Help! More Ram (8Gb) Or A Better Video Card?

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dsinghgill

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Oct 18, 2013
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I'm almost done with my first budget gaming PC build.
And the last tid-bits I have to seriously decide over is the Ram and Video Card.


I originally wanted to install 8 gb of ram (DDR3), but the cost is nudging my budget a bit.
The difference between 8gb and 4gb is at least $30-40.

Also, atm I'm interested in getting the Powercolor HD 7850 2gb as my video card for $100 (after mir).


.....So I'm in a bit of a dilemma:

1. Should I stick with 8gb ram and the 7850?

OR

2. Should I just buy 4gb ram, and maybe use that saved up money (about $30) for a better card?
(If so, any suggestions for a better card?)
(And is 4gb enough for gaming?)


Btw, some additional info about my ongoing build:
CPU --- Intel Core i5-4430
Mobo --- MSI H87-G43 ATX LGA1150
PSU --- Thermaltake 750w or Corsair 650w

PLEASE HELP!
Thanks ...


 
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pm4

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Apr 28, 2014
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4gb is really close to limit these days. When your pc do nothing it can easily sit at 2gb+ (depending on installed apps). You should look for 1x8gb or 2x 4 gb 1600mhz and try to get best price there. Also important is that you use 64 bit OS. Even if you do not plan to upgrade ram you will need 64 bit system.
 
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dsinghgill

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Oct 18, 2013
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So is it just better to get 8gb ram and stick with the 7850?
(Any opinions on the 7850?)

Oh and I do plan to install the 64 bit version of windows 8.1.
 
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killerswit2013

killerswit2013

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Dec 19, 2013
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no..
get 4 gb ram for now as for most of the games 4 gb is recommended ram required..
the money that u save use it to buy a good graphics card.
install 64 bit os in your system so that after 3-4 months or later u can easily install another 4 gb of ram without having to reinstall ur os.
The same thing i have done with my build. i installed 4 gb ram first then after 6 months i added 1 more 4 gb ram.
also dont buy 1 × 8 gb ram, go for 2×4 gb ram as it is not recommended reason being in case 1 ram fails u still have another 4 gb ram available to run ur system
 
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dsinghgill

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Oct 18, 2013
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So should I just use that money to buy a better card than the 7850?
I mean, isn't that 7850 a good gaming card ... or is it that I could easily get a much better card with the saved money?
(Any examples of a better card?)

And secondly,
If I do go your 4gb route, do I just buy 1 (one) 4 gb stick .... as in 1x4gb?
And then about a few months later, buy another 1x4gb, but of exact same one of my old $gb, so that I can run dual channel?

Also wouldn't it be more expensive buying two 4gb sticks separately, than compared to buying them at the same time (as a dual channel kit)?
 
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Vic 40

Vic 40

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I would go for 8gb ram.

Why such high powered psu's? You only need an 450/550watt psu for those parts.This could save money.
You could also go for a B85 chipset motherboard if you don't mind having no raid options and such features.For the difference between chipsets,
http://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Z87-H87-H81-Q87-Q85-B85-What-is-the-difference-473/
That would also save money most of the times.

It's hard to recommend other cards when not knowing what you can buy for the price difference of the ram=4gb<->8gb.

The 7850 is a decent card.but there are probably better ones now that don't cost that much more.With low ram should you imo at least get a 2gb vram version of the 7850.

Could we use the partpicker to suggest something and what would be your budget in that case?
http://pcpartpicker.com/
 
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dsinghgill

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Oct 18, 2013
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Sorry, I should've pointed out that I am using one of my old (current) psu. I have both of those, so I won't be spending any money on a power supply.

Ok, then going to the mobo:
I actually don't mind a b85 or h87, as I won't be doing overclocking, raid, or double gpu.
However, I've been having a hard time choosing a mobo, and I don't want a micro-atx.
There were not a lot of good options.

Using pcpartpicker and newegg reviews, I ended up with that MSI H87-G43 for about $85 (after mir).

