Need advice on $400 budget to upgrade this PC

[NTAC]

Hi guys!

The PC in question:
GA-EP35-DS3R - http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=2743#sp
CPU Intel Core 2 DUO E6550
4 GB Ram
Old video card that need not be mentioned
500W PSU

THE GOAL: Play BF3 on the highest possible settings that the budget will allow. Preferably all HIGH if possible but some mediums peppered in there wouldn't be so bad.

My guess is a potential GPU / CPU upgrade but what do you guys think?

 

[SickBeast]

400 is cheap. You might have to go with amd for the cpu or else get an i3. I heard that the ivy bridge i3 might overclock.

Basically you should get a cheap cpu combo and use the remainder for your gpu. You'll be lucky to run bf3 on ultra at that budget. My gtx460 can run it on high

 

[SickBeast]

You will need a new psu as well unless you like to live dangerously.

 

[NTAC]

This is for my friends PC and I potentially have a PSU to spare... but are we saying that just upgrading to a quad core and GPU would not be enough for this rig?

If I go with an AMD CPU wouldn't that also mean a MOBO upgrade?

Definitely not shooting for ULTRA, that I know is out of the budget, but high / medium I think might be doable.

 

[SickBeast]

If you could get a cheap core 2 quad used that would be a good option as well and would free up a lot of money for the gpu. The thing is, the c2q is borderline obsolete right now. It will run most current games fine, but you will probably need to upgrade within a year or so. It would be fine for bf3 though I think if you overclock it. My phenom ii x4 does fine in that game as well.

 

[PhoenixEnigma]

Assuming you don't need a new PSU (or it's not coming from the $400 budget, at least):

- H67 motherboard ($80-90)
- 2x4GB DDR3 ($30-40)
- i3-2100 (or 2120, I've seen them at the same price before) ($125)
- Radeon 6850 ($150)

 

[NTAC]

So is the general concencious here that a new MOBO / CPU combo is mandatory?

If he just dropped an old quad in there with a nicer GPU it would not cut it?

 

[SickBeast]

It's not mandatory. He may get better performance overall with a c2q and a $350 gpu. If he's a hardcore gamer bent on running bf3 on ultra, this may be his best route.

How much is a used c2q?

I personally would go with a 2500k for a new gaming build.

 

[dmoney1980]

I'll ask the age old question - "do you have a Micro Center near you?"

 

[Dave3000]

A used Phenom II x4 955 or 965 with a compatible motherboard and a used Radeon 6850 video card should get you much better performance. I also recommend upgrading to 8GB DDR3-1333 RAM and make sure it's a dual channel kit. You still will not be able to play BF3 smoothly at max settings and 1080p, but I don't think you will have to settle for low settings either.

 

[NTAC]

It's not mandatory. He may get better performance overall with a c2q and a $350 gpu. If he's a hardcore gamer bent on running bf3 on ultra, this may be his best route.

How much is a used c2q?

I personally would go with a 2500k for a new gaming build.

I'll ask the age old question - "do you have a Micro Center near you?"

A used Phenom II x4 955 or 965 with a compatible motherboard and a used Radeon 6850 video card should get you much better performance. I also recommend upgrading to 8GB DDR3-1333 RAM and make sure it's a dual channel kit. You still will not be able to play BF3 smoothly at max settings and 1080p, but I don't think you will have to settle for low settings either.

I appreciate the advice, but I want to make something very clear...

He has no desire to play this on MAX settings. I'm just looking for something that can get him playing on a mixture of HIGH / Medium... even 100% Medium would probably be acceptable.

