Can I game On this?

[ajhockey3]

Hi yall, I bought a pc off a retired server admin that lives down the street for $85 CAD
It has an Athlon II X4 635 2.9Ghz processor
10GB of DDR3 Ram
Intigrated HD 4250 Graphics

In games like left for dead 2 I can only get 22FPS i would assume its my graphics holding me back.
Is this system worth upgrading to game on?
What graphics card would be good for a crappy powersupply such as this computer? I only have 1 free molex connection

 

[Wolfshadw]

Get a quality power supply and a card like a GTX 960/R9 270.

-Wolf sends

 

[ajhockey3]

What power supply is reccomended
and im looking to spend around 100-150 on a graphics card not $250 like the 960

 

[JQB45]

For the Power Supply the following are highly recommended

SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-s12ii620bronze
$69.99

SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-m12ii620bronze
$83.99


The Video Card:
Gigabyte Radeon R9 270 2GB WINDFORCE Video Card
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvr927oc2gd
is
$149.99 -$20.00 Mail in Rebate = $129.99

 

[Wolfshadw]

For sub $150 cards, I'd recommend the GTX 750Ti / R7 260x,
For an inexpensive power supply, I'd probably recommend this EVGA 500 watt PSU

-Wolf sends

 

[JQB45]

What power supply do you have now?

 

[spdragoo]

Depends on the type and the kind of card you get.

What resolution are you going to play at? If you're down around 720p or lower, you could probably get by with a GTX 750Ti; it only needs a 300W PSU, & unless it's one of the OC'd cards (or one with more than the standard 1GB of VRAM) it doesn't require PCIe power connectors from the PSU. That also takes you from a 27th-tier GPU to a 9th-tier GPU. That one is apparently running about $135 USD or so.

However, right now it's only an "honorable mention" for Tom's Hardware, as the R7 260X is cheaper ($115 USD), also a 9th-tier GPU, and has some versions with more VRAM (2GB vs. 1GB). It does require more power, though (500W PSU). Also within a close price is the R9 270X ($150 USD), which is higher (7th-tier) up on the scale. Both the R7 & R9 need a single 6-pin PCIe power connector, so just make sure your PSU has it.

As to whether or not you need a new PSU, that depends on what you currently have. What is the model, wattage, & is it rated (i.e. "80% Bronze")?

 

[spdragoo]

Another thing to consider as well is looking at upgrading your CPU. Not that it's bad -- your current CPU is a 4th-tier -- but could be getting a little long in the tooth, especially without any onboard L3 cache.

Depending on whether your motherboard is an AM3 or an AM3/AM3+ board, you have a couple of options depending on what's available locally:
-- if your motherboard is strictly an AM3 socket, and can support 125W CPUs, then going to a Phenom II X4 975 or 980 would be good, or even better a Phenom II X6 1090T/1100T. Any of those are still considered 2nd-tier CPUs, so would be a good upgrade.
-- if your motherboard can support 125W AM3+ CPUs, then you can easily pick up an FX-8320 CPU. Slightly faster than the Phenoms, plus has even more L2 & L3 cache. Again, solid 2nd-tier CPUs that would last you for a while.
-- if your board can only support 95W CPUs, you're limited at best to 3rd-tier CPUs. Usually, that's not a recommended change, as a single-tier upgrade doesn't usually confer a lot of improvement. However, given the cheap price of your current system, & the lack of L3 cache on your current CPU, there's something to be said for a CPU upgrade here. With AM3+, you can get the hexa-core FX-6300, or even get an octo-core FX-8320e/8370e (the latter have lower stock clocks than the standard 8320/8370, but the same Turbo clock speeds). AM3 options are the Phenom II X4 955, or even an X6 1065T.

However, with the biggest bottleneck being your GPU, that's where you should focus first. Plus, by next year you'll have a bunch of brand-new Intel & AMD options to consider for a new CPU & motherboard anyway.

 

[ajhockey3]

Im trying to play games at 1280x1024 the current power supply is i think 350w its acer not a custom