Upgrade out-dated former gaming PC - economically?

[MysteriousRJC]

Well this baby is I guess 6 years old now...

Antec P180 + optional 120mm cooling fan
Antec Trio 650w PSU
Conroe Core 2 Duo E6700 (2.66 GHz)
Scythe Ninja Plus heatsink
ATI x1950 Crossfire 512mb
ASUS P5W DH Deluxe
Corsair Twin2X2048-6400C4 (4-4-4-12)
Seagate 7200.10 500GB SATA 3.0Gb/s
Western Digital 2TB SATA3
Pioneer DVR-111D Dual Layer DVD±R/RW Drive
LG 16X Black DVD-ROM (48X CD-ROM) IDE
Viewsonic PF790 19 inch monitor
Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi ExtremeMusic
Cambridge Soundworks 4 points speakers + Subwoofer
Window XP PRO SP3

In it's day is was kick a$$ but those days are gone. I used to be an avid PC gamer. I'm casual now... I use my laptop for most games now (usually shooters like COD)... but would prefer my desktop with bigger monitor to let me game. The biggest knock on this rig was the videocard missed to big DirectX version jump which had all that new capability (was that 9??)

Anyway, I'm way out of the loop on PC hardware... been 4+ years since I followed any of it. I've notice everything asks for DirectX 9 or 10 these days at minimum. So I'm looking for a cheap way to upgrade this -- if that makes sense -- so that it runs the new games decently. It doesn't have to be bleeding edge new & every graphics category maxed out.... just at least let me install/launch the game with good graphics. Like if I could just pop in a newer videocard that'd be good enough. Whether that's feasible I'm not sure.

Could you guys kindly throw out some options I might do? Like buy this videocard... or buy this mobo/videocard/cpu/ram combo, or just buy new XYZ from store A, etc? I'm assuming CPU/Videocard/mobo/RAM may need redoing in some combo.

Thank you.

 

[MysteriousRJC]

Missed completing this.........



1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

Casual gaming (shooters, RPG, driving, RealFlight)

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

I'll buy what's best to buy in the situation... I tend to buy higher end to get longer life

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

Canada/USA

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.

Intel & ATI but if there's a better buy I'm not brand loyal to the death

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

*case, power supply if possible, optical drives, keyboard/trackball, monitor....... (RAM, CPU, videocard, mobo are the upgrade candidates)

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
default spees


8. What resolution will you be using?
? isn't this dependent on the card?


9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
Note that it is usually not cost or time effective to choose your build more than a month before you actually plan to be using it.


build in the next month or 2
*

X. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?

XP Pro SP3 currently.... need to go Win7?

 

[Termie]

Welcome to the forums!

A quick answer to a few of your questions:
(1) The x1950xt was DirectX 9-capable. The current standard is DirectX 11.
(2) Unfortunately, as games have progressed over the past 6 years since you built your computer, they have seen CPU requirements go up at almost the same pace as GPU requirements. Thus, pairing a new GPU with an e6700 will not work well. The most powerful GPU I'd pair with that CPU is an HD6770 for around $100. It would be ~50% faster than x1950 Crossfire in theory, but even faster in practice due to likely issues with your Crossfire scaling and the VRAM limitation on your 1950 setup.
(3) Windows XP won't support anything higher than DX9, so you'd need to upgrade that too.

Basically, given this information, I think you should actually consider what your budget is for a full system upgrade. If you seriously don't want to upgrade the whole system, then just go with my recommendation above of a 6770, like this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161387

Another option is the newer and more power-efficient HD7750, which happens to be about the same speed and price: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127709

 

[frozentundra123456]

Well this baby is I guess 6 years old now...

