Upgrading my PC
Tags:
- Mercury
- Vanilla
-
Graphics
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Motherboards
- DxDiag
- Homebuilt
Last response: in Systems
dejavu619
October 14, 2014 3:50:30 AM
I'm looking for upgrades I can make to my PC.
I have the vanilla Mercury PIG31Z motherboard: http://www.mercury-pc.com/product-detail.php?link=p-mai...
Here's a pic of my SMPS: http://postimg.org/image/66sxo9g9p/
I'm looking to play games like Star Wars: The Old Republic, Mass effect, Bioshock Infinite. They don't have to run on high settings. Low to medium is fine by me.
I have the vanilla Mercury PIG31Z motherboard: http://www.mercury-pc.com/product-detail.php?link=p-mai...
Here's a pic of my SMPS: http://postimg.org/image/66sxo9g9p/
I'm looking to play games like Star Wars: The Old Republic, Mass effect, Bioshock Infinite. They don't have to run on high settings. Low to medium is fine by me.
More about : upgrading
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Reply to dejavu619
dejavu619
October 14, 2014 4:03:32 AM
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zappo
October 14, 2014 11:06:25 AM
All you have listed is the motherboard, so how could anyone advise you on an upgrade, you might have the best CPU or the Worst.
You did not specify how much ram you have, your hard disk model, your graphics card or anything.
Most importantly you need to list a budget, not as little as possible, that is subjective, the price of a CPU in the UK may be a weeks wages in India.
As a general rule, the hard disk is the slowest component, but also if you do not have a lot a ram the system will swap to the page file all the time and so become very slow.
If your system is old do not try to run the latest operating system, run the version from the era of your PC, so if your CPU/Motherboard was from between 1998 and 2002 then use Windows XP but you will need decent security because it is no longer supported.
If you can get at least 8gb of ram then Win7 is an option, if you lock it down and do not use an Admin account then you do not need to have a permanently running AV solution but can depend on Malwarebytes.
I recently upgraded my hard disk to a hybrid SSHD model, it made a huge difference.
With regard to CPU you need to consider the power consumption, I upgraded to a quad core CPU and it uses a lot more power.
Your motherboard is an LGA775 socket with FSB 1333/1066/800 MHz, so
These are the Faster ones
www.ark.intel.com/products/family/79667/Legacy-Intel-Co...
These are the Slower ones
www.ark.intel.com/products/family/78132/Legacy-Intel-Pe...
make sure you do not go above 1333 as that is what your motherboard supports, but also try to check compatibility with your actual board.
You can compare CPU's at www.cpuboss.com/compare-cpus
You will always be able to find a reason to get a slightly faster one for a few bucks more but you have to draw a line in the sand.
I do not know what is available in India but in the UK you could pick up this Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E8500 (6M Cache, 3.16 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) for just £17
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291263113015
You could get a Q9650 on ebay. they tend to go for between £32 and £39 but you would need a decent CPU fan. It is a 95w so will use more power, especially if you overclock.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281440742836
If you have less than 4gb of Ram then that has to be a priority, it does depend on the OS you are using but the ram requirements increase with all the windows updates. Ram is quite expensive now so factor that in, if you get enough and do not swap to disk then
You can also speed up your PC by removing bloatware, run MSCONFIG and check the Start-up tab 99% of what is there is not needed and can be run manually as you need it or not at all. The "usual suspects" are Adobe, Apple Itunes, Java etc they all stick things in there to check for updates, also check your scheduler, what Google installs with Chrome is as bad as malware as far as I am concerned, it re-installs itself unless you kill it. Some things are installed as services, for example Apple installs 3 services which I disable and run manually if I want to run iTunes.
Another thing to check is the speed of your Windows profile, the easiest way to do this is to create a new standard user, the profile will be free of all the crap you have accumulated, sure a few things may not work unless under the other profile if that is how they have been configured but if that happens go back in the old profile to carry out that task.
You could also run Ccleaner on your old profile as well as the Windows "disk cleanup" utility.
When it comes to running those games you have to check each game and see what it system requirements are.
Hope this helps!
You did not specify how much ram you have, your hard disk model, your graphics card or anything.
Most importantly you need to list a budget, not as little as possible, that is subjective, the price of a CPU in the UK may be a weeks wages in India.
As a general rule, the hard disk is the slowest component, but also if you do not have a lot a ram the system will swap to the page file all the time and so become very slow.
If your system is old do not try to run the latest operating system, run the version from the era of your PC, so if your CPU/Motherboard was from between 1998 and 2002 then use Windows XP but you will need decent security because it is no longer supported.
