pc upgrade

DARK-KNIGHT

hi my current setup
psu is a 600watt
hdd samsung hd502hj 500gb 7200rpm
mobo im unsure ill find out and post in a bit..
gpu is an nvidia geforce gtx660
psu quad core 4100

my budget is 400-500

thanks lads

Monotype

Is that an AMD FX4100?

Also, more details needed on PSU.

RAM?

DARK-KNIGHT

Monotype wrote: »

Is that an AMD FX4100?

Also, more details needed on PSU.

RAM?

YEAH ITS AN AMD FX 4100
not at home to check psu

Monotype

Do you have an aim to run anything in particular, also what is the resolution of your monitor?

DARK-KNIGHT

Monotype wrote: »

Do you have an aim to run anything in particular, also what is the resolution of your monitor?

my monitor is a benq xl2420t

my aim is to get games running really nicely as besty of quality as i can

Monotype

Right, you're talking about 1920x1080.

The GTX 660 isn't too bad. You might need to upgrade that in a while if you want full detail at that resolution. I'd be more concerned about that CPU right now. It's one of those older Bulldozer quad cores. If you wanted to go down the slightly cheaper route, you could see which CPUs are compatible with the motherboard. