[SOLVED] Upgrading a 4 ish Year Old Pc for Gaming ( hoping for advice)

[Themasterofw]

I will start by saying I am not at all savvy with building computers yet; but I have a uncle who knows it somewhat. But even he fails at answering what to do from this stage.

Originally, I bought a computer fully from Cybertron( CybertronPC Borg-Q GM4213A Desktop PC (Blue)) on amazon and it came with a weaker graphics card ( one of the only things I have updated along with ram).


Specs below-

Motherboard : GA-78LMT-USB3

Computer Screen : HP w2007

GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti

CPU: AMD FX-4130

Ram : Corsair Vengeance Pro DDR3 2400 C11 2x8GB

HDD: TOSHIBA DT01ACA100

SSD: None

Power Supply: Thermal Take smart series 500w ( so it reads on it)

PC case: Apevia X-Sniper 2 Gaming Mid-Tower


My main issue is not in running the games but that in hectic situations ( i.e a lot of things going on at once) I get severely reduced fps ( even in LoL).


I was thinking of upgrading the motherboard as I know its not compatible with top end graphic cards.


In total, I would like to only spend $400- 650 including a SSD. If need be I will just straight up buy another PC but I would really like to avoid it.

I hope I am not asking too much and that I followed a easy to read format. If this post needs to be deleted or moved to another thread please let me know .

I tried to figure this out via multiple sites but I have read posts that state they aren't the most reliable ( userbenchmark and thebottlenecker).

 

[jacob68]

I will start by saying I am not at all savvy with building computers yet; but I have a uncle who knows it somewhat. But even he fails at answering what to do from this stage.

Originally, I bought a computer fully from Cybertron( CybertronPC Borg-Q GM4213A Desktop PC (Blue)) on amazon and it came with a weaker graphics card ( one of the only things I have updated along with ram).


Specs below-

Motherboard : GA-78LMT-USB3

Computer Screen : HP w2007

GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti

CPU: AMD FX-4130

Ram : Corsair Vengeance Pro DDR3 2400 C11 2x8GB

HDD: TOSHIBA DT01ACA100

SSD: None

Power Supply: Thermal Take smart series 500w ( so it reads on it)

PC case: Apevia X-Sniper 2 Gaming Mid-Tower


My main issue is not in running the games but that in hectic situations ( i.e a lot of things going on at once) I get severely reduced fps ( even in LoL).


I was thinking of upgrading the motherboard as I know its not compatible with top end graphic cards.


In total, I would like to only spend $400- 650 including a SSD. If need be I will just straight up buy another PC but I would really like to avoid it.

I hope I am not asking too much and that I followed a easy to read format. If this post needs to be deleted or moved to another thread please let me know .

I tried to figure this out via multiple sites but I have read posts that state they aren't the most reliable ( userbenchmark and thebottlenecker).

Probably as many opinions on this as there are users in here

However, my five cents:

I would keep the case, psu, hdd for now.

Replace mobo, ram, cpu, gpu and buy a small SSD for OS.
If budget is tight the GPU and the ssd can wait.

 

[King_V]

In a word, no. The old FX processors, and the boards they run on, are years out of date. There's no upgrade path for your existing system.

Further, since newer systems use DDR4 RAM, if you upgrade your motherboard and CPU, you're also looking at buying new RAM.

I'm not overly familiar with the demands of specific games, so there will be others who can answer what components to get better than I can, and whether the issues you currently see are GPU or CPU limitations.

 

[Themasterofw]

In a word, no. The old FX processors, and the boards they run on, are years out of date. There's no upgrade path for your existing system.

Further, since newer systems use DDR4 RAM, if you upgrade your motherboard and CPU, you're also looking at buying new RAM.

I'm not overly familiar with the demands of specific games, so there will be others who can answer what components to get better than I can, and whether the issues you currently see are GPU or CPU limitations.

Yeah I had read that this might be the case .

Probably as many opinions on this as there are users in here

However, my five cents:

I would keep the case, psu, hdd for now.

Replace mobo, ram, cpu, gpu and buy a small SSD for OS.
If budget is tight the GPU and the ssd can wait.

Do you have any recommendations for the replacements? If not I shall scour the internet .
P.S Why 5 and not 2 cents? ( the phrase is just my 2 cents on the matter I think)?

 

[jacob68]

Yeah I had read that this might be the case .



Do you have any recommendations for the replacements? If not I shall scour the internet .
P.S Why 5 and not 2 cents? ( the phrase is just my 2 cents on the matter I think)?

Im a billionaire so I spend 5 cents instead of 2...

Anyway, thats really so connected to your budget to be honest, what to recommend. Only thing to look out for is not get a GPU that forcers you to replace the PSU also (assuming you want to avoid that).

Suggestion, just a suggestion, Asus TUF mobo (good price performance, not the cheapest and not the most expensive of their line-up classes).
Intel I5 of a flavor that suits you wallet.
SSD, Kingston is good value for money. 240 GB is enough for OS.
RAM. 2x8 DDR4 2400+ of whatever reliable brand you can find a good bargain on.
GPU. If not replacing the PSU Geforce 1060 6GB could be an option.

 

[Themasterofw]

Hmm alright also I decided to test power supply usage with certain things added i.e a i5 core and a gtx 1080 graphic card.
It said it would use about 340 but recommended 430 which I have more then . https://outervision.com/b/Owm7iU Is it false?

Never mind this doesn't calc the fans and other things ..