If you can get at least 8gb of ram then Win7 is an option, if you lock it down and do not use an Admin account then you do not need to have a permanently running AV solution but can depend on Malwarebytes.
I recently upgraded my hard disk to a hybrid SSHD model, it made a huge difference.
With regard to CPU you need to consider the power consumption, I upgraded to a quad core CPU and it uses a lot more power.
Your motherboard is an LGA775 socket with FSB 1333/1066/800 MHz, so
These are the Faster ones
www.ark.intel.com/products/family/79667/Legacy-Intel-Co...
These are the Slower ones
www.ark.intel.com/products/family/78132/Legacy-Intel-Pe...
make sure you do not go above 1333 as that is what your motherboard supports, but also try to check compatibility with your actual board.
You can compare CPU's at www.cpuboss.com/compare-cpus
You will always be able to find a reason to get a slightly faster one for a few bucks more but you have to draw a line in the sand.
I do not know what is available in India but in the UK you could pick up this Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E8500 (6M Cache, 3.16 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) for just £17
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291263113015
You could get a Q9650 on ebay. they tend to go for between £32 and £39 but you would need a decent CPU fan. It is a 95w so will use more power, especially if you overclock.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281440742836
If you have less than 4gb of Ram then that has to be a priority, it does depend on the OS you are using but the ram requirements increase with all the windows updates. Ram is quite expensive now so factor that in, if you get enough and do not swap to disk then
You can also speed up your PC by removing bloatware, run MSCONFIG and check the Start-up tab 99% of what is there is not needed and can be run manually as you need it or not at all. The "usual suspects" are Adobe, Apple Itunes, Java etc they all stick things in there to check for updates, also check your scheduler, what Google installs with Chrome is as bad as malware as far as I am concerned, it re-installs itself unless you kill it. Some things are installed as services, for example Apple installs 3 services which I disable and run manually if I want to run iTunes.
Another thing to check is the speed of your Windows profile, the easiest way to do this is to create a new standard user, the profile will be free of all the crap you have accumulated, sure a few things may not work unless under the other profile if that is how they have been configured but if that happens go back in the old profile to carry out that task.
You could also run Ccleaner on your old profile as well as the Windows "disk cleanup" utility.
When it comes to running those games you have to check each game and see what it system requirements are.
Hope this helps!
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Reply to zappo
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dejavu619
October 14, 2014 11:10:06 AM
Here's a section of my Dxdiag. Let me know if you need more details. Thanks for replying
Spoiler
Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1 (7601.win7sp1_gdr.130828-1532)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: OEM
System Model: OEM
BIOS: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) Dual CPU E2200 @ 2.20GHz (2 CPUs), ~2.2GHz
Memory: 2048MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 2038MB RAM
Page File: 865MB used, 3208MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows
DirectX Version: DirectX 11
DX Setup Parameters: /PackageInstall
User DPI Setting: Using System DPI
System DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent)
DWM DPI Scaling: Disabled
DxDiag Version: 6.01.7601.17514 32bit Unicode
------------
DxDiag Notes
------------
Display Tab 1: No problems found.
Sound Tab 1: No problems found.
Sound Tab 2: No problems found.
Input Tab: No problems found.
--------------------
DirectX Debug Levels
--------------------
Direct3D: 0/4 (retail)
DirectDraw: 0/4 (retail)
DirectInput: 0/5 (retail)
DirectMusic: 0/5 (retail)
DirectPlay: 0/9 (retail)
DirectSound: 0/5 (retail)
DirectShow: 0/6 (retail)
---------------
Display Devices
---------------
Card name: Intel(R) G33/G31 Express Chipset Family
Manufacturer: Intel Corporation
Chip type: Intel(R) GMA 3100
DAC type: Internal
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_29C2&SUBSYS_29C28086&REV_10
Display Memory: 256 MB
Dedicated Memory: 0 MB
Shared Memory: 256 MB
Current Mode: 1024 x 768 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor Name: Generic PnP Monitor
Monitor Model: BENQ FP531
Monitor Id: BNQ765E
Native Mode: 1024 x 768(p) (60.004Hz)
Output Type: HD15
Driver Name: igdumdx32.dll
Driver File Version: 8.14.0010.1930 (English)
Driver Version: 8.15.10.1930
DDI Version: 9Ex
Driver Model: WDDM 1.0
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 9/23/2009 12:14:54, 536576 bytes
WHQL Logo'd: n/a
WHQL Date Stamp: n/a
Device Identifier: {D7B78E66-6A82-11CF-BCE4-C809B1C2C535}
Vendor ID: 0x8086
Device ID: 0x29C2
SubSys ID: 0x29C28086
Revision ID: 0x0010
Driver Strong Name: oem2.inf:Intel.Mfg:iBLB0:8.15.10.1930
ci\ven_8086&dev_29c2
Rank Of Driver: 00F42001
Video Accel: ModeMPEG2_A ModeMPEG2_C
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: OEM
System Model: OEM
BIOS: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) Dual CPU E2200 @ 2.20GHz (2 CPUs), ~2.2GHz
Memory: 2048MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 2038MB RAM
Page File: 865MB used, 3208MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows
DirectX Version: DirectX 11
DX Setup Parameters: /PackageInstall
User DPI Setting: Using System DPI
System DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent)
DWM DPI Scaling: Disabled
DxDiag Version: 6.01.7601.17514 32bit Unicode
------------
DxDiag Notes
------------
Display Tab 1: No problems found.
