Waste of my damn money :(

[xantub]

I have no debt my college has pell grants and financial aid and scholar ships. You guys all make valid points, but damn the mass confusion. Although I will get the 750ti no doubt. Maybe in 3 to 2 years I will just upgrade the same pc. Maybe get a new power brick, GPU, CPU. Possibly 2b of storage.

Exactly. Video card is an immediate and cheap upgrade. Another one (secondary to video card) is a Solid State Drive. With that, you shouldn't need a new computer for a while.

 

[jacktesterson]

What is this $500 monitor you are using?

 

[tential]

I have no debt my college has pell grants and financial aid and scholar ships. You guys all make valid points, but damn the mass confusion. Although I will get the 750ti no doubt. Maybe in 3 to 2 years I will just upgrade the same pc. Maybe get a new power brick, GPU, CPU. Possibly 2b of storage.

You do realize that you just listed a new PC and not an upgrade right?

In 2-3 years you'd need a new CPU, which will require a new MOBO, then you'll need a new GPU as you said, a new Power Supply, since none of this will fit in your OEM case of your (asus?) PC, you'll need a new Case as well. Since 2-3 years from now DDR4 will be standard you'll need new RAM as well.

So new:
CPU
GPU
Mobo
RAM
Power Supply
......

Oh look you're listing every new part of a new PC.

That said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh0gON_heB0

That's a video of the performance you should get with an upgrade to the 750Ti so it's not all bad.
GTX 750 Ti Performance:
Battlefield 4
ULTRA 4X AA
Resolution 720p (1360x768)
Average FPS: ~55-70

1080p HIGH:
Average FPS: ~45-55

That's a summary of their "performance" but I doubt they actually look at the FPS timer all day when they game. That said, there isn't really much of a difference between Ultra and High and BF4 anyway. You can google a review of the game's settings to see the difference but it's small. It's actually so small that I personally play BF4 at High anyway. I'd rather have smooth 60+ fps than slightly different shadows.

As someone on Reddit put it, this is a Console killer type build. So you should be able to get at MINIMUM console level graphics, which is usually enough for the average user. However, it sucks you got suckered into paying $600+ for your PC.
http://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/1yd5k0/build_ready_just_for_fun_400_750k750ti_console/
Add 50 dollars to that system for 12 GB of ram that is equivalent to yours. But well, that's the bestbuy/retailer markup. At least you learned something.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPIeHF7GKgU

Is another vid.

Just remember both vids are APPROXIMATIONS of the performance you can achieve with a 750 Ti upgrade. You'll get less performance since well, there was no video I could find of a person using an A8-5500 processor and your processor is weaker than both processors in those videos. But it's close. Expect a couple fps less than what those guys are getting in vids.

 

[Bateluer]

Short term, all you need in that machine is a real video card. 150-250 bucks, done. Game at High/Ultra settings.

 

[TreVader]

I had a similar budget situation as OP, except I had allotted $330 to buy a 280X as soon as I built the comp. Ended up going socket 1150 with a Celeron G1820 (2.7Ghz 2C 2T) and although it doesn't hold a candle to my 4960HQ in my laptop it's still enough for BF4 at Ultra 2XAA 1080p.


If you switch the 280X with the 750ti, you get a machine that's still capable of running most games on Ultra at 1080p with no AA.



The only problem I see with the 750ti is you'll never be able to run AA due to memory bandwidth. Otherwise it's a fine card.


I'm wondering why isn't there a single card besides the R9 280 in the 200-300$ price range? You have the 750ti, R7 260/265/270 and other below 200, then the 770 and 280X at 300.


The only card in the 200-300$ price range is the 760, and at 240 I think it's worth it to get the 770 or 280 and pay the extra 40-80$

 

[Blue_Max]

^^^ If he does that, he'll need to buy a new power supply as well -- that was the appeal of the 750TI, no PSU upgrade required.

If he's got money to burn, a faster card and a power supply would be even more performance, but unless he's gaming on a monitor greater than 1080P I doubt he's going to appreciate the $300-400 difference in price!

 

[TeknoBug]

The 750Ti is a great card for its value, I like mine but just expect super duper frames with max settings ;-)

 

[wand3r3r]

Here's a potential option for a $1k build. mATX as well for a small form factor. http://www.techbuyersguru.com/1000build.php

 

[Headfoot]

Another vote for selling it all off and starting over. Return the whole unit to Best Buy if you can.

You will be 1000x happier just going big right away rather than trying to shoehorn that thing into gaming properly

 

[Revolution 11]

You said that you will join the military or become a engineer. Either option doesn't give you much free time so the 750 TI upgrade makes sense. But then you said you will upgrade your PC with different parts in 2 years. As tential pointed out, that is the same as buying a new PC.

OP, you need to decide what your priority in 2 years will be. If you join the military or become a engineer, you may not be gaming at all. If you feel that you will have the time or interest to game in 2 years, get the new PC and do it right from the beginning.

And no, it doesn't take $1000 to get a good gaming PC. Although Groover's build is quite nice, you might not need that much power.

Maybe you should tell us what types of games you like playing and at what resolution. What genres you like and don't like (RTS and turn-based games really don't need the best graphics like shooters do). Then we can give better suggestions.

 

[tential]

Another vote for selling it all off and starting over. Return the whole unit to Best Buy if you can.

You will be 1000x happier just going big right away rather than trying to shoehorn that thing into gaming properly

I agree but well, I've seen this thread 1000 times before on the internet. The OP will NEVER take the primary best option and usually takes the secondary less optimal option. Almost 100% of the time. Not sure why it almost always work out that way but it does.

I think when the OP posted that he had a 1k budget it was more out of anger than anything else. I highly doubt he ever had an intention of spending much of anything and was in fact looking for that bandaid fix solution.

"Budget" online rarely means thte same to everyone. For me, 1K meant "I'll spend up to 1K but I'll spend more if anyone gives me a remote reason too." For other people, 1K is a HARD budget, and for others, it's "Up to 1K but please, give me the minimum possible!" So all depends.
-----------
Edit:
@ Resolution
It also depends on what you want your gaming experience to be like. I don't game OFTEN at all. I only been gaming recently since my little bro was home for 1 week. Otherwise, I've played Bioshock (The first one,) Tomb Raider, BattleField4 and Dota 2 so far on my rig. I'm getting close to a year.

Even though I don't game often, I'm happy when I do game. I'm happy at never having to worry about whether a game can be run, or worrying about FPS choppiness/lag. When I load up a game, it's buttery smooth no matter what. I NEVER have to game below 1080p which also makes me happy.

So it depends. Some people are happy with Xbox One type graphics. I think OP can achieve that with a 750Ti upgrade. I think for us on this forum, it's obvious about what you do. But for OP, it's different about what he can be happy with.

 

[Blue_Max]

I agree but well, I've seen this thread 1000 times before on the internet. The OP will NEVER take the primary best option and usually takes the secondary less optimal option. Almost 100% of the time. Not sure why it almost always work out that way but it does.

This is why I didn't even suggest it. Selling the moderately-overpriced machine is a hassle by itself, as well as a big financial loss. Then comes the P.I.T.A. of buying and rebuilding...

The 750TI isn't optimal - it's easiest. $160 spent. Done.

 

[tential]

This is why I didn't even suggest it. Selling the moderately-overpriced machine is a hassle by itself, as well as a big financial loss. Then comes the P.I.T.A. of buying and rebuilding...

The 750TI isn't optimal - it's easiest. $160 spent. Done.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunk_costs

But yes I agree that the 750Ti is the easiest option and that's almost ALWAYS what the OP wants. The EASIEST option that requires the least amount of thinking/work.

 

[DooKey]

Get a 750 Ti and game for the next couple of years. Upgrade the whole rig later so you don't lose so much now.

 

[Alpha_Male]

I agree but well, I've seen this thread 1000 times before on the internet. The OP will NEVER take the primary best option and usually takes the secondary less optimal option. Almost 100% of the time. Not sure why it almost always work out that way but it does.

I think when the OP posted that he had a 1k budget it was more out of anger than anything else. I highly doubt he ever had an intention of spending much of anything and was in fact looking for that bandaid fix solution.

"Budget" online rarely means thte same to everyone. For me, 1K meant "I'll spend up to 1K but I'll spend more if anyone gives me a remote reason too." For other people, 1K is a HARD budget, and for others, it's "Up to 1K but please, give me the minimum possible!" So all depends.
-----------
Edit:
@ Resolution
It also depends on what you want your gaming experience to be like. I don't game OFTEN at all. I only been gaming recently since my little bro was home for 1 week. Otherwise, I've played Bioshock (The first one,) Tomb Raider, BattleField4 and Dota 2 so far on my rig. I'm getting close to a year.

Even though I don't game often, I'm happy when I do game. I'm happy at never having to worry about whether a game can be run, or worrying about FPS choppiness/lag. When I load up a game, it's buttery smooth no matter what. I NEVER have to game below 1080p which also makes me happy.