Antec P180 + optional 120mm cooling fan
Antec Trio 650w PSU
Conroe Core 2 Duo E6700 (2.66 GHz)
Scythe Ninja Plus heatsink
ATI x1950 Crossfire 512mb
ASUS P5W DH Deluxe
Corsair Twin2X2048-6400C4 (4-4-4-12)
Seagate 7200.10 500GB SATA 3.0Gb/s
Western Digital 2TB SATA3
Pioneer DVR-111D Dual Layer DVD±R/RW Drive
LG 16X Black DVD-ROM (48X CD-ROM) IDE
Viewsonic PF790 19 inch monitor
Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi ExtremeMusic
Cambridge Soundworks 4 points speakers + Subwoofer
Window XP PRO SP3

In it's day is was kick a$$ but those days are gone. I used to be an avid PC gamer. I'm casual now... I use my laptop for most games now (usually shooters like COD)... but would prefer my desktop with bigger monitor to let me game. The biggest knock on this rig was the videocard missed to big DirectX version jump which had all that new capability (was that 9??)

Anyway, I'm way out of the loop on PC hardware... been 4+ years since I followed any of it. I've notice everything asks for DirectX 9 or 10 these days at minimum. So I'm looking for a cheap way to upgrade this -- if that makes sense -- so that it runs the new games decently. It doesn't have to be bleeding edge new & every graphics category maxed out.... just at least let me install/launch the game with good graphics. Like if I could just pop in a newer videocard that'd be good enough. Whether that's feasible I'm not sure.

Could you guys kindly throw out some options I might do? Like buy this videocard... or buy this mobo/videocard/cpu/ram combo, or just buy new XYZ from store A, etc? I'm assuming CPU/Videocard/mobo/RAM may need redoing in some combo.

Thank you.

Your cpu is going to be limiting, more so in some games than others. However, if you were to put in a new graphics card like a HD7770, you could utilize the cpu to the fullest. It also depends on your resolution. If you upgrade the GPU you should be able to play most modern games at medium to high settings, depending on resolution and how cpu intensive it is. For instance I just retired a computer with an E4500 and 9800GT, both slower than your cpu and the gpu if you upgrade to 7770. I could play most games at med to high at 900p. A HD 7770 can be found for less than 100.00 if you are lucky and find a good sale. I got one for 89.99 after rebate at Microcenter.

 

[MysteriousRJC]

So I guess I'd have to realistically look at videocard, motherboard, cpu, RAM & Win7 to upgrade in any capacity worth spending $$$ on, correct?

 

[MysteriousRJC]

Your cpu is going to be limiting, more so in some games than others. However, if you were to put in a new graphics card like a HD7770, you could utilize the cpu to the fullest. It also depends on your resolution. If you upgrade the GPU you should be able to play most modern games at medium to high settings, depending on resolution and how cpu intensive it is. For instance I just retired a computer with an E4500 and 9800GT, both slower than your cpu and the gpu if you upgrade to 7770. I could play most games at med to high at 900p. A HD 7770 can be found for less than 100.00 if you are lucky and find a good sale. I got one for 89.99 after rebate at Microcenter.

You guys are talking about this card, correct?
http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/7000/7770/pages/radeon-7770.aspx


I realize the rig is outdated... I can play on my laptop as I said butt If I could spend $100-200 and see good gains (play new games on medium/high settings) I'd be satisfied with that. Is that essentially what you 2 are saying? Pop in a 7700 and I'd "extend" that gaming life a bit further into current games?

 

[Termie]

So I guess I'd have to realistically look at videocard, motherboard, cpu, RAM & Win7 to upgrade in any capacity worth spending $$$ on, correct?

To upgrade to play new games at medium to high settings, yes.

Maybe your best bet is to pick up a decent graphics card, like the HD7770 for slightly over $100: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202011

Then you could test it with the games you like, and see how it works for you. If it doesn't do the trick, it would be a good building-block for a decent budget gaming system using a newer CPU. I'm fairly certain it will not perform at its best with your CPU, but all that matters is that you are happy with the performance in your chosen games.

To be clear, you won't be playing at high settings in any new games. In fact, you won't even be able to play many of them, due to running Windows XP.

 

[MysteriousRJC]

Hmmm, ok, I think I need to think on this a little. In terms of the 7770 is there any difference between AMD , Gigabyte, XFX branded cards? I always stuck with ATI (now AMD) in the past.


If you were going to take my existing PC and upgrade mobo/cpu/videocard/ram (power supply if needed), what would u do? Assuming Win7

 

[Termie]

Hmmm, ok, I think I need to think on this a little. In terms of the 7770 is there any difference between AMD , Gigabyte, XFX branded cards? I always stuck with ATI (now AMD) in the past.