Sound Tab 1: No problems found.
Sound Tab 2: No problems found.
Input Tab: No problems found.
--------------------
DirectX Debug Levels
--------------------
Direct3D: 0/4 (retail)
DirectDraw: 0/4 (retail)
DirectInput: 0/5 (retail)
DirectMusic: 0/5 (retail)
DirectPlay: 0/9 (retail)
DirectSound: 0/5 (retail)
DirectShow: 0/6 (retail)
---------------
Display Devices
---------------
Card name: Intel(R) G33/G31 Express Chipset Family
Manufacturer: Intel Corporation
Chip type: Intel(R) GMA 3100
DAC type: Internal
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_29C2&SUBSYS_29C28086&REV_10
Display Memory: 256 MB
Dedicated Memory: 0 MB
Shared Memory: 256 MB
Current Mode: 1024 x 768 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor Name: Generic PnP Monitor
Monitor Model: BENQ FP531
Monitor Id: BNQ765E
Native Mode: 1024 x 768(p) (60.004Hz)
Output Type: HD15
Driver Name: igdumdx32.dll
Driver File Version: 8.14.0010.1930 (English)
Driver Version: 8.15.10.1930
DDI Version: 9Ex
Driver Model: WDDM 1.0
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 9/23/2009 12:14:54, 536576 bytes
WHQL Logo'd: n/a
WHQL Date Stamp: n/a
Device Identifier: {D7B78E66-6A82-11CF-BCE4-C809B1C2C535}
Vendor ID: 0x8086
Device ID: 0x29C2
SubSys ID: 0x29C28086
Revision ID: 0x0010
Driver Strong Name: oem2.inf:Intel.Mfg:iBLB0:8.15.10.1930
ci\ven_8086&dev_29c2Rank Of Driver: 00F42001
Video Accel: ModeMPEG2_A ModeMPEG2_C
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Reply to dejavu619
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zappo
October 14, 2014 12:30:42 PM
Biggest issue is your RAM memory running 2gb for Win7
E2200 is dog awful slow
You can see it is from this family
http://ark.intel.com/products/family/78132/Legacy-Intel...
any of these would be faster LGA chips (1333 max) would be faster
http://ark.intel.com/products/family/79667/Legacy-Intel...
This compares your current chip with a potentia
http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Pentium-E2200-vs-Intel-Co...
This guy has loads and an Make an Offer button
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121449461889
As for games, well you are using the stock motherboard graphics so very little hope of playing games, as I said, check the games for their requirements then get a card that suits.
E2200 is dog awful slow
You can see it is from this family
http://ark.intel.com/products/family/78132/Legacy-Intel...
any of these would be faster LGA chips (1333 max) would be faster
http://ark.intel.com/products/family/79667/Legacy-Intel...
This compares your current chip with a potentia
http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Pentium-E2200-vs-Intel-Co...
This guy has loads and an Make an Offer button
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121449461889
As for games, well you are using the stock motherboard graphics so very little hope of playing games, as I said, check the games for their requirements then get a card that suits.
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Reply to zappo
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dejavu619
October 14, 2014 12:33:17 PM
zappo said:
Biggest issue is your RAM memory running 2gb for Win7E2200 is dog awful slow
You can see it is from this family
http://ark.intel.com/products/family/78132/Legacy-Intel...
any of these would be faster LGA chips (1333 max) would be faster
http://ark.intel.com/products/family/79667/Legacy-Intel...
This compares your current chip with a potentia
http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Pentium-E2200-vs-Intel-Co...