So it depends. Some people are happy with Xbox One type graphics. I think OP can achieve that with a 750Ti upgrade. I think for us on this forum, it's obvious about what you do. But for OP, it's different about what he can be happy with.

You are 100% right. I did say I could at least spend 1000 dollars, but I only said that because I thought there was no future left in this machine, but many are telling me that 750ti upgrade is the easiest most best option there could be. Plus I will only spend 160 now. TO top it off. After college I badly want to join the military. I spent well time studying on my MOS 9624 Electronics Engineer. Which I am studying to be in college. And I have high hopes in my career that I believe in 2 years from now or 3 I will have a stable job which 1000 wouldn't be a factor to my budget.

 

[Alpha_Male]

Another reason why i said 600-800 was mainly because I thought a decent graphics card would cost that much. But I learned sooo much from this thread that If i go out and buy the best graphics card it will be useless to me unless, I get a whole new build because Getting 1 best component would weigh down on other parts like the power and then the processor. Eventually leading to a whole new Desktop.

I like to play Open worlds games.
Starforge
7 days to die
skyrim
fallout
Metro 2030
Dc Universe Online
Eventually Dying Light
Eventually Titan Fall
BF3 maybe BF4
Saints row 3
Mirrors Edge- I can play this game for a while then it gets extremely choppy which I can't play and pisses me off.- Lowest graphics by the way.
Supreme Commander
Total Rome 2
Specially Strategy Games
I would one day love to have like 100 npcs battling in my face with out it lagging so bad. I don't know what controls this lag. Maybe the Graphics card and ram. I have no clue. I don't even know if it is possible.

 

[TemjinGold]

If you want to play things like Titanfall, you can't play them "eventually." You pretty much need to play them NOW. Those games depend on there being a big player base. If you wait a few months and people stop playing them, you'll fire up a game only to find empty servers.

 

[lavaheadache]

I don't even know why there is discussion on the matter. 750 ti unless he want's to spend a lot of money and hassle to sell his current machine and rebuild. He seems to have lots of other things going on in his life. I vote *for him* 750 ti. If it were me, 780 ti classy or 290x Lighting/ new build

 

[Revolution 11]

I don't even know why there is discussion on the matter. 750 ti unless he want's to spend a lot of money and hassle to sell his current machine and rebuild. He seems to have lots of other things going on in his life. I vote *for him* 750 ti. If it were me, 780 ti classy or 290x Lighting/ new build

But TemjinGold is right. Waiting 3 years for a game might mean that there is no effective multiplayer. Also, games like Titanfall will play badly with just a 750 TI. Rome 2 will absolutely kill his computer, new GPU or not.

Alpha_Male, have you considered buying a used gaming PC from a Anandtech forum member? There are PCs being sold all the time in the "For Sale/Trade" section. One of them might be a better fit for you. Alternatively, you could try selling your PC in that section. It's worth a try and could remove some hassle of selling the old and buying a new PC.

 

[Alpha_Male]

But TemjinGold is right. Waiting 3 years for a game might mean that there is no effective multiplayer. Also, games like Titanfall will play badly with just a 750 TI. Rome 2 will absolutely kill his computer, new GPU or not.

Alpha_Male, have you considered buying a used gaming PC from a Anandtech forum member? There are PCs being sold all the time in the "For Sale/Trade" section. One of them might be a better fit for you. Alternatively, you could try selling your PC in that section. It's worth a try and could remove some hassle of selling the old and buying a new PC.

I played rome 2 and I can play it on medium-ish graphics. Seems fine to me.

 

[Revolution 11]

Well then, if you are ok with it, go ahead and get the 750 Ti. That would be the simplest and least-hassle option. Make sure the GPU can fit physically in the case.

And never buy Best Buy again. :ninja:

 

[Face2Face]

Here is a great read at PCPER. Hits the nail right on the head.

http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graphics-Cards/Upgrade-Story-Can-GTX-750-Ti-Convert-OEMs-PCs-Gaming-PCs

 

[Sunburn74]

I may have missed this during the thread, but doesn't best buy have a very generous 30 day return policy? Why can't he simply return the box and start from scratch?

 

[Blue_Max]

I may have missed this during the thread, but doesn't best buy have a very generous 30 day return policy? Why can't he simply return the box and start from scratch?

He bought it ~5 months ago.

 

[TeknoBug]

games like Titanfall will play badly with just a 750 TI.

Not true, 750Ti plays Titanfall just fine.