Help my build is old! Need upgrade opinions!

Gief · Nov 13, 2015

Help my build is old! Need Opinions!

Hi, right i'll get to the point, i have a pretty standard pc build at the moment and am looking to upgrade. I was wondering what is the first upgrade to purchase? or just get a new build? i have a rough £200 buget +/-£50 for each part, (as i cannot affort to get a whole lot in one go)
Here are my specs:

Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-3220 CPU @ 3.30GHz
Number of Cores 2

Video Card 1 Intel(R) HD Graphics
Manufacturer Intel
Chipset Intel(R) HD Graphics
Dedicated Memory 32.0 MB
Total Memory 1.8 GB

Video Card 2 AMD Radeon HD 5450
Manufacturer ATI
Chipset AMD Radeon HD 5450
Dedicated Memory 1010.8 MB
Total Memory 4.0 GB

Memory 8.1 GB

PSU: Dell issue 300W

Motherboard: Dell issue standard

logainofhades · Nov 13, 2015

Honestly, I would get a better PSU, and a graphics card, to start, if your upgrade is for gaming. Your CPU isn't horrible, so that can wait, for now. You may be able to upgrade the CPU, but no guarantee, with it being a Dell.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 4GB Video Card (£154.90 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£62.48 @ Novatech)
Total: £217.38
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-13 22:19 GMT+0000

utroz · Nov 13, 2015

Get a better GPU for sure, and a new PSU. In the future you might (depending on what your dell motherboard supports) be able to upgrade your cpu to a i5-3670K or i7-3770K and it will more than double your overall cpu performance.

Gief · Nov 14, 2015

logainofhades :

Get a better GPU for sure, and a new PSU. In the future you might (depending on what your dell motherboard supports) be able to upgrade your cpu to a i5-3670K or i7-3770K and it will more than double your overall cpu performance.

Thanks for your replies! They are very helpful! I use my build for mainy 2 purposes, Gaming, and photo editing. Obviously as have many people ive recently got Fallout 4. Would my build with the PSU and GPU upgrades alone be able to run Fallout 4 smoothly so the game is playable for now on low settings?

logainofhades · Nov 14, 2015

I say it should be quite playable.http://www.techspot.com/review/1089-fallout-4-benchmarks/page2.html

Gief · Nov 14, 2015

logainofhades :

Okay thanks!
Sorry another question, when thinking about upgrading my CPU, would i need to take into concideration my motherboard specs? As I'm not 100% sure as to what they are because of it being Dell standard issue so to speak. Would you concider looking at a new motherboard or just stick to my guns with the one?

Thanks again!

utroz · Nov 14, 2015

We would need to know the exact model of your system to be able to find out what cpu's it supports.

Gief · Nov 14, 2015

utroz :

The model of my pre build is a Dell Vostro 270 if that is what your after?

utroz · Nov 14, 2015

According to Dell's manual page 47 it supports • Intel Core i3 series • Intel Core i5 series • Intel Pentium Dual-Core • Intel Celeron so any i5-3xxx should be able to work.

Gief · Nov 14, 2015

Ahhh sweet thanks!
But say if i wanted to get a higher CPU ssay a i7-4xxx i'd need Upgraded motherboard?

logainofhades · Nov 14, 2015

You would need new board, case, and copy of Windows.

utroz · Nov 14, 2015

Gief :

Yes you would need a whole new setup.

Gief · Nov 14, 2015

logainofhades :

Really silly question but, why would i need a new copy of windows? Is that not stored onto your HDD?

utroz · Nov 14, 2015

Gief :

Your copy of windows came with your OEM computer and can usually only be used on that same computer, if windows detects a complete hardware change it will usually not allow you to activate it. When you change to a newer motherboard and new generation of cpu ect you will have to reinstall windows as it either will not boot up at all or be all messed up and run horribly with tons of errors.

Gief · Nov 16, 2015

utroz :

ahhh right okay thanks, i'll take that into concideration when upgrading then, thanks!

Also out of interst, do certain brand or certain types/models of motherboards 'blend' well with say certain brands of other hardware like CPUs?

utroz · Nov 17, 2015

Pretty much every brand works well nowadays but some are more stable and have better updates and OC better and are faster at stock settings. Most of the big name brands are pretty good like: Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, ect.. Here is a recent list of what tomshardware considers the best motherboards http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-intel-amd-motherboard,3902.html

madmatt30 · Nov 17, 2015

You can drop a i5 3470 on that board & its still a substantial CPU for gaming.
These can only be had second hand now but you're looking £70-80 on eBay tops.

