Please Help

[sazza34]

Hi, i'm thinking about upgrading my Processor and Graphics Card.

My PC specs are,

2GB of RAM
Ati Radeon HD 4350
AMD Phenom 8600 Triple core 2.3 GHz

Thats about all I know in terms of my computer specs.

I was thinking about upgrading my Processor to an AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Processor found at

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/amd-phenom-ii-x4-965-black-edition-processor-04820872-pdt.html

Also I was thinking about upgrading my Graphics Card to a ATI Radeon HD 5770, found at

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/sapphire-radeon-hd-5770-pci-e-graphics-card-04351404-pdt.html

My question is will my Pc be able to handle it and will I get a durastic performance boost?

The reason I chose these is that I (My Dad) is on a tight budget at the moment and PC world can put the parts into the computer for me, as i have no clue how to put them in.

Another Question is that will my computer need a lot of fans to keep the heat down?

Thanks.

 

[sazza34]

Ok, i've just downloaded speccy and my motherboard is

FOXCONN A7VMX-K (Socket 940)

Thanks for posting so quickly!

 

[jonnyboyC]

both would be fine even if you have an am2+ mobo a 965 will fit in, you may want to consider a 955 and save some cash, as 200mhz doesn't really effect anything. the 5770 is also a good choice when on a budget pretty good on power heat, and very solid performance

 

[sazza34]

Will my motherboard support the parts?

 

[sazza34]

Thanks for the help!

 

[Emerald]

Sorry m8 but the MOBO does not seem to support that CPU.

http://www.foxconnsupport.com/cpusupportlist.aspx?type=mb&socket=Socket%20AM2+/AM2&model=A7VMX-K&cputype=AMD

 

[sazza34]

At the bottom it says it was written in 2008 lol, so it might.... well i hope so. ill get the people at pc world to try i guess. if it works then... YAY

 

[geofelt]

While you are at it, consider going from 2gb to 4gb. Here is a Corsair study on the benefits:
http://www.corsair.com/_appnotes/AN804_Gaming_Performance_Analysis.pdf

To better assess the value of upgrading either the cpu or the graphics card, try the following experiment:
1) Run your games, but reduce the resolution and eye candy to a minimum. This will simulate what will happen if you upgrade to a stronger graphics card. If your FPS improves, it indicates that your cpu is capable of driving a stronger graphics card to higher levels of FPS.

2) Keeping your graphics resolution and settings the same, reduce your cpu power. Do this by removing the overclock, or by using windows power management to set a maximum cpu% of perhaps 70%. If your FPS drops significantly, it indicates that your current cpu is a limiting factor, and that a faster cpu would help.

Most of the time, a graphics card update, not the CPU is the most cost effective upgrade. This is particularly true if you are gaming at
1920 x 1080 or higher.

As to what cpu your motherboard can handle, run CPU-Z. It will tell you what motherboard you have, what revision #, and what bios. All factors which may determine your possible cpu's. Then go to the Foxconn web site and see what cpu's your particular motherboard can potentially handle. You may need a bios update that can be tricky to do. A failed bios update can permanently brick your motherboard.

A graphics card update will increase the power needs. See if you can find the spcs on your PSU. Every psu should have a spec chart affixed to it. The important number is not the wattage, but the maximum amps for all the 12v rails. If the label is hidden, try to identify the brand and determine how many 6-pin pci-e connectors it has.

 

[sazza34]

Well atm on.. lets say Call Of Duty 5 my pc cant even get a decent frame rate on the lowest resolution. my frame rate on that is 80FPS inside buildings and around 50 when I go outside.

As for CPU-Z the rev. number is 00 and the BIOS is
American Megatrends Inc.
Version : 080014
Date 08/21/2009

Hope this helps, as i have no idea what this means.

 

[geofelt]

Well atm on.. lets say Call Of Duty 5 my pc cant even get a decent frame rate on the lowest resolution. my frame rate on that is 80FPS inside buildings and around 50 when I go outside.

As for CPU-Z the rev. number is 00 and the BIOS is
American Megatrends Inc.
Version : 080014
Date 08/21/2009

Hope this helps, as i have no idea what this means.

50FPS is not bad. The typical LCD monitor has a refresh rate of only 60fps. That said, I think the graphics card could use updating. I suggest you do one thing at a time. Who knows, you might find that just the graphics card update is sufficient.