Upgrading - Compatibility - R9 280x & Q9550

Wort

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Dec 14, 2013
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Hello guys.

First, let me apologize if this thread is in a wrong section of the forum.
I have a few questions for you.

This are components in my computer:

Motherboard: ASUS P5Q PRO
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
PSU: LCPower 8650 Ozeanos v2.2 650W
RAM: Mushkin 5-5-5-18 Enhanced Kit 4gb
Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 4890
HDD: WD Caviar green 1TB
Case: NZXT Beta

I bought those components few years back, in 2009, so I decided it's time for upgrade.
What I need the most, is new graphic card...I was thinking about buying Sapphire Radeon R9 280x TOXIC, but Im concerned my LCPower wont be able to handle such upgrade. Ofc, I will upgrade my PSU, motherboard, RAM, and CPU aswell, but at the moment I just dont have enough budget for everything.

My point is, I can buy 2 components at the time...because of my limited budget at the moment, and I was thinking about upgrading my graphics first, and maybe buy a better PSU. I know my current PSU probably provides enough power, but from what I've heard, I just dont think that LCPower is "stable" enough for such graphic card. So, should I upgrade my graphics and PSU first?

Then, I know Q9550 is still amazing despite its age, but I'm worried it would bottleneck R9 280x just too much. Ofcourse, if I buy new CPU, I have to upgrade my motherboard(socket 775) aswell.

What Im asking you guys is this: should I upgrade my graphics first? or should I buy CPU and motherboard? Which route would you go for?

Also, I would be really thankful if you could help me at choosing components:

Graphics ~300€ (was thinking about R9 280x)
CPU ~200€ (was thinking about I5-4670K)
Motherboard ~150€ (was thinking about MSI Z87-GD65 GAMING)
RAM ~100€ (was thinking about G.Skill Value Series 8GB DDR3 Kit)
PSU ~N/A (I have no clue about this one :)
 

Nuclear101

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The Intel Processor will cause a horrible bottleneck for the R9 280x. I would recommend getting an i5 with that GPU. For the GPU, I would instead go with a Nvidia GPU, as they seem to work better with Intel CPU's. Your chosen CPU is going to be great and the motherboard will compliment that :) For the RAM, you can get Corsair Vengeance Pro's DDR3-1866MHz CAS 9 2x4Gb for less price. For the PSU, I recommend something by Corsair eg. the RM series line. They're quiet, energy efficient, and don't have a huge price tag.
 

Wort

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Thank you for your answer. At first I was thinking about getting Nvidia GPU, but they're overpriced. (50€ more for same performance as R9 280x). So, my best bet would be to sell this computer and buy new one, instead of upgrading this?

 

Nuclear101

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The reason AMD is cheaper but somewhat better is because their GPU's use more electricity and run hotter than Nvidia GPU's. They run stock at 80C, giving almost no O/C Headroom and use 50 more watts of TDP.