This guy has loads and an Make an Offer button
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121449461889
As for games, well you are using the stock motherboard graphics so very little hope of playing games, as I said, check the games for their requirements then get a card that suits.
I'm open to upgrading the graphics as well
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Reply to dejavu619
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zappo
October 14, 2014 12:40:39 PM
I have given you the answers you need, check the games, find a card for the "era" of your PC and install it. No point me recommending some $500 card for an old PC.
You need to do some research yourself, for example you Google
Bioshock Infinite minimum spec
The results will tell you minimum is
DirectX10 Compatible ATI Radeon HD 3870 / NVIDIA 8800 GT / Intel HD 3000 Integrated Graphics
and recommended is
DirectX11 Compatible, AMD Radeon HD 6950 / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560
So look on ebay for a cheap 2nd hand AMD Radeon HD 6950 or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560
You need to do some research yourself, for example you Google
Bioshock Infinite minimum spec
The results will tell you minimum is
DirectX10 Compatible ATI Radeon HD 3870 / NVIDIA 8800 GT / Intel HD 3000 Integrated Graphics
and recommended is
DirectX11 Compatible, AMD Radeon HD 6950 / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560
So look on ebay for a cheap 2nd hand AMD Radeon HD 6950 or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560
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Reply to zappo
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dejavu619
October 14, 2014 12:42:05 PM
dejavu619
October 14, 2014 2:01:41 PM
dejavu619
October 14, 2014 2:13:12 PM
CPU - Intel E2200 @2.2 GHz
Motherboard - Mercury PIG31Z
GPU - Intel G33/G31 integrated
PSU - http://postimg.org/image/66sxo9g9p/
Case - Mercury KM 88
Motherboard - Mercury PIG31Z
GPU - Intel G33/G31 integrated
PSU - http://postimg.org/image/66sxo9g9p/
Case - Mercury KM 88
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Reply to dejavu619
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dejavu619
October 14, 2014 2:22:27 PM
Try -
i5 4430 11,000inr - http://www.flipkart.com/intel-3-ghz-lga-1150-core-i5-44...
Asus H97 Pro Gamer 11,000inr - http://www.flipkart.com/asus-h97-pro-gamer-motherboard/...
GSkill Sniper 2 x 4gb 2,000inr - http://www.flipkart.com/g-skill-sniper-ddr3-8-gb-2-x-4-...
i5 4430 11,000inr - http://www.flipkart.com/intel-3-ghz-lga-1150-core-i5-44...
Asus H97 Pro Gamer 11,000inr - http://www.flipkart.com/asus-h97-pro-gamer-motherboard/...
GSkill Sniper 2 x 4gb 2,000inr - http://www.flipkart.com/g-skill-sniper-ddr3-8-gb-2-x-4-...
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Reply to i7Baby
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dejavu619
October 14, 2014 9:13:07 PM
dejavu619
October 14, 2014 10:09:55 PM
You don't have a GPU now. You don't have enough budget to get a GPU too. Save up and try again.
You'll need to replace your PSU and GPU next eg
PSU - Seasonic 520 5000 inr - http://www.flipkart.com/seasonic-s12ii-520-watts-psu/p/...
GPU - MSI R9 270x 15000inr - http://www.flipkart.com/msi-amd-ati-r9-270x-gaming-2g-2...
Save up.
You'll need to replace your PSU and GPU next eg
PSU - Seasonic 520 5000 inr - http://www.flipkart.com/seasonic-s12ii-520-watts-psu/p/...
GPU - MSI R9 270x 15000inr - http://www.flipkart.com/msi-amd-ati-r9-270x-gaming-2g-2...
Save up.
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Reply to i7Baby
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dejavu619
October 14, 2014 11:25:23 PM
El Tigre
October 14, 2014 11:41:33 PM
Since your budget is 28,000inr, thn I suggest the following.
CPU: http://www.flipkart.com/intel-3-ghz-lga-1150-4430-i5-4t...
Mobo:http://www.flipkart.com/gigabyte-h87m-d3h-motherboard/p...
RAM:http://www.flipkart.com/kingston-hyperx-ddr3-8-gb-1-x-g...
PSU:http://www.flipkart.com/corsair-vs650-650-watt-psu/p/it...
The total for this is 28,150rs.
