Need help upgrading my PC (Very little experience)

Sushiz · Jan 27, 2015

Hello, I would appreciate any help from you guys, I've had the same Hardware set up since a couple of years now, I need help in regards to suggestions as to what I should upgrade and to what.

I'm not really looking for high end specs, just above average, things that will run stuff like Evolve and Overwatch kinda games.

Here's what I currently have through Dxdiag:

Card: AMD Radeon HD 5700 Series

Processor: AMD Athlon II x 4 630 Processor (4 CPUs) ` 2.8ghz

Memory: 4 GB ram (One of the sticks is corrupted though so I just kept it in, but definitely need a new one)

Motherboard: Gigabyte Technology Co., GA-MA770T-UD3P (Socket M2)

My monitor is SyncMaster BX2250 if it matters.

Thanks for the help.

zeyuanfu · Jan 29, 2015

Budget?

Sushiz · Feb 1, 2015

I'd say something around 500-600$ is that decent enough?

tiny voices · Feb 1, 2015

You are better off building a new PC for that money.

Sushiz · Feb 1, 2015

Well then I'm fine with going for a lower budget and just upgrading some parts, like I said I don't have that much experience.

zeyuanfu · Feb 1, 2015

I would get something like this:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($104.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($39.99 @ Best Buy)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($234.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($51.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $606.70
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-01 18:37 EST-0500

Since the motherboard has 4 RAM slots, if your old RAM works, you'll have a total of 12 GB, but if it doesn't, you'll still have 8 GB.

tiny voices · Feb 1, 2015

^ that PSU is $75 before the rebate, change it for an XFX550.

zeyuanfu · Feb 1, 2015

If OP is okay with mail-in rebates, I don't see why not, but anyways, the XFX unit also has a MIR.

r3v3ng3 · Feb 1, 2015

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/BZjYhM

A little over $600, but worthwhile I think. You can make it slightly cheaper by removing the HDD and reusing the one you have, also you will need to reuse your case and optical drive, not a big deal I wouldn't think for the extra performance.

zeyuanfu · Feb 1, 2015

There are a few flaws in your build:
1, We do not know if OP's case is a regular one or a proprietary one from Dell
2, The PSU isn't of too good quality
3, Without sufficient case airflow, the 290 might overheat and begin throttling

r3v3ng3 · Feb 1, 2015

1. OP originally wanted to upgrade, assume its not a proprietary case.
2. Everything running at stock, PSU is fine.
3. Add 2 case fans. $30.

tiny voices · Feb 1, 2015

zeyuanfu :

MIRs suck. They can takes multiple months to come back and many can't even be credited to your credit/debit account, but instead are just pre-paid Visa cards. I usually assume when someone says they have $600 to spend on a computer, they mean $600, not more.

Sushiz · Feb 2, 2015

Thank you all for your suggestions, my case is not proprietary as I believe its not branded.

I don't really care about MIR's, but will consider which is more cost efficient.

I did say 600$ but if its worthwile I'm willing to spend more just not unnecessarily.

Edit: Ok, after a bit of a look around and asking, I don't think I need a full upgrade, I mostly have problems with some choppy fps in games, so I defiantly need to upgrade m gfx card and RAM, so my question is.

If I opt for the GTX 970 or R9 290 (Which is better?) will my PSU be able to handle/connect it just fine?

Thanks for the help.

zeyuanfu · Feb 2, 2015

The 970 is definitely the best out of the two, but you didn't post your PSU's specs.

r3v3ng3 · Feb 2, 2015

Its your decision what to upgrade, but if you opt for either of those cards your athlon will bottleneck their performance.

Sushiz · Feb 2, 2015

Sorry it took a while but here is what the processor's tag has on it.

Model EG701AX-VE(W)

AC INPUT 100-240VAC 50-60Hz 9.5-4A

Total power 600W

P/N: 801013972400
S/N: 6A90050042

http://postimg.org/image/4pq1tm4ih/

Also do you guys mind telling which are the best options for RAM memory of preferably 8 GB or more? Of course to include the GTX 970 and the rest of my specs above. I know the Corsair vengeance is a very popular choice but I dunno which exactly.

Thank you so much.

zeyuanfu · Feb 2, 2015

I would get the cheapest 2x4 GB kit that`s 1600 or faster, with a CAS latency of maximum 10. 1600/CL 9 or 1866/CL 9 is preferable.

zeyuanfu · Feb 2, 2015

I would get the cheapest 2x4 GB kit that`s 1600 or faster, with a CAS latency of maximum 10. 1600/CL 9 or 1866/CL 9 is preferable.

Sushiz · Feb 2, 2015

So does that include the corsair vengeance then?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9-Vengeance-Performance-Desktop/dp/B004CRSM4I/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1401458407&sr=1-1&keywords=corsair+vengeance+8gb

Along with the GTX 970 video card.

What do you recommend for a new PSU to run both of these fine?

tiny voices · Feb 2, 2015

I'd skip that RAM and get something that is low profile.

Sushiz · Feb 2, 2015

The lower option would be the Kingston Hyper X, what do you think? I'd appreciate suggestions.

tiny voices · Feb 2, 2015

YEah, get the Kingston. In reality, all DDR3 RAM is the same quality between brands.

Sushiz · Feb 2, 2015

Alright thanks for the quick replies.

r3v3ng3 · Feb 2, 2015

are you going to get a new cpu with the gtx 970?

Sushiz · Feb 4, 2015

I don't need a new one, the one I currently have is able to run it, I'm gonna get the gtx 970 and just upgrade the same RAM brand that I have since its one of the best brands, maybe get a new monitor, not sure.

Need help upgrading my PC (Very little experience)

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