Is upgrading my 4 year old system with a new graphics card a good idea?

[Tyson Storm]

I have an almost 4 year old PC and I am thinking to add a new Graphics Card. It has the following specifications: (I live in India)

Motherboard: ASUS M5A88-M with AMD 880G Chipset and AMD Phenom II
Processor: AMD FX-4100 Quad Core Processor 3.6ghz (not overclocked and won't) (2 Physical Cores, 4 Logical Cores)
Inbuilt GPU: AMD Radeon HD 4250
RAM: Corsair Value Select DDR3 4GB x 2 (8GB) 1333 mhz
Hard disk: Seagate 500GB
Monitor: Samsung Syncmaster 2033SW 1600x900 res, 50cm, 5ms response time.
I had an iBall PSU which has just died.

So I'm thinking to buy a Zotac GeForce GTX 750ti 2GB. (₹10,000 / $150)
http://www.amazon.in/ZOTAC-GeForce-Graphics-Black-Orange/dp/B00IFZ547Q

Will this GPU run on my system and is it a good idea to do this upgrade since my system is 4 years old?

I don't think that I can get much of an upgrade over my existing system without spending at least Rupees 50,000-60,000 ($750-$900). I can spend ₹50k or so. Suggestions on rig components are welcome though!

And a suitable PSU suggestion is also needed.

So will this card work on mine and is having an AMD system with NVIDIA card a problem?

Thank you!

 

[Mr Kagouris]

For the PSU you can go as cheap as a Seasonic S12II 520W (or equivalent XFX TS for nicer cables).

Main problem is your CPU. Upgrading it to something like an FX 8350 (or if you don't have an aftermarket cooler, an FX 8370 with the new wraith cooler) would be a good idea. May require BIOS update.

For a GPU upgrade you should get the Rx 470 at that price. Significantly better than the 750 Ti.

 

[Tyson Storm]

Thanks for the reply!
The Rx 470 has just released in India on 4th August. For ₹16,000. That's $240. The 750ti is ₹10k ($150). Also, so the Rx 470 is gonna take some time (no clue) to start selling from the individual manufacturers. I don't see anything on sites like amazon.in. (A big thanks for informing me about this card though!)

So, um, is my fx-4100 decent enough for the 750ti? Like there's no compatibility issue right? Any worries? (Same Question with the Rx 470) (not sure that I can do a full upgrade to a new rig, that's why!)

Is a PSU like this fine? : http://www.amazon.in/Corsair-VS-VS550-Watt-SMPS/dp/B00DQ5OB4C/ref=pd_sim_147_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=41Yh-ta6tUL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&psc=1&refRID=151SQF6Z1ENNR7YBXSX1

 

[Mr Kagouris]

If the Rx 470 is too expensive, Rx 460 is still a better option than the 750 Ti although it will come out later.

Yes it's good enough for a 750 Ti but it's very lacking for modern gaming. You don't need to do a "full upgrade", upgrading the CPU is as easy as taking the old one out and putting in the new one (might have to update the UEFI first but that's fairly straightforward).

VS series are not good. You'll want to get this: http://www.amazon.in/Seasonic-Modular-Supply-Certification-SS-520GM2/dp/B00HG2R3FU/ref=sr_1_30?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1470596278&sr=1-30

 

[Tyson Storm]

First up, could you suggest a slightly cheaper PSU?

Next up, I found this: http://www.digit.in/slideshows/building-a-gaming-pc-tower-under-rs-50-000-1.html

And in that, is the i3 good enough or is there something else good for near the same price? (Comparison revealed it akin to the fx 6300)
I checked up the Fx-8350 but it seems a bit too costly? The fx-6300 black edition is closer to spending budget, I'd say but it seems so close to my existing 4100. And the 8350 is quite high up in cost. Any middle ground?

And is this a good motherboard? http://www.amazon.in/GIGABYTE-GA-B150M-D3H-Intel-Micro-Motherboard/dp/B016OQL3BS/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1470668763&sr=1-1&keywords=B150

 

[Mr Kagouris]

I checked through Amazon India, it was the cheapest PSU I'd trust. You can risk it and go with a crappy unit if you want, I can't stop you, but generally I prefer not to trust a piece of junk to not blow up my several-hundred-dollar machine. Junk units also last a significantly shorter time, so in the long run you'd be paying much more by going with one.

i3s are good but I doubt you can get an i3 + motherboard for less than an FX 8350. There's also the FX 8320 which should cost a bit less and is the baseline 8-core from the FX lineup.

 

[Tyson Storm]

Alrighty, thanks a ton for your time and help! Much appreciated!
Really helped me to narrow it down!