You may have noticed that there is no GPU listed, that's because the Intel HD 4600 integrated graphics inside the i5 cpu can play Skyrim at 720p on medium settings and has 30+FPS average so Skyrim is playable on medium settings just with the i5 alone. Then you can save up and buy a good graphics card like a GTX 970 because that 650w PSU will provide plenty of power for even a single GTX 980/R9 290x and you will have extra power to overclock too. With this combo and then buying the GTX 970 later when you save up again, this build should last 3+years to play games on high settings. The Intel integrated graphics inside the i5 cpu should be ok for playable low settings in all modern games with some even good at medium settings at 720p. You can play on medium to high quality in Fallout 3 and New Vegas. I would save up for a GTX 970, best card for the money and it overclocks like a monster and can easily be overclocked to GTX 980 performance.
CPU: http://www.flipkart.com/intel-3-ghz-lga-1150-4430-i5-4t...
Mobo:http://www.flipkart.com/gigabyte-h87m-d3h-motherboard/p...
RAM:http://www.flipkart.com/kingston-hyperx-ddr3-8-gb-1-x-g...
PSU:http://www.flipkart.com/corsair-vs650-650-watt-psu/p/it...
The total for this is 28,150rs.
You may have noticed that there is no GPU listed, that's because the Intel HD 4600 integrated graphics inside the i5 cpu can play Skyrim at 720p on medium settings and has 30+FPS average so Skyrim is playable on medium settings just with the i5 alone. Then you can save up and buy a good graphics card like a GTX 970 because that 650w PSU will provide plenty of power for even a single GTX 980/R9 290x and you will have extra power to overclock too. With this combo and then buying the GTX 970 later when you save up again, this build should last 3+years to play games on high settings. The Intel integrated graphics inside the i5 cpu should be ok for playable low settings in all modern games with some even good at medium settings at 720p. You can play on medium to high quality in Fallout 3 and New Vegas. I would save up for a GTX 970, best card for the money and it overclocks like a monster and can easily be overclocked to GTX 980 performance.
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Reply to El Tigre
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dejavu619
October 14, 2014 11:51:22 PM
dejavu619
October 15, 2014 12:13:05 AM
Oh, then why does this website find compatible motherboards for gpus: http://www.pc-specs.com/gpu/ATI/R-200_Series/Radeon_R9_...
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Reply to dejavu619
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dejavu619
October 15, 2014 3:42:23 AM
@i7Baby, was going through some videos and articles and came across this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO-s2Hu8iHo
Your thoughts on this video?
Your thoughts on this video?
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Reply to dejavu619
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zappo
October 15, 2014 3:53:54 AM
dejavu619
October 15, 2014 5:04:33 AM
All my games don't have to run at high settings at 1080p. Moderate is fine by me. How about these specs:
1. CPU - Intel 3 GHz LGA 1150 4430 i5 4th Generation Processor http://www.flipkart.com/intel-3-ghz-lga-1150-4430-i5-4t...
2. Mobo: Asus B85M-G Motherboard http://www.flipkart.com/asus-b85m-g-motherboard/p/itmdm...
Lastly, I need your help choosing an appropriate PSU and RAM. The above combo will at least let me play games at moderate settings right?
1. CPU - Intel 3 GHz LGA 1150 4430 i5 4th Generation Processor http://www.flipkart.com/intel-3-ghz-lga-1150-4430-i5-4t...
2. Mobo: Asus B85M-G Motherboard http://www.flipkart.com/asus-b85m-g-motherboard/p/itmdm...
Lastly, I need your help choosing an appropriate PSU and RAM. The above combo will at least let me play games at moderate settings right?
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Reply to dejavu619
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madmatt30
October 15, 2014 7:17:21 AM
You'd be better served with your current budget by going the amd apu route in my opinion.
You should pick up something like an a8-6600k,a half decent motherboard,8gb ram ,PSU & a new hard drive well under your 25000 budget.
Not a gaming rig in any sense but really but entirely capable of 720p medium settings even on new titles.
Cannot honestly see the point in going for a new gen i5 when to get the most out of it youd be looking at 20000rs + odd to purchase a GPU in the future to make the most of it.
Your budget puts you firmly in amd territory as far as I'm concerned.
You should pick up something like an a8-6600k,a half decent motherboard,8gb ram ,PSU & a new hard drive well under your 25000 budget.
Not a gaming rig in any sense but really but entirely capable of 720p medium settings even on new titles.
Cannot honestly see the point in going for a new gen i5 when to get the most out of it youd be looking at 20000rs + odd to purchase a GPU in the future to make the most of it.
Your budget puts you firmly in amd territory as far as I'm concerned.
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Reply to madmatt30
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dejavu619
October 15, 2014 10:08:17 AM
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