Recently Started Playing PC Games, Is There Any Hardware Updates I Can Make To Play More Games?

[Notserp]

I am new to PC gaming and would like to play newer titles, but have a basic PC.

Is my PC upgradable?

I have been reading up (I mean youtubing) on info about building a gaming PC, but I am noob that is finding things a bit overwhelming.

Thanks for everyone's time in advance

I put my Specs in my Forum profile.

 

[ultimate noo]

mmm... since its a low-end pc, how much mony do you want to put into it?

 

[simon12]

I suggest you either get a basic graphics card like a Radeon 6670 this would allow you to play any game on at least low settings or to get a new motherboard, CPU, RAM and graphics card according to your budget.

 

[Notserp]

mmm... since its a low-end pc, how much mony do you want to put into it?

Well my goal is to have 2 decent gaming PC's in my house. So ultimately I would like to upgrade my current one and build one from the ground up.

I have about $300 to get started. I really don't want to spend more than $1000 between them both, but I will pay for a better experience.

It would be nice to play Battlefield 3 on medium settings.

 

[Notserp]

I suggest you either get a basic graphics card like a Radeon 6670 this would allow you to play any game on at least low settings or to get a new motherboard, CPU, RAM and graphics card according to your budget.

Thank you for the advice.

Since I ultimately want 2 gaming PC's in my house I think I might start with upgrading the graphics card in my current PC and then getting started on building a new PC.

Using Battlefield 3 as an example, could you recommend components that would play this on medium settings. (for my new PC build)

 

[simon12]

It depends how you want to do it, if your current PC has DDR3 RAM then you could just get a new board, CPU, GPU and PSU for $300-400 and spend $600-700 on the new build and both should play it on medium at least. Or get a $60 Radeon 6670 for the current PC to play on low and a new $960 PC that can play it on ultra.

 

[Notserp]

It depends how you want to do it, if your current PC has DDR3 RAM then you could just get a new board, CPU, GPU and PSU for $300-400 and spend $600-700 on the new build and both should play it on medium at least. Or get a $60 Radeon 6670 for the current PC to play on low and a new $960 PC that can play it on ultra.

I think I might go with your first option first.

Feel free to share any links to components you suggest.

I can't wait to build my first PC

 

[Notserp]

Here is what I have so far... Any suggestions or advice?

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1BtiN
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1BtiN/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1BtiN/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($118.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock B75M-DGS R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($57.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($71.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($145.66 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 431 Plus (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.00 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($44.99 @ Microcenter)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $538.55
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-08 16:03 EDT-0400)

 

[simon12]

Its OK, I would stay away from dual core CPUs as some modern games just don't run well on them, good alternatives are the FX6300 (would need an AM3+ board though) or the i5 3300p or even the Phenom II x4 BE while they still seem to be for sale in a few places. But note you need to overclock to get the full value from the AMD chips. If you can fit it in your budget a better graphics card is always good the 7950 looks good value at the moment.

 

[Notserp]

Its OK, I would stay away from dual core CPUs as some modern games just don't run well on them, good alternatives are the FX6300 (would need an AM3+ board though) or the i5 3300p or even the Phenom II x4 BE while they still seem to be for sale in a few places. But note you need to overclock to get the full value from the AMD chips. If you can fit it in your budget a better graphics card is always good the 7950 looks good value at the moment.

Thanks for the input Simon. In another thread I was recommended I go this route instead for the budget I am on.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1Buiz
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1Buiz/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1Buiz/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 750K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A85X Extreme4 ATX FM2 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($71.40 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Zalman Z12 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $541.33
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-08 20:27 EDT-0400)

 

[simon12]

The problem with that build is the motherboard is expensive relative to the CPU, the hard drive is faster and twice the size which is nice. On that budget I suppose you just need to decide where to compromise.

 

[Notserp]

The problem with that build is the motherboard is expensive relative to the CPU, the hard drive is faster and twice the size which is nice. On that budget I suppose you just need to decide where to compromise.

I see. I think is main argument on his recommended build besides it being faster for the same price, is that is is more future proof (meaning that I can upgrade it in the future.

