Upgrade

[hottsauce]

So from the feedback that I received from the people at Tom's Hardware, I am going to upgrade my computer. These are the current specs.

Intel Pentium Dual Core E5500 2.3GHZ

Integrated G41 Express Chipset

4GB RAM

250W PSU
I have Windows 7 Home Edition 64 bit.

I'm thinking of keeping my CPU itself the same and upgrading everything else. (May upgrade in the future)

For my graphics card, I have a couple of options:

Zotac GeForce GT 520 1GB DDR3 PCI-E Video Card

AMD Radeon HD A6570PE31G 1GB GDDR3 PCI-E Video Card

AMD Radeon HD 6670 2GB GDDR3 PCI-E Video Card

Zotac Synergy Edition GeForce GT 430 1GB DDR3 PCI-E Video Card

Zotac GeForce GT 560 1GB DDR5 PCI-E Video Card

Which one would be the best out of these 4? I play games such as TF2, GTA IV, Civilization V, Dota 2. I play these games at a resolution of 1600x900, and I value performance over graphics. Which one would be the best graphics card according to this?


I'm upgrading my 4GB RAM to 8GB RAM.


I'm upgrading my 250W PSU to a 550W PSU.


Overall, how would this computer be? Would it be a decent build? I only have a budget of $400 and I can't order anything online, which severely limits my selection. Would I be able to play most games at medium-high? And is there anything else that I would need to buy? Like fans or such? I don't want my computer to break, it just got corrupted a while ago and had to recover it. Sorry if I might be asking for too much, but I am quite an amateur when it comes down to stuff like this, and I need real people to help me. Thanks in advance!

 

[phyco126]

Get the GTX 560 and the new PSU. You'll be able to play most games at max settings, with only your processor keeping you down.

 

[randomkid]

$400 is decent graphics card + psu upgrade. Select Corsair PSU's. For single graphics card, a Corsair cx500 V2 should be enough.

For 1600x900 resolution, look for an AMD 6850 but if you can find the nVidia 560 or AMD 6870 at around $150, go for it. They are best graphics card for the money even at $175.

You might even have enough left for an Intel H61 1155 motherboard + Intel i3-2100 processor + DDR3 RAM out of your $400 budget.

Good luck.

 

[hottsauce]

The GTX 560 is around $230 from the place that I will get it from. So is that all I would need? A power supply and the graphics card?

 

[randomkid]

Where are you getting if from. Put the link so we can choose your best options from there.

 

[FinneousPJ]

230 is far too expensive for that card.

 

[hottsauce]

http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/zotac-zotac-geforce-gt-560-1gb-ddr5-pci-e-video-card-zt-50708-10h/10185391.aspx?lang=en-CA&pcname=&sku=10185391&path=fa8d7abcdcdfe1a5a430e64110768cdaen02
Here's the link.

 

[randomkid]

Looks like in Canada. That's more than 50% more expensive than newegg canada...
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500241
Granted that you can not buy online, I guess you should still try to find it from other stores... >50% price premium for a video card is a rip off...

 

[hottsauce]

That's the thing. If I can order online, I wouldn't even be upgrading because I can buy an Alienware computer if I required to.

 

[FinneousPJ]

That would be even more overpriced :lol:

 

[Supernova1138]

Do not buy computer components from Future Shop or Best Buy, they overcharge by a huge margin. I would strongly recommend you order online. If not, see if you have a Canada Computers or other computer shop nearby, they tend to be more competitive with the online retailers price wise.

 

[hottsauce]

I don't think I can get it from there. So is it worth it then? To get the parts from futureshop?

 

[Supernova1138]

You're going to be paying probably 50 to 60 bucks more than you would with an online retailer like newegg.ca, TigerDirect.ca, or NCIX.ca for the GTX 560, plus the higher taxes that come with the inflated price. It's only worth buying from Future Shop if you absolutely cannot order from some other online retailer for whatever reason, and Future Shop is literally the only place in town that sells computer parts. Look around for even a local computer shop, they may have some video cards for sale, likely at prices far more reasonable than Future Shop.

 

[hottsauce]

I can't really buy anything from anywhere else. And all the decent graphic cards are above $100 at Futureshop. I don't know what to do. I really want to upgrade but I don't want to get ripped off.

 

[Supernova1138]

If you can only buy from FutureShop you are going to get ripped off no matter what. If you absolutely cannot get anything shipped to you, or don't have a credit card, or whatever is preventing you from ordering online, and you can't solve those problems, then I guess you'll have to suck it up and get ripped off if you want to upgrade.

I would say, try to solve the problem that prevents you from getting stuff from places other than FutureShop if possible.

 

[hottsauce]

There's no way I can solve the problem that's preventing me to order online. I guess I have to get ripped off.

 

[randomkid]

Don't you have a friend or relative who can use his/her account to order online. Then you can use whatever you saved to buy dinner or a small gift. The cost maybe the same but its no longer a rip off & you spend the money for better cause.

 

[FinneousPJ]

Yeah ask an adult for help.

 

[hottsauce]

I might do that. That's pretty smart. Thanks.