Noob needing an upgrade!

[Flash101]

Hello everyone.

I am hoping to upgrade my graphics card this Christmas but I'm struggling to know what to ask for. Here are my specs, I know they are bad that's why I'm here.

AMD A8 6600K Quad Core Processor / CPU running at 3.9GHz
8GB DDR3 1600Mhz RAM
AMD RADEON HD8570D GRAPHICS
1TB SEAGATE Barracuda 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive With 64MB Cache
SAMSUNG 24X DVD / CD - RW Dual Layer Optical Disc Drive
MSI FM2-A55M-E33 uATX Motherboard
500W Quiet Power Supply Featuring Large 120mm Cooling Fan
Vantage RED Desktop PC Gaming Case with 3 x 120mm RED LED Cooling Fans.
SD Memory Card Reader
Gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000 Mbps LAN
4 X High Speed USB 2.0 Ports on Back Plus Further 2 On Top
8 Channel HD Audio
4 X SATA II 3GB/s Ports
1 X PCI Express X16 Slot
1 X PCI Express X1 Slot
1 X PCI Slot
2 X PS/2 Port
1 X VGA Port
1 X HDMI Port
All Relevant Driver Discs Included.

My price range is around the $200 range but it's not set in stone, I can go a little over, a little under you get the picture.

I want the card for gaming which may be obvious. Thanks for the help!

 

[sharnthor]

Hi Flash101

I had a similar setup like yours and you have 2 issues here.

1. I need to ask first, how hold is your power supply? If it's more than say, 2 years old. Then you'll have to replace that soon. The capacitors inside the power supplies just don't last. So after 2 years, you have less than 500W usage out of your power supply. Try get yourself a replacement, 700W would be good. If you upgrade your system, at least you can transfer the PSU at a later stage.
2. I am looking at the Radeon R9 280x at the moment. Have a look on Amazon for Black Friday, there's a very good deal on at the moment for $229!!! That is a really good price and might just be quite handy for your build.

Anyway, that's my recommendation.

http://www.amazon.com/XFX-RADEON-1000MHz-Graphics-R9-280X-TDFD/dp/B00FSC5N66

 

[Flash101]

That sounds like a good idea The power I only got the power supply (along with everything else) last year so hopefully it's good to go. And can my PC handle that card?

 

[sharnthor]

That sounds like a good idea The power I only got the power supply (along with everything else) last year so hopefully it's good to go. And can my PC handle that card?

Okay, check this out.

Here's a nice comparison between the two cards.

According to this, you'll definitely need a new power supply...
http://gpuboss.com/gpus/XFX-Radeon-R9-280X-vs-Radeon-HD-8570

Before you run out and get crazy on buying new equipment, I would suggest you do 2 things
1. Make sure that your current power supply does have a PCI-E power connector available
2. Complete one of the 2 below and it will give you your full power consumption on your PC as is, then change it with the new card. That will give you the closest call in seeing your current setup can handle the card.
http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp
http://powersupplycalculator.net/

Most likely, you'll have to get a new PSU though. You can go with other cards here, but considering the price on the XFX and the quality and reviews on the R9 280 in general, this is a really good card at a very good price.

 

[sharnthor]

P.S

I'm running i5 processor with Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 OC Edition and I play all games so far decently. So maybe just prioritize your purchases, or try your best to buy both PSU and graphics card in one go...

At some stage or another, you're going to have to start upgrading bigger ie Motherboard, CPU etc and then at least you've got your basics in place already.