Major upgrades

[corymartin66]

im looking to do some major upgrades to my pc so that i can play all games with at least 60fps

my current set up is :AMD Athlon x3 440
:8gb ram
:gtx 550 ti oc to 1ghz
:480w psu
i need some upgrade suggestions for around 300$

 

[akxpckwb]

I would suggest getting a new mobo+CPU. Something like a Phenom II x4 if you prefer AMD or a i3 2120 if you wan to try Intel (Intel makes better gaming CPU's at the moment). Your GPU is pretty decent for gaming and 8GB RAM is plenty too

 

[Leosaurus rex]

i have AMD FX 8-core, it's my first rig so i can't really compare, but it was $150, you could get that. or you could get a second GPU, depending on your motherboard

 

[wr6133]

I used a 550ti for a while this year. At 1080p your not going to play latest titles at 60FPS on top settings. Saying that you will get playable FPS at middling settings.

What motherboard do you have? If it supports it a Phenom II 965BE get one and add a coolermaster 212+ and overclock. That should set you back about $150 and be tangibly better than your X3 athlon.

The remaining $150 could buy a slightly better GPU though not worth the tiny gain in my opinion keep that remaining 150 wait till its saved up to 250 and then get a better GPU.

 

[corymartin66]

like 6870 or a gtx 560?

 

[corymartin66]

i want to be able to play bf3 at 720p on a 26'' display

 

[wr6133]

you should be able to do that now. At 720p with the phenom i mentioned and your current 550ti you should do well too. I wouldnt replace the 550ti with a 560 i would wait till you can afford a 560ti (as well as the phenom)

 

[corymartin66]

i would rather not bother my cpu because when it comes to motherboard and cpu upgrades i really don't know what im doing....would overclocking help?

 

[wr6133]

Depending on what motherboard you have the Phenom upgrade may be very easy we need to kow what board you have. If its compatible then you simply put the new CPU in the existing motherboard. Your overclocking options are limited with the athlon as its locked multiplier means you have to fiddle with the FSB..... you wont get any meaninful gain from that.

 

[corymartin66]

n68-vs3 ucc asrock

 

[wr6133]

http://www.asrock.com/mb/NVIDIA/N68-VS3%20UCC/?cat=CPU

Thats your board. Unfortunately takes max 95W CPU's so we cant do a 965BE

Can do a 955 though

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113007

COOLER MASTER RR-H101-22FK-RA 80mm Long life sleeve bearing CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103075

ZOTAC AMP! ZT-50302-10M GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500196

Thats $322 or $292 after the mail in rebate on the graphics card. Only thing is you will probably need a new PSU for that Graphics Card so that would be another $50

 

[corymartin66]

just simply take out the old cpu and pop the new one in?

 

[akxpckwb]

Those upgrades that wr6133 mentioned are all very simple to install. Like you said just take old component out and put new one in.
To avoid problems you could uninstall the video drivers and install new ones when you get your new GPU.

 

[corymartin66]

how well will a GTX 570 run bf3?

 

[akxpckwb]

Check this out http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-560-ti-448-core-benchmark,3082-4.html
I know it's a review of the 560Ti 448core but all the benchmarks also show a GTX 570.You could also try reaching on youtube I bet there are a lot of videos there using a GTX 570

 

[corymartin66]

would i really have to upgrade my cpu if i get a hi end card?

 

[wr6133]

Your current x3 with a GTX570 would be unbalanced. The Phenom X4 and 560ti I suggest would be far more balanced.

 

[corymartin66]

what gain would i actually see by upgrading my cpu?

 

[corymartin66]

im thinking abought just getting this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102948