Upgrade My Family PC Even More *HELP*

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ilzot

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Recently, I got a nice new GTX 750 TI SC for my family PC. I had a lot higher expectations when I put this in than what really happened. Now I'm able to run games that I previously couldn't, but the frame rates constantly drop. Here is my current setup.

CPU: AMD Phenom II x4 830 @ 2.8 GHz
GPU: GTX 750 TI SC
RAM: 6 GB
PSU: 300W

What I feel is holding me back is the processor. That thing won't be helping.

So here's what I've come to the conclusion of. Get a new MOBO, CPU, and RAM and I should be good to go. I would just get a new processor, but the AM3 is a dying socket type, so I don't think that's gonna work.

*NOTE* If there is a good AM3 socket CPU I should get let me know! But to my knowledge they are either nonexistent or don't work that well. So let's continue.

This is what I've chosen so far. I need to keep my power relatively low (really don't wanna get an entire new PSU) and have a uATX motherboard (only thing that fits my case)

MOBO: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130741
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113348
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314

Now my main goal here is to save as much money as I can. This is just an small upgrade to get my computer into fairly good gaming shape.

One way I would like to save money is through the RAM. To my knowledge, it isn't the best idea to mix different brands of RAM. What I currently have is factory issued and looks like this:

photo-1.jpg


The closest thing I have seen to it is this RAM found here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820363010

So here are my overlying questions:

Will the RAM I showed match the link I just provided, or will they not work?
What can I do to keep this upgrade as cheap as possible?
If I do preform this upgrade, should I have any problems "hot swapping" out the CPU, MOBO, and RAM?

That's basically it! If you have anything to say please let me know!

Thanks!
 
Solution
Deus Gladiorum
Yea, it can be a hassle, but it's typically one of those things where the perceived difficulty is worse than the actual difficulty. However, it can still be annoying, so I recommend you just try installing the new motherboard and CPU first and then seeing if everything works but do so AFTER you've backed up all your old files. You may be able to get it functional, but realistically you probably won't. I'm reading up on situations specific to yours more and it seems that it's actually going to be more of a hassle to get your current copy of Windows working on a new motherboard than it would be just to install a new copy of Windows.

Since I recommend you just get a new copy of Windows, here's a quick step-by-step guide to installing a...
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Deus Gladiorum

Deus Gladiorum

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The best place you can save money is, like you said, with the RAM. In fact, you could just keep your current RAM all together and not upgrade it or add anything at all. 6 GB is already a sufficient amount and it's already DDR3 so there won't be an mobo compatibility issues. So what you should upgrade is the motherboard and CPU.

However, there will be a problem with swapping this in. The first problem will be driver issues. In replacing your motherboard, you'll have new motherboard drivers and since you want to stay away from driver conflicts, you'll want to either wipe your HDD with a new copy of windows or just manually try to remove all your drivers. Then there's the second, more major concern: your current copy of Windows (unless it's not an OEM copy) won't recognize the new motherboard. Windows should still work, but it'll be considered a bootleg copy of it, or at least, that's something I've heard many times but never had to experience myself since I've never had to swap motherboards. So because of this, again, it's best that you backup your important files and put on a fresh copy of Windows on your HDD for the new motherboard. This'll take care of both Windows's recognition problem and will prevent any driver conflicts.

If you don't have a copy of Windows on you, technically you can legally download a copy of Windows but will have to get the product key for it elsewhere, either by paying for it, OR if your PC is OEM (from Dell, HP, ASUS, Acer, etc.) then you should find a product key for Windows somewhere on your PC so you can get yourself a free copy completely legally.

As for the actual parts, it might be worthwhile to jump ship from AMD all together. If you decide to forgo the RAM all together like I recommended, you'll have about $230 to spend between the motherboard and the CPU. If that's the case, you should consider going for an Intel i3 with a good micro-ATX mobo.

The best in terms of value for a CPU would be an i3-4130 ($120). You might be concerned about jumping from a quad core to a dual core, but realistically in games you should see a bigger performance increase. In addition, the MSI H81M is a fairly good motherboard, and is perfectly fine if you're not going to overclock (which you can't do too much of with an i3 anyway).
 
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ilzot

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Thanks for the good answer! This is a factory PC so no WIN 7 disk came with it, so if I understood correctly, I can just plug my current product key into the installer and I'll be ok?

Also is there anyway to install a MOBO without a Windows reinstall? I have a single HDD with Win 7 and everything else, so I wouldn't wanna loose everything! I realize backing up is a possibility but It seems like a hassle.
 
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Deus Gladiorum

Deus Gladiorum

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Yea, it can be a hassle, but it's typically one of those things where the perceived difficulty is worse than the actual difficulty. However, it can still be annoying, so I recommend you just try installing the new motherboard and CPU first and then seeing if everything works but do so AFTER you've backed up all your old files. You may be able to get it functional, but realistically you probably won't. I'm reading up on situations specific to yours more and it seems that it's actually going to be more of a hassle to get your current copy of Windows working on a new motherboard than it would be just to install a new copy of Windows.

Since I recommend you just get a new copy of Windows, here's a quick step-by-step guide to installing a new copy of Windows without a disk copy of it.

You'll need:
- A USB drive of at least 4 GB though preferably higher (separate from one you might be backing up your data onto) OR a blank DVD.
- A copy of Windows 7 which you can download legally here[/ur] (make sure that you get the SAME version that you currently have installed on your PC, i.e. if you have Home Premium x64 then you should download a copy of Home Premium x64)
- A valid product key
- Microsoft's [url=http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/html/pbPage.Help_Win7_usbdvd_dwnTool]Windows 7 USB/DVD Tool

Once you have everything you need, just follow the steps listed on the Windows 7 USB/DVD Tool above and you should be fine. It's not very hard to do. My one piece of advice though is that, once you're actually ready to plug in the USB and start the setup, make sure you're using a USB 2.0 slot and NOT a 3.0 slot. For whatever reason, the setup doesn't work through USB 3.0 ports and I found that out myself after 2 hours of sheer frustration wondering why my PC couldn't boot.

Anyway, hopefully that should be everything you need. Happy upgrading!
 
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