Upgrading ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series

[Lightfinger]

Hello Everyone:

I am looking to upgrade my son's woefully out of date PC. The things that need upgrading most are his CPU and graphics card. I thought I would start with graphics card suggestions and go from there.


APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: flexible. He's saving his money so longer we wait, the better. Of course he'd like it ASAP.

BUDGET RANGE: around $200 for upgrade (after rebates), whether this upgrades only the graphics card, or graphics card AND CPU / Motherboard

USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: he uses his PC mostly for gaming. He'd LIKE to be able to play Rainbow 6: Siege Far Cry: Primal and Fallout 4. Other than that, just general web surfing, YouTube. The games will be the biggest demand on the system.

CURRENT GPU: ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series 1GB
CURRENT CPU: Intel Celeron G1620
CURRENT Memory: 8 GB DDR3 PC3-12800H (800 MHz)
CURRENT M/B: BioStar H61MGV3
CURRENT POWER SUPPLY: Corsair 850CXM (850W)
CURRENT CASE: Cooler Master HAF 912

(can post full CPU-Z Report,and/or DXDiag if requested, but wanted to keep this post to a manageable size)


PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: None. (Newegg usually but not necessary)

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA (Colorado)

PARTS PREFERENCES: Not married to ATI, will consider Geforce or other cards.

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe. Never really overclocked, but not opposed to trying it if I can figure it out.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: DELL E228WFP: 1680x1050 Max Resolution

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Again, not sure if upgrading the graphics card alone here is the solution, so any comments / suggestions on upgrading the CPU / Motherboard in conjunction with the graphics card (under or near budget of $200) would be greatly appreciated as well.

Thank you all very much in advance.

 

[clutchc]

Since he is using integrated graphics now, The best option for $200 would be a real gfx card now. The dual core is a problem, but it will be hard to upgrade both for $200. If the system were mine, I'd keep the dual core (for now) and look for a GTX 1060 or RX-470: https://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%204017%20601205646%20601206485&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&Order=PRICED&PageSize=36

Buying even a refurbished i3-2xxx CPU will eat into the budge enough that the gxf card will have to be downgraded. By getting a good card now, he/you can begin saving for the CPU upgrade next.

Another option is getting a refurb CPU like this: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAA7W5RX5148
...and dropping back to a gfx card like this: https://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%204017%20601273503&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&Order=BESTSELLING&PageSize=36

If you don't see another upgrade in the future, then perhaps option 2 is the better choice.

 

[jakubek160]

Ok sir , this is what I recommend doing. Your motherboard is compatible with a lot of cpu's that are not that old. I recommend getting a used i5 cpu. i5 2400 will be the best way to get the most out of your money if you want to make a good gaming pc for 200 usd. Parts I recommend. :

i5 2400 - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-Sandybridge-i5-2400-Quad-Core-Processor/dp/B004FA8NS2/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1496961449&sr=1-1&keywords=i5+2400

A NEW gtx 1050 ti - https://www.amazon.co.uk/EVGA-NVIDIA-GeForce-Express-Graphics/dp/B01M66IJ55/ref=sr_1_8?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1496961609&sr=1-8&keywords=gtx+1050+ti

Don't worry about one fan. It does the job. It spins faster. EVGA has the best customer support and this card is discounted now. You will easily make it in 200 gbp limit. One more thing. I highly recommend to check the pricing of the cpu on ebay for example. If you will afford to get more money , these are the cpu's that are compatible with your motherboard. : http://www.cpu-world.com/Sockets/Socket%201155%20(LGA1155).html

Hope that I helped.

 

[dontlistentome]

The i5 2400 is on the CPU support list for that motherboard, so I'd get that. They usually are around $40 give or take. That leaves you with $150 ish to get a card.

For gaming at 1680x1050 I think an Nvidia GTX 1050 would be fine, especially if the budget was tight. A 1050 Ti is a nice step up if within budget.

 

[clutchc]

+1^
That was what I have in one of my other machines. A Dell Optiplex 790 SFF. i5-2400 and GTX 1050 TI. Even at 1080p, I can run Doom at Ultra (Vulkan) and get a steady 50-80 fps. At 1050p, it will even perform slightly better.