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Started by dexter75 | | 12 answers
I'm currently looking to upgrade my HTPC rig to a gaming one. I was using the PS3 for my gaming needs and the HTPC was solely for Movies. I was initially thinking of selling the PS3 and buying a PS4, but it costs around $670 in my country. (And I'm still playing Beyond 2 souls and Last Of Us dlcs on it)
I'm currently toying with the idea of upgrading the HTPC to play some of the new games, that I haven't bought for the PS3 yet, cause of the massive graphical degradation. Games like : BF4, Wolfenstien, WatchDogs, AC4 etc.
Would like some inputs on what can/should be upgraded to get decent FPS on High/Ultra settings on 1080P. Not sure if i need a cpu upgrade along with a graphics card, that not only can run on my PSU, but also fit in the case or do I need a complete overhaul. I will be purchasing the hardware from Amazon.com
I may buy a PS4, down the line for its exclusives, once its cheaper.
My Current Rig:
Seasonic S12ii 520w
I3 3220
Gigabyte H77N Wifi mobo
4GB x 2 DDR3-1600 ram
Intel 160GB SSD
LG Bluray Drive
CM Elite 120 cabinet.
This is connected to a Sony 47" 3D HD LED and XBox 360 controllers.
I'm currently toying with the idea of upgrading the HTPC to play some of the new games, that I haven't bought for the PS3 yet, cause of the massive graphical degradation. Games like : BF4, Wolfenstien, WatchDogs, AC4 etc.
Would like some inputs on what can/should be upgraded to get decent FPS on High/Ultra settings on 1080P. Not sure if i need a cpu upgrade along with a graphics card, that not only can run on my PSU, but also fit in the case or do I need a complete overhaul. I will be purchasing the hardware from Amazon.com
I may buy a PS4, down the line for its exclusives, once its cheaper.
My Current Rig:
Seasonic S12ii 520w
I3 3220
Gigabyte H77N Wifi mobo
4GB x 2 DDR3-1600 ram
Intel 160GB SSD
LG Bluray Drive
CM Elite 120 cabinet.
This is connected to a Sony 47" 3D HD LED and XBox 360 controllers.
dexter75
October 15, 2014 11:47:23 PM
Just wanted to update. Although, I didn't quite do what was initially planned, your inputs gave me some ideas on how to proceed.
I waited for a couple of months to save some $$.
Sold off my Ps3 and the AMD PC.
Bought a used, like new, R9 280x for $200.
Set up a new HTPC, with Corsair 250D, Z97N, I5 4690k, 280x and moved the i3 to the other room.
I will probably buy a 770 or 760 later for that setup, if absolutely necessary.
Thanks!!
I waited for a couple of months to save some $$.
Sold off my Ps3 and the AMD PC.
Bought a used, like new, R9 280x for $200.
Set up a new HTPC, with Corsair 250D, Z97N, I5 4690k, 280x and moved the i3 to the other room.
I will probably buy a 770 or 760 later for that setup, if absolutely necessary.
Thanks!!
Best solution chosen by dexter75
That is a lot better. It's like night and day in terms of clarity.
That is correct.
The graphics card will pull in cool air from the bottom (because when you install the graphics card, the fans will be at the bottom), and it will blow warm/hot air through the side of the case. It will still generate hot air like any graphics card, but that's why you need good airflow to carry it away.
Xeon processors are more powerful than the i5/i7 in terms of processing power like rendering. However, they are not as strong as the i5/i7 in terms of gaming.
dexter75 said:
What I was trying to explain was that I have another AMD PC which I used to game on, prior to getting the PS3. This particular configuration, with the MA785GMT looks pretty outdated and I don't think any of the new AMD procs(AM3+) would fit on it. I just wanted to confirm with the pros here.That is correct.
dexter75 said:
If I were to buy the EVGA 770, the fans look like they will be pushing hot air into the case. The Elite 120 is a tiny case, although I have removed the hdd bay. I could attach another 120 fan on the side to push the air out. The PNY 770 has a blower style cooler, which is pushing hot air out of the case, like the EVGA 780 (http://www.amazon.com/PNY-GeForce-DisplayPort-PCI-Expre...).The graphics card will pull in cool air from the bottom (because when you install the graphics card, the fans will be at the bottom), and it will blow warm/hot air through the side of the case. It will still generate hot air like any graphics card, but that's why you need good airflow to carry it away.
dexter75 said:
From what I have read in these forums, the Intel E3-1230V2 almost performs like an I7. Since both 3570 and E3-1230 are similar in price, would buying Xeon make it more future proof? Since 1155 socket is almost EOL, this should be the last upgrade on this mobo and paying $10 extra to buy a better CPU would make sense.Xeon processors are more powerful than the i5/i7 in terms of processing power like rendering. However, they are not as strong as the i5/i7 in terms of gaming.
dexter75
June 15, 2014 11:30:30 PM
Apologies for any confusion. I am just trying to get all the info I can before pressing the BUY button.
What I was trying to explain was that I have another AMD PC which I used to game on, prior to getting the PS3. This particular configuration, with the MA785GMT looks pretty outdated and I don't think any of the new AMD procs(AM3+) would fit on it. I just wanted to confirm with the pros here.
