Gaming PC Help

[drbrock]

Hey guys

I just found out I passed the CPA exam and I now have a life again. I sold my ps3 and 360 so I could study about a year ago and I don't think I am going to pull the trigger on the PS4 or 720. IMHO they don't make sense when PC is already so far superior before they even come out.
Here is my current build. I have a blu ray, 500GB Black WD, and a 1TB blue. 4350 video card. I also have a 24" 720P Samsung so I won't be playing 1080P gaming. I won't change the monitor because it is good enough for me at the moment.


CASE ROSEWILL|R230-P-BK RT

MB ECS A780GM-A AM2+ AMD780G RT

PSU CORSAIR|CMPSU-400CX 400W RT

CPU AMD|ATH II X2 245 AM3 2.9G RT


I am debating on either just getting a 550ti that will work on my current build and play games on medium setting. Or blowing 400 on a new system that will max out settings for the the next two years. I don't care about looks or anything fancy. I just want the most performance for my money.
I know I have to replace my PSU and CPU. I imagine the MB is too outdated to handle a new CPU so that will probably be replaced.

I like games like Tomb Raider and Black Ops. I am not a Crysis guy so I don't care about the ultra setting for graphically intensive games. I know 400 will not buy a lot. Let me know what you guys think. I am perfectly ok with 550ti for 65, I just want to be able to run games at a reasonble level and look at least at the level of PS3. My 4350 cant even handle Dark Siders 1 when it gets too many things on screen. (I know 4350 is not a gaming card, bought for a htpc and college computer) If you guys think I can run games at a decent level then I won't upgrade.

Thanks for your thoughts



Moved from PC Gaming

Anandtech Moderator
KeithTalent

 

[Ken g6]

Your mobo only takes DDR2 RAM. If you replace your mobo, the RAM probably has to go too. How much RAM do you have?

It looks like you can put a 95W AM3 processor in your AM2+ socket. I'd probably do that instead of a complete overhaul.

Then you can get a 7850 GPU for <$200 AR.

Finally, if you want to spend any more, you could get an SSD for $100. It won't make your games play faster, but games - and everything else you install on it, such as your OS - will load faster. This plus a swapfile could also be a good alternative to getting more DDR2 RAM: the SSD will work in other machines, but the DDR2 won't.

Edit: If you have 4GB or more DDR2 RAM, I might suggest a new monitor before an SSD.

 

[drbrock]

Your mobo only takes DDR2 RAM. If you replace your mobo, the RAM probably has to go too. How much RAM do you have?

It looks like you can put a 95W AM3 processor in your AM2+ socket. I'd probably do that instead of a complete overhaul.

Then you can get a 7850 GPU for <$200 AR.

Finally, if you want to spend any more, you could get an SSD for $100. It won't make your games play faster, but games - and everything else you install on it, such as your OS - will load faster. This plus a swapfile could also be a good alternative to getting more DDR2 RAM: the SSD will work in other machines, but the DDR2 won't.


Edit: If you have 4GB or more DDR2 RAM, I might suggest a new monitor before an SSD.

I have 8gb of ram believe it or not. It came part of a bundle. Do monitors really make that much of a difference at 24". I truly don't know. Watching tv does not make a difference but maybe gaming does.

 

[Ken g6]

I have 8gb of ram believe it or not. It came part of a bundle. Do monitors really make that much of a difference at 24". I truly don't know. Watching tv does not make a difference but maybe gaming does.

Really, I suppose, that depends on you. As for me, I play mostly FPSes where the experience is very different from watching a TV. On a TV what you're supposed to see is presented to you with as many pixels as possible. So losing a few doesn't really matter much. With an FPS, I need to identify friend from foe as far away as possible. Or if they're all foes I need to identify a foe's head as far away as possible. I gather RTS games may benefit from higher resolutions as well, as you can see more of the field at once.

 

[mfenn]

Your mobo only takes DDR2 RAM. If you replace your mobo, the RAM probably has to go too. How much RAM do you have?

It looks like you can put a 95W AM3 processor in your AM2+ socket. I'd probably do that instead of a complete overhaul.

Then you can get a 7850 GPU for <$200 AR.

Finally, if you want to spend any more, you could get an SSD for $100. It won't make your games play faster, but games - and everything else you install on it, such as your OS - will load faster. This plus a swapfile could also be a good alternative to getting more DDR2 RAM: the SSD will work in other machines, but the DDR2 won't.

Edit: If you have 4GB or more DDR2 RAM, I might suggest a new monitor before an SSD.

Agree with this idea but in a different order. The main thing holding you back is the GPU. A 4350 is incredibly slow (as you realize), even the IGP in a new CPU is much faster.

I'd say to get the 7850 first, and see how you like the performance. Your CX400 is one of the original Seasonic-build units, and can easily handle the 7850.

If you still want more speed after that, I'm not sure if I would upgrade to the CPU that Ken recommended because it's not much faster than what you have on a per-core basis, it just has more cores. At that point I'd probably be looking at something on a newer platform like an i3 3220 + B75 motherboard.

 

[drbrock]

I am shocked that I can run 7850. I thought it would burn my psu. I will def pick up the 7850 then. Thanks for the help.

edit: I purchased the 7850 XFX 2gb core edition. Should have it by wednesday. Pumped to finally have a decent gaming setup.

 

[raildogg]

drbrock, I have a similar system, AMD Athlon II X4 635 and an AM3 motherboard, and I recently purchased a 7850 as well. It has allowed me to play the latest games at good settings. One thing I would mention is to make sure your case is big enough for the XFX 7850. I tried to search your case but could not find it. Other than that, enjoy your new 7850!

 

[mfenn]

I am shocked that I can run 7850. I thought it would burn my psu. I will def pick up the 7850 then. Thanks for the help.

edit: I purchased the 7850 XFX 2gb core edition. Should have it by wednesday. Pumped to finally have a decent gaming setup.

Yeah, the 7850 only draws 130W. Your CPU is 65W, and everything else draws at most 50W, leaving 155W free still. You might have to use a Molex to PCIe 6-pin power adapter (the card Ken linked comes with one), but that's it.