[SOLVED] Cheap upgrade options - RAM & SSD

[raffsf]

Hi all, it is upgrade time again and I have been looking online how to speedup my rig with the minimum outlay. At present I am running my own machine:

Motherboard ASUS M5A78L-M/USB3 Socket AM3+
CPU AMD FX 8350 8-core
Graphics card MSI R9 280x
RAM Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 Vengeance 8GB (2x4 GB) DDR3 1600
Hard Drives: I have several standard 7200rpm HD

I figure the easiest (and cheapest) way to increase speed will be RAM and a SSD. I was thinking of this as a SSD:

Crucial MX500 1 TB

RAM wise I am a little unsure. Should I buy a new set of 16Gb RAM or should I buy another set of what is already there?

I think updating the RAM and HD will give me a decent boost in speed without breaking the bank.

All advice would be appreciated

 

[Prad_Bitt]

Hi all, it is upgrade time again and I have been looking online how to speedup my rig with the minimum outlay. At present I am running my own machine:

Motherboard ASUS M5A78L-M/USB3 Socket AM3+
CPU AMD FX 8350 8-core
Graphics card MSI R9 280x
RAM Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 Vengeance 8GB (2x4 GB) DDR3 1600
Hard Drives: I have several standard 7200rpm HD

I figure the easiest (and cheapest) way to increase speed will be RAM and a SSD. I was thinking of this as a SSD:

Crucial MX500 1 TB

RAM wise I am a little unsure. Should I buy a new set of 16Gb RAM or should I buy another set of what is already there?

I think updating the RAM and HD will give me a decent boost in speed without breaking the bank.

All advice would be appreciated

If your budget confines you to RAM and SSD,

that SSD is a great choice for the price.

And I'd say do 4x4 RAM, same models all over

 

[raffsf]

Thanks for getting back to me Prad_Bitt.

I'm not completely confined to those parts but figured I'd save as much as I can, what with Christmas coming and I ran out of teeth to flog to the tooth fairy.

I know ultimately its all about trying to get best bang for buck. I play some games, (Trine, Metro, Batman) my son uses the PS4 but is interested in playing PC games looking more at the COD sort of games.

Would the 4x4Gb of RAM be better than 16Gb done 2x8Gb, or rather could I add another 16Gb via 2x8Gb or would that be wasteful?

 

[Prad_Bitt]

Thanks for getting back to me Prad_Bitt.

I'm not completely confined to those parts but figured I'd save as much as I can, what with Christmas coming and I ran out of teeth to flog to the tooth fairy.

I know ultimately its all about trying to get best bang for buck. I play some games, (Trine, Metro, Batman) my son uses the PS4 but is interested in playing PC games looking more at the COD sort of games.

Would the 4x4Gb of RAM be better than 16Gb done 2x8Gb, or rather could I add another 16Gb via 2x8Gb or would that be wasteful?

2x8 +4x2 is not recommended. Plus that build cannot make use of 24GB RAM

4x4 however will work normally in dual channel. So I'd say you do that

4×4 is sometimes faster than 2×8 too

 

[raffsf]

Thanks P_B, I didn't think that would work but no harm in trying/asking!

What about graphics cards, is there much I could get in the sub £200 that would make a big difference or am I better waiting and upgrading more later on?

 

[Prad_Bitt]

Thanks P_B, I didn't think that would work but no harm in trying/asking!

What about graphics cards, is there much I could get in the sub £200 that would make a big difference or am I better waiting and upgrading more later on?

I think you might have bottleneck with a new GPU right now. I'd say wait a little and build totally new cpu gpu ram mobo next year (which means the new ram will become useless)

 

[kwikgta]

I would go with 16gb of ram, an SSD, and look around for a used 970 gtx. I ran a 8350 with a 970 for a long time and they work well together.

 

[Prad_Bitt]

I would go with 16gb of ram, an SSD, and look around for a used 970 gtx. I ran a 8350 with a 970 for a long time and they work well together.

Yes. Even a used 1060 would do good. Or if new, then 1650 super is the way to go

 

[raffsf]

Anybody recommend a decent site for used graphics cards that ship to Ireland/UK ?

Am starting to think I'll go with the RAM, SSD and maybe a used graphics card now and if my son takes to PC gaming I could split the contents next year and build him a better gaming rig, leaving me with the a bit of an updated version of what I am running now.

Thanks for all the help guys.

 

[geofelt]

The FX line is all but obsolete.
In particular, the single thread performance is very weak, and single thread is what games need most.

I would not spend anything on it that can not be carried forward to a new build.
A SSD would be one of the best performance upgrades you can make.
Everything would feel so much quicker.
I would buy a 1tb samsung 860 EVO instead.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-MZ...247610&sprefix=samsung+860+evo,aps,265&sr=8-1
It is a bit cheaper, and might be a touch more reliable, but the main reason is that samsung offers a ssd migration aid that will move your windows C drive to their ssd.
I have use the app many times, you can download the app and instructions here:

Tool & Software Download | Samsung Semiconductor Global

Download various software related to your product, including Samsung Magician, designed for use with Samsung's memory products, and find related information.

www.samsung.com

A graphics card upgrade is another portable upgrade.
What is the make/model of your power supply?
That is what will limit your possible graphics upgrades.
Here is a handy chart:
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

But, before you buy a strong graphics card, run this simple test:
Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
This makes the graphics card loaf a bit.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

When you need a stronger processor, you are also looking at both a motherboard and ddr4 ram as upgrades.
In the US, a i3-10100, a lga1200 motherboard and 16gb of ddr4 ram will cost about $250 and be about twice as strong as your FX-8350 in gaming.

 

[raffsf]

Hi geofelt. The PSU is a XFX 550w

 

[geofelt]

Hi geofelt. The PSU is a XFX 550w

A good psu, it can handle a stronger graphics card than your cpu can drive.

 

[raffsf]

A good psu, it can handle a stronger graphics card than your cpu can drive.

At least something in the rig is decent