 

[King_V]

Well, the video card selection will strongly depend on what the specifications of your monitor are:

• Resolution
• Refresh rate?
• Does it have GSync, FreeSync, or neither?
• Is your goal
  • max details
  • a specific target number of frames per second vs super-high frames per second
  • something in between? Or both max details and max frames?

And, I suppose, are you sticking with your monitor for a while longer, or is a new one planned in the relatively near future?

 

[Themasterofw]

I really didn't think much about the monitor just that the fps from the game was not very consistent. For all intents and purposes I don't really plan on replacing the monitor as I don't believe it to be all that bad. Maybe I just don't know the glory of the best monitors .
My goal isn't even max detail just a decent frame rate which for me is like a constant 60 or 50 in intense game situations ( not even games like anthem either).



Monitor-

Name HP w2007 on NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti
Current Resolution 1680x1050 pixels
Work Resolution 1680x1010 pixels
State Enabled, Primary
Monitor Width 1680
Monitor Height 1050
Monitor BPP 32 bits per pixel
Monitor Frequency 59 Hz
Device \\.\DISPLAY1\Monitor0

 

[Themasterofw]

Would

• MSI Performance Gaming AMD X470 Ryzen 2 AM4 DDR4 Onboard Graphics CFX ATX Motherboard (X470 Gaming… $129.56
• AMD Ryzen 5 2600 Processor with Wraith Stealth Cooler - YD2600BBAFBOX $164.99
  
  
• Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM 3000MHz C15 Desktop Memory Kit - Black… $119.99
  this work fine? Just need a graphic card as I dont think the motherboard would have a great one maybe well enough for the game I play.

 

[King_V]

I really didn't think much about the monitor just that the fps from the game was not very consistent. For all intents and purposes I don't really plan on replacing the monitor as I don't believe it to be all that bad. Maybe I just don't know the glory of the best monitors .
My goal isn't even max detail just a decent frame rate which for me is like a constant 60 or 50 in intense game situations ( not even games like anthem either).



Monitor-

Name HP w2007 on NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti
Current Resolution 1680x1050 pixels
Work Resolution 1680x1010 pixels
State Enabled, Primary
Monitor Width 1680
Monitor Height 1050
Monitor BPP 32 bits per pixel
Monitor Frequency 59 Hz

Given this resolution (about 85% of the number of pixels that a standard 1920x1080 monitor has) and refresh rate, you could get away with an RX560-1024 model (I'd skip the RX560-896), or a 1050Ti.

However, given the pricing (I'm assuming you're in the US), an RX570 performs better than the 1050Ti or the RX560, and for less money.

Interestingly as well, while a bit more than you'd need, the PowerColor Red Dragon RX580 8GB is going for $169.99. That's a great price for the 8GB version of the RX580, and that would handle things well even if you bumped up to a full 1920x1080 monitor.

On the other hand, there's a 4GB version of the RX570 currently for $99.99, and, while weaker than the 8GB RX580, it outperforms the GTX 1050Ti, and performance per dollar is just about as good as it gets. Ignore that one.... it only has a single DVI output connector, and I believe this model was specifically made for cryptomining only. Ignore that one. Other RX570 models still beat out the GTX 1050Ti for both price AND performance, though.

Here's the current US prices as of today - I've selected RX570 and RX580 (both 4 and 8GB models), and the GTX 1050Ti, sorted by price from lowest to highest.

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/video-card/#c=380,392,391&sort=price


The only possible concern I have is that newer AMD graphics cards SOMETIMES have problems with older motherboards, though that might be something particular to older Dell PCs (that's where I personally saw such a problem)

 

[Themasterofw]

I believe I will get a ssd for now and study alot more about pc parts because ,even after all this, I kinda feel like I would just be saying ok I will take that without really understanding what I am buying. I understand ssd's now I believe though.

For the ssd, as my motherboard from what ive researched allows sata 3, but may or may not dampen the full benefit, I shall get one of those.
I was also asking my game's reddit on what they would say I could get away with and the generally conclusion was go for a 1660 ti graphic card and a ssd. They noted it would be fine for my current setup and would, while not getting full potential, be a huge upgrade. One noted that a 960 ti would be enough with a ssd no clue really .

I guess I can't really expect to understand all the terminology and such within a short period of time.
I will definitely consider what everyone has added to this but I really want to understand what I am buying because if I don't its not much different from buying a pre built pc. I have learned quite a bit but its not enough for me to decide yet .
I kinda feel that this may be more difficult to commit to memory then Calc 2 . ( a college student almost university)

Once again, thank you tech savvy people for the input. if you have anything else to add I would be more then happy to hear it.
P.S I hope you didn't take too much time to answer this ignorant student .

 

[King_V]

A 1660Ti would be overkill... and a 960Ti, well, I've never heard of such a thing - I don't think there is a Ti version of the 960. Plus, you'd definitely be looking at a used card at that point.

As a general rule, if you go to this page
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gpu-hierarchy,4388.html

Scroll down to the "Legacy GPU Hierarchy" section - the 5th row down, the one containing the GTX 1060 (among others) on the left and the RX570 and 580 (among others) at the right, is generally considered the "max or near max details around 60fps at 1920x1080" tier. Some of the newest cards aren't in that legacy table yet (they all get there eventually), but the 1660Ti is definitely around the 1070 range.

I know you're putting off the decision on the GPU for now (not a bad idea, but I'm also the type to wait, research more, etc), but figured I'd give you what information I could. Best to wait to get the right thing than to pay too much for capability you can't use.