Need PC gaming help!

[Charon_Incarnate]

Hello,
I am new to PC gaming, and recently bought a desktop from a guy on CL. It seems decent but I want to upgrade it. What would you recommend? I am clueless and would really love so advice. Here are some of my specs
Windows 7 64 bit
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Processor 3.4GHz
6GB RAM
AMD Radeon HD 6670

 

[swifty_morgan]

video card. what is the power supply and what is the monitor/resolution?

 

[Charon_Incarnate]

I cant figure out the power supply, ive physically looked at the thing. i dont see any stickers , the prior owner might have taken them off. The monitor runs at 1920x1080. I really want to play console games at higher quality. It has about 6 fans in it tho. It never gets hot or loud...if that helps at all lol

 

[swifty_morgan]

how's about if you power down, unplug from wall and remove the PS from the case so you can see all sides? you really need to know the power of that thing. it may be why there was a low end graphics card in the box in the first place.

 

[Charon_Incarnate]

how's about if you power down, unplug from wall and remove the PS from the case so you can see all sides? you really need to know the power of that thing. it may be why there was a low end graphics card in the box in the first place.

thermaltake TR2-430. so 430W

 

[spawnkiller]

Change it with a better brand and wattage (i had 3 TR-2 failed in my entourage, friends/family) i recommend something from 500-600watt for a single gpu and pick one from any good brand like Corsair, Coolermaster, Antec... They're the most common that do some mid to high-end range PSU that are affordable, stable and reliable... you could also grab a seasonic or a enermax but you'll pay a lot for it ^^

For the GPU, i suggest a 7770/650ti at minimum to do great gaming at 1080p or better depending on how much you want to spend (you can't turn all the detail at max with these mid-range cards at 1080p resolution...) the best bang for the buck is surely the 7870 (the 1ghz edition) for about 200-220$ as it perform almost like a 660ti that retail for about 280-300$ and it's far better than the 660 non-ti...

 

[Charon_Incarnate]

Change it with a better brand and wattage (i had 3 TR-2 failed in my entourage, friends/family) i recommend something from 500-600watt for a single gpu and pick one from any good brand like Corsair, Coolermaster, Antec... They're the most common that do some mid to high-end range PSU that are affordable, stable and reliable... you could also grab a seasonic or a enermax but you'll pay a lot for it ^^

For the GPU, i suggest a 7770/650ti at minimum to do great gaming at 1080p or better depending on how much you want to spend (you can't turn all the detail at max with these mid-range cards at 1080p resolution...) the best bang for the buck is surely the 7870 (the 1ghz edition) for about 200-220$ as it perform almost like a 660ti that retail for about 280-300$ and it's far better than the 660 non-ti...

thanks for the info. I didnt know that the powersupply was so bad until now. Ill def have to replace that and the graphics card. One question on the 7870 (the 1ghz edition), would that let me play games like Black Ops 2 on higher than console settings? How about something like Crysis 2 or 3? Also! Where are some good trustworthy sites to get these parts from? Sorry for all the questions, this will be my first time actually customizing a computer.

 

[swifty_morgan]

me, I'd have balls enough to try and run a GTX660 on that power supply. fit your budget?

 

[Charon_Incarnate]

me, I'd have balls enough to try and run a GTX660 on that power supply. fit your budget?

I have no problem spending up to 350 to get my computer past my ps3 in gameplay. Is that the main thing missing from my system? Graphics card then power supply?

 

[swifty_morgan]

in that order, yes. after that you need to think about a new platform.

 

[Charon_Incarnate]

in that order, yes. after that you need to think about a new platform.

haha whats a platform? >_< motherboard? If you would do me a favor and list the top five things i need to upgrade that would help me a lot! so far Graphics card>power supply>..platform..> ram?

 

[swifty_morgan]

motherboard/processor/raM..............but just make the minor adjustment now....... whatever that will be. just a video card or video card and PS.......... the rest should do you well for what you want. but definitely the video card.

 

[jessterman21]

me, I'd have balls enough to try and run a GTX660 on that power supply. fit your budget?

Me too - the most that rig would ever draw is 250w. If the TT can't handle that, you got a faulty PSU, not a bad brand. Looking at the specs - it supplies PLENTY of amps on the 12v rails. Don't waste your money - it doesn't need to be upgraded.

Definitely get a GTX 660, no new PSU, and a good CPU cooler, like the CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO or TX3 if the EVO won't fit in your case. Then you can overclock that Phenom II to about 4.0GHz and get better performance. And the GTX 660 can play all games @1080p on Ultra at 45fps or better with or without MSAA (FYI the PS3 only plays games @ 720p on Low-Medium at 30fps without any antialiasing). Total: ~$260 on Newegg.

 

[Au_equus]

That PSU is really a 350W unit. any powerdraw above that is unusable. Its got a decent OPP but that's about it. You can get a decent PSU for $60 and a GPU for $290.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202006
or a 7870 LE, which performs on par with a 7950 in most benchmarks for $50 less
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131484&Tpk=7870%20le

 

[Charon_Incarnate]

Me too - the most that rig would ever draw is 250w. If the TT can't handle that, you got a faulty PSU, not a bad brand. Looking at the specs - it supplies PLENTY of amps on the 12v rails. Don't waste your money - it doesn't need to be upgraded.

Definitely get a GTX 660, no new PSU, and a good CPU cooler, like the CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO or TX3 if the EVO won't fit in your case. Then you can overclock that Phenom II to about 4.0GHz and get better performance. And the GTX 660 can play all games @1080p on Ultra at 45fps or better with or without MSAA (FYI the PS3 only plays games @ 720p on Low-Medium at 30fps without any antialiasing). Total: ~$260 on Newegg.

Thanks! that really helps, i would love to spend around 200-300 on just a graphics card that will last me. I am going to look into the GTX 660. But i thought it had to be AMD ecause of my other pieces? Also there is this thing in my tower that says coolermaster and its right in the middle, looks like a fan >_< I am just worried if i get one of these newer gpus my system might melt it or something

 

[Charon_Incarnate]

That PSU is really a 350W unit. any powerdraw above that is unusable. Its got a decent OPP but that's about it. You can get a decent PSU for $60 and a GPU for $290.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202006
or a 7870 LE, which performs on par with a 7950 in most benchmarks for $50 less
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131484&Tpk=7870%20le

Thanks for the links that helps a lot!

 

[jessterman21]

Thanks! that really helps, i would love to spend around 200-300 on just a graphics card that will last me. I am going to look into the GTX 660. But i thought it had to be AMD ecause of my other pieces? Also there is this thing in my tower that says coolermaster and its right in the middle, looks like a fan >_< I am just worried if i get one of these newer gpus my system might melt it or something

Don't worry - the beauty of PC building is you can mix and match almost any combination of parts. Your case is CoolerMaster, your PSU is Thermaltake, your CPU is AMD, and your GPU can be Nvidia, no problems. And no, your PC won't melt.

Btw if you're looking even up to the $300 range, consider an HD 7950 - it will last you longer than a GTX 660.