 

[hang-the-9]

That computer is not upgradable much without a full re-build, but the CPU is not horrible for games with a better video card. You should be able to get an Athlon II 270 pretty cheap, and a 6670 or a 7750 if you can find one on sale for it. That should run things pretty well for about $100.

 

[Notserp]

That computer is not upgradable much without a full re-build, but the CPU is not horrible for games with a better video card. You should be able to get an Athlon II 270 pretty cheap, and a 6670 or a 7750 if you can find one on sale for it. That should run things pretty well for about $100.

From my understanding the AMD Athlon X4 750k is better than the AMD Athlon II X2 270. http://cpuboss.com/cpus/AMD-Athlon-X4-750k-vs-AMD-Athlon-II-X2-270

And my selected GPU is better than your suggestion.
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6670. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102988
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 7750. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102969
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 7850. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202004

Please let me know if I am not understanding this correctly as I am still trying to learn what is what.

 

[simon12]

The problem with that build is the motherboard is expensive relative to the CPU, the hard drive is faster and twice the size which is nice. On that budget I suppose you just need to decide where to compromise.

I see. I think is main argument on his recommended build besides it being faster for the same price, is that is is more future proof (meaning that I can upgrade it in the future.

It is no more upgradeable than the i3 build and not much different in performance

 

[Notserp]

The problem with that build is the motherboard is expensive relative to the CPU, the hard drive is faster and twice the size which is nice. On that budget I suppose you just need to decide where to compromise.

I see. I think is main argument on his recommended build besides it being faster for the same price, is that is is more future proof (meaning that I can upgrade it in the future.

Cool Simon, I will keep note of that. I heard Intel CPU's are abetter route if I want to do some editing as well.

It is no more upgradeable than the i3 build and not much different in performance

 

[simon12]

For editing more cores is better look at the AMD FX6300 it should be a bit cheaper than the i3.

 

[hang-the-9]

That computer is not upgradable much without a full re-build, but the CPU is not horrible for games with a better video card. You should be able to get an Athlon II 270 pretty cheap, and a 6670 or a 7750 if you can find one on sale for it. That should run things pretty well for about $100.

From my understanding the AMD Athlon X4 750k is better than the AMD Athlon II X2 270. http://cpuboss.com/cpus/AMD-Athlon-X4-750k-vs-AMD-Athlon-II-X2-270

And my selected GPU is better than your suggestion.
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6670. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102988
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 7750. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102969
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 7850. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202004

Please let me know if I am not understanding this correctly as I am still trying to learn what is what.

Your motherboard may not work with that CPU, the reason I said the 270 is that it has the same wattage and is the same family as your current CPU, just faster. If your motherboard supports something faster, get that. The 7750 is a good cheaper video card for gaming, you can always buy something faster, but it may not work with your power supply. It looks like the largest power supply in the HP is a 30 watt one which limits you to the 6670 or the 7750, with MAYBE a 7770 being OK in it.

 

[Notserp]

That computer is not upgradable much without a full re-build, but the CPU is not horrible for games with a better video card. You should be able to get an Athlon II 270 pretty cheap, and a 6670 or a 7750 if you can find one on sale for it. That should run things pretty well for about $100.

From my understanding the AMD Athlon X4 750k is better than the AMD Athlon II X2 270. http://cpuboss.com/cpus/AMD-Athlon-X4-750k-vs-AMD-Athlon-II-X2-270

And my selected GPU is better than your suggestion.
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6670. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102988
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 7750. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102969
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 7850. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202004

Please let me know if I am not understanding this correctly as I am still trying to learn what is what.

Your motherboard may not work with that CPU, the reason I said the 270 is that it has the same wattage and is the same family as your current CPU, just faster. If your motherboard supports something faster, get that. The 7750 is a good cheaper video card for gaming, you can always buy something faster, but it may not work with your power supply. It looks like the largest power supply in the HP is a 30 watt one which limits you to the 6670 or the 7750, with MAYBE a 7770 being OK in it.

Thanks for the heads up. I was not aware of that.

 

[hang-the-9]

l meant a 300 watt power supply, not 30 in the above post.