Advice on upgrading

[callicious]

Im wanting to upgrade to get a bit better performance. I have a mid tower so some gpu's wont fit and i dont really want to buy a new case. Im considering the Sapphire HD 7850 and an AMD Phenom II X4 965. Any thoughts on this would be great.

current specs:
Asus M4A87TD/USB3 (AMD 870)
AMD Athlon II 250 2 x 2.9 GHz
Corsair 4GB XMS3 PC3-10666 1333MHz ddr3
ATI Radeon HD 5770 - 1 GB XFX
700w Psu

 

[batuchka]

What sort of PSU (model/brand) u running? The step up from a HD 5770 to a 7850 would be very huge but also : what resolution do u game on?

 

[callicious]

Sorry, im not at home right now so i cant check but im pretty sure my psu isnt a major brand. As for resolution im running at a very low 1360x768 but i will most likely be at 1920x1080 in the near(ish) future.

 

[batuchka]

Well then definitely make a HD 7850 and a quality 80+ PSU your priority ^^

 

[callicious]

I just got someone at home to check and i have a winpower adk 700. Im guessing this is bad... ive seen alot about having a good psu but why is it so important?

 

[batuchka]

Because there is every chance a cheapo bad PSU, when it dies it takes out more than just itself hence never skimp on the PSU for a stable/reliable build

 

[callicious]

I think im going to go for Sapphire HD 7850 and an AMD Phenom II X4 965. I take it you would recommend getting rid of the winpower psu?

 

[batuchka]

Yes, better not gamble when u are upgrading for better performance ^^