Should i upgrade or build a new system for gaming?

[King Club]

My system: Interl i7-2600, 2.4 Ghz, Z68XP-UD4 motherboard, Radeon HD 5770 graphic card. Built over 2 years ago seem to be out of date now cuz i cant play FFXiV even with lowest setting. Thinking to upgrade it with new Graphic card Radeon HD 7950. Question is should i upgrade the system or should i just buy and build the brand new one. I want to play game at the max setting or at least close to max. If i upgrade it then what do i need? Please help

 

[coozie7]

There's not much wrong with an i7!
The biggest holdup is the HD5770-I assume you're playing at 1080 rez BTW.
A HD7950 would be a good upgrade, as would a GTX760, their performance is nearly identical with the 760 being a little quicker overall but the 7950 usually comes bundled with some AAA games.
Check the installed power supply can run a new card, it'll need at least 500Watts and dual 6 pin PCI-E leads to run either of those cards, with some 7950s needing 1x6 and 1x8 pin connectors. The card should come with at least one 6-to-8 pin converter. Do NOT use molex/PCI-E converters, if the PSU does not have enough PCI-E leads you'll need to get a replacement.
Not all 7950s are equal, avoid those with a single cooling fan, they are often 'cheap' but pay for it by being hot and noisy under load. All the major makers have superior cooling solutions in their product lineup with the Sapphire VapourX cards considered amongst the best.

 

[King Club]

There's not much wrong with an i7!
The biggest holdup is the HD5770-I assume you're playing at 1080 rez BTW.
A HD7950 would be a good upgrade, as would a GTX760, their performance is nearly identical with the 760 being a little quicker overall but the 7950 usually comes bundled with some AAA games.
Check the installed power supply can run a new card, it'll need at least 500Watts and dual 6 pin PCI-E leads to run either of those cards, with some 7950s needing 1x6 and 1x8 pin connectors. The card should come with at least one 6-to-8 pin converter. Do NOT use molex/PCI-E converters, if the PSU does not have enough PCI-E leads you'll need to get a replacement.
Not all 7950s are equal, avoid those with a single cooling fan, they are often 'cheap' but pay for it by being hot and noisy under load. All the major makers have superior cooling solutions in their product lineup with the Sapphire VapourX cards considered amongst the best.

Awesome answer thank you very much HD 7950 it is getting it tomorrow morning. I just checked my power supply its 650 W. Im not sure about the PCE-E lead thing dont know where to check it may be i gotta open up the case to check. Ill keep in mind about the advice of the cool fan (no single cooling fan is noted). I plan to get the SSD hard drive too does it work on my motherboard? Or i shouldnt bother?

Ok i found the PCI-E so i should be ready for upgrade. I was about to buy the 3.5k alien ware computer this will save me alot. Thanks again Coozie7

 

[jpmeneses21]

Entirely up to you. The i7 you have right now is still pretty capable, and can still hold its own against the latest Haswell i5s or even the FX8350s from AMD.

Think of it this way. Upgrading to a newer system is going to be more expensive, but It will "reset" your upgrade window for a few more years. And to be quite honest, the best time is now, especially if your going for a Haswell build.

Upgrading a videocard now will give you an immediate performance gain, plus it's cheaper. But you'll be stuck with your current system.

 

[coozie7]

I'd sped a few extra $ and get the better cooler of this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202026

Either way, it's a BIT less expensive than a new rig! .

 

[King Club]

So this is what i just order http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentation/product/?cid=1&gid=3&sgid=1157&pid=1547&lid=1
please tell me what u think. 350 Australian $
I also order SSD samsung 840 pro 128 GB
Hopefully with these, it will boost the performance of my comp.

 

[coozie7]

I think you're I for a nice little surprise, don't forget to update the drivers when you install the new card-Just download and install the correct drivers from the AMD site, no need to uninstall the existing drivers/software.
You should have said earlier you were in OZ-I could have ribbed you for loosing the Ashes .
Yes, I'm a Whinging Pom.