What should I upgrade?

[randomname123]

Hello, I'd like to know what should I upgrade? specs:

CPU
AMD Athlon II X4 620
Propus 45nm Technology
RAM
4,00 GB Dual-Channel DDR2 @ 400MHz (5-5-5-18)
Motherboard
GeForce 8000 series (CPU 1)
Graphics
SyncMaster (1440x900@60Hz)
512MB GeForce GTS 250 (Undefined)
Hard Drives
699GB SAMSUNG HD753LJ ATA Device (SATA)

I'm pretty sure I will need to upgrade my graphics card because it doesnt have DirectX11 and all of that fancy stuff, but I'd like to get an expert confirmation. Also is my CPU decent? Because I have been getting alot of lag after closing somekind of big game, like BF3, ArmA 2, GTA 4. Especially on BF3,while IG, I get some heavy lagspikes and they're quite random. And how much is Geforce GTS 250 worth? Because I will probably sell it after buying a new graphics card, unless I can put those two together, so thats another question.

 

[zooted]

Well, The cpu although it is a quad core is not the strongest you can get. Not only that, it is being hindered by an old chipset with ddr2 memory. That being said, the most significant upgrade would be a new gpu. I would start with that first and if you are being bottle necked too bad I would look into a complete overhaul of mobo/cpu/ram.

What is your budget?

 

[MC_K7]

Some games are more CPU dependent than others, so yeah that CPU could become a bottleneck in certain scenario. That being said it's not too bad, it's still a quad-core, you could overclock it a little bit to squeeze more performance out of it.

Yes, the GPU would be the only thing I'd upgrade on this PC. Otherwise it's not worth investing too much on a old PC you might be better off configuring a new PC. In the meantime if you don't have the money, upgrading the GPU will give you a significant performance boost in your games because a GTS 250 isn't really powerful, so it's your biggest bottleneck right now. I wouldn't spend more than 150$ for a video card, check for something like a 7770 or 7850 or a 650-Ti or 660. You could also look for second hand cards you can get great deals sometimes.

You forgot to include your PSU in your specs and that's really important. Make sure your PSU is powerful enough and meets the requirements of the graphics card you'll be buying.

 

[goonbar79]

I think your system is kind of in a awkward spot to play the recent PC games with high hardware requirement (i.e. BF3). I would plan a overhaul upgrade, but do it piece by piece slowly, starting with the graphics card. Since GTS 250 isn't a terrible card, and to spend $100~$150 to replace it may not give you a significant boost to play BF3 that you are looking for.

If I were you, I would spend a bit more on a new video card now ($200~$250) & OC the current CPU (if PSU allows it). Then plan to migrate that card to a newer, more up to date system within the next 6~12 months.

Again, that would depend on your budget, as well as if you enjoy that sort of "gradual PC upgrade." I personally enjoy that, so it would be a joy for someone like me.

 

[randomname123]

Hmm.. Okay thanks for the answers. I'm now considering on selling my old pc and building a new one myself. How much would my old PC sell for? I'm in Europe so I'm guessing they cost a bit more than for example USA.

 

[randomname123]

bump.

 

[zooted]

In the US I would say around $300ish.

 

[randomname123]

In the US I would say around $300ish.

Hmm, that's great, but don't you know how much it would cost in Europe, Estonia?

 

[Mousemonkey]

bump.

Don't...

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