You did not post brand/model of your power supply. You will need a 6-pin PCI Express power connector for the 7770. If your PSU has one then you are set. Some older power supplies do not have a 6-pin connector. If no 6-pin on your power supply you will need to buy an adapter like this one: http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-6-Inch-Express-Adapt... it's less than $5 and no big deal. I've used these before, you just have to order it or you cannot install the card. The card will not operate without the power connector attached.

Note, when you remove your old card there is a hidden catch at the bottom of the PCIe slot on the far end from where you plug the monitor. You must release the catch before the card will come up from the MB. Do not tug the card if it doesn't come up, check for the catch. Looking at your new card will show you the notch the catch holds.
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a b 4 Gaming
February 18, 2014 6:08:44 PM

Slyfox98 said:
The RAM slots look like its DDR3 rather than DDR2... Im sorry for the Pic being so small.....


IS this your MB ? http://www.biostar-usa.com/app/en-us/mb/introduction.ph... If so it's DDR2. Note this MB only has two DIMM slots so if you want 8GB you need to discard (or ebay) your current 3GB and buy two 4GB ddr dimms. If you want 6GB then discard your current 1GB dimm and buy a 4GB dimm. IF you want 4GB discard the 1 and by a 2GB. Personally I'd stay at 3GB. ANYONE gaming on a 32-bit OS can only use about 3.2GB of memory and they game just fine.
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