Can I upgrade this PC and game on it?

[raman27]

Here's my system. iBUYPOWER Desktop PC T.T SERIES NE729i. It's unchanged since 2014. I got a brand new monitor and I'm wanting to game on it. It's the Acer XG270HU. It was about $360. I only had $1100 to spend so that's $740 left. Can it be upgraded so I can game on it with the $740 I have left? I'd like to take as full of an advantage as I can of my monitor. I can stetch the budget a little if I must. I'm willing to buy used parts as well.

 

[volkgren]

It would be best if you listed all your system specs including power supply. iBUYPOWER systems come custom configured. We know nothing about the system you have.

 

[raman27]

Is this what you want?


Model
Brand
iBUYPOWER
Series
T.T SERIES
Model
NE729i

Quick Info
Type
Gaming & Entertainment
Usage
Consumer
Processor
Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0 GHz
Processor Main Features
64 bit Quad-Core Processor
Cache Per Processor
8 MB L3 Cache
Memory
8 GB DDR3 1600
Storage
1 TB SATA III
Optical Drive
24X DL DVD+/-RW Drive
Graphics
AMD Radeon R7 250 2 GB
Ethernet
Gigabit Ethernet
Power Supply
350W
Case
Thermaltake VERSA H23 GAMING CHASSIS
Operating System
Windows 8.1 64-Bit
Special Features
Wi-Fi Module
USB 3.0 + SATA III

Motherboard
Chipset
Intel Z97
Motherboard Name
ASROCK MOTHERBOARD Z97 ANNIVERSARY

CPU
CPU Type
Intel Core i7
CPU Speed
4790K (4.00 GHz)
L3 Cache Per CPU
8 MB
CPU Socket Type
LGA 1150
CPU Main Features
64 bit Quad-Core Processor

Graphics
GPU/VGA Type
AMD Radeon R7 250 2 GB

Memory
Memory Capacity
8 GB DDR3
Memory Speed
DDR3 1600
Memory Spec
4 GB x 2
Memory Slot (Total)
4
Memory Slot (Available)
2
Maximum Memory Supported
32 GB

Storage
HDD
1 TB
HDD Interface
SATA III

Optical Drive
Optical Drive Type
DVD±RW
Optical Drive Spec
24X DL DVD+/-RW Drive

Display
Screen Size
No Screen

Audio
Audio Features
Realtek ALC887 5.1 Channels

Communications
LAN Speed
10/100/1000Mbps

Front Panel Ports
Front USB
1 x USB 2.0
1 x USB 3.0
Front Audio Ports
1

Back Panel Ports
PS/2
1
Video Ports
1 VGA, 1 DVI, 1 HDMI
Rear USB
2 x USB 2.0
4 x USB 3.0
RJ45
1 port
Rear Audio Ports
3 ports

Expansion
External Bays
3 x External 5.25" drive bays
Internal Bays
3 x Internal 3.5" drive bay
PCI Slots (Available/Total)
1 PCIe 3.0 x16
3 PCIe 2.0 x1
2 PCI Slots

Mouse
Mouse Type
iBUYPOWER USB Mouse

Keyboard
Keyboard Type
iBUYPOWER USB Deluxe Keyboard

Dimensions & Weight
Dimensions (H x W x D)
16.8" x 7.7" x 19.6"
Weight
31 lbs.

 

[raman27]

Wait a minute. Let me see what power supply I have. I'll take the side panel off and look.

 

[raman27]

It would be best if you listed all your system specs including power supply. iBUYPOWER systems come custom configured. We know nothing about the system you have.

It says on it. Corsair HX750.

 

[volkgren]

You have an i7-4790K, which will be good enough for your needs. You will need a good GPU though, and possibly a new power supply since your current GPU is a low power, budget card.

 

[volkgren]

It would be best if you listed all your system specs including power supply. iBUYPOWER systems come custom configured. We know nothing about the system you have.

It says on it. Corsair HX750.

Okay okay! That's good enough! (*sorry, exclamation just means it's a good PSU, which is surprising to see in an iBUYPOWER system)

You have $740 left.. that can actually get you a GTX 1080 Ti. But,.. you have 8GB system RAM, which is enough in most cases but I'd like to have 16GB RAM for good measure. I'd get another 2x4GB RAM exactly like you have, or toss your current 8GB ram and buy a 2x8GB kit. Then get a GTX 1080 or RTX 2070 which should cost around $500.

 

[volkgren]

You have a Z97 motheboard which can run faster memory. I'd buy a DDR3 2133 2x8GB kit to get the most out of your gaming experience. What CPU cooler do you have? You can overclock your i7-4790K to around 4.7GHz if you had a good cooler.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($116.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce RTX 2070 8GB Black Video Card ($499.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $616.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-28 16:56 EDT-0400

 

[raman27]

You have an i7-4790K, which will be good enough for your needs. You will need a good GPU though, and possibly a new power supply since your current GPU is a low power, budget card.

But wait a minute. That can't be right I got the best graphics card out at that time. I was told.

 

[volkgren]

You have an i7-4790K, which will be good enough for your needs. You will need a good GPU though, and possibly a new power supply since your current GPU is a low power, budget card.

But wait a minute. That can't be right I got the best graphics card out at that time. I was told.

It says R7 250. That's about the cheapest gaming card you could get a few years ago. R9 290 or 290X would have been one of the fastest.

 

[raman27]

No. I have an Nvidia card. In fact it looks like 2 are in there. But I'm having problems gaming at maxed out settings. I looked at the Nvidia control panel and it says GTX 980.

 

[LinuxDevice]

A 350W supply is definitely not enough if you upgrade the GPU.

Most games work well with 8GB RAM, but a few will need 16GB.

 

[raman27]

A 350W supply is definitely not enough if you upgrade the GPU.

Most games work well with 8GB RAM, but a few will need 16GB.

I have 32GB of RAM according to to task manager. The listed specs are wrong. I remember now I did have it upgraded again in 2014. I did it for Christmas.

 

[volkgren]

No. I have an Nvidia card. In fact it looks like 2 are in there. But I'm having problems gaming at maxed out settings. I looked at the Nvidia control panel and it says GTX 980.

Well why are you giving us specs that your PC doesn't have? If you have 2x GTX 980 then you can just use those if you wanted. You should have honestly gotten yourself a really good G-SYNC monitor instead. But oh well, you already bought that one. You can still get the GTX 1080 Ti which would be better than your 2x GTX 980.

 

[Vic 40]

He can't have 2xGTX 980 on that motherboard.

 

[volkgren]

A GTX 980 is on part with a GTX 1060 6GB. Is upgrade to at least a GTX 1080 or RTX 2070.