Will new GPU and adding RAM help me?

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hordegrrl

Commendable
Aug 29, 2016
3
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1,510
Hello! 5+ years ago the advice I got from folks here helped me with my first computer build, which is still running strong. However, I'm saving to upgrade or build a new system within the next few months, but I was wondering if upgrading my GPU and adding some RAM might give me a little boost. When playing World of Warcraft for the most part it runs fine, unless I'm in an area with lots of players and activity - then it starts to stutter and lag quite a bit. The other night it was swinging between 3-80+ fps!

My existing setup has the following:

AMD Phenom II x4 955 CPU
Corsair 650W PSU
4GB GSkill Ripjaw DDR3 1600
AMD Radeon HD 7700 Series graphics card (1GB)

Would adding 4GB of RAM and a new GPU help the performance enough to make WoW playable for a while longer? If so, any recommendations would be welcome for a good GPU that won't break the bank but that will still stand up when I do upgrade (probably to Intel i5-6500). I'd prefer to stay under $200 for the card if possible. I don't foresee having time to play other games, but I'd like to know that I can. :)

Thank you in advance!
 
Solution
n0ns3ns3
It's a nice card, just a bit overpriced IMHO :)
If I were to buy, I'd look for this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487261&ignorebbr=1
EVGA GTX 1060 SC Gaming for 259$ - it's is really the best value card. Out of stock right now, but you can "hunt" for it. Might take few days or couple of weeks, but you will find it eventually. Went through this two month ago as my old card died, but got the EVGA GTX 1070 SC at MSRP price.
The non SC variant (as well as Zotac Mini) has relatively crappy cooler - don't buy them.
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MrOldMC

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Sep 11, 2015
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4,630
Adding RAM shouldn't affect gaming performance drastically but it would limit the amount of tasks you can have running at once or in the background while also gaming. So yes I would recommend upgrading to 8GB of RAM, on the GPU side you could get a GeForce 780 for under $200 if you look around a little bit on ebay which would show you a difference in performance. However, I do warn you in advance any newer GPUs you put in your system may bottleneck because of your CPU. It does help that you have a quad core processor but a bottleneck in performance may occur since it is quite a number of years old, and you may not get the best performance you could get out of the GPU.
 
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n0ns3ns3

n0ns3ns3

Illustrious
May 25, 2016
8,065
4
42,715
I think that you will benefit from GPU upgrade.
to test that theory, do the following:
* play your favorite game while recording FPS (fraps, afterburner or whatever else)
* open game settings and lower the game resolution (say 1080p to 720p)
* play the game while recording the FPS
If the FPS significantly goes up - GPU upgrade will improve your experience.
If the FPS remains the same, you need a CPU upgrade.
The RAM is tricky, while cheap, it will not be reused in the upgrade - you will need new CPU-MB-RAM combo. So adding 4-8GB will help a bit.
Which GPU to pick is really hard. The latest gen cards under 200$ are AMD only. And honestly I do not think that RX 470 worth to look at as is very close to 200$ and is priced almost as RX480 4GB. In the same price range of ~200$ there is a GTX 1060 3GB.
Currently, the best price/performance cards are GTX 1060 6GB and RX 480 8GB (non reference design). Decent models are at ~260$.
 
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H

hordegrrl

Commendable
Aug 29, 2016
3
0
1,510
Great info - thank you! I will do the testing, but if I did opt for a new GPU do you have any opinions on this one?

https://www.amazon.com/ZOTAC-GeForce-ZT-P10600B-10M-Dual-Fan-IceStorm/dp/B01I5O5AP2/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1472477713&sr=1-2&keywords=ZOTAC+GeForce+GTX+1060

Thanks!




 
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n0ns3ns3

n0ns3ns3

Illustrious
May 25, 2016
8,065
4
42,715
It's a nice card, just a bit overpriced IMHO :)
If I were to buy, I'd look for this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487261&ignorebbr=1
EVGA GTX 1060 SC Gaming for 259$ - it's is really the best value card. Out of stock right now, but you can "hunt" for it. Might take few days or couple of weeks, but you will find it eventually. Went through this two month ago as my old card died, but got the EVGA GTX 1070 SC at MSRP price.
The non SC variant (as well as Zotac Mini) has relatively crappy cooler - don't buy them.
 
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Solution
blacksheep123

blacksheep123

Honorable
Jul 7, 2014
2,392
0
12,960
if you are on a budget constrain then i would suggest you to get an extra 4gb ram, also a good cpu cooler like a hyper 212 to overclock the cu and unlock more potential

also get a cheap card like an rx 470..

it will give you a 25-35 fps performance boost over your old 7770
it also has a low tdp of 120w so it will be compatible with any psu just fine
it costs around 190$

 
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