The only ones cheaper were a:
ASRock H87 Pro4 LGA 1150 ... for $79
And an ASRock B85 Pro4 LGA 1150 ... for $70
But to me they didn't have decent reviews (and I didn't like the look)

And regarding the ram and gpu:
Yeah, I didn't really check what gpu I can get with the saved money that's better than a 7850.
But if I do end up sticking with that 7850, it indeed is a 2gb version and I will also just get 8gb.

I can get the 7850 for $100, and the difference between 4gb and 8gb ram is atleast $30.
So, I'll try to find a better gpu for $130, and will get back to you.

And yeah you could use pcpartpicker to choose something for me ... thanks.
Oh and here's my build (so far) in detail...
My budget max is $500 (but I want it much lower than that)

CPU: i5 4430 ------ $100
Corsair 600t + Corsair h100i (cpu case and cooler) ---- $100
Mobo: MSI H87-G43 ------ $85
Psu: Corsair tx650w or Thermaltake 750w ----- FREE
GPU: PowerColor Radeon HD 7850 2GB ----- $100
RAM ---- ? (but looking at a blue corsair vengeance)
HDD ---- ?

Total so far ----- $385





 
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Vic 40

Vic 40

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I didn't realize that you were going for used parts,that changes things.

Like damric said,as well as i,is the hd 7850 a nice card and jou will be able to game nicely with that.
You could eventually even pair it with another 2gb one to go for crossfire,although not ideal with the second slot @ x4,but would still give a nice boost,your psu's should be able to give power for that and have some left.
 
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dsinghgill

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Oct 18, 2013
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Thanks everyone!

I'll just stick with 8gb and the 7850.

And regarding the ram, I'll probably buy corsair vengence in blue ... so it's all hip and matching with my mobo and case :)

Last item to decide on: Hard Drive
Any suggestions for a good hdd under $60?
 
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dsinghgill

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I would like to do that (especially to lower my budget), but ... I plan to sell my current pc. And I don't want to sell it w/o a hdd.

An ssd is nice, but aren't they of low capacity.
(I really need more than 500Gb, and that size for ssd is quite expensive).
However, maybe in the future, if there is areally cheap ssd on sale (like a 120gb), I might just buy an ssd as my OS drive.
And with it, just continue to use a hdd as my data drive.

Speaking of hdd...
Currently I have a Hitachi (deskstar, I think). And it is running great. (It's about 5+ yrs old.)

But for getting an new hdd, I might just go for WD because they seem pretty good and reliable.
So far, I think I'm down to these 3 drives:

1. Western Digital WD Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB ---- $55
2. Western Digital WD Blue WD10EZEX 1TB ---- $60
3. Western Digital WD Black WD5003AZEX 500GB ---- $70

Out of the blues, I'm inclined towards 2., or is 1. better?
And between the blues and the black, I'm a bit on the edge.

Yes the blue is greater in capacity and less expensive, but wd black seems safer.
I especially like the 5 year warranty on the black.

But hdds are hdds...

So is the price bump worth it ... Any advice or expertise here? Or any other suggestions for a good hdd?
Thanks!

 
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dsinghgill

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Oct 18, 2013
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I see what you are saying, but I still would have to buy a regular sata hard drive for my data.
I'm interested in an ssd, but atm I don't have enough money to get both ssd and a cheap hdd.

 
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dsinghgill

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Oct 18, 2013
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Thanks for the suggestion, bud!
Yeah, that is one of the hdds that I am considering.

Also just now, I saw this shell-shocker deal on newegg (for today only):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136941

It's the same price as to the one you mentioned (for $60), but this one's original price was $110.

So, do you have any idea if this shell shocker hdd is better than the hdd that you mentioned?
Thanks!
 
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damric

damric

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Yeah, as you realized, I'm a speed freak. Did you know you can overclock a HDD?

It's called short stroking. You partition the data such that it's on the outer rim, it works!

 
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