Advice on best value upgrades for gaming rig.

[welbornio]

Hello everyone!

I've spent the better part of the last month trying to decide where to put my limited budget towards upgrading my rig, and while I have my own opinions of what would be my best option, I think the community here knows better than I.

I currently have a pretty weak rig. (I'm doing this from memory, sorry if I'm not specific enough)

Foxconn g33mo2 mobo with a pretty crappy core 2 duo (I dont know exactly what it is, but it's nothing special)
HIS 6670 Dual Fan 1GB GDDR5 Graphics Card
300W PSU
4GB DDR3 RAM
512 GB SATA DRIVE (no ssd)

The reason the rig is so weak, is because I was in a slim case, and my options were super limited. I just got a new mid-tower with plenty of room for anything I desire. Because of the case upgrade, I know for a fact I need a new PSU to fit, and I am considering a Corsair 750w.

Surprisingly, with such a weak rig, I can still run Crysis 2 at med-high settings with no problems.

Other than the PSU, all my parts will move over to the new case (I found the full size bracket for my low profile GPU), so what would be the best place to put my money for upgrades?

I'm looking to spend about $350.

Many, many thanks in advance!!

 

[AHBman]

Hello

Which case have you got ?
A 500W power supply would be a better solution, any monoGPU build consume more than 550W 😉
Your RAM reference ? It's to add another stick

 

[welbornio]

Hello

Which case have you got ?
A 500W power supply would be a better solution, any monoGPU build consume more than 550W 😉
Your RAM reference ? It's to add another stick

I've got an NZXT Phantom 410 (it was a gift)
You think a 500W would be better than a 750? For price reasons?

 

[AHBman]

Re-Hello

This is it :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($96.69 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: RAIJINTEK THEMIS 65.7 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($20.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
[strike]Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($45.95 @ Amazon) [/strike]
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $466.60
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-02 15:16 EST-0500

It's a little bit over your budget, but it's the best value parts that you can bring, for a decent gaming

Yes, a a 550W watts PSU would be better for price, and efficiency

I need your RAM reference to choose the convient stick

 

[welbornio]

Re-Hello

This is it :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($96.69 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: RAIJINTEK THEMIS 65.7 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($20.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
[strike]Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($45.95 @ Amazon) [/strike]
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $466.60
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-02 15:16 EST-0500

It's a little bit over your budget, but it's the best value parts that you can bring, for a decent gaming

Yes, a a 550W watts PSU would be better for price, and efficiency

I need your RAM reference to choose the convient stick

Thank you for your answer! As for the RAM, I realized the sticks I have are actually DDR2 memory, so I'll just have to buy 2 of the sticks you referenced. That shouldn't be a problem.

I really appreciate you putting the list together for me. I look forward to putting it all together!

 

[AHBman]

Good so 😀

If you can put more money, consider this :

FX 6350 -> FX 8320 -> i5 4460 -> i5 4690K (Great CPU, but expansive)

GB 970 UD3P (FX) -> ASRock H97 Pro4 -> ASRock Z97 Pro4

R9 280X -> The coming GTX 960 -> R9 290 -> GTX 970

(GPU before CPU)

Keep the same PSU