[SOLVED] Upgrades for sons Xmas PC

[luke_tav]

Hi guys,

I'm building my 9 y/o son a PC for Xmas from my old PC parts. I currently have the following:

Phenom II X4 955 BE (running stock)
EVO 212 cooler
GTX 960 2GB
2x2GB RAM
ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 motherboard
500W PSU

He mainly plays Fortnite on Xbox One S, so that's my target game. When I booted up Fortnite I was quite impressed by the recommended settings, but once into the game I had a few issues.

Whilst the frame rate was generally 60-90 when unlocked I did have issues where the game almost dropped to single figures and froze for a few seconds. Also, with textures at medium (recommend ed by the game) I had issues where they wouldn't load in for minutes at a time (stood looking at a building which was a blurry mess for 5+ minutes and it never drew in properly).

My question is, which of the following would be worthwhile to improve performance:

1. Increase RAM to 2x4GB (1333mhz) and OC the CPU using AMD Overdrive (cost approx £30 for memory).

2. Upgrade CPU to FX8320 and increase RAM to 2x4GB (cost approx £60 for CPU and RAM).

Thanks for the help!

 

[Lutfij]

Appreciate what you're doing for your son We need more threads like this ;D

On topic, now, what is the make and model of your PSU? Are you on the latest GPU drivers, might want to see if uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers helps with the frames but overall with a mechanical drive, game textures and loading times will be a little more. I would rather ask you drop nothing onto the existing system and go for an entry level 500pound build. The board you have, even though it says in CPU support list that you can drop in an FX-8320, the VRM area being barren would only be reason for killing the board prematurely. You could also game off the Ryzen 3/5 APU's and not need a discrete GPU.

 

[luke_tav]

Thanks for the response Luftij.

The game is installed on an SSD with a fresh install of Win10 Pro 64bit. Drivers are up to date too.

The PSU is a 500W gold, unbranded or OEM I think.

The full gaming build will be later in the year, this is just to get him up and running asap.

 

[madmatt30]

The lack of ram is your main issue (apart from old components but you already know that Im sure)

That board is unsuitable for an 8320 in all honesty,itll just throttle immensely.
The most Id drop in there is a 6300 but as a temporary measure its not really worth the outlay.

Upgrade the ram to 8gb ,& call it a day is my advice.

 

[luke_tav]

Thanks for the response Matt.

After doing a bit more research into the FX8320, you and Luftij are correct. I don't think that's an option.

I think I'm going to upgrade to 8GB RAM & upgrade the PSU for future upgrades and stability. I'll see if I can get a decent OC on the Phenom as well.

 

[Wolfshadw]

I would note that the motherboard you have only supports up to a 95watt TDP CPU. It would only support the "E" version of the FX-8320/70. If you can get the "E" version and the 2x4GB RAM for £60, I'd say go for it.

-Wolf sends

 

[luke_tav]

The CPU is from a friend, all we know is it's a FX8320 3.5Ghz AM3+

Is it worth the risk? Would the FX + 8Gb be a noticeable upgrade on an OC'd Phenom + 8GB (on Fortnite in particular)?

 

[Wolfshadw]

The FX8320 is not compatible with your motherboard. Only the FX8320E is compatible. Check CPUID. Even if it's not the "E" version, and you don't mind the financial loss, I'd probably go ahead with the RAM upgrade. It may improve your chances of selling it in the future.

-Wolf sends

 

[luke_tav]

Thanks for the response Wolf.

I'm upgrading the RAM either way so I'll see how I get on.

Do you think the 2GB VRAM in the GPU is an issue as well? I can do some part exchanging and get a GTX 970 4GB for about £50. Do you think that would help or would I not see the full benefit?

 

[Wolfshadw]

Even for £50, I don't think upgrading from a GTX960 to a GTX970 is worth it. Stick with that you have.

The 2GB VRAM is only an issue because you are so limited on system RAM. 2GB VRAM should be enough to handle most games. When a game requires more, it borrows what is available from the system RAM. Of course, if all of you system RAM is in use (as it likely is), there's nothing left for your graphics card to borrow from. This will cause stuttering, stoppages, and significant FPS drops in game play.

Upgrade the RAM and call it a day.

-Wolf sends

 

[guanyu210379]

Phenom II X4 955 BE (running stock)
EVO 212 cooler
GTX 960 2GB
2x2GB RAM
ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 motherboard
500W PSU
for 9 yo?
Yes, more RAM is good.
An SSD would be nice too. You have to do for him all the work moving things to SSD tho'.
Keep the rest and sell the system later, it is too old to put much money on it.

 

[madmatt30]

For a £50 outlay I'd swap the 960 for a 970 at the drop of a hat

You may not see gains while paired with a phenom but a 970 is a gpu that could be carried over to a completely new build & still offer very good 1080p performance.

Its more or less on par with a 1060 3gb or rx 580 4gb.

 

[luke_tav]

Thanks for the responses guys, its much appreciated.

The motherboard, CPU and memory will all be replaced later next year, depending on how he gets on with it. I've bought him a new case, keyboard, mouse and monitor so it all looks nice for him.

As he plays FN on an Xbox One S, I'm aiming at that level to start with.

Now, thinking about upgrading the PSU with future proofing in mind (within reason), what should I be looking for? It's currently running an SSD, HDD, GTX 960/970, 3 case fans with Coolermaster RGB lights and I'll be doing a bit of OC'ing on the Phenom (using AMD Overdrive).

Ideally next year I'd like to get him upgraded to i5/Z97 if possible so a suitable PSU for that would be ideal.

 

[Wolfshadw]

A quality (Antec, PC Power and Cooling, Seasonic, SuperFlower) 550watt to 750watt PSU would be more than sufficient for just about any system.

Future upgrades should be to newer platforms (AMD Ryzen/Intel 8th/9th Gen).

-Wolf sends

 

[dudeman509]

If said friend is willing to give up an 8320, are they also willing to part with a motherboard that supports it? An 8320 + a decent GPU make a pretty decent gaming machine.