Build Advice Looking to upgrade PC

[Complexic_1]

PC Specs

CPU - intel i7-4770 @3.40GHz
MOBO - Gigabyte Z87-HD3
GPU - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER
RAM -32gb ram DDR3
STORAGE - 1TB SSD and 1TB HDD
PSU - 600W
Monitor - Sceptre 27-Inch FHD LED Gaming Monitor 75Hz

I'm specifically looking to upgrade 1 component. Either the cheapest or biggest upgrade.

I don't have a lot of money so <$200 is all I can work with. If I have to spend more I'll just save up some more but if I can get an upgrade now I don't see why not. 🤷‍♂️

I'm mostly looking for something that will upgrade my gaming experience. That being said, I do have the occasional issue outside of games. So an upgrade would probably solve those as well:

• Load times are longer than I would like.
• Textures can sometimes be a problem.
• A nice FPS boost would be good.

I'm usually playing games with lots of action happening on the screen. Explosions, skill effects, destruction, etc...

 

[Lafong]

That CPU is near the top of the food chain for that motherboard.

32 GB of DDR 3 is also about all you can do.

You have an SSD. If it isn't nearly full, I'd guess it is not an issue.

You need to find out if a big splurge on a new video card would help you much, considering the other antique hardware you have. I don't know. 200 dollars may not get you anywhere.

My first impulse would be for you to stockpile money till you get at least to the 400 or 500 dollar range for a new CPU/RAM/motherboard package.

Is that power supply as old as your CPU?

 

[Lucky_SLS]

A decent GPU: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/dg...aming-d-arc-a770-8-gb-video-card-a770-pgd-8go

You can look into Ryzen 5500 B550 and 16gb 3200mhz ram for about 200.

So in total, 450 USD for both CPU and GPU upgrade.

If you include PSU:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5500 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($91.34 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B550 GAMING X V2 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Create Expert 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($30.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: ASRock Phantom Gaming D Arc A770 8 GB Video Card ($249.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 TT Premium 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $562.30
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-08-22 02:42 EDT-0400

 

[I Mess With Windows]

This system most likely has quite a CPU bottleneck, so for sub 200 dollars I'd go with an AMD Ryzen 5 4500 and a Gigabyte B550 Aorus Elite board. The Ryzen 5 4500 is a pretty powerful CPU and incredible for the price, and thanks to the beefy for the price motherboard, if one day you want to put like a Ryzen 5 5800X3D in it, you can, it will support it perfectly and the VRMs won't struggle at all!
No matter what platform you go with, you are going to need new RAM as well, probably look for used DDR4, aim for 3200MHz or even 3600.

That will be a solid start, and you're most likely going to upgrade your graphics card before your CPU down the line!
Btw, when you do that, only go for an Intel ARC if you're comfortable with it, the drivers are still having a ton of issues, and it is CRUCIAL you enable Resize Bar in your BIOS.

 

[Nighthawk117]

Textures can sometimes be a problem.

Are you running out of VRAM or running games off the hard drive?

Load times are longer than I would like.

Load times for what specifically?

 

[Complexic_1]

Are you running out of VRAM or running games off the hard drive?

Load times for what specifically?

I think I'm running out of VRAM, I've been searching all over for possible reasons and this is one of them. My GPU says 4GB VRAM which by today's standards are low (or so i've been told).
I do run most of my games off the HDD but the important ones I run on the SSD. That being said the problems I'm having are consistent across both.

I'm not sure how to answer the second question.
Load times between zone changes can sometimes be up to two mins. Jumping into a match. Anything where there is just alot of stuff for the computer to load... 🤷‍♂️

 

[Complexic_1]

That CPU is near the top of the food chain for that motherboard.

32 GB of DDR 3 is also about all you can do.

You have an SSD. If it isn't nearly full, I'd guess it is not an issue.

You need to find out if a big splurge on a new video card would help you much, considering the other antique hardware you have. I don't know. 200 dollars may not get you anywhere.

My first impulse would be for you to stockpile money till you get at least to the 400 or 500 dollar range for a new CPU/RAM/motherboard package.

Is that power supply as old as your CPU?

I see. I kinda figured this might be the case but I was hoping I was missing something out there.
The power supply is about as old, yes.

 

[Nighthawk117]

My GPU says 4GB VRAM which by today's standards are low (or so i've been told).

It's entry level, it's the minimum required to run modern games. Texture popping is normally a symptom of low VRAM. I have on occasion found it also caused by hard drives in modern open world games.

I see. I kinda figured this might be the case but I was hoping I was missing something out there.
The power supply is about as old, yes.

Sounds like VRAM then.

Load times between zone changes can sometimes be up to two mins. Jumping into a match. Anything where there is just alot of stuff for the computer to load... 🤷‍♂️

Assuming the game is running off the SSD, then sounds CPU related. When you say jumping into a match, this isn't Cod Warzone or anything like that?

 

[DSzymborski]

It's hard to give a recommendation without knowing if you're either open to replacing the PSU and if you're not, what the *exact* PSU you currently have is. A PSU that is both sufficient wattage and sufficient *quality* is key to any upgrade, so until we know what's going on there, it's hard to say much of value.

 

[Complexic_1]

It's hard to give a recommendation without knowing if you're either open to replacing the PSU and if you're not, what the *exact* PSU you currently have is. A PSU that is both sufficient wattage and sufficient *quality* is key to any upgrade, so until we know what's going on there, it's hard to say much of value.

uh, the PSU i have is a Thermaltake TR2 600 W. I really want to salvage as much of the pc as possible because it really sounds like, with everything everyone suggested, the whole pc might need to be replaced. 😢

 

[SorryBella]

uh, the PSU i have is a Thermaltake TR2 600 W. I really want to salvage as much of the pc as possible because it really sounds like, with everything everyone suggested, the whole pc might need to be replaced. 😢

Honestly that would be the most financially sensible in the long term but i know not everyone have the cash to do that. Best you could do would be a GPU upgrade to something at 6600 XT or 6700 class. Check Tomshardware GPU Hierarchy for more info.

GPU Benchmarks and Hierarchy 2023: Graphics Cards Ranked

We've run hundreds of GPU benchmarks on Nvidia, AMD, and Intel graphics cards and ranked them in our comprehensive hierarchy.

www.tomshardware.com