upgrading my pc for gaming

[teursu]

Hi, I'm new to this. I've recently decided to switch to PC gaming and I want my computer to be able to run current games smoothly, such as COD ghosts.

I'm not sure what's important but, speccy:
CPU: AMD Athlon II X2 215
RAM: 4GB DDR2 400MHz
Mobo: dell AM2 AMD
Graphics: 1024MB NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT, DELL ST2010 (1600x900@60Hz)
HD: 466GB Seagate ST3500418AS ATA Device (SATA)

I wanna upgrade the motherboard because I have 2 4GB ddr3 ram. Can you suggest what motherboard to get and if I need to upgrade anything else. As for price, whatever the minimum is to run without problems. Let me know if you need anymore info.

 

[quilciri]

Pretty much everything needs an upgrade, unfortunately. CPU, motherboard, GPU (and RAM)

what is your budget?

 

[chris2634]

As quilciri said what is your budget because unfortunately your pc right now is not up to scratch for current gen pc gaming. If you give us an approximate budget we can help you more easily.

 

[teursu]

Pretty much everything needs an upgrade, unfortunately. CPU, motherboard, GPU (and RAM)

what is your budget?

I'm not sure, I didn't realize I needed so much upgrades.
Just to be able to run games decently what would be an average price?
Also, would I better off upgrading my current PC or building a new one?

thanks for the replies

 

[ScrewySqrl]

with all you have to upgrade, you're probly better off building from scratch. the good news is you already have 8 GB of DDR3 RAM, so that'll save about $60

still there are very different builds between, say $400, $500, $600, $1000

 

[quilciri]

You'll be pretty much building a new machine. You can keep the hard drive, though you will need to reinstall windows. You can keep the optical drive and case, and possibly the PSU. what is the make/model of your power supply?

 

[quilciri]

Just to be able to run games decently what would be an average price?

What resolution will you be playing at?

 

[teursu]

Just to be able to run games decently what would be an average price?

What resolution will you be playing at?

Sorry for the late reply. My monitor is 1600x900
my power supply is Bestec
ATX0300D5WB
my budget max is around $800

 

[chris2634]

How about this. It should play almost all games at max settings at your resolution.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1YzpN

At 300 watts unfortunately that power supply is not going to cut.
If you want to save some money you can go for this build which will still play most games at high at your resolution.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1Yzyz

 

[quilciri]

I endorse Chris' second build with a couple changes.

1 - swap out the 7870 for a 670. It's a step up for the same price right now.
MSI GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($219.99 @ Newegg)

2 - swap out the PSU in that build. The corsair CX series are mediocre CWT units. the only well received one is the 430. For the same price you can get the Seasonic-built
XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($55.98 @ Newegg)

 

[teursu]

ok I will probably go with that, thank you for all the help

 

[quilciri]

Oh, hang on. He's got a SLI/xfire mobo in there, but the PSU he suggested (and the one I did) can't support multiple GPU's. Sory I didn't catch that on the first pass. one moment.

 

[quilciri]

Cheap suggestion

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($117.97 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock 960GM/U3S3 FX Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.65 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($219.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($55.98 @ Newegg)

Total: $508.58
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

 

[quilciri]

This one could take a second 670 down the road.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.65 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($219.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 850W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $744.58
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)