Upgrading old Gaming System

[Zukleia]

Greetings everyone:

I'm in the process of upgrading my old system, I made this system myself about 4 years ago (can't remember well enough). I think the only thing that has changed is the GPU which originally was an ATI RADEON HD 5770. These are my current specs:


CPU: Intel Core i5 750 @ 2.67Ghz
Motherboard: GIGABYTE P55-UD4
Memory: 2 Kingston HyperX 2GB DDR3
Storage: Seagate Caviar Black 1TB 7200
Video Card: AMD RADEON HD 7750
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 - Mid Tower
Power Supply: Corsair TX 650W
Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit
Monitor: HP w2338h 23” 1920 x 1080p


I do NOT have a budget to replace every single item on this build right now, but I do I have about $350 to make a substantial upgrade to my gaming rig, hopefully one that makes a significant impact right away on game performance. I will be upgrading this build during the next few months, I think I should be able to finish all the upgrades by the end of summer, but I’m not entirely sure.

Right now I am thinking of upgrading the GPU.
Here are my two current candidates: (note: still don’t know if Sapphire, MSI or XFX)

1. AMD Radeon HD 7950 3GB GDDR5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202006

2. AMD Radeon HD 7850 2GB GDDR5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102998

I am open to suggestions in terms of which part should I upgrade first and what I should be aiming for. Thanks for reading!

 

[tiny voices]

Grab whatever GPU you can. Your system will handle it fine.

 

[Zukleia]

Thank you! That is what I will most likely do. Do you have any idea which Motherboard I should be looking at to upgrade the on I have?

 

[tiny voices]

Keep yours. You will have to reinstall windows if you get a new one. It won't change performance at all.

 

[guanyu210379]

Your system is actually still OK.

Get HD7950 if you can afford it, rather than HD7850.
MSI, Shappire, HIS, ASUS, Gigabyte, etc. just get the best price you can get.

And...after you upgraded the GPU.
You might want to add another 4GB RAM and/or an SSD..
Those are only optional but will impact your overall system performance in a positive way.

 

[scragnoff]

Hi Zukleia!

You have chosen the correct path by going for the GPU upgrade first. This will give you the most noticeable performance boost when it comes to gaming.

If you can squeeze in $40 more, I suggest going for an HD 7970. Newegg is selling the XFX Double Dissipation 7970 3GB at $389.99. With the $30 rebate, it will come down to $359.99.

After the GPU update, I suggest going for an SSD, or additional Ram. During downtime from gaming, if you're fond of opening multiple tabs in Chrome while browsing, then additional Ram would enhance your system's ability to handle multiple instances of applications. If you want your PC to respond snappily to your clicks, or a 10~20 second cold boot up time, then get an SSD. Go for 120+GB capacities.