Are these effective upgrades for my gaming PC?

WhyYouHeffToBeMad · Jun 8, 2014

Hello everyone, I am kindly asking for your help - I'm wondering if these are the best/ most cost effective methods of upgrading my PC (mainly for gaming).

My current setup:
Motherboard: Gigabyte 78LMT-USB3
CPU: AMD FX-4170 Quad core processor
GPU: AMD Radeon 6670
RAM: 16GB (2x8) - I can't remember what make
Hard drive: 1TB (SATA I think)
PSU: I believe it is an Ace PSU - 550W

What I wish to upgrade to:
Motherboard: Gigabyte 78LMT-USB3 (not sure if I should upgrade this)
CPU: AMD FX-8350
GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 660
RAM: 16GB (2x8) - I can't remember what make
Hard Drive: 1TB (SATA I think)
PSU: I want to get a more reliable 700W+ PSU (any suggestions, I'm looking for CHEAP but reliable)

Please make any suggestions you may have, I have worked out that I can buy all the replacement parts for around £300.00....???

Also, if anyone can help me out on this: What sort of Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 GPU should I be buying, some say ZOTAC, some say MSI, some asus, some Gigabyte (I'm assuming I'll need this one)?

All help is greatly appreciated, thank you very much for reading. If anyone could provide links to the cheapest places to buy these products that would also be greatly appreciated!

I'm on a tight budget and this has already exceeded my budget

(so nothing too pricey please).

Mattios · Jun 8, 2014

I'd say those are good upgrades! The 4170 will certainly be bettered by the 8350, but in reality, you could go for a 6300 which is practically a 6 core version of the 8320/8350. That would give you more money to spend on a better GPU.

Corsair are great for PSUs - I recommend the Corsair CX for your particular build. You could go for non-modular which is cheaper.

For you, the motherboard is probably fine, but if you are planning on getting an SSD soon, then it might be worth upgrading to get SATA 3 ports.

You don't need to get the same make graphics card as your motherboard. They will work together

Just go for whichever model is cheapest at the time of purchase.

Hope that helped?

RazerZ · Jun 8, 2014

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor (£105.38 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£25.24 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 270 2GB Double Dissipation Video Card (£119.98 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£46.98 @ Aria PC)
Total: £297.58
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-08 16:11 BST+0100)

Darth Rache · Jun 8, 2014

OK
1: CPU- great choice, for that CPU though i will have to advise you to get an aftermarket CPU cooler because they tend to run on the hot side. This will do the job nicely >>>http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2 you will also need some thermal paste >>http://pcpartpicker.com/part/arctic-silver-thermal-paste-as535g

2: The GPU that you chose will be a nice upgrade over your current GPU this one is great>>>http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-gtx660dc2o2gd5

3: Mother board, if you want to take advantage of overclocking you are going to want to get a 990FX board, and even if you don't want to overclock you are going to want to want to get something with a larger VRM heat sync>>> This is a great all around board http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-ga990fxaud3 cheaper option>>http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-m5a97r20

4: PSU XFX 750 >>>http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1750snlb9

Suztera · Jun 8, 2014

RazerZ :

I agree with this. If you want a better FX cpu, you want a better quality motherboard that can handle them without causing VRM issues.
R9 270 is a good card at 1080p and is slightly faster than the GTX 660.
XFX 550W is an excellent power supply. I would not go for any other power supplies lower than this. Corsair CX aren't good quality power supplies for gaming pcs.

IRONBATMAN · Jun 8, 2014

If you're planning on getting a FX-83xx CPU, then you should get a 970 chipset motherboard.

The GTX 660 isn't avery good choice as the R9 270 beats if, but of course, if you really want PhysX, then go with Nvidia cards.

Read this for PSU help
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1804779/power-supply-unit-tier-list.html

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor (£105.38 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Pro3 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard (£50.47 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 270 2GB Double Dissipation Video Card (£119.98 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£61.84 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £337.67
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-08 16:09 BST+0100)

The Fx-8320 is the cheaper version of the Fx-8350 with lower clocks, so to reduce the total cost without losing much performance, I chose it

A 500-600 watt PSU is enough for your build. I selected a 620w PSU for more room for overlclocking. After all , The FX series are meant for OC

IRONBATMAN · Jun 8, 2014

The CX series PSU are not too bad , but go up the tiers, and reach the R9 270, you'll want a better PSU

WhyYouHeffToBeMad · Jun 8, 2014

Thank you all for your help, every answer was helpful in it's own right but unfortunately I can only choose one 'solution'. Everybody's answer has influenced my PC build and so each post will be taken into account.

WhyYouHeffToBeMad · Jun 8, 2014

IRONBATMAN :

OK, I'm going to buy the 8350 (only because it has been reduced by 30% - I HOPE I don't need another cooling thingy for this, I have a bad feeling I do

). Just a few questions, do you think I need to buy a cooling fan (One comes with the CPU, right?, but should I buy an aftermarket one) <--- I think that's what they call them lol. Also, is it NECESSARY to buy a new motherboard?

I have chosen the following: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/YCNqBm
That all assumes that it is necessary for thermal compound (I know this is necessary), an aftermarket CPU cooling fan (is this necessary?) and a motherboard.

IRONBATMAN · Jun 9, 2014

All CPUs should come with a CPU cooler. The CPU cooler takes up 95% of space in the box while the tiny CPU just sits in a cozy plastic cover in the box.

The stock CPU cooler is fine , but if you prefer something quieter, you can always get another quieter CPU cooler. It also gives you the opportunity to overclock the CPU

IRONBATMAN · Jun 9, 2014

Oh and the thermal paste is pre-applied on the stock cooler. The aftermarket CPU cooler should come with thermal paste in a small tube. Squeeze some on the CPU and install the heatsink

IRONBATMAN · Jun 9, 2014

If you're getting the CM hyper 212 Evo, you don't need to buy thermal paste as there is a tube of thermal paste included. The Artic Silver 5 is slightly better giving you a 5 degree difference or so.

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Are these effective upgrades for my gaming PC?

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