Hades posted a good PSU/GPU upgrade choice but you can do better price wise really.

Xfx 550w (seasonic manufactured ) £42.66
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Power+Supplies/Non-Modular+650W+or+less/XFX+Core+System+Builder+550+Watt+80%2B+Bronze+ATX+Power+Supply+?productId=63631

Gigabyte wind force mini 960 4gb - £155 - your case is compact , a smaller card is a safer bet IMO.
Wind go into the argument of whether the 4gb is worth it simply because that price is similar to most other 2 GB models .

http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Graphics+Cards/NVIDIA+GeForce/GeForce+GTX+960/Gigabyte+GTX960+Windforce+2X+Cooler+OC+NVIDIA+Graphics+Card+4GB+-+Inc+Heroes+of+the+Storm+Bundle+Pack+?productId=64608

logainofhades · Nov 17, 2015

I only did modular, due to it being an OEM case. OEM's tend to be cramped.

madmatt30 · Nov 17, 2015

logainofhades :

thats a fair comment mate,if he can manage to squeeze that non-modular in there though its both a lot cheaper & also will save on delivery cost with both items being from aria - we picked the same card anyway which I didnt notice before - thats a good price for a 4gb 960 though - absolutely worth a punt.

as I was sayng before too a 3470 for 80 quid isnt an idea I would dismiss - still a very good cpu for gaming.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Intel-Core-i5-3470-3-2-GHz-Quad-Core-Processor-SR0T8-LGA1155-/151887484328?hash=item235d3315a8:g:FrIAAOSw3ydV7Dxi

chips & bits are a good seller too,been around a long long time.

Gief · Nov 17, 2015

the problem of the size of the case, hopfully shouldnt become a problem as i am looking to upgrade my case also, for space and improved ventilation.
Thank you for all the help and advice you guys are giving! Its really helpful to me!

I'm just going to list of some things ive been looking at on amzon at the moment, being advised by a freind also.
Just wanted some opinions on these choices?

case:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0081G3K0C?colid=3NTGQRCMZU0RR&coliid=I18839XJQT3YH9&ref_=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl

PSU:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00ALK3QRS?colid=3NTGQRCMZU0RR&coliid=I1OEXASPJV9STS&psc=1&ref_=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl

GPU:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00SKTY6PS?colid=3NTGQRCMZU0RR&coliid=I2R3L3HZ8ASV7V&ref_=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl

I've listed these as choices as from what i gather from you guys, the GPU and PSU are priority upgrades for now, and also the case for space for additional upgrades?

opinions on the GPU would be nice as a friend of mine suggested this as opposed to a 4gb card for the cost and taking into concideration my current PSU.

madmatt30 · Nov 18, 2015

The gigabyte 4gb card is £4 less than the 2gb MSI mate do I dont really understand the comment.

& no take an xfx over a corsair CX any day of the week.

Case is fine - personal choice & not my cup of tea but its a decent enough model.

Gief · Nov 18, 2015

madmatt30 :

Of course you right on the price for some reason i didnt notice! sorry!
I've looked at some comparisons of the two GPUs and to me it looks as if they are pretty much very similar in specs apart from some very minor percentages off here and there the main question is really if the extra 4gb necessary? will it make that much of a differce?

And also why could you suggest a xfx as opposed to a corsair? Id that personal opinion or?

And again thanks for the advise!

madmatt30 · Nov 19, 2015

The corsair CX series are mediocre at best mate ,at £70 its not particularly cheap + you honestly don't need a 750w PSU to run a 960.

Modularity is up to you, with a decent case though I don't see a point paying a premium - a little extra thought is all you need to keep cables tidy.
The xfx psu's are all seasonic based (apart from superfower these are the best quality psu's on the market).

If you must have modular then the antec hcg is also a seasonic model & 520w is more than enough for your system.
Antec HCG-520M High Current Gamer Series 520W Modular Power Supply https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0079IFHGS/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_.tytwbQZYSPN5

Essentially though the components I listed over at aria are better value for money - its as simple as that - at £5 less than a 2gb model I would take the 4gb card irregardless of whether you need it or not.

Gief · Nov 20, 2015

madmatt30 :

Okay, so on the feedback I've had from various sources, ive made some purchases, on PSU and GPU.

I've gone with the 4gb Gigabyte and the XFX 550 PSU.

I'll give some feedback when they arrive.

Again thanks for the help and advice its much appreciated.

madmatt30 · Nov 21, 2015

excellent sstuff mate,were these both the options from aria I suggested???

Help my build is old! Need upgrade opinions!

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