If I were to buy the EVGA 770, the fans look like they will be pushing hot air into the case. The Elite 120 is a tiny case, although I have removed the hdd bay. I could attach another 120 fan on the side to push the air out. The PNY 770 has a blower style cooler, which is pushing hot air out of the case, like the EVGA 780 (http://www.amazon.com/PNY-GeForce-DisplayPort-PCI-Expre...).
From what I have read in these forums, the Intel E3-1230V2 almost performs like an I7. Since both 3570 and E3-1230 are similar in price, would buying Xeon make it more future proof? Since 1155 socket is almost EOL, this should be the last upgrade on this mobo and paying $10 extra to buy a better CPU would make sense.
Of course, like you noticed, I'm not fully up to date with the current hardware. I might be completely wrong in my assessment and I just need a confirmation before I commit to the purchase.
What I was trying to explain was that I have another AMD PC which I used to game on, prior to getting the PS3. This particular configuration, with the MA785GMT looks pretty outdated and I don't think any of the new AMD procs(AM3+) would fit on it. I just wanted to confirm with the pros here.
If I were to buy the EVGA 770, the fans look like they will be pushing hot air into the case. The Elite 120 is a tiny case, although I have removed the hdd bay. I could attach another 120 fan on the side to push the air out. The PNY 770 has a blower style cooler, which is pushing hot air out of the case, like the EVGA 780 (http://www.amazon.com/PNY-GeForce-DisplayPort-PCI-Expre...).
From what I have read in these forums, the Intel E3-1230V2 almost performs like an I7. Since both 3570 and E3-1230 are similar in price, would buying Xeon make it more future proof? Since 1155 socket is almost EOL, this should be the last upgrade on this mobo and paying $10 extra to buy a better CPU would make sense.
Of course, like you noticed, I'm not fully up to date with the current hardware. I might be completely wrong in my assessment and I just need a confirmation before I commit to the purchase.
Before I start, I would like to apologize and say flat out that I don't fully understand what you're asking. I'm being straight-forward so we're not confused and guessing.
"take an upgrade path" -> take what upgrade path?
"Wouldn't that be better" -> wouldn't what be better?
"be a better upgrade than a 3570" -> better by what criteria?
You use a lot of pronouns without pre-context to define what they are.
dexter75 said:
Is it better if I take an upgrade path for this particular config than the i3?"take an upgrade path" -> take what upgrade path?
dexter75 said:
The EVGA GTX 770 has a ACX cooler. The PNY 770 has a blower style cooler(I think). Wouldn't that be better for a smaller case?"Wouldn't that be better" -> wouldn't what be better?
dexter75 said:
Would the Intel E3-1230V2 be a better upgrade than a 3570. There is not much difference in price."be a better upgrade than a 3570" -> better by what criteria?
You use a lot of pronouns without pre-context to define what they are.
dexter75
June 15, 2014 9:34:04 PM
Appreciate the responses. Just a couple more questions.
Apart from above I also have another desktop pc:
Mobo : GA-MA785GMT-US2H
CPU : AMD Phenom II X4
Ram : 4GB
GPU - Sapphire 4870
PSU: CM Silent Pro M2 620W
Is it better if I take an upgrade path for this particular config than the i3?
The EVGA GTX 770 has a ACX cooler. The PNY 770 has a blower style cooler(I think). Wouldn't that be better for a smaller case?
Would the Intel E3-1230V2 be a better upgrade than a 3570. There is not much difference in price.
Apart from above I also have another desktop pc:
Mobo : GA-MA785GMT-US2H
CPU : AMD Phenom II X4
Ram : 4GB
GPU - Sapphire 4870
PSU: CM Silent Pro M2 620W
Is it better if I take an upgrade path for this particular config than the i3?
The EVGA GTX 770 has a ACX cooler. The PNY 770 has a blower style cooler(I think). Wouldn't that be better for a smaller case?
Would the Intel E3-1230V2 be a better upgrade than a 3570. There is not much difference in price.
Not required; no. The i3 would be fine for a lot of games because most games do not use many cores. The i5 is there more of an upgrade path and it fits your budget. Upgrading to the next tier in the GPU would not be practical due to the PSU limitation. So what to do with the extra money? I decided to upgrade the CPU so that it is a bit more powerful in terms of gaming and less of a bottleneck for some games that are both CPU and GPU intensive.
dexter75
June 15, 2014 2:10:46 AM
Yes; very good catch. My fail there. Please don't kick my ass for that.
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570 ($199.99). Total is $2 over $500. Is that ok?
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570 ($199.99). Total is $2 over $500. Is that ok?
dexter75
June 15, 2014 1:48:34 AM
CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 ($219.99)
GPU: EVGA GTX 770 w/ ACX Cooler ($301.98)
Total: $521.97
If that's too much, lower the CPU to: Intel Core i5-4570 ($196.98) for a total of $498.96.
GPU: EVGA GTX 770 w/ ACX Cooler ($301.98)
Total: $521.97
If that's too much, lower the CPU to: Intel Core i5-4570 ($196.98) for a total of $498.96.
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