Planning my first upgrade...

[darksoul_moo]

Hey guys, prebuilt noobie here wanting to upgrade my gaming system. Problem is, I'm not really sure what to upgrade :/. My systems been running a bit badly on some newer games (Guild Wars 2 and Planetside 2 as an example) and I was wondering if it was possible for me too upgrade my system to run these games and games to come on max settings (or atleast high, since I do play on a 1920 by 1800 monitor).

Specs below:

CPU: i7 930 @ 2.80 GHz (8 CPU's), 2.8 GHz
RAM: 9GB (not sure what type, think it's tri-channel though, like I said, noobie here 😛)
Motherboard: Not sure where to find this, if someone could tell me, that would be appreciated (if this is needed)
GPU: Dual Radeon 5670's
HDD: 7200's RPM (sorry again if not enough info)

I believe my main problem is my GPU, I knew the 5670's weren't the best, but my budget was kind of limited back then. Also, I do not play on dual monitors so Crossfire has been kind of useless. If you need any more info about my system (might have left some information out), please just ask.

tl: dr: what components must I upgrade to run current games (and games to come) on max? And if so, any recommendations?

(also, sorry if my sentences are choppy, english is not my first language, hard to learn 😀)

 

[Deemo13]

Your processor is fine for now, but I would look at upgrading the GPU's.

This looks like an Alienware sorta. They usually put dual low end cards in their systems.

Do you have a budget?

 

[darksoul_moo]

Yeah Deemo, it's an Alienware prebuilt.

And for my budget, I would say anywhere between $250-300. I'm not really sure if that's enough though :/

 

[Deemo13]

That would be plenty. Assuming you have the power supply for it, the Radeon HD7870 should fit your needs perfectly.

If you want to spend more, the 7950 should be a good option as well. Your power supply should be fine, as Dell actually puts decent power supplies in their computers.

 

[darksoul_moo]

Hey there again Deemo13!

Thanks for the feedback, could you possibly link me to the Radeon HD7870/7950? (If not, no big deal, I can find it on my own later if you can't)

Also, how would I check how big my power supply is? I don't remember what the number was, but better safe then sorry I guess 😛

Thanks, dark.

 

[DarkSable]

Since it IS an alienware, you have a problem. Your power supply is... not good. That's probably going to need to be the first upgrade, even though it won't help performance.

 

[Deemo13]

If you want to open the side of your case, there should be a label on the side of the box looking thing with all of the wires next to it. The most important thing is the 12V amperage and the max watts. Also, if the label specifies the max 12V output, that would be awesome, but that's not always there.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202006

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125418

I'd pick the 7950, just because the value is much nicer with the 3 games that it comes with.

 

[darksoul_moo]

Sorry for the slow reply Deemo13, ended up having to fiddle about a bit more with some things.

Turns out this power supplier will run both cards (good thing I chose the better power supply), but just a question, how long long will the 7950 outlast the 7870? I will probably buy the 7950 anyways, just wondering if its use will outlast the 7870 (bar any mech. failures and stuff).

Anyways, thanks, dark.

 

[Deemo13]

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/550?vs=548

They're pretty close in performance.

 

[darksoul_moo]

Hey again Deemo13!

One last question, will I have to switch my motherboard to upgrade to one of these cards?

 

[darksoul_moo]

Also, for my motherboard, it is an Alienware 04VWF2 X58. Forgot to mention that before, my bad.

 

[Deemo13]

You won't have to no. It should just plug right in. Make sure to uninstall the drivers first though.