$300 CPU/Mobo/Ram Upgrade Options For A Cheap FPS Gamer

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shawn130c

Senior member
Sep 20, 2005
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I hate saying this, but I think it is finally time to upgrade my gaming system.

What I am looking for:
-$300 CPU/Mobo/Ram (AMD or Intel doesn't matter) option that will give me a decent performance boost.
-Being able to play low/some medium settings @ 1920x1080 would be nice, don't care about high.
-Not interested in overclocking
-I was thinking 8GB should be fine and would free up some money for a better cpu.
-Will want to buy in the next week unless there is a good reason to wait.

What I Play
-Play at 1280x1024
-Planetside 2 (Right now CPU Limited on Low Setting...)
-Maybe getting into BF4/Arm4 when they come out (Low/Medium settings fine).
-Other F2P FPS (Warframe, Warface, Firefall).

What I have:
-Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 2.13GHz (Replacing)
-HP Mobo (Replacing)
-4GB Ram (Replacing)
-Radeon 7750 (Keeping)
-Antec NeoPower 500W (Keeping)
-W7x64,Case,Hard Drives,Dust (Keeping)
-LCD Monitor 1280x1024 (Replacing later).

I was looking around at pcpartpicker, but I couldn't decide between an i5/AMD FX, so hoping someone here had some good options and could help.

Thanks for the help,
Shawn
 
Cerb

Cerb

Elite Member
Aug 26, 2000
17,484
33
86
Kingston HyperX 2x4GB RAM, 1.5V: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820104387
Free RE:E.

Team: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820313344
This Team kit is cheaper, if the new Resident Evil for $9 more doesn't interest you.

i5-3330: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116781
-$15 promo

ASRock B75M R2.0: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157356

I get $310+s&h, with the HyperX. Should be $301+s&h w/ the Team RAM.

Asus B75M-LX: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131887
If you want a couple extra PCI-e, instead of PCI, the above motherboard is good.

Not overclocking, the FX are definitely worth it over the i3, unless you just play strategy and MMOs, but the i5 are better all-rounders.

Being able to play low/some medium settings @ 1920x1080 would be nice, don't care about high.
Click to expand...
The 7750 will be the bottleneck for that, the degree of which will vary by game. On such a budget, though, hang on until it's too slow, then get a nice $150-250 card.
 
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shawn130c

Senior member
Sep 20, 2005
258
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71
Thanks for the links Cerb, I will probably go with the ASUS mobo and cheaper RAM. I forgot that Amazon has a good deal of CPU/Motherboards as well. I have $75 in Amazon gift cards/credit card points. So from Amazon I can spend about $375 or get the above cpu cheaper...

So does that extra $75 bump me in any better categories (better processor) or should I just listen to my cheap self and spend the $75 less by ordering the CPU from Amazon :)?

Thanks,
Shawn
 
Cerb

Cerb

Elite Member
Aug 26, 2000
17,484
33
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If spending a bit more, go for the i5-3470, or i5-3570. You could also get more RAM, but if 4GB wasn't a problem, 8GB should be fine.
 
Cerb

Cerb

Elite Member
Aug 26, 2000
17,484
33
86
SPBHM said:
i5-4570 $199
B85 motherboard $65

use the rest for cheap ram.
Click to expand...
That's even better. With just $300, 3rd gen fits, but not 4th, but yeah, $350 4th works fine. Actually, with $375, the i5-4670 works out, which doesn't have the slower clock speed, either.
 
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shawn130c

Senior member
Sep 20, 2005
258
0
71
Thx for the options. Looking at everything. I could just go in the middle with something like this:

i5-4430 - $185
MSI B85M-P33 - $65
Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) - $50 (1x8GB, leave me some room down the road to get another).

So I would think the question from here would be, spending a little more for a Haswell worth it? I would say yes, but wanted to make sure I am not missing anything.

Shawn
 
Cerb

Cerb

Elite Member
Aug 26, 2000
17,484
33
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Yes. The 4570 creates a speed v. IPC trade-off, and some things would be a bit slower. The 4670 is only slightly faster, but it is categorically faster. I was just stuck thinking in terms of matching the 1155 mobo, at first.

Only thing you might want to do, is maybe get a slightly higher-end mobo, with more slots, just in case. The MSI B85M-G43, FI, or B85-G41 (full-size board).
 
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shawn130c

Senior member
Sep 20, 2005
258
0
71
The cheap side of me is coming out so I think I will stick with i5-4430 instead of i5-4570. Both will be better than my C2D and I can put that money into motherboard. Can always get an i7 later :).

Good point about the motherboard, MSI B85M-G43 looks nice.

