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What should I improve?

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  • Hardware
  • Gaming
  • Components
  • PC gaming
Last response: in Components
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September 7, 2014 10:51:39 AM

Hey guys, I am a gamer and I was wondering, if I could improve 1 thing of my hardware, which should I improve? Here are my PC stats:

AMD Athlon (tm) II X3 460 Processor 3.40 GHz
8GB of RAM
ASUS R7 240 Series (A.K.A: R7240-2GD3-L)
( C: ) Samsung HD503HI
Thermaltake Berlin 630W

My own guess would be the Graphics Card, but I wanted a second opinion.
Thanks! Jolan

P.S. I guess it's not very relevant, but im running on Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit.

More about : improve

a b 4 Gaming
September 7, 2014 10:55:34 AM

Your processor could be improved upon, it will bottleneck you in modern games. That may also require a new motherboard.
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September 7, 2014 11:09:57 AM

turkey3_scratch said:
Your processor could be improved upon, it will bottleneck you in modern games. That may also require a new motherboard.


Why would that require a new Motherboard?
What processor would you reccomend?
and
Don't you think the Graphics Cars is a problem?
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a b 4 Gaming
September 7, 2014 11:24:49 AM

That gpu is also a bottleneck in current games.You really should upgrade the system for better performance.
I also would start with the gpu.
What motherboard? Maybe,really just maybe,you can unlock a fourth core? Or overclock the .... out of that cpu.
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Best solution

September 7, 2014 11:26:14 AM

Yes definitely your graphics card. It all depends on your budget. You pretty much get what you pay for.

http://www.hwcompare.com/17290/geforce-gtx-750-ti-vs-ra...

Not knowing what you have for a power supply, I suggest the 750ti

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-car...
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September 7, 2014 11:32:55 AM

Sorry, forgot that. It's a Thermaltake Berlin 630W. And good Recommendation for Graphics card, I will certainly keep it as an option!
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a b 4 Gaming
September 7, 2014 11:36:49 AM

With that psu could you even use high end cards,but a r9 270X isn't most of the times that expensive and gives quite good results.
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September 7, 2014 11:43:37 AM

Yeah well Im looking for something cheap. So it will be more likely il take the Geforce GTX 750 Ti. On the other hand, the R9 270X seems to twice as good...
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a b 4 Gaming
September 7, 2014 12:05:26 PM

That decision is yours to make.:D 
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September 7, 2014 12:46:22 PM

Oh and I saw what you said about the fourth core, I seem to be unable to unlock it. It has been a problem for me a long time... I don't know why it doesn't work. And I overclocked both my GPU and Graphics Card today, nice improvements!
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a b 4 Gaming
September 7, 2014 12:49:38 PM

Hate to say this, but the 1 thing to upgrade would be the entire PC.

The cpu is quite weak and will struggle with most newer games made even 5 years or so ago, so will definitely need an upgrade.
The mobo it sits in is probably good for that cpu and maybe upto an x4, which is still quite behind whats needed for a significant cpu upgrade.
Probably running ddr2 800/1066 ram, which is quite slow and extremely expensive compared to the newer, faster ddr3 running @1600. I'd be surprised if you had 8Gb, more likely 4Gb, which will hurt you in performance.
Your hdd is a 500Gb, 5400rpm 16Mb cache dinosaur. Even a $60 WD 1Tb 64Mb cache hdd would be a major improvement in transfer speeds, boot times, game speeds in loading etc.
Gpu. It's an r7 240, that's barely enough to play Elder Scrolls Online at low-medium settings, so enough said on that.
Thermaltake 600w. Boat anchor. Be surprised if it actually had a 40a 12v output needed for a gtx 760 (top end, mid-range card)

What you have is a PC that was very good 5-7 years ago, but with the advances in pc tech, hardware, software, games etc, its simply not up to the task of keeping up, and would end up costing more to upgrade in stages than its worth
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September 7, 2014 1:20:09 PM

This is simply not true. I can run Watch_Dogs at medium sets with no framedrops. A stable 30 fps (out of my head). Also I said I can only improve 1 thing, possibly 2. I am also not interested in running extreme games like Battlefield 4. Let alone on ultra / high settings. I just wanna be able to run my games like Minecraft, Skyrim and (since recently) Far Cry 3 on Medium (maybe high) settings with stable good FPS. Im simply not looking for a Beast PC.

