Looking for good upgrade for PC (max 250$)

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Awpenhaimer

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Dec 21, 2015
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Hello,
I am looking to upgrade my PC to get a better preformance or getting new one for 250$ top
I was looking online about good quality builds and only thing I found was not so good. I mean 3.6 6 core AMD with 4 gb of ram just not good combination.

I can use parts from this pc to get them into new so if you have any good combination it would be great.

Specs of my PC right now:
CPU: Intel i3-2100 3.1 GHz
MB: Asrock H67-M
GPU: nVidia GeForce GT 740 1 GB
RAM: gSkill 2x4GB 1600 MHZ
Case LC Power Air Wing 975B Gaming
PSU: Mastercase 450w

 
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imsqam


What I read here is you want to eventually move to an overclocking setup. Keep in mind that PSU requirements increase when you start to overclock. The Corsair CX series is okay for a regular build but for overclocking builds it does not quite fit the bill. If you intend to overclock in the future pick a tier 1 or...
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BadActor

BadActor

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Oct 31, 2015
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Considering the age of your system and everything you would have to replace to make a meaningful improvement, I would just plan on building a whole new system. If you want to do it a little at a time, you could start with the motherboard and CPU now, and then GPU and power supply next.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($174.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($71.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $246.77
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-27 15:27 EST-0500

With the new processor and motherboard, you will be able to add any GPU you like with an appropriate PSU to go with it.

 
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Milheim

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$250 is a pretty small budget. You'll spend most of that on a graphics card. I'd suggest saving up a little bit more. Assuming you want to upgrade CPU, GPU, and PSU (a new GPU will most likely require a new PSU) you're probably doubling your budget.
 
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ScrewySqrl

ScrewySqrl

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I'd upgrade the PSU and get a better GPU within that $250 budget. a i5 2400/2500 would be almost all your budget, so we'll kep your i3. the 8gb ram is still adequate too

so:

Gigabyte GTX 960 GV-N960IXOC-2GD - $179.99 at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SD9KZ96/?tag=pcpapi-20

XFX P1-550S-XXB9 550W 80+ Bronze PSU: $55.99 at SuperBiiz
http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=XFX-550S&c=CJ

this is $235 and should improve your gaming performance by a ton


alternately, you could step down one notch to the 950 GPU, and by going just a BIT overbudget ($260) you could afford a $60 240 GB SSD
 
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Awpenhaimer

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Well I recently buyed gpu and ram and new mb so I could just get i5 and mb for start and then upgrade later to full new pc
 
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larkspur

larkspur

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The system you listed is fine except for that PSU and the GPU is weak. For the best safe and stable gaming performance with that system and only $200 you should upgrade the GPU and the PSU.

I'd look at the R9 380 or the GTX 960 and a quality PSU like an XFX TS 550w. That will give you great gaming performance with your current system and will provide a good basis for a CPU/mobo upgrade in the future.
 
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Awpenhaimer

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Thank you all for your fast answers. As I started to use Unreal Engine 4 I need some better PC to run in nicely. As I mentioned I was looking online what is best to get for 250$ and there is no much either you will get good CPU or good GPU and other will be bunch of crap such as 4 gb ram 400W PSU
 
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larkspur

larkspur

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Look, your CPU is fine for gaming right now. It's not going to blow anyone away but it'll get the job done. From a gaming-only $250 budget standpoint the thing you need in there for better performance is a decent GPU. To put a decent GPU in you'll need a decent quality PSU (your current PSU appears to be a cheap generic brand unless I am mistaken).
 
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Awpenhaimer

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Yes PSU is generic branded and tbh never heard about this brand before. I will thing about getting CPU. MB or CPU, MB and PSU first then upgrade graphic and maybe even add 1 more HDD
 
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imsqam

imsqam

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Mar 25, 2011
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First question, so have you become death? :pt1cable:

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/jrobertop101189.html

Okay, some of the things in your build are not that bad, the i3 is a little low but still very viable for a lower end build. RAM looks decent. Don't know much about the case but the description looks not that bad. With a H67 mobo overclocking is out of the question but the ASRock should be of decent build quality.

Last, but not least, the PSU barely turns up on a web search but I think I found it

http://www.jeftinije.hr/Proizvod/2451749/nesortirano/nesortirano-ostalo/ostalo-nesortirano/mastercase-atx-450w-psu-120mm-20plus4-pin

It looks to be of very poor quality. This is important because your best upgrade is a new video card. But you have to have the power to run it. And low power quality PSU's often lie about what wattage they really are.

My suggestion to you is to get an R7 360 video card and a decent 400W or more PSU. Here is what I found, I manually overrode the NA prices based on the website that pulls up the power supply. Shop around.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/yCfPjX
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/yCfPjX/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i3-2100 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor ($0.00)
Motherboard: ASRock H67M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($0.00)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($0.00)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R7 360 2GB Video Card ($185.00)
Case: LC-Power PRO-923B ATX Mid Tower Case ($0.00)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($85.00)
Total: $270.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-27 16:28 EST-0500

http://www.jeftinije.hr/Proizvod/2582794/racunalna-oprema/pc-komponente/ostale-komponente/corsair-napajanje-cx-series-500w-cp-9020047-eu

http://www.jeftinije.hr/Proizvod/3905863/racunalna-oprema/pc-komponente/graficke-kartice/grafika-kartica-pci-e-sapphire-amd-radeon-radeon-r7-360-oc-2gb-ddr5-dvi-hdmi-dp




 
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Awpenhaimer

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For PSU it handles my PC good right now but I wasn't thinking it will handle too much load like getting AMD inside of it cuz we know AMD gpu needs a bit more power. for 270$ getting better psu and graphic is not bad idea for me so after some time I can easily upgrade my MB and CPU for another 250-300$ such as i5 k version and then later on add liquid cooling and increse clock on cpu and get even better preformance :D
 
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larkspur

larkspur

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Yeah, that's the right idea for gaming performance. PSU upgrade and GPU upgrade and then later think about upgrading the CPU/mobo. Just FYI - with a BIOS update your current mobo can actually support up to an i7-3770k (but no overclocking). I wouldn't bother with an AMD CPU right now. Don't use anything more power-hungry with that PSU, in fact I'd replace it ASAP.
 
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imsqam

imsqam

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Mar 25, 2011
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What I read here is you want to eventually move to an overclocking setup. Keep in mind that PSU requirements increase when you start to overclock. The Corsair CX series is okay for a regular build but for overclocking builds it does not quite fit the bill. If you intend to overclock in the future pick a tier 1 or tier 2 PSU from this list.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

 
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