So:

i5-4430 - $185
MSI B85M-G43 - $80
Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) - $48

Total: $313 or so + free shipping on everything looks nice to me.
 
HeXen

HeXen

Diamond Member
Dec 13, 2009
7,840
40
91
Wow, I've been through quite a few upgrades since the E6400. Dunno how you did it but I agree with Cerb's recommends. Just don't be too cheap unless you game more with a console than PC or don't game much.
 
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Sohaltang

Senior member
Apr 13, 2013
854
0
0
Microcenter nearby? 4760k and msi g41 for 259$.

The new igpu should help you play some games
 
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SPBHM

Diamond Member
Sep 12, 2012
5,076
440
126
Sohaltang said:
Microcenter nearby? 4760k and msi g41 for 259$.

The new igpu should help you play some games
Click to expand...

sounds like a good deal, but the best thing to do with the IGP is keep it disabled.
"Radeon 7750" is much faster.
 
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shawn130c

Senior member
Sep 20, 2005
258
0
71
@Sohaltang: Nice deal, but MicroCenter a long way away. I double checked Frys at didn't see any good deals.

@HeXen:I am very patient fps player and have logged almost 500 hours in Planetside2. Right now planetside 2 plays fine when at smaller bases, but larger bases it is unplayable. So that is the main reason I am upgrading.

Edit:

Looking over it again I just ordered the i5-4570 from Amazon, $14 difference should hopefully be worth it over 4430.

The stubborn cheap fps gamer,
Shawn
 
Last edited:
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shawn130c

Senior member
Sep 20, 2005
258
0
71
I could be wrong but I could not locate the Motherboard on Fry's website. Looks like they carry g43 and not g41.

Though I am currently happy with the total. After gift cards/credit card points from Amazon. Total is about $260 for everything. :)
 
crashtech

crashtech

Lifer
Jan 4, 2013
10,695
2,294
146
Sometimes these kinds of questions make me think twice. It would be an interesting face off to pit some of the above combos, which leave the 7750 in place, and a completely different path where something like a 7970 is purchased (they're getting cheaper) or even a 7950, along with maybe a used E8500 for $30 or so, leaving the mobo and CPU upgrade for later.

While obviously, apples to apples comparisons of this nature are virtually non-existent, I did find some evidence that points to the latter scenario as perhaps being the better performer:

From the Anandtech 7750 review:

44238.png




From the "Dragging Core2Duo into 2013" review. It doesn't say so in the graph, but the text of the artice states that the test was at 2560x1440 with "all eye candy on," clearly a more demanding test:

52720.png


Now the 7750 test was performed with an A8 3850 mind you, so obviously an Intel quad would do better. The question is, at the same resolution, which solution would be quicker, a high end GPU and old CPU, or a new platform with a so-so GPU?
 
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SPBHM

Diamond Member
Sep 12, 2012
5,076
440
126
crashtech said:
Now the 7750 test was performed with an A8 3850 mind you, so obviously an Intel quad would do better. The question is, at the same resolution, which solution would be quicker, a high end GPU and old CPU, or a new platform with a so-so GPU?
Click to expand...

metro 2033 was not the most CPU demanding game at the time (without the physx additional effects on the CPU), I think.

and
"What I Play
-Play at 1280x1024
-Planetside 2 (Right now CPU Limited on Low Setting...)
-Maybe getting into BF4/Arm4 when they come out (Low/Medium settings fine).
-Other F2P FPS (Warframe, Warface, Firefall)."

resolution is "slow VGA friendly", most games he mentions are not going to run well on a C2D... but will run well on lower settings with the 7750, basically he is going to be extracting almost the max potential of the VGA easily, while with a slow CPU...

also, with a Haswell i5 you have a great CPU for a long time, later it wouldn't be to hard to upgrade just the VGA.

sure if you go for used, perhaps you can buy a lot more "gaming performance" for now, some older i5 + 7850 or something... but it's not the same thing.

I think this kind of test is worth checking
http://www.hardware.fr/articles/778-11/arma-2.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ivy-bridge-wolfdale-yorkfield-comparison,3487-20.html

(no Haswell, but Haswell is even faster)
 
crashtech

crashtech

Lifer
Jan 4, 2013
10,695
2,294
146
It's pretty much guesswork and opinion, I mean, where will we find a benchmark of an i5-3330+7750 vs. E8500+7970.

I do know that I bought my 7970 prior to switching away from what was essentially a Core2Quad system. When I swapped out that system in favor of a 2700K, the difference in games was actually underwhelming. It took a while to overcome the buyer's remorse.
 
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