Low res gaming what cpu and video card

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
B

Bman123

Diamond Member
Nov 16, 2008
3,221
1
81
I am moving from the xbox 360 to pc with a wired 360 controller for the console ports, fallout, borderlands games and was looking into what I need to get and could use some help.

Current setup
Celeron G530
MSI H61 mobo
2x2gb ddr3 1333mhz ram
320gb WD blue Hard drive
corsair cx430 watt psu
Res is 1366x768 on a lcd 32inch tv

Basically what I am going to do is sell my 360 for $175 and use that cash to buy parts and game on my pc so I can get in on the cheaper games because pc stuff goes on sale all the time. I have a somewhat local microcenter, 40 minute drive that I can get the cpu from.

Obviously the cheaper the better, I am fine buying a used video card but will get the cpu new. What do you guys think I should get cpu/video wise here? Budget is $200
 
Last edited:
I

Insert_Nickname

Diamond Member
May 6, 2012
4,971
1,695
136
Its quite easy. A Radeon HD7750/70 or Geforce GT640/50/50ti should do the trick. Your PSU can handle those cards without any problems. No reason to upgrade your CPU as the only worthwhile upgrade is an i3 or i5, and that's a bit above your budget.

The HD2000 iGPU is absolutely hopeless for gaming... :|
 
B

Bman123

Diamond Member
Nov 16, 2008
3,221
1
81
I have no problem buying a used card from someone here, doesn't matter if it is a year or two old. I was figuring I could spend around $100 on the cpu and $100 on a used card here after I sell my Celeron G530. I really dont want to try to game on a 2.4ghz dual core with no HT I can only imagine how bad console ports would run on that.
 
D

dmoney1980

Platinum Member
Jan 17, 2008
2,471
38
91
Since you have a Microcenter near you I'd look at getting either a i3 3220 for $99 (http://microcenter.com/product/398007/Core_i3_3220_330GHz_LGA_1155_Boxed_Processor)

and pair it with this Radeon 7770 for $95 after rebate (http://microcenter.com/product/3969...z_Edition_1024MB_GDDR5_PCIe_30_x16_Video_Card)

At your resolution, most games will equally stress the CPU and GPU. The i3's strong core performance + hyper threading should pair up nicely with that graphics card. And your power supply will run both without a hitch!
 
I

Insert_Nickname

Diamond Member
May 6, 2012
4,971
1,695
136
dmoney1980 said:
Since you have a Microcenter near you I'd look at getting either a i3 3220 for $99 and pair it with this Radeon 7770 for $95 after rebate At your resolution, most games will equally stress the CPU and GPU. The i3's strong core performance + hyper threading should pair up nicely with that graphics card. And your power supply will run both without a hitch!
Click to expand...

That's an excellent deal actually...

Bman123 said:
Would I be better off with a used hd6850 or gtx 460 1gb card
Click to expand...

Depends entirely on price. Both the HD6850 and GTX 460 1GB will be slightly faster, but use more power.
 
B

Bman123

Diamond Member
Nov 16, 2008
3,221
1
81
I saw a HD7770 for $85 shipped, a GTX 4601gb for $80 shipped too that's why I asked
 
D

dmoney1980

Platinum Member
Jan 17, 2008
2,471
38
91
$80 for the 460 is a pretty good deal. Its slightly faster than the 7770 but draws more power. Up to you...
 
B

Bman123

Diamond Member
Nov 16, 2008
3,221
1
81
What do you think about me getting a fx6300 cpu mobo combo from microcenter? I don't want to upgrade this pc again for at least 2 years and maybe more cores is a good idea. I want to start doing some encoding stuff anyways and I could probably use the extra cores for that.

I don't care if I have to spend majority of the budget on a cpu and mobo I can always sell my current parts to recoup a little cash to throw in towards the video card purchase
 
D

dmoney1980

Platinum Member
Jan 17, 2008
2,471
38
91
Bman123 said:
What do you think about me getting a fx6300 cpu mobo combo from microcenter? I don't want to upgrade this pc again for at least 2 years and maybe more cores is a good idea. I want to start doing some encoding stuff anyways and I could probably use the extra cores for that.

I don't care if I have to spend majority of the budget on a cpu and mobo I can always sell my current parts to recoup a little cash to throw in towards the video card purchase
Click to expand...

It really depends on what's more important to you. Take a look at the link below, it compares the i3 to the FX in a wide assortment of benchmarks

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/677?vs=699

Truth is, if you're willing to spend $130+ dollars on the cpu/mobo combo, you might as well pony up a little more and just get an i5 CPU from microcenter and stay with your current motherboard.

This is the cheapest i5 (3450) at microcenter ($139) http://microcenter.com/product/388579/Core_i5_3450_31GHz_LGA_1155_Processor

Here is a bench between the FX and a i5 3470. The 3470 is 100mhz faster than the i5 you can buy at Microcenter, so they should be about equal in perfomance.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/702?vs=699

I would get the i5, but you should check MSI's website to make sure it supports the ivy bridge i5 cpu's.
 
Last edited:
B

Bman123

Diamond Member
Nov 16, 2008
3,221
1
81
Well it comes down to this I suppose. After selling my current stuff this is what I will pay for the upgrade

I3 3220 $75 After selling G530
FX6300 $100 After selling current cpu and mobo
I5 3470$125 After selling G530

I don't have any interest in BF3 BTW and I know that is the one game that will make more cores shine. Is the I3 3220 going to be good enough for what I plan on doing
 
D

dmoney1980

Platinum Member
Jan 17, 2008
2,471
38
91
i5 all the way. It's a much better cpu for gaming all around and a better cpu for video editing.
 
Zap

Zap

Elite Member
Oct 13, 1999
22,377
7
81
Bman123 said:
I really dont want to try to game on a 2.4ghz dual core with no HT I can only imagine how bad console ports would run on that.
Click to expand...

Console ports would actually run just fine.

Bman123 said:
What do you think about me getting a fx6300 cpu mobo combo from microcenter?
Click to expand...

I don't think that would game much better than your existing Celeron. Just upgrading to a Core i3 for around $100-120 @Micro Center would make your existing rig faster than the AMD setup for gaming.

I say just toss in a cheap used video card and call it a day.

Of course that requires prudence, which is hard.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom