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Started by adam ryder | | 18 answers
so I have a desktop which I mainly use for gaming. I want to upgrade a specific component of my pc but I am not sure what to upgrade first.my specs are:
core 2 quad q9300 cpu
4 gb ddr3 1333mhz ram
ati radeon hd6670 1gb gddr3
(I am not looking for expensive things more like 8 gb ram or radeon hd 7770)
I just want to know what you think I should upgrade first to continue playing the latest games even if its at minimum requirements. thanks for any replies
core 2 quad q9300 cpu
4 gb ddr3 1333mhz ram
ati radeon hd6670 1gb gddr3
(I am not looking for expensive things more like 8 gb ram or radeon hd 7770)
I just want to know what you think I should upgrade first to continue playing the latest games even if its at minimum requirements. thanks for any replies
a 4gb stick of ram wouldn't hurt, you can find some for just over $30 on a good deal. if your not on 64bit windows, you should seriously think of backing up everything and installing 64bit. but if you intend this system to last another 3 years gaming wise, a gtx750ti is going to easily be your best bet. i think a q9300+750ti is a great match and should give you at least 1080p@medium settings on even the most demanding of games.
Markkk
October 12, 2014 4:23:26 PM
GFX is your Best Upgrade for Bang for Buck
Ram is a minimal Upgrade (only if the Games require it & Only if your running a 64 bit OS) Ram may give you 2 FPS
The only reason to upgrade Ram is if you Running out of it to stop your Computer Caching to Slow HDD it does little to nothing for Actual FPS. Not enough Ram causes longer game loads between levels or occasional game pausing as it caches to HDD - ie opening Bags or new areas having to cache causing momentary lag.
Chances are you wont have to upgrade ram for a while, unless your running several background programs, Skype, Music, and 1/2 a dozen other must have programs chewing up all your ram. - and then your starting to overtax you CPU...
Ram is a minimal Upgrade (only if the Games require it & Only if your running a 64 bit OS) Ram may give you 2 FPS
The only reason to upgrade Ram is if you Running out of it to stop your Computer Caching to Slow HDD it does little to nothing for Actual FPS. Not enough Ram causes longer game loads between levels or occasional game pausing as it caches to HDD - ie opening Bags or new areas having to cache causing momentary lag.
Chances are you wont have to upgrade ram for a while, unless your running several background programs, Skype, Music, and 1/2 a dozen other must have programs chewing up all your ram. - and then your starting to overtax you CPU...
adam ryder said:
So you think because of my hardware I should upgrade my gpu before ram
I wouldn't upgrade the ram in that system, unless I found a really good local price on something used.
Any money you spend on ram is not going to be able to move with you into a new motherboard, so I'd save the $80 to get more 8GB ram now and put it towards ram for the next build.
Markkk
October 12, 2014 1:57:29 PM
Of what you have the CPU is the strongest Item in your System. Being Quad core gives it a lot more life expectancy.
GFX and Ram are you best upgrades (Unless your Running a 64 bit OS A Ram upgrade is pointless as 32 bit only uses just under 3.5Gigs of addressable ram)
Your current card...
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=Radeon+HD...
Your Purposed Upgrade
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=Radeon+HD...
The card you looking at is an upgrade but a very weak one even
Depending on your PSU Wattage a GTX 750 or GTX 750ti are low power performance cards (Considered entry level now)
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=GeForce+G...
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=GeForce+G...
Power Draw http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gt...
350 Watt PSU on average system
If you want to stick with Radeon R7 260X is comparable to Above for speed - but does use a lot more power
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=Radeon+R7...
Refer http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/radeon-r7-260x-r9-...
AMD R7 260X - On your average system the card requires you to have a 450 Watt power supply unit.
Depending on your budget and PSU go for at least one of these or better
GFX and Ram are you best upgrades (Unless your Running a 64 bit OS A Ram upgrade is pointless as 32 bit only uses just under 3.5Gigs of addressable ram)
Your current card...
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=Radeon+HD...
Your Purposed Upgrade
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=Radeon+HD...
The card you looking at is an upgrade but a very weak one even
Depending on your PSU Wattage a GTX 750 or GTX 750ti are low power performance cards (Considered entry level now)
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=GeForce+G...
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=GeForce+G...
Power Draw http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gt...
350 Watt PSU on average system
If you want to stick with Radeon R7 260X is comparable to Above for speed - but does use a lot more power
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=Radeon+R7...
Refer http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/radeon-r7-260x-r9-...
AMD R7 260X - On your average system the card requires you to have a 450 Watt power supply unit.
Depending on your budget and PSU go for at least one of these or better
adam ryder
October 12, 2014 2:15:21 AM
g-unit1111 said:
Markkk said:
In terms of Gaming below is a typical list for most important component to least importantGFX Card
CPU
Ram
HDD
As already noted Look at the Box or online for Min Requirements and Ignore that... Your Looking for Recommended Requirements - Aim for at least that or better
I definitely agree with this - graphics most important, CPU second most important, then everything else. Having a solid SSD like a Samsung 840 Evo, OCZ Vertex 460, or Crucial M550 should also be a critical component as well. As far as CPU goes there's people who are still gaming on Q6600s and Q9300s. But moving to Z97 definitely wouldn't hurt things.
So you think because of my hardware I should upgrade my gpu before ram
Markkk said:
In terms of Gaming below is a typical list for most important component to least importantGFX Card
CPU
Ram
HDD
As already noted Look at the Box or online for Min Requirements and Ignore that... Your Looking for Recommended Requirements - Aim for at least that or better
I definitely agree with this - graphics most important, CPU second most important, then everything else. Having a solid SSD like a Samsung 840 Evo, OCZ Vertex 460, or Crucial M550 should also be a critical component as well. As far as CPU goes there's people who are still gaming on Q6600s and Q9300s. But moving to Z97 definitely wouldn't hurt things.
Markkk
October 11, 2014 1:48:08 AM
adam ryder
October 11, 2014 12:59:38 AM
adam ryder
October 10, 2014 11:14:47 PM
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