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What should i upgrade ?

Which component do i upgrade ?

  • i5-2400

  • i5-3470

  • 2gb 7790

  • 1gb 7850

Results are only viewable after voting.
mohit9206

mohit9206

Golden Member
I am looking to upgrade my PC for games like BF3,BF4,AC4,Watch Dogs,etc but i am not sure whether to upgrade the CPU or the GPU.
My Specs:
Intel Pentium G630 2.7ghz(Sandy Bridge)
Gigabyte H61 M-DS2(not sure if this board supports Ivy Bridge?)
8gb ddr3 ram
1gb Radeon 7750 gddr5
Resolution is 1440*900
These are my options:
Option 1:Upgrade CPU to i5-2400
Option 2:Upgrade CPU to i5-3470
Option 3:Upgrade GPU to 2gb 7790
Option 4:Upgrade GPU to 1gb 7850
Which among these will give me the most increase in performance ?
My budget is strictly under $180 so i can only upgrade one component.Also what kind of performance increase can i expect from the upgrade that you suggest ?
This upgrade will be for the next two or so years before i upgrade the other component so please advice what should i upgrade.Thanks.🙂
 
Friends don't let friends crossfire low end cards. Of those choices, get the 7850. The 2GB version would be better, but 1GB should be OK at 1440x900.
 
mfenn said:
Friends don't let friends crossfire low end cards. Of those choices, get the 7850. The 2GB version would be better, but 1GB should be OK at 1440x900.
Click to expand...

Ok but the issue is i have a 350 watts coolermaster PSU which i think might not be suitable for 7850 or will it ?:hmm:
 
For BF3 and BF4, on your resolution, I would definitely upgrade the CPU first. Those are very CPU heavy games in multiplayer and your lowish resolution makes them even more CPU dependent. Having a fast CPU with that 7750 means stable, GPU dependent framerates, which translates to a good gaming experience. With a slowish CPU and a fast GPU, you'll hit higher average framerates at the cost of more ups and downs.

If BF3/4 multiplayer is the most important, upgrade to i5-3470, then for the next upgrade a new graphics card (and PSU if needed).

If you're more concerned with single player games that aren't CPU heavy, then the GPU upgrade is better.

Anandtech bench: i5-3470 vs Pentium G620
Anandtech bench: 7750 vs 7850

T_Yamamoto said:
youre gonna be pushing it.
Click to expand...

No. You'll be fine with that PSU as long as the new card requires only one 6-pin PCIe connector. If it requires two connectors, you'll need to upgrade to a unit that provides two - typically that means 500W+, but some high quality sub 500 watters have two cables as well.
 
Last edited:
lehtv said:
For BF3 and BF4, on your resolution, I would definitely upgrade the CPU first. Those are very CPU heavy games in multiplayer and your lowish resolution makes them even more CPU dependent. Having a fast CPU with that 7750 means stable, GPU dependent framerates, which translates to a good gaming experience. With a slowish CPU and a fast GPU, you'll hit higher average framerates at the cost of more ups and downs.

If BF3/4 multiplayer is the most important, upgrade to i5-3470, then for the next upgrade a new graphics card (and PSU if needed).

If you're more concerned with single player games that aren't CPU heavy, then the GPU upgrade is better.

Anandtech bench: i5-3470 vs Pentium G620
Anandtech bench: 7750 vs 7850



No. You'll be fine with that PSU as long as the new card requires only one 6-pin PCIe connector. If it requires two connectors, you'll need to upgrade to a unit that provides two - typically that means 500W+, but some high quality sub 500 watters have two cables as well.
Click to expand...
Ok i get your point but i am not sure if my mobo supports ivy bridge.Could you please find out if it does ?The model is Gigabyte GA-H61M-DS2
 
Choose your mobo version here (upper right: other version): http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3970#

Then click Support & Downloads and then CPU Support list. On the furthest column on the right you can see which earliest BIOS version will support the CPU you want to use. You can check your current BIOS version with CPU-Z (Mainboard tab). If the version is earlier than required, you have to update the BIOS, and for that information you should check the motherboard user manual.
 
I voted HD7850, but honestly you need to upgrade both for a good experience in BF3. We dont yet know how much more demanding BF4 will be.

Actually though, I can play Frostbite 2 games fine on a HD7770 at 1080p single player, so maybe at your low res a cpu upgrade would make more sense.

Your gpu choices are a bit strange as well, should that be what you decide to upgrade. You are getting more vram on the weaker card, which does not make sense unless you are getting a good deal somehow on a 2gb 7790. I would look for a 1gb 7790 or a 2gb 7850.
 
mohit9206 said:
Ok but the issue is i have a 350 watts coolermaster PSU which i think might not be suitable for 7850 or will it ?:hmm:
Click to expand...

A 7850 uses less power than 7750 Crossfire.

Anyway, a 7850 is 130W and a G630 is 65W, that's 195W maxed out plus another 50W for the rest of the system. If your PSU is rated truthfully, you should have enough power. However, low-end Cooler Masters are a little sketchy.
 
In reality, 7850 at stock clocks uses about 110W, and G630 is probably not going to reach 65W either.
 
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