Looking for a HUGE upgrade!!!

[sebrodma]

Hello guys! I'm new here!

I have an AMD FX-4100 (I know that nobody likes this CPU , but it's no so bad ), ASUS M5A78L-M LX PLUS, HyperX 4gb DDR3 1600, 1tb Samsung 7200 rpm (documents), 160gb HDD (system), DVD Burner... Simple words, looking for a HUGE upgrade... A friend of mine told me that it's better to change my FX-4100 with an i5 2500k and Z68 MoBo...

I have around $700... I want a Gigabyte HD7870 ($249.99 newegg), but as I said, I need your recommendation...

Thanks for your help!!!

 

[cakekindel]

Personally, I'd keep the CPU, it seems fine, get another stick of the hyperX (dual channel. 8Gb is more than enough), and do Crossfire on 2 78xx's. If you aren't looking for hardcore graphics, though, then you could get a large ssd for your primary hdd, and invest in a better cpu. Don't go with intel, though. Then you'd have to get another mobo, which is a huge pain. Plus, at higher price ranges, AMD trumps intel. They're really best suited for budget builds/low wattage/mobile applications. Hope I could help!

 

[sebrodma]

Thank you very much cakekindel!!!

So, in simple words, same CPU and better MoBo (maybe an ASUS M5A990x EVO), Gigabyte HD7870 (I only have 1 monitor AOC 19' 1440x900 max resolution) another 4gb DDR3 stick (later I'm going to buy another 8gb DDR3), I need a PSU (Corsair HX850 or HX650), fan controller and some fans for my Thermaltake Commander MS-I, and that's it!!!

 

[cakekindel]

It really depends on what you want to be using it for. I wouldn't really go for a new mobo unless there's some complication with yours., e.g. not enough ram slots, or only one PCI X16 slot, you could probably use that cash towards something else, and more/better fans are never a bad idea! If you want to game all day long, then roll back to a couple 7790's and do crossfire! That'll play the newest games maxed out for at least a couple years.

 

[cakekindel]

And keep in mind the amazing amount of upgradeability that you get in a custom PC. If you feel like, for example, the cpu's bottlenecking after this upgrade, then just get a better one. That's one of the great things about this, in my opinion, and for that reason you probably shouldn't spend all of it now on this huge upgrade, set some aside just in case you notice some bottlenecking going on. Other than that, this seems like a great build. Best of luck! *Be sure to choose best answer so we both level up in the forum*

 

[Rammy]

It's kinda important to know what you actually want to do. If your maximum resolution is 1440*900 then you aren't going to need a huge amount of graphics power, even to run very demanding games. Depending on the game though, your CPU could become a limiting factor.

My suggestion would be to go for a FX6300, double up the ram and get a nice mid range graphics card, GTX660/HD7870 up to perhaps even a HD7870XT. There's very little that setup can't run, and it's going to cost you around $400.

 

[Uther39]

ID sell your CPU and Mobo on ebay and upgrade to this with your money.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131874
ASUS M5A99X EVO R2.0 AM3+ AMD 990X SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
Item #: N82E16813131874
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$139.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125418
GIGABYTE GV-R787OC-2GD Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video ...
Item #: N82E16814125418
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
$249.99
1

AMD Gift coupon: Bioshock Inf. + Tomb Raider
Item #: N82E16800995146
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$149.99 Saving
$149.99
$0.00

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104261
Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model KHX1600C9D3B1/4G
Item #: N82E16820104261
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
$32.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113286
AMD FX-6300 Vishera 3.5GHz (4.1GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 95W Six-Core Desktop Processor FD6300WMHKBOX
Item #: N82E16819113286
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
$139.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel ...
Item #: N82E16835103099
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
-$3.00 Instant
$5.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$37.99
$34.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227791
OCZ Vertex 4 VTX4-25SAT3-128G 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Item #: N82E16820227791
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
-$20.00 Instant
$149.99
$129.99
Subtotal: $727.94

 

[sebrodma]

The only problem it's that I'm from Costa Rica!!! LOL So, in this case, I'm going to buy the ram, the PSU and the Video Card... I can save more money and buy the new MoBo and the other CPU...

Thanks for your help!!!

 

[zeyads3]

HD7870 is very nice!! it has 256 bit, instead of nvidia you need to buy at least GTX 670 to get the 256 bit.
a site where you can compare cards ... http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=677&card2=682... the gtx 650 ti and 660 are near to HD 7870... and the 7870 is really fast, so if you confused about getting a card, go with the 7870, fast and less money, instead of nvidia, but if you want nvidia .. check out http://www.gpureview.com and see what you want, good luck

 

[sebrodma]

How about a Gigabyte HD7870, 4gb ram, Corsair HX850, Cooler Master Hyper 212 and the fan controller with some fans right now, them I sell my MoBo and FX-4100 and I can go for an Upgrade with another MoBo and CPU (Both at the same time)? So I can play some games now and with the other upgrade I can have better quality... Sounds great, right?

 

[Rammy]

850W PSU is waaay overkill. A single HD7870 can happily run on a 500W PSU. Most graphics cards are fine on a 550W.

Also you should consider the HD7870XT, it's not a HD7870 at all, but a cut down HD7950 and similarly priced to the HD7870, though their availability isn't fantastic.

 

[sebrodma]

Well, I want a Corsair HX series (modular and gold certification), so I can buy the HX650 that is the smallest of the HX series... At this moment I don't want to OCing my system (it's not that I don't want to, it's that I don't know how to do it XD), so will be enough with that one or the HX750 (in case of an upgrade or OCing)?

 

[Rammy]

550W is sufficient for overclocking. You are unlikely to draw much over 300W unless you go nuts with a huge overclock, and even then there's plenty of headroom.

If you want great value, 80Plus Gold and modular, have a look at the Rosewill Capstone 550M or Seasonic G-series SSR-550RM, though the HX650 is a solid choice too.

There isn't much sense in going way over on capacity, especially if efficiency is important to you as the 80Plus rating system is only valid between 20 and 100% load. If you are idling below 20%, your efficiency will drop off sharply.

 

[sebrodma]

Thanks Rammy!!!

The HX650 it's not really expensive, but I'm going to check the others... The games that usually play are Skyrim, Two Worlds 1&2, NFS, and others... I like RPG Open World, so with the AOC 19' 1440x900 that I have it's enough for me now and 1 x HD7870 will be great... Another question, there's a lot of difference between 760g and 990x chipset series? That's the chipset that I have now (760g)...

 

[cakekindel]

Make sure to pick best answer

 

[sebrodma]

Best answer selected by sebrodma.