New Computer Vs. Upgrade

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JEJoll

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Mar 18, 2015
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I'm a programmer and recreational game developer who wants to start incorporating better graphics into his games. I work primarily in Unity as far as game development is concerned.

The computer I currently own has the following specs:
AMD A8 5500 APU, 3.2 GHz
8 GB Ram
1 TB HDD
AMD Radeon 7560D Integrated Graphics.

I spent somewhere around $500 on it about 3 years ago, and I think it's time to buy a new computer, or get an upgrade. However, it seems like most computers around the same price range today aren't a whole lot better...

The ones I'm considering are:
ASUS M32BC Gaming PC - $679
AMD FX-8310/
2TB HDD
8GB RAM
AMD R5-235X Graphics

Lenovo H50 Desktop PC - $649
AMD A10-6700
2TB HDD
12GB RAM

Which one of the above would be better for my needs (primarily better graphics)?

Or should I take some of the money I was going to spend on a new PC and get some upgrades for my current one?

 
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maxalge
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maxalge

maxalge

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May 31, 2012
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keep ram, hard drive ( if its sata ), case etc

post back with your full info, hard drive make and model, ram, case etc etc and we can determine for sure what you can keep


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($67.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($309.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($58.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $651.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-01 21:43 EDT-0400


you can get SERIOUS power if we do things right
 
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Reaper_7799

Reaper_7799

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May 27, 2015
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If I were you, I would look into building my own. It really is not that hard to do and for the price that you would spend buying a computer from any of the main ones like HP or Dell or whatever...you could get twice the performance for the same price. The mobos, psu, ram ...everything they give you is basic off the factory floor, lowest quality with the least amount of features ...the case is usually hard to upgrade in the future.

Watch a bunch of videos about building your own if you feel uncomfortable, it's really not hard at all and will give you so much more performance per dollar vs just buying a pre built cpu.
 
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J

JEJoll

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Mar 18, 2015
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CPU: AMD A8-5500
Motherboard: MSI MS-7778 (Jasmine)
Video Card: HD7560D Integrated Graphics
Power Supply: D11-300 N1A (300W Max)
HDD: Hitachi 1TB, 7200 RPM, HP 647467-001
Ram: 8GB, two of MT16JTF51264AZ-1G6
Case: ATX (All I could find)

Official HP Computer specs page HERE. p7-1235 is the Model No.

Ideally, if I'm rebuilding using existing parts, I would like to spend less than the 650ish I had initially planned, but I'm open to other suggestions not exceeding 650ish.

I was thinking something like THIS, providing that I can keep the case, ram and HDD. What do you think?
If you could provide some help answering these questions, I would appreciate it:

  • -What's the bare minimum I could spend for a configuration that would let me run MOST modern games on at least NEAR best quality at 60 fps, and would just buying a dedicated graphics card suffice?
    -What's the best configuration I could get for around 450?
    -What would you do in my situation with a budget around 650? Would you spend the full 650 (i.e. would it be worth it for my needs) or settle a little lower just to get the requirements.
    -A friend suggested a relatively small SSD for my main drive to boost speed. Would considering this be worth while?
Thanks for any help.

PS. I'm Canadian. 650 CAD works out to about 500 USD :p
 
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maxalge

maxalge

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May 31, 2012
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no amd build is gonna match this in gaming for the price



PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($224.50 @ shopRBC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($73.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card ($234.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Power Supply: Antec Neo Eco 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($70.50 @ Vuugo)
Total: $603.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-02 00:47 EDT-0400
 
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Solution
J

JEJoll

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Mar 18, 2015
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Thanks for the help!

If I wanted to drop the price a tad (to about 500), what would you suggest?
 
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J

JEJoll

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Mar 18, 2015
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I switched out the processor for something cheaper (Pentium G3258), which can apparently be overclocked to 4.8 GHz? I also added a cooler (Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler) to compensate for the extra heat this would generate... This brought me down to 506 and change.

Does THIS seem like a comparable/decent configuration, and would the cooler I've chosed allow me to safely overclock the processor?

Also, I forgot that I'm using a wireless adapter... Would the one I currently have (Atheros AR8161/8165 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Controller (NDIS 6.20)) fit on this Motherboard?
 
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Reaper_7799

Reaper_7799

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You could go to the i5 4440 and save $35 from the $600 price and still keep the i5. That processor is a great little dual core but it's a dual core and even though it can overclock really well if you hit the lottery, the i5 would still be much much better for rendering or any video work and games. But yeah the hyper 212 will suffice for overclocking.

And the controller should fit in one of your pcie slots.

EDIT: You'd also need to change your motherboard if you want to overclock that chip. I have an ASUS H97 Pro Gamer and it lets me overclock my i7 but most H boards don't let you overclock, so you would need a z97 board.
 
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