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Upgrade to Gaming System or new Fire pit?

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Hey Everyone!!

I'm interested in upgrading my PC a few components at a time in order to keep up with the demands of new games released today. My computer is probably 5yrs old and running Windows7. The games I'm currently struggling to run on Highest Settings are Starcraft 2, Diablo 3, and Guild Wars 2.

Here is my system as it is:

Intel Core 2Duo E8400 @3.01GHz
Dual channel 4GB RAM PC2 5400
2x NVidia GeForce GTS240 connected by SLI bridge
Western Digital 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s

It was purchased as an all-in-one Dell XPS ?600? gaming series, and I can hear it sweating as i turn up the graphics :( 

Although I would like to be able to just upgrade a few key components, the response "scrap it all" is an acceptable one. If you do decide to tell me to take the machine out for an "office space" type beating (music optional) I will, but only if you can provide me with a replacement suggestion that is under $2000 and will last me another 5-10 years :hello: 

Although I'm pretty capable at looking up the industry terms to research your meaning, I would appreciate responses/questions in full sentences :) 

More about : upgrade gaming system fire pit

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PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/y7wG
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/y7wG/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/y7wG/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($77.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Intel 330 Series 180GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($166.74 @ Mwave)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($407.86 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case ($74.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic X Series 850W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1272.52
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-17 17:12 EST-0500)

Only thing that will need to be upgraded is the GPU. simply get another one and put it in crossfire etc.
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You might be able to get away with just a graphics card upgrade... What i would suggest is you spend $300-$400 on a graphics card... IF you do not get the performance increase that satisfies you then you can upgrade the rest of your system and put the $300-$400 dollar graphics card in the new build.

Graphics cards in that price range would be anything from GTX 660 ti (~$300), AMD 7950 (~$300), GTX 670 (~$360), AMD 7970 (~$400).

I can't really give you any more advice than that with out knowing what amount you are willing to spend on a graphics card, and if you have a preference to AMD or Nvidia.

Derza10 said:
You might be able to get away with just a graphics card upgrade... What i would suggest is you spend $300-$400 on a graphics card... IF you do not get the performance increase that satisfies you then you can upgrade the rest of your system and put the $300-$400 dollar graphics card in the new build.

Graphics cards in that price range would be anything from GTX 660 ti (~$300), AMD 7950 (~$300), GTX 670 (~$360), AMD 7970 (~$400).

I can't really give you any more advice than that with out knowing what amount you are willing to spend on a graphics card, and if you have a preference to AMD or Nvidia.



I agree that is solid advice. Get the graphics card and then hold off until Haswell.

dragonlord12832 said:
And by that I mean, then we can talk about the best way of disposing with your old one. Drop it off a tall building vs. gasoline.

No, but seriously, save your money, get the $2000 together and wait until Haswell.


LOOOOOOOOL, I suggest you wait until Haswell too

As i suggested before, just get a video card and see how your performance is. SLI 240 is a really weak setup. Get a nice GPU now and put it in that system, the gpu can always be moved to a new system if your current one is still not satisfactory. As for the SSD, that will help with load times but it won't help in actual game play. The ram that you do have i believe is only ddr2 667mhz, 4gb of ram is enough for gaming but is cutting it close... I would not however suggest wasting money on buying more DDR2 ram. I think your best path is to just upgrade the video cards, and if that doesn't do it for you, upgrade the CPU motherboard and ram (ddr3 1600Mhz+) don't waste money on old tech imo.
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