Advise in upgrading my ancient PC

danjj95 · Jan 20, 2016

Hi everyone.

First off, I'm not entirely sure if this is the right forum but I think it's time to finally upgrade my trusty machine. I think the graphics card is almost dead as my PC occasionally crashes with what looks to be graphic bugs even when playing something as light as DOTA 2.

The current specs are:

Motherboard: Intel DP55WG
CPU: Intel Core i5 750 @ 2.67 GHZ
Graphics: Nvidia Geforce GTS 250
RAM: 12GB (My dad tossed in some extra RAM sticks when I was in uni so I'm not really sure how it's set up)
Power Supply: CoolerMaster Silent Pro M600W

Now, I definitely need to change my GFX as it doesn't even have Direct x11 support and I can't play half of the new games coming out. For just the GFX, I'm willing to spend around RM300 which is about $100.

Any recommendations for a GFX would be incredibly helpful. I'm also worried that newer cards might not fit the Mobo.

Next, I would like to ask whether you guys think it's worth to spend extra to change out the Mobo and CPU as well. I preferably would want to be able to play games such as The Witcher 3 on maybe at least medium with no lag.

For changing out the Mobo and CPU I would be willing to spend around RM1000 which comes to maybe around $300.

Any tips and advice is much appreciated.

Kevern_11 · Jan 20, 2016

750ti for a GPU upgrade, upgrade to an i5-4690k and a cheaper Z97 LGA 1150 Board like the MSI Krait.

Barty1884 · Jan 20, 2016

RM? That's Malaysia....right?

Looking like 300RM is around $70US and 1,000RM is more like $225. Not that it really matters anyway - your local currency/where you will be buying is the main thing.

I found this store: http://www.idealtech.com.my/store/index.php and, if it's any reflection of the prices in your country, your budget is going to fall short, by some distance.

For example, for under 300RM, the best GPU options are really GT 730's from any of the brands carried. ASUS, Gainward, Gigabyte or an R7 240 from PowerColor or Sapphire.

Hopefully those prices are not a true reflection of availability, but if they are, you're going to be really limited with what you can do.

danjj95 · Jan 20, 2016

Barty1884 :

I realised my mistake with the conversion rates after I posted this. My brain is still stuck in 2015 when the exchange rate was something like RM3.30 to $1 whereas its now its something like RM4.25 to $1 so yeah, my bad.

Do you think just a GFX change would be enough?

danjj95 · Jan 20, 2016

Kevern_11 :

Do you think just a GFX change is enough or should I shell out the dough for a full upgrade?

Barty1884 · Jan 20, 2016

danjj95 :

No worries. As I said, your local currency/where you'll be buying from is the more relevant. If your not going to be buying in USD, then USD have no direct bearing on your upgrade.

While your CPU is dated, it's still a pretty functional chip. Quad-core, turbos to 3.2GHz. Not the greatest, but far from the worst. Should be more than capable of most games on better than medium settings (from a CPU standpoint, the GPU is a whole other question).

Your RAM is likely running on low speeds (1333MHz) and will throttle down to the lowest stick you have in there, but that shouldn't present too much of an issue. 12GB RAM is more than enough in 2016.

Your PSU, while not the greatest (Tier 3 I believe: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html), it should still serve you well enough.

A GPU upgrade would serve you the best, and you'd see a massive return from a decent investment. You only have PCIe 2.0 on that board (3.0 is the latest), but GPUs are backwards compatible and all mainstream cards should work just fine on that board.

You will need to consider your case though. Perhaps it's limited in GPU length?

Considering you would be willing to spend around 1,300RM for a CPU + Mobo + GPU, I would recommend you continue to use your existing CPU + Mobo, and spend 789RM on an ASUS GTX950 2GB. The 750ti is a good call in the US, as it's significantly cheaper, but it appears to only be around 20RM less, so the GTX950 would be a worthwhile purchase.
http://www.idealtech.com.my/store/index.php?route=product/category&path=113_114

As an FYI, there's a more 'budget friendly' R7 260x OC 2GB edition from ASUS for 559RM.....which would be a huge improvement over your current GPU. Not as good as the GTX 950, but still a respectable card.

You should be able to play even the most demanding titles (say GTAV / Witcher 3 etc) on Medium settings, with everything else being between Ultra & high (or just slightly short of that) - with the GTX 950. The R7 260x, you'd maybe be limited to more Medium-High.

danjj95 · Jan 20, 2016

Barty1884 :

danjj95 :

No worries. As I said, your local currency/where you'll be buying from is the more relevant. If your not going to be buying in USD, then USD have no direct bearing on your upgrade.

While your CPU is dated, it's still a pretty functional chip. Quad-core, turbos to 3.2GHz. Not the greatest, but far from the worst. Should be more than capable of most games on better than medium settings (from a CPU standpoint, the GPU is a whole other question).

Your RAM is likely running on low speeds (1333MHz) and will throttle down to the lowest stick you have in there, but that shouldn't present too much of an issue. 12GB RAM is more than enough in 2016.

Your PSU, while not the greatest (Tier 3 I believe: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html), it should still serve you well enough.

A GPU upgrade would serve you the best, and you'd see a massive return from a decent investment. You only have PCIe 2.0 on that board (3.0 is the latest), but GPUs are backwards compatible and all mainstream cards should work just fine on that board.

You will need to consider your case though. Perhaps it's limited in GPU length?

Considering you would be willing to spend around 1,300RM for a CPU + Mobo + GPU, I would recommend you continue to use your existing CPU + Mobo, and spend 789RM on an ASUS GTX950 2GB. The 750ti is a good call in the US, as it's significantly cheaper, but it appears to only be around 20RM less, so the GTX950 would be a worthwhile purchase.
http://www.idealtech.com.my/store/index.php?route=product/category&path=113_114

As an FYI, there's a more 'budget friendly' R7 260x OC 2GB edition from ASUS for 559RM.....which would be a huge improvement over your current GPU. Not as good as the GTX 950, but still a respectable card.

You should be able to play even the most demanding titles (say GTAV / Witcher 3 etc) on Medium settings, with everything else being between Ultra & high (or just slightly short of that) - with the GTX 950. The R7 260x, you'd maybe be limited to more Medium-High.

My casing is rather huge so I don't think I need to worry about that. Thanks a lot mate, I'll be going GFX shopping when I get the chance

Barty1884 · Jan 20, 2016

danjj95 :

No worries. Post back and let us know what you decide on. I'd recommend you don't go lower than a 750ti, but realistically, almost anything will be an improvement over your current GPU - you just want to make sure you're going to get a good return (improvement) on your investment.

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