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How should I go about upgrading my PC?

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October 13, 2014 1:29:17 PM

I bought a prebuilt PC a couple months back, and it runs all my games great. I would like to upgrade it a bit just to get a bit better performance out of it. First of all here are my specs,
CPU: AMD FX-8320
GPU: Radeon HD7850
MOBO: Gigabyte GA78LMT-USB3
PSU: Apex AL-D500EXP 500W ATX12V
Memory: 8GB of PC3-12800 1600MHz RAM and 1TB HDD
Case: NZXT Phantom 410
Cooling: 3 NZXT Case Fans
OS: Windows 8.1

What GPU would you guys recommend I upgrade to? I was thinking about purchasing a GTX 970 in the next couple of months. Also I want to replace my PSU and I would like to know how large of one should I get to future proof my PC? Is it worth it to fill up my remaining ram slots? My case has one more fan slot open, would it be relatively easy to install another fan? Lastly, is it worth investing in an SSD?

As you can probably tell I am new to PC gaming/building but am eager to learn more! Thanks for any and all help!

Edit: as far as budget I'm willing to spend $350 or so on a gpu,really however much I need to spend on the rest.

More about : upgrading

October 13, 2014 1:36:51 PM

With the 8320, you're looking at the 700-800w PSU range for safety and stability with most possible combinations of CPU and single GPU.

Give us a budget and we can start going over what upgrades are most cost-effective.
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October 13, 2014 1:38:20 PM

Hi

Any good 500w 80+ bronze (always get a branded one like the one's from Seasonic, XFX, SuperFlower, EVGA) You can also check Tom's PSU Tier list. The one in Tier one's are the one's to get. You just can't cheap out on PSU! :) 

edit: This is the list

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-1804779/power-su...

some good choices: Seasonic 520, XFX 550 or Antec HCG 520M
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October 13, 2014 2:21:24 PM

I updated the first post.
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October 13, 2014 3:16:43 PM

chuckle490 said:
I bought a prebuilt PC a couple months back, and it runs all my games great. I would like to upgrade it a bit just to get a bit better performance out of it. First of all here are my specs,
CPU: AMD FX-8320
GPU: Radeon HD7850
MOBO: Gigabyte GA78LMT-USB3
PSU: Apex AL-D500EXP 500W ATX12V
Memory: 8GB of PC3-12800 1600MHz RAM and 1TB HDD
Case: NZXT Phantom 410
Cooling: 3 NZXT Case Fans
OS: Windows 8.1

What GPU would you guys recommend I upgrade to? I was thinking about purchasing a GTX 970 in the next couple of months. Also I want to replace my PSU and I would like to know how large of one should I get to future proof my PC? Is it worth it to fill up my remaining ram slots? My case has one more fan slot open, would it be relatively easy to install another fan? Lastly, is it worth investing in an SSD?

As you can probably tell I am new to PC gaming/building but am eager to learn more! Thanks for any and all help!

Edit: as far as budget I'm willing to spend $350 or so on a gpu,really however much I need to spend on the rest.


Hi Sorry I went afk.

In my personal opinion, getting atleast a 120GB SSD is definitely a must now a days. Mainly for OS + 2-3 games (if your at 64 bit OS because 64 bit games will always tend to have very big file sizes)
+Then just HDD for storage/Games

For Power Supply, to get room for expansion you could go for the EVGA Super Nova 850 G2 Best PSU you can buy for the price it is OEM'd by SuperFlower and wait for it..... It has 10 YEARS warranty insane! after you register the product in EVGA website.

and
Or an XFX 750W XXX/Pro/Core Edition about 5 year warranty I think if you register the product too.

You definitely need to OC that 8320 say 4.4GHz and pair it with a cooler like the cheap but good performing Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo.

Your Ram for now is okay at 8 Gig 1600mhz

Your fans are fine too and yes they are easy to install either through connecting them into your mobo if it has 3-4 pin connectors or connecting them directly to your PSU if they come with a female Molex connector.

For GPU, yes the GTX 970 is also a good upgrade and a must. Its a first from Nvidia to release such a performing card at a lower price point. + It is a good overclocker and consumes less power with lower TDP.
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October 13, 2014 5:35:09 PM

tetsuya23 said:

Hi Sorry I went afk.

In my personal opinion, getting atleast a 120GB SSD is definitely a must now a days. Mainly for OS + 2-3 games (if your at 64 bit OS because 64 bit games will always tend to have very big file sizes)
+Then just HDD for storage/Games

For Power Supply, to get room for expansion you could go for the EVGA Super Nova 850 G2 Best PSU you can buy for the price it is OEM'd by SuperFlower and wait for it..... It has 10 YEARS warranty insane! after you register the product in EVGA website.

and
Or an XFX 750W XXX/Pro/Core Edition about 5 year warranty I think if you register the product too.

You definitely need to OC that 8320 say 4.4GHz and pair it with a cooler like the cheap but good performing Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo.

Your Ram for now is okay at 8 Gig 1600mhz

Your fans are fine too and yes they are easy to install either through connecting them into your mobo if it has 3-4 pin connectors or connecting them directly to your PSU if they come with a female Molex connector.

For GPU, yes the GTX 970 is also a good upgrade and a must. Its a first from Nvidia to release such a performing card at a lower price point. + It is a good overclocker and consumes less power with lower TDP.

Thank you very much, is installing the cooler easy? I am definitely interested in doing that to get the most out of my CPU. I think I'll buy another case fan, the cooler, and an SSD within the next month. I plan on getting the 970 and another PSU around Christmas when I have a bit more extra money. Cheers everyone!

Edit: My CPU already has a fan on it? Should I replace this fan with the one you recommended?
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October 13, 2014 5:37:44 PM

You can check this as a guide for CM Hyper 212 Evo :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n47WBQI31eE

I have installed it before and it was easy. Also just put a pea size thermal paste in the middle and let the Heat sink spread it unto the IHS of your FX. You don't need the fancy cleaning kits to clean the Thermal paste though. Just use Isopropyl Alcohol

As for buying parts in Christmas, it is a good idea too since sales outlets will have discounts all around :) .
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