Help to find out wich part is bottlenecking my computer

[Redsoxfan505]

Hey there, just need some help figuring out which part of my pc is bottlenecking,

Specs:
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad, 2.40GHz *4 CPUs*
Memory: 3072MB DDR2 Ram
Graphics Card: AMD Sapphire 7770 HD
Power Supply: 350W
Operating System: Windows 7, 32-bit

Thanks!

 

[rolli59]

Well it is balanced, if anything the CPU could use overclock and you could do with 4GB ram!

 

[Guest]

what is happening to have you think you are bottlenecking?

 

[Redsoxfan505]

what is happening to have you think you are bottlenecking?

Well my friend who worked at a computer repair company told me he thought it was because of my power supply and that maybe I needed to upgrade some other things. I was planning on getting 8gbs of ram as well. I'm just not sure exactly what I need to upgrade

 

[rolli59]

Power supplies do not bottleneck, if they are not powerful enough the computer shuts down. With a 32bit OS you can not utilize 8GB ram, max 4GB.

 

[Guest]

Well my friend who worked at a computer repair company told me he thought it was because of my power supply and that maybe I needed to upgrade some other things. I was planning on getting 8gbs of ram as well. I'm just not sure exactly what I need to upgrade

ok, you stated what is bottle-necking (and as posted, PSUs don't cause bottlenecks)

i'll ask again what is happening to make you think you are bottle-necking?
(let me help with an answer for an example)
"i am getting less that 45 fps in battlefield 3 MP maps but ok in COD4"

 

[Redsoxfan505]

I really can't tell you man, he just said that it was bottlenecking since I got my new graphics card and that I should also upgrade my power supply. My graphics card can overclock but it won't overclock that high for some reason. He just told me I needed to upgrade so I'm asking you guys what I should upgrade.

 

[rolli59]

That is easy, motherboard, CPU and ram. OS to 64 bit as well. But if you can overclock your current CPU to about 3GHz then it can keep up with the card but the PSU will come into question..
Really it is all a matter of budget!

 

[Redsoxfan505]

Alright perfect, thanks! He said that a micro atx motherboard would fit my case, but I'm not sure about the processor, they are getting pretty expensive. My current budget is around 200$-300$

 

[rolli59]

So this is an OEM computer? (HP, Dell,etc)

 

[Redsoxfan505]

So this is an OEM computer? (HP, Dell,etc)

Acer, I told him my model and said that motherboard would fit.

 

[Guest]

this is a bit over budget but will really make your system scream:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-2400 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($184.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock B75M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($72.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($43.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($51.00 @ Newegg)
Total: $352.53
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-07-25 22:48 EDT-0400)

the least you really ought to get that would be an "upgrade" more of a side grade though. .

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-2120 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($117.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock B75M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($72.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($21.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 430W ATX12V Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $247.52
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-07-25 22:52 EDT-0400)

 

[Redsoxfan505]

Awesome thanks a lot for the list man thank you to both of you for helping me out, I think I will upgrade using the first list you gave me. Thanks guys!

 

[Redsoxfan505]

Best answer selected by Redsoxfan505.