550 Watt PSU looking for Graphics Card

[zerocool1855]

Hi all!

I'm new to this website, and find there are a lot of helpful people when reading through the forums! I'm looking to purchase a new GPU. My budget is around $200.00. I currently have a monitor with a (1366x768) resolution. I'm a casual gamer. I primarily play: World of Warcraft, Overwatch, and League of Legends. I want to find a graphics card that can play these games from high to medium settings. I will list my build below.

*My current graphics card is a AMD r7 200 series 2GB

OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
System Manufacturer: MSI
Processor: AMD Phenom(tm) II X3 B75 Processor (3 CPUs), ~3.0GHz
Memory: 10240MB RAM
Model: 970 Gaming (MS-7693)
Power Supply: Cooler Master, Model RS-550-PCAR-N1 (It says 550 on the side in big letters.)

I would like to thank for all the help in advanced. It is really appreciated.

Sincerly,

Thankful User

 

[CTurbo]

What is your budget? I recommend a FX4300 or FX6300 as a cpu upgrade.

Which AMD R7 200 series video card do you have?

 

[CTurbo]

I recommend a GTX950, 960, or RX460 as a good gpu upgrade.

I couldn't tell you how much of an upgrade the GTX950 would be because I still don't know what video card you have.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-4300 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($77.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 950 2GB Video Card ($112.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $190.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-05 12:37 EDT-0400

 

[zerocool1855]

I recommend a GTX950, 960, or RX460 as a good gpu upgrade.

I couldn't tell you how much of an upgrade the GTX950 would be because I still don't know what video card you have.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-4300 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($77.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 950 2GB Video Card ($112.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $190.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-05 12:37 EDT-0400

Thank you for your help. I was at work all day today. Sorry for getting back to you so late! I have attached a screenshot in regards to the GPU that I currently have. I'm unaware of what the exact specifications are for it. Also is installing a new CPU difficult?

The link to the screenshot: http://

Sincerely,

Thankful User

 

[CTurbo]

Can't quite tell, but even the GTX950 would be an upgrade. The GTX960 is better for another $50-60

I highly recommend a cpu upgrade no matter what, but you could do it later at another time. Installing a new cpu is not difficult. The hardest part is installing the cpu cooler. That's not hard either, but it can be a little tricky. Keep in mind that you would need to purchase some thermal paste if/when you do upgrade the cpu. It's not expensive though.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($6.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $6.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-05 23:01 EDT-0400


There are many instructional videos online on installing cpus and coolers with paste.

 

[zerocool1855]

Can't quite tell, but even the GTX950 would be an upgrade. The GTX960 is better for another $50-60

I highly recommend a cpu upgrade no matter what, but you could do it later at another time. Installing a new cpu is not difficult. The hardest part is installing the cpu cooler. That's not hard either, but it can be a little tricky. Keep in mind that you would need to purchase some thermal paste if/when you do upgrade the cpu. It's not expensive though.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant


Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($6.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $6.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-05 23:01 EDT-0400


There are many instructional videos online on installing cpus and coolers with paste.

CTurbo thank you for your help! What are your thoughts on my Motherboard? Do you think its a pretty solid motherboard for now? I was looking at the AMD RX460 that looks nice. I just need to figure out how that compares to the GTX 960.

 

[maxalge]

Can't quite tell, but even the GTX950 would be an upgrade. The GTX960 is better for another $50-60

I highly recommend a cpu upgrade no matter what, but you could do it later at another time. Installing a new cpu is not difficult. The hardest part is installing the cpu cooler. That's not hard either, but it can be a little tricky. Keep in mind that you would need to purchase some thermal paste if/when you do upgrade the cpu. It's not expensive though.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant


Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($6.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $6.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-05 23:01 EDT-0400


There are many instructional videos online on installing cpus and coolers with paste.

CTurbo thank you for your help! What are your thoughts on my Motherboard? Do you think its a pretty solid motherboard for now? I was looking at the AMD RX460 that looks nice. I just need to figure out how that compares to the GTX 960.

960 > 460

 

[zerocool1855]

I think I'm going to purchase the AMD FX4300 and the GTX950. I can't thank you enough for your help and patience, as it took me a while to respond to you! You made my life a lot easier!

Thank You A Millon!

 

[rcald2000]

+zerocool1855 I have a differing opinion. I question if you'll notice the small performance boost from AMD Phenom II X3 B75 to a FX-4300.

A FX-4300 sells for $105 new on NewEgg. If you were able to sell your 970 Gaming (MS-7693) on Ebay for $60 - $80 used on Ebay, and combine that with the $105 you're willing to spend, you'd have $165 - $185.

You could purchase an i3-6100 ($120) and a socket 1151 motherboard ($60). Then you'd simply need to buy an inexpensive RAM kit (minimum 2 x 4GB DDR4)

A wild guess is that you'd see a 66% to 100% improvement over your current CPU. As for the graphics card, I own a GTX 950 and they are great for the price. However you should be aware that the newer GTX 1050 is "rumored" to be releasing in the not-to-distant future. Were it me, I'd probably be too impatient to wait the month or two until it's announced and for sale, but I thought that I should mention it anyway. Ultimately it's your money and I'm only explaining what I would do in your situation.

 

[CTurbo]

The FX4300 is somewhere between 30-50% faster than the x3 B75. I do agree that $100 is not a good price for a FX4300 though. I wouldn't pay more than $75-80 for one. The FX6300 is ~$90.

The i3 6100 would be a huge upgrade, but I usually don't like to recommend huge overhauls to somebody just asking for a video card upgrade. Upgrading your motherboard to Intel could end up needing to buy a new copy of windows.

The safe bet is to just spend all of your budget on the video card like a GTX960 or RX470 and upgrade the cpu later. The 470 is better than the 960, but it is also at the very tip top of your budget. You could try a R9 380, but I would worry about your psu powering a 380 reliably.

 

[zerocool1855]

I like the suggestion of getting a new board. But for what I do, playing World of Warcraft and such. I think the FX4300 and GTX 950 should be more than enough. Then somewhere down the line I can sell the current rig and build a new one. I really appreciate all the ideas and such!