Suggest a PC upgrade please?

[PING_PONG001]

Hello guys....

I was thinking of upgrading my PC. Right now my specs are
CPU : I5 3450 3.1 Ghz
GPU : GT 640
MOBO : Gigabyte B75md3H
RAM : 4GB GSKILLRIPJAWSX

I was thinking of upgrading my ram and my GPU...
GPU to GTX 960 and buying another 4GB ram stick.

Which will be better the GTX 960 2GB variant or 4GB one? Is it worth this upgrade? Will my CPU get bottlenecked ? How much power do i need? Right now i have a cooler master Elite 400w PSU and After this upgrade will my pc be able to play games at high settings 1080p with decent frame rates (45+)?

And in future I will save up some more money I will buy a new CPU and mobo too so will it be future ready? Right now i'm really tight on budget.

Thanks in advance.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

Just get the 2GB GTX 960 and upgrade thr RAM, too. It'll be fine for 1080p, medium settings.

 

[PING_PONG001]

Just get the 2GB GTX 960 and upgrade thr RAM, too. It'll be fine for 1080p, medium settings.

Thanks for the quick reply.... IF i take the 4GB variant will I be able to play at high settings 1080p?

 

[Zerk2012]

Double check your power supply I don't think they made a 400 Watt version of that?

 

[PING_PONG001]

Double check your power supply I don't think they made a 400 Watt version of that?

Opps! sorry.... its the Elite 400w
thanks for spotting. I have corrected it.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

Hmm it has 2 12V rails with 16 amps each, theoretical 276W combined, yeah you need a new power supply.

 

[PING_PONG001]

Hmm it has 2 12V rails with 16 amps each, theoretical 276W combined, yeah you need a new power supply.

Will a 500w be okay? and can you answer the 4GB variant question please

 

[Zerk2012]

I'm not sure I would add a 120 Watt video card to that power supply. You would also need to make sure you got the card with the 6 pin power connector not the 8 pin.
I would probably look at the GTX 950 instead for the 30 watts less power draw unless your going to upgrade the power supply also.
You might need to upgrade the case cooling some not sure since that was not listed.
if you have a 64 bit operating system then the extra stick of memory for sure.

 

[ST0RM91]

Technically 4GB is "better", but only if you actually use that much vram. If not then its a bit wasted.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

Technically 4GB is "better", but only if you actually use that much vram. If not then its a bit wasted.

Yes but also more $$$

 

[PING_PONG001]

I'm not sure I would add a 120 Watt video card to that power supply. You would also need to make sure you got the card with the 6 pin power connector not the 8 pin.
I would probably look at the GTX 950 instead for the 30 watts less power draw unless your going to upgrade the power supply also.
You might need to upgrade the case cooling some not sure since that was not listed.
if you have a 64 bit operating system then the extra stick of memory for sure.

Thank you so much.... but isn't there a great performance difference between the 960 and 950? and will the extra 2GB improve gaming performance on 1080p monitor?

 

[turkey3_scratch]

960 is 10% better than a 950. 4GB has shown to improve it barely if not none at all, because at the graphics settings the 960 plays at anyway 4GB is not used.

 

[PING_PONG001]

960 is 10% better than a 950. 4GB has shown to improve it barely if not none at all, because at the graphics settings the 960 plays at anyway 4GB is not used.

Okay but if you consider new AAA titles like just cause 3 the GTX 960 has a considerable increase in performance as compared to a GTX950..... so you are telling that i will require only 2GB Vram if playing on 1080p?

 

[turkey3_scratch]

Depends on the game, but you should be fine with 2GB. The 950 and 960 are not high-end cards that need a ton of VRAM.

 

[PING_PONG001]

Depends on the game, but you should be fine with 2GB. The 950 and 960 are not high-end cards that need a ton of VRAM.

Sorry for asking so many questions but finally i should buy a new PSU of ___w . And upgrade to GTX 960 2GB variant

 

[turkey3_scratch]

I'd buy a quality 450W or 550W unit. XFX 450W, 550W are good. Actually Seasonic M12ii 520W would be perfect. Or if you want to spend a little more EVGA GS 550W.

 

[Zerk2012]

The 4GB card helps with some of the newest games and might be a future trend.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isAzgwSQ_hg
The price on this PSU is hard to beat a lot of extra than you need.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KFAFRW6/?tag=pcpapi-20