Low budget game build

[happymatei]

hi
i currently own this pc
e7200
4gb ddr2 800
hd 5670
500 gb spinpoint f3 samsung
p5k se epu motherboard

i am pretty happy with this build, but in some games i get low framerates ( i run at maximum 1280x1020 because of my monitor ) - gears of war looks very good, but moves slow some times, crysis 2 has the same problem

i am thinking of changing the motherboard, processor and rams ( or should i change the video card too? )

i got a budget of around 300$

i was thinking of an amd x4 955 BE with an AM3 mb and 8gbs of ddr3 1333mhz

if i sell my video card i could get a budget of a total 400$


u got any better suggestions?

 

[happymatei]

i should mention i like multi tasking
thats why i would put 8gbs of memory

i listen to music while i play games and talk on skype, also browsing
when i play games i leave the browser opened

 

[Silvune]

The 5670 is not that strong, so I think your first move should be to buy a new graphics card, if the improvement isn't good enough then you should consider upgrading other parts.

 

[happymatei]

i thought the problem of the games were because of the speed of the cpu and ram
cause i can max it out and it looks awesome, but moves at 20 fps or something

had the same problem when i had pentium D
after i upgraded to e7200 and 3gb more rams, i saw a lot more improvements

 

[DEY123]

Here is a suggestion...make sure you have task manager running in the background when playing a game. Next time the game slows way down ALT-Tab out and look at the performance tab in task manager to see the history graphs of CPU usage. If during the low fps time your CPU is pegged at or near 100% then you probably need that upgraded (you need to alt tab pretty quick as task manager does not have much history). However, if the CPU is not pegged then on that game your graphics card is probably the bottleneck (this of course can vary by game). You can also get things to monitor GPU utilization to make sure it is hitting 100% when you see the game slow down.

 

[happymatei]

i think the cpu is at around 85-90% when it slows

 

[happymatei]

so i tried darksiders now, the cpu and the gpu were working on full capacity

 

[happymatei]

just played crysis with everything max at 1280 and 1020 with no AA
and the gpu was at 98% and the cpu 90-100%

that means i need to buy a video card too?

if yes, what do u suggest in a maximum 450$ budget to include a cpu, gpu, ram and mb?

 

[Aesop123]

Can't go wrong with the amd phenom II-X4 955 BE, future proofing yourself a bit - browse around newegg or tigerdirect for bundle deals, 8 gb ram should cost you around $40, CPU $120, MB $50 and a 6850 GPU for $139 (seen it lower on sale with newegg but has expired- try calling them) - total $349. Make sure your psu is at least 500W for the 6850.

 

[Aesop123]

This also gives you headroom for overclocking the 955 if you desire more speed. This leaves an extra $100 that you can spring for a 128 SSD for your boot-up and games while your other HDD as storage drive for your other data and infrequently used data. Now this a sweet set-up.

 

[Aesop123]

Try selling your current MB, CPU and ram on craigslist- maybe you can get an extra $50-75 for it.

 

[happymatei]

just found a 6850 with 3.2 open gl and one with 4.1
the one with 3.2 is cheaper

i didnt find anything clear on the internet if i should go for the 4.1 or not considering the price

the cheapest 6850 here is 210$ ( the one with 3.2 opengl )
next one is 230$

mb: the cheapest i ve found with am3 is this
ASROCK N68-VS3 UCC/bulk, socket AM3 -- 60$

x4 955 -- 160$

8gb ddr3 1333mhz -- 55$

Inter-Tech Energon 650W -- 55$

it goes over my budget :O

 

[happymatei]

i ve found a deal

A) so to recap, what should i expect from this upgrade?

current: e7200, hd 5670, 4gb ddr2 800, p5k se epu lga 775

to: i5 760, 6850, 8gb ddr3 1333, P7P55 LX 1156

my resolution is set to 1280x1024 for now ( because of my monitor )

should i see a HUGE improvement in everything ( gaming, multitasking multimedia )?

B) i currently have a 350W PSU that holds the system, would it be enough for the new components?

i ve read an article here and they had a better setup and it was consuming 370W but managed very well with a 350W psu
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/power-supply-psu-review,2916-10.html

 

[happymatei]

anyone?

 

[Silvune]

What is the make and model of the 350W unit that you have?
Does it have a PCIe connector?

I have read about someone using a 5850 (which is more power hungry than a 6850) with a ~300W PSU, but that was with a less power hungry 65W i3-500 CPU. So that points to a 350W PSU being enough. But it would definitely have to be a high quality unit that can easily provide its labelled wattage.

 

[008Rohit]

i5 760 is old tech!

i3 2100 - $125
ASRock H61M-GE - $60
4GB DDR3 1333 Gskill Value - $20
HD 6850 - $150
Corsair CX430 V2 - $45

Total : $400 before rebates

 

[happymatei]

yea but isnt i5 760 better than i3 2100?
in the top made by tom i5 760 is better than i3 2100

 

[008Rohit]

If you can spend that much money get i5 2400.

 

[happymatei]

i can get a second hand i5 760 for the money i could spend on a new x4 955 BE
i cant get the 2400+ series

 

[008Rohit]

going with LGA1156 is a bad decision. phased out chips.

 

[Silvune]

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/62?vs=109
Some benchmarks directly comparing the i5-750 (which is virtually identical to the i5-760) and the e7200.

To me it seems like the only possible way to get a socket 1155 build is to not buy a new graphics card straight away.

Do you know what PSU you have?

 

[happymatei]

i m not planning on upgrading the pc for at least 2-3 years

and i ve read that taking something more than i5 760 would be overkill considering my monitor ( 913n ) supports 1280x1024

 

[happymatei]

is Corsair VX450W good enough to hold a gtx 470 + i5 760 + 2 500 gb hdds?

 

[008Rohit]

Its not. You need atleast a CX500 or Seasonic 520W.

 

[mildgamer001]

you probably wont need more than 4gb RAM, so it shouldnt cost more than 35$ even for the higher end ddr3's with heat spreaders etc which may not even be nessisary.