 

[intel/amd]

How about this from COMPUSA Pentium G620, 8GB DDR3 RAM, lga 1155 H61 Motherbaord this means you can upgrade to i3,i5,i7 later (if needed) XFX Geforce 9600 GSO 512MB, 500GB SATA 2 HDD, Coolermaster extreme power plus 500W PSU,

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TOTAL $438.28 -total $40 mail in rebates

 

[Zargon]

you need to go quad.

and you wont be playing on HIGH for 400 bones

but a used C2Q and a 6870 will do well for you

so will 8gb of ram


but SB core i5/8gb ddr3/6870/h61mobo might be able to fit the budget


1x SAPPHIRE 100314-3L Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
Item #: N82E16814102948
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$169.99

1xG.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBXL
Item #: N82E16820231426
$41.99

1xASRock H61M-VS LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813157241
$49.99

1xIntel Core i5-2300 Sandy Bridge 2.8GHz (3.1GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 ...
Item #: N82E16819115076
$179.99

Subtotal: $441.96

if you can swing a bit more fo ra 2500K its a better deal

recoup some expenses by reselling your old shit


but really its like 1-150 for a decent C2Q and DDR2 is expensive, you will pay 40 or so for 4gb of it, and you need a GPU anyways.

small price increase for the h61 and newer CPU but huge overall upgrade.

if he could sneak in a z68 board that advertises 22nkm support he has an even bigger upgrade path

 

[Ken g6]

@intel/amd: Geforce 9600 is a pretty minimal GPU, and nowhere near what's needed to run BF3 on high.

 

[Zargon]

@intel/amd: Geforce 9600 is a pretty minimal GPU, and nowhere near what's needed to run BF3 on high.

obvious spammer is obvious

I reported him, you should too, then the post can just dissappear

 

[T_Yamamoto]

obvious spammer is obvious

I reported him, you should too, then the post can just dissappear

+1

 

[vailr]

obvious spammer is obvious

I reported him, you should too, then the post can just dissappear

And I have reported Zargon for being rude.

 

[mfenn]

you need to go quad.

and you wont be playing on HIGH for 400 bones

but a used C2Q and a 6870 will do well for you

so will 8gb of ram


but SB core i5/8gb ddr3/6870/h61mobo might be able to fit the budget


1x SAPPHIRE 100314-3L Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
Item #: N82E16814102948
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$169.99

1xG.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBXL
Item #: N82E16820231426
$41.99

1xASRock H61M-VS LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813157241
$49.99

1xIntel Core i5-2300 Sandy Bridge 2.8GHz (3.1GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 ...
Item #: N82E16819115076
$179.99

Subtotal: $441.96

if you can swing a bit more fo ra 2500K its a better deal

recoup some expenses by reselling your old shit


but really its like 1-150 for a decent C2Q and DDR2 is expensive, you will pay 40 or so for 4gb of it, and you need a GPU anyways.

small price increase for the h61 and newer CPU but huge overall upgrade.

if he could sneak in a z68 board that advertises 22nkm support he has an even bigger upgrade path

This ain't bad. The extra $40 ($30 AR) really gets you over the hump.

 

[SickBeast]

I'd say pay the $20 more and get a 2500k. It will double your cpu longevity when you overclock.

 

[OlafSicky]

first thing I would try would be to oc the cpu by 10% and add a new gpu. The game shold be playable then. That is not a bad mobo or cpu 4 gigs of ram should be enough.

 

[SickBeast]

yes I agree that the op could over clock and use the existing CPU but in that case I would get a gtx 460 and call it a day. he will be CPU limited with a bigger gpu than that.

 

[Skott]

That H61 mobo won't allow an overclock will it? Or is 10% the most you can get out of them? I was under the impression they don't allow for overclocking. or are you guys talking about the DS3R?

 

[DominionSeraph]

Does he have BF3 already? If not it comes free with a GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125406

BF3 is a graphics heavy game, and if he can get that CPU up to ~2.8-3GHz, I don't really see much gain in getting an i3 and an H-series motherboard that won't even let him overclock if he goes i5, and being saddled with a ~6850. So I'd slap in a GPU that can handle it and have him save enough for a i5 2500k + Z68. He's pretty close to being able to afford it, especially if he sells his old stuff.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

yes I agree that the op could over clock and use the existing CPU but in that case I would get a gtx 460 and call it a day. he will be CPU limited with a bigger gpu than that.

:thumbsup: i like this idea

 

[mfenn]

That H61 mobo won't allow an overclock will it? Or is 10% the most you can get out of them? I was under the impression they don't allow for overclocking. or are you guys talking about the DS3R?

They're saying that the OP could try overclocking his current CPU in lieu of getting a Sandy Bridge.