Upgrades

[joeblogs]

My current system is

i3 540
1x 4gb king max ram
MSI h55M- E21
Powercolor ATI radeon 5770
500gb Hdd
650W generic Psu

I have $300 dollars to spend on upgrades, and i use my system for gaming, Where is my money best spent?

 

[Outlander_04]

You should have the RAM as two sticks in dual channel , which will improve performance so the first buy is another RAM stick identical to the one you have . Follow the mb manual on which slots to use to get dual channel

The next thing to upgrade is the graphics card , but this depends in part on the resolution of your monitor .

It also might be limited by your " generic psu" . Just because it ways 650 watts doesnt mean it can produce that current without exploding . Got any details on the unit you have ?

 

[joeblogs]

The Psu dosnet actually have a brand name, I dont think its of good quality.

 

[Outlander_04]

Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W $58 [ inc shipping]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371030

XFX HD-695X-ZNFC Radeon HD 6950 1GB $210 [ after rebate]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150523

The additional memory ~ $25

That would game really well .

 

[tsnor]

The recommendation above is to get a good video card with your money. That's probably right. Getting good power is right too.

Before you finally decide read the 'balanced articles' http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/balanced-gaming-pc-overclock,2699-10.html

Your i3 540 is not bad, but is dual core. Your MB supports a lot of CPUs. $200 gets an I5-760 quad. $300 gets an i7-870.

If you upgrade video now and last a while you can step up to new MB, i5-2500 and new memory sometime in the future.... vs. putting $200 in an older i5-760.

 

[joeblogs]

Thank alot

 

[joeblogs]

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