So, that said, if my processor is my biggest problem, what BUDGET processor would you recommend which balances with the rest of my system?
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a b 4 Gaming
September 7, 2014 1:28:19 PM

Overclocking that cpu will probably help more than getting one with an extra core.Stick with the gpu for now and see what results that gives.
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a b 4 Gaming
September 7, 2014 3:51:22 PM

I wasn't suggesting you need a beast. I was simply stating that what you have was very good, several years ago, but not so now. Upgrades are hard, because you have several limiting factors. Games like Skyrim, especially modded, are very cpu intensive, more so than gpu, so whereas a gpu upgrade would definitely help playability, the cpu will drag it down. Games like watchdogs and bf4 single player are gpu intensive, so there a gpu upgrade would be a requirement for better playability, and the cpu wouldn't really need much more than some OC. Minecraft is so basic, it could be played on any decent smartphone. That said, I was also thinking about tomorrow. Your current pc is fast becoming obsolete, it can't be helped, its the nature of the technology business, and viable upgrading parts are no longer made, or if made, demand is so small that prices get jacked way high, a single 1Gb stick of ddr2 800 costs more than a single 8Gb stick of ddr3 1600.
If you have an am3 mobo then you have upgrade options, the best would be phenom II x4 955 black 4core, and thats if your mobo will support 125w cpu's. If you have an am2+ mobo, your current cpu is the best you can get, you can't upgrade any farther. Am3 boards use ddr3, so thats a plus, you can use 1600 8Gb, which will help, am2+ boards use ddr2, and thats going to hurt.
A stronger gpu is definitely a viable option, but just how strong is the question. Someday you will upgrade your pc, but by that time, what is a strong gpu now, will be comparatively weak by then, just as your pc was very good a few years ago and is lagging now. A good match for your current system would be an r9 265 possibly a 270, which 2 years from now would leave you in the same boat you are currently in, having to spend more money playing catch-up.

It sucks. My 1 year old system is already 2 generations behind, about to be 3, and upgrades are both expensive and limited. Even a decent z77 mobo is getting hard to find without resorting to eBay.
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September 7, 2014 11:08:22 PM

I have overclocked both of them, with a better result. But like I said, I can only upgrade 1 thing. My motherboard is a Foxconn A88GMV. Is that good? If so can I get a better processor for that motherboard? If yes (because if would prefer to upgrade processor) which would you reccomend that balances with my PC? It just fits more with the style of games I play.
And no, I can't always run Minecraft. If im doing PVP I just need everything at high standards with fast FPS and sadly thats not always the case.
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a b 4 Gaming
September 8, 2014 2:32:51 AM

Jolanpiep said:
My motherboard is a Foxconn A88GMV. Is that good? If so can I get a better processor for that motherboard? .

Not a very good one especially for overclocking since the vrm's have no cooling.You probably could get an amd Phenom II on there like a phenom 965,well looked and should be good.
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September 8, 2014 3:49:01 AM

So, if i don't change my motherboard you would recommend as a processor the Phenom II 965? Ok... I looked it up and it costs 125... Thats reasonable. But I can't decide between that and the Geforce GTX 750 Ti, because I found that for only 50 euro's...
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a b 4 Gaming
September 8, 2014 3:59:29 AM

I still would get the gtx 750 ti first.Cheap price! Second hand? It works?
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September 8, 2014 4:19:14 AM

Not sure, but usually wen you are about to buy something second hand, you can first test it.
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a b 4 Gaming
September 8, 2014 11:08:57 AM

I don't mind second hand,but just like you say test it before buying.
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September 8, 2014 12:33:14 PM

Yep, thanks for all your help guys, I think thats all the info i needed!
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