Better graphics card for older i5 setup

[slick88gt]

Hello, I've got an older computer that I'm really just trying to get some better use out of rather than upgrade entirely. I'm honestly just looking to crank graphics on Skyrim a bit more and add some more graphics mods.

Anyway, I've got an i5 650 @ 3.2 GHz
8 GB RAM
NVIDIA Geforce 9800 GT
ASRock H55M-LE

A friend told me to upgrade the graphics card and it would go a long way. I don't mind putting like $300-$500 in it if it makes a huge difference, unless I can build something completely better for a tad more.

 

[clutchc]

Yes, $500 will get you a better entry level PC if you build it yourself. Example: http://pcbuildsonabudget.com/best-gaming-pc-build-under-500-dollars-2017
And it can be upgraded as finances allow.

On the otherhand, you could spend a measly $140 and just pop in a GTX 1050 Ti as long as you have a decent 300W or better PSU.

 

[maxalge]

Hello, I've got an older computer that I'm really just trying to get some better use out of rather than upgrade entirely. I'm honestly just looking to crank graphics on Skyrim a bit more and add some more graphics mods.

Anyway, I've got an i5 650 @ 3.2 GHz
8 GB RAM
NVIDIA Geforce 9800 GT
ASRock H55M-LE

A friend told me to upgrade the graphics card and it would go a long way. I don't mind putting like $300-$500 in it if it makes a huge difference, unless I can build something completely better for a tad more.

that old dual core is seriously holding you back

get a gtx 1050 ti and a i7 860


make sure you have a decent psu as well

 

[slick88gt]

So a gtx 1050 ti is about $150 and the i7 860 is about $100. No problem, I can live with $250.
Will both of those work with my current motherboard?? Will there be a pretty significant improvement where I can jack up my graphics settings?
I've been browsing the budget build threads, would one of the $500 systems there be better than my current setup, say worth the $500 rather than the $250 for the gpu and cpu? I'm seeing a lot of builds utilize the i5 6600k or the i5 7400 with any range of graphics cards, I just don't know the gear and am more of a "bang for your buck" kinda guy. I can live with spending $500-600 if it'll be a huge improvement, unless of course I can reach my goals with only $250.

If you were in my situation which way would you lean?
BTW, thank you for all of the information so far

 

[jeffredo]

If you don't want to buy a new PC and you just want to run Skyrim with mods better get a $100 RX 460 4GB. It'll do the job.

 

[maxalge]

So a gtx 1050 ti is about $150 and the i7 860 is about $100. No problem, I can live with $250.
Will both of those work with my current motherboard?? Will there be a pretty significant improvement where I can jack up my graphics settings?
I've been browsing the budget build threads, would one of the $500 systems there be better than my current setup, say worth the $500 rather than the $250 for the gpu and cpu? I'm seeing a lot of builds utilize the i5 6600k or the i5 7400 with any range of graphics cards, I just don't know the gear and am more of a "bang for your buck" kinda guy. I can live with spending $500-600 if it'll be a huge improvement, unless of course I can reach my goals with only $250.

If you were in my situation which way would you lean?
BTW, thank you for all of the information so far

yes, make sure the motherboard bios is up to date beforehand that cpu is listed as compatible

and the gpu should work, of course nothing in life is guaranteed XD

if you want to use the whole $500, then yes it would be better to buy a new setup

 

[slick88gt]

I'm beginning to realize what a slippery slope this is....
I've been comparing benchmarks and the
RX 460 is insanely better than my 9800 GT
The 1050 ti is decently better than the RX 460
The RX 480 is considerably better than either the 460 or 1050 ti

The link to that $500 build clutchc provided looks like it'd be a huge improvement over my current setup, especially if I went with the 480 instead of the 1050 ti listed in the build (it's only like $25 more).

So I'm at, either spend $100 on a 460 with my current build and see if it scratches my itch, OR spend a tad bit over $500 and get something badass compared to what I've currently got.

Again, y'all are awesome with the suggestions, I don't know diddly about compatibility and the like with computer gear.

 

[schaft]

Your budget is $500. And basically you need to upgrade your cpu and gpu.
My answer is
1. Change your cpu:

Intel Xeon X3470 2.93 GHz that start from $68
pick from below list
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=X3470&_sop=15
Above xeon is technicall an i7 without internal gpu (you don't need internal gpu anyway). Make sure to upgrade your motherboard bios

or i7-880
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=i7-880&_sop=15

Please choose the most safest seller that gave personal warranty. I was cheated once through ebay but managed to get very good deal afterward that can justified the first failure (bought a used xeon with 12 core and 24 thread for dirt cheap).


2. Upgrade your gpu:
any amd 480 8Gb or Nvidia GTX 1060 6Gb. They cost around $230 if you look carefully

3. In case your power supply is below 500W pure, the you need to change your psu as well.

Good luck

 

[dontlistentome]

If it was my choice I'd go with a 2gb RX 460 if keeping the costs down was number one priority. For Skyrim that should be 'good enough' to play with some mods. If you're going to go with a 4gb card then a 1050 Ti is the way to go. The risk is some of the new Nvidia cards use that UEFI bios thing and don't play nice with the old legacy bios, which you may have, you'll have to check. An RX 460 4gb would be the safer choice for an older system. It's enough for Skyrim anyways.

You could just build a new computer but that might mean paying for Win 10, so don't forget to factor that cost. For only Skyrim this is a lot of money though. If you go with a new system and a more powerful card then that means a new power supply too, which is another cost. A pre-built system usually only comes with a power supply that's barely enough for the system as is, with no extra power to allow you to add the videocard of your choice. You'll either need to configure it with an upgraded power supply or buy your own.

 

[slick88gt]

Ok so we're getting much closer here. So without buying something I can't use in the future, are you saying a RX 480 4gb will work with my current motherboard if I replace my cpu (and possibly power supply)? If that's the case, then that will work if I upgrade everything else to something nicer in the future and maybe only sacrifice the $60 or so I spend on a Xeon X3470.

I know nothing about these parts, but comparing benchmarks the RX 480 4gb seems much better than the 1050 ti 4gb, what am I missing?
Those 2 cards seem predominate in the $500 and even in the $750 budget build section.

 

[schaft]

"Ok so we're getting much closer here. So without buying something I can't use in the future, are you saying a RX 480 4gb will work with my current motherboard if I replace my cpu (and possibly power supply)? If that's the case, then that will work if I upgrade everything else to something nicer in the future and maybe only sacrifice the $60 or so I spend on a Xeon X3470."

Even without changing the cpu, the RX 480 will run (after making sure power supply is 500w pure) just fine with your old cpu. I mentioned changing the cpu because its really worth the $60 upgrade. Newer game require more thread, this is where xeon and i7 that I recommended will work its charm. Though of course you should not expect performance like new i7-7700. But to the least it will much less bottleneck RX 480 than your current cpu.

If you living in united states, then there are another economic option to upgrade using used parts. But lets leave it for another question.

"I know nothing about these parts, but comparing benchmarks the RX 480 4gb seems much better than the 1050 ti 4gb, what am I missing?
Those 2 cards seem predominate in the $500 and even in the $750 budget build section."

RX 480 is on par with GTX 1060, they are on different level than 1050Ti.

 

[schaft]

Please watch the below link as you will get a grip on what will you get from the upgrade.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX0aeQSQkGM

It show how your i7 will bottleneck Asus STRIX GTX 980Ti. Then again Rx 480 is below 980Ti (480 is between 970 and 980), your i7 will still bottleneck but I would say not at disaster level.

 

[slick88gt]

Thanks a lot for all of the help, gives me a much better understanding where to put my money so it's not wasted!