What should I upgrade first?

fajardokier

Honorable
May 15, 2012
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I have 230 Dollars and my style is I don't buy all the components of the mobo (gpu, proc, ram etc) I only buy pieces by pieces. sorry about that I'm just a cheap person because all of you are f***ing rich. anyways my SPEC is

ASUS p5kpl-am epu
Intel core 2 duo e440 (which is sucks right now)
ati 5670
4 gigs of ram
nevermind the HDD


So my true question is I'm just going to upgrade a processor and GPU I don't like you guys saying that I need new MOBO well get out of her if that's your answer. I'm just asking what should I upgrade first if it's bottleneck Something like that. And I remind you again I buy piece by piece not the whole components

So my plan for the GPU is GTX 550 ti gddr 5 duh

And my plan for the processor is a intel core 2 quad core ( my mobo has only socket LGA 775 if you answer "I need intel I7 and I need to buy that" well get your ass out of here)

So whats the first Thing I should buy FIRST?
 
If your purpose is for gaming, then
To help clarify your options, run these two tests:

a) Run your games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.

b) Limit your cpu, either by reducing the OC, or, in windows power management, limit the maximum cpu% to something like 50%.

Go to control panel/power options/change plan settings/change advanced power settings/processor power management/maximum processor state/
set to 50% and see how you do.

If your FPS drops significantly, it is an indicator that your cpu is the limiting factor, and a cpu upgrade is in order.
Do not put too much hope in a quad core as an upgrade. Most games use only two or three cores.

It is possible that both tests are positive, indicating that you have a well balanced system, and both cpu and gpu need to be upgraded to get better gaming FPS.

Because socket 775 is about three generations obsolete, you should probably look for upgranes using used components from E-bay.
New product from Intel tends to be priced higher because they are primarily sold to the replacement market which is not very price sensitive.

A graphics update to a GTX550ti would be the minimum you should do. If you do anything less, you may be disappointed by the small gain.
A GTX550ti will need a 500w psu.