If you were going to take my existing PC and upgrade mobo/cpu/videocard/ram (power supply if needed), what would u do? Assuming Win7

AMD doesn't sell its own cards anymore - Sapphire and Gigabyte are reputable vendors.

On the bigger, "bolder" question above, we'd really need you to set your budget. There are just too many options in various price ranges. Luckily, your case and PSU should still be sufficient, although it's unlikely you can connect your IDE DVD drives to a new motherboard. SATA models are cheap anyway - $20 or so.

So, give us a budget for CPU, Motherboard, RAM, GPU, and a DVD drive (if required). It looks like your hard drive is newer, so that can stay.

To help you out, I'll suggest that the minimum for a modern gaming system would be $300, while an extremely capable system would be $650. Just let us know where in that range you sit, remembering that you'll need to factor in another $100 for Windows 7.

 

[riversend]

Assuming your PSU is still running stable you should be ok on that front. Power use for components has steadily decreased over the past couple of years. The 520w PSU I used with an e6750 build is still good on my current i5 3570k build with plenty of room.

What I am proposing assumes the following:
1) You do not live near a Microcenter
2) You will keep your system for 4-5 years (for CPU/mobo/RAM, but you might want to upgrade GPU in that time if the gaming bug grabs you)
3) You are gaming at either 1920x1080 or x1200.

i5 3350 $180 AP
Asrock H77 Pro4 $80
2x4GB Samsung 1600 RAM $35
SSD Crucial M4 128GB $110
GPU No less than a 7850 (Diamond 2GB with one free game $175AR), but higher settings with a 7950 (Sapphire 3GB, with three free games $ $275AR)
Win7 HP $100

Total is 680-780 AR AP

You could drop the SSD, but it really improves all around performance of your system. If you live near a Microcenter you can purchase an i5 + z77 combo and save close to $100 (store pickup only). You could also drop down to a nice i3 CPU and save around $50 bucks and still have nice gaming (and other) performance on the machine with no issues using the GPUs listed as far as bottlenecking is concerned.

 

[MysteriousRJC]

Hmmm, ok, I need to think over the weekend what I want to do. I'll bump this thread when I decide. Honestly I'm curious of your ideas for low, mid, high... I don't think the budget is preventitive... I could do your high range, just need to decide if I want to, do low, or put up with my laptop for the time being. Thank you everyone for the answers thusfar, much appreciated.

 

[riversend]

Just so you know this is the common mid-range build thread that is maintained by mfenn that most of us reference when doing this builds. Gives you a good starting point. Highend at a minimum is an i7 CPU (although an i5 3570k is plenty for gaming) of some kind with a 7970 or GTX 670 (or 680 or whatever the spender wants to do) and a 256GB SSD or larger. Low end is likely an i3 CPU with a 7770 and no SSD.

 

[MysteriousRJC]

thk u riversend

 

[mfenn]

As others have stated, you have a decent base to work from, it really just depends on how much money you want to spend. You could do something reasonable for the following budgets:

$100: 7770
$200: 7700 + Windows 7
$450: 7700 + Windows 7 + i3 3220 + B75 mobo + 8GB DDR3 + SATA DVD
$650: 7850 + Windows 7 + i5 3570K + Z77 mobo + 8GB DDR3 + SATA DVD
$750: 7950 + Windows 7 + i5 3570K + Z77 mobo + 8GB DDR3 + SATA DVD
>$750: Whole new build following midrange guide (perhaps minus HDD)

 

[tracerbullet]

FWIW, and you probably know this, focus on the CPU and GPU. The SSD and other things that cost additional are certainly very nice but not really required like CPU and GPU.

Also keep in mind many CPU's overclock quite easily, so w/ a good cooler and the willingness to tinker, you can get some great performance for the money.

One other thing that comes to mind, check Tom's Hardware for their GPU charts, you'll get a pretty good idea what level video card you'll want and their prices. Keep in mind monitor resolution, settings, and etc. and before you get a card make sure it'll do a decent job.