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Novice builder looking to upgrade rig, need advice.

Tags:
  • Multitasking
  • Gaming
  • Components
  • Build
Last response: in Components
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October 1, 2014 11:48:47 PM

Let me start by saying if you read this and respond, thank you very much for taking the time to help me out. I wanted to be as detailed as possible and after i was done i realized i basically just wrote a short book. So thanks again in advance!

Below is my current build, it is used mainly for Gaming and for multi-multi-multitasking for college. All the components are about 3-4 years old except the graphics card, which I bought about 2 months ago. I can run games like WoW on ultra but Its not quite as crisp as i had hoped, fps seem to dip more than i had hoped. I also want my general pc use/loading to be snappier. What i started to do is every few months spend a couple hundred dollars and upgrade a component on my build. I am open to any suggestion and your suggestion doesn't have to be something to completely perfect my rig, i'm cool with taking 1 step at a time. I'm looking to spend $200-400 absolute max.

Current thoughts for next upgrade:
SSD hard drive: Will i need a new mobo or will it fit in just like my current hard drive? Will I need to upgrade my power supply?
-Possibly Samsung? Other brand suggestions?


CPU: Will this make my graphics better? Will i need a new Mobo? I have 5 fans in my case, will i need an aftermarket heat sink? Will i need to upgrade power supply?
-Beastie 4 core intel? (clueless when it comes to Intel, suggestions?)
- 8 core AMD maybe 8300 series? (Are 8 cores necessary?)

Any other suggestions for upgrades? Maybe RAM?

MY BUILD

Ram: Ripjaw 2x4 GB DDR3

CPU: AMD Phenom x4 965

Graphics: XFX BE R9 280 BE DD

MoBo: MSI 870A-G54

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda Green SATA 1.5 TB

Power Supply: CoolerMaster RS 700w

Case: CoolerMaster Storm Scout 1 (5 fans total, 2 120mm fans added to side)

Operating System: Windows 7


Thanks again!



More about : novice builder upgrade rig advice

a b 4 Gaming
October 1, 2014 11:56:48 PM

CPU won't magically make your graphics better. It may alleviate issues if you're bottlenecked there, but it isn't a quick fix necessarily. Given the age of the processor, though, it is likely that the CPU is the bottleneck. The cheapest way to do it would be an FX-6300 and a 990 motherboard, but that won't give you a new lease on life. For that, you'd want an i5 4690 and a Z97 or H97 motherboard (depending on whether you want to overclock or not). In either case, you shouldn't need aftermarket coolers unless you're overclocking the CPU. Power shouldn't be a big issue, considering I'm running an 8320 and a 290X off of 750w.

For general snappiness, you want a SSD, hands down. I cannot live without one, and my laptop drives me nuts because it doesn't have one.
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October 2, 2014 12:28:44 AM

Is intel that much better than amd? i've only ever used amd but have always heard intel has the edge. I am not an overclocker so which of those 2 intel compatible mobos are for non-overclocking? And would all of my other components work with the mobo for intel? thanks so much for the quick response
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October 2, 2014 12:31:23 AM

And also, how would that intel processor you mentioned stack up against an FX-8350 vishera or A10-7850K kaveri? if it blows them out of the water i would be down to pay the extra money.
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a b 4 Gaming
October 2, 2014 11:26:30 AM

Outside of certain non-gaming tasks (video encoding being the big one), the Haswell i5 will beat the tar out of any stock clocked FX or A series CPUs. It won't necessarily be night and day, but we're talking 10-20% improvements, which is significant in the CPU world.
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October 2, 2014 12:57:03 PM

viewtyjoe answered most of your questions already.
In my humble opinion, I advise that you stay away from Seagate as your storage. Statistics show that Seagate drives tend to fail in time. I would recommend getting Western Digital Caviar Blue with that budget.

Hard drive failure statistics source:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2089464/three-year-27-00...
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