Upgrading my system

[Eeote]

Hello, i'm new here in here, and i'm planning on upgrading some of my hardware for gaming purposes. It's a homebuilt system and i'd like to be able to play the new games like Battlefield 3 at decent graphics with a decent framerate. So here is my current specs:

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo CPU E8400 @ 3.00GHz
GPU: ATI Radeon HD 5750
RAM: 2GB DDR2 KINGSTON
MOTHERBOARD: Giga-Byte GA-P31-DS3L (rev. 1.0)

First of all, do i need a new motherboard if i want more RAM and a better cpu?
And isn't my graphics card good enough?

Thanks in advance.

 

[apache_lives]

limitations:

Dual core cpu
low end video card
2gb memory
(i take it your running xp)

I doubt you will "upgrade" its more like a new system from the ground up - atleast CPU, Motherboard, RAM, Video etc and Windows 7

 

[americanbrian]

It all depends on exactly what you call decent.

What is the Max Res of your monitor? 1680x1050? 1920x1080?

For 1680x1050 you should be alright with that card.

As for RAM and CPU, you can always put in more RAM (up to 8GB probably at a a guess if it has 2 slots, or 16GB for 4 slots). Don't forget that to address that RAM you need to be running 64-bit OS.

CPU wise you can always add a quad core Core 2 CPU that should help with modern games that can utilise multiple cores, without needing to upgrade the MOBO.

If you want the best you can get at the moment CPU-wise you would need to upgrade your MOBO and buy a sandy bridge (I would recommend the I5-2500 or 2500K)

the cost of just going to a quad core would be significantly lower than transplanting a new mobo. Also keep in mind that you are probably running DDR2 ram in there, and Sandy bridge would want DDR3, so add that to your build costs.

I think that you would be best off buying some Higher capacity RAM modules (or just new sticks if you have spare slots) and getting a quad core core 2 CPU from ebay. But if you have cash to burn go for the sandy bridge. Don't forget as well that AMD's Bulldozer CPU lineup should be out next month too. They may represent a good value upgrade option.

Good Luck!

 

[Eeote]

I am running windows 7. My monitor is 1680x1050. And i'm a student, so i would like to squeeze the most out of my hardware as possible, that's why i think my graphics card is not quite outdated yet. So a quad-core 2 CPU will do on my MOBO and some more RAM and i'm okay going?

 

[kajabla]

For 1680x1050 you should be alright with that card.

Good Luck!

If "alright" means medium to low graphics.
I think that processor will be able to handle a better GPU without an upgrade, though not a really good one. You don't need to go all the way to 2500K unless you've got a whole bunch of money to spend on new graphics hardware.
Your limitations, as I see them, are graphics card and RAM.

 

[americanbrian]

5750 is roughly equivalent to a old 4850 yes? (see GPU charts 2010 sum of FPS 1680x1050 )

They can crank out 1680x1050 no probs mostly (cryengine being an exception).

For modern games the dual core CPUS are out. defo CPU and RAM for most value on a budget IMHO.

 

[dangerboyjtf2]

If you're looking to spend as little as possible then upgrading your RAM, videocard, and CPU are the way to go. You may be OK leaving the CPU you have on there if you can overclock it fairly nicely (i.e. 4 Ghz or more) but more and more games these days utilize multiple cores so having a quad core would certainly help. A new Quad core could run around $239 Intel Core 2 Quad Q9505 Yorkfield 2.83GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
or much cheaper Quad for only slightly less performance Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 Yorkfield 2.66GHz 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor

RAM won't be too expensive of an upgrade, depending on how picky you are with brand/specs of the RAM, you could get 4GB 800mhz RAM for $45-$70. Here is 4GB for $50 (admittedly its a name I havent heard before but if you aren't going to OC it it should be OK).
Wintec Ampx 4096MB PC6400 Memory - DDR2 800MHz Dual Channel (2x2048MB)

That videocard may be able to play the newest games but they probably aren't graphics intensive like BF3 will be. If you want to play that one on higher settings you're going to want something like the GeForce 560 Ti (or for a cheaper option you could go for the GTX 460). Mid range graphics cards go for around $150-$170 (you can probably get a rebate with it to lower the price), like this one:
PNY XLR8 VCGGTX4601XPB-OC GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) OC 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

 

[Eeote]

If you're looking to spend as little as possible then upgrading your RAM, videocard, and CPU are the way to go. You may be OK leaving the CPU you have on there if you can overclock it fairly nicely (i.e. 4 Ghz or more) but more and more games these days utilize multiple cores so having a quad core would certainly help. A new Quad core could run around $239 Intel Core 2 Quad Q9505 Yorkfield 2.83GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
or much cheaper Quad for only slightly less performance Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 Yorkfield 2.66GHz 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor

RAM won't be too expensive of an upgrade, depending on how picky you are with brand/specs of the RAM, you could get 4GB 800mhz RAM for $45-$70. Here is 4GB for $50 (admittedly its a name I havent heard before but if you aren't going to OC it it should be OK).
Wintec Ampx 4096MB PC6400 Memory - DDR2 800MHz Dual Channel (2x2048MB)

That videocard may be able to play the newest games but they probably aren't graphics intensive like BF3 will be. If you want to play that one on higher settings you're going to want something like the GeForce 560 Ti (or for a cheaper option you could go for the GTX 460). Mid range graphics cards go for around $150-$170 (you can probably get a rebate with it to lower the price), like this one:
PNY XLR8 VCGGTX4601XPB-OC GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) OC 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Thanks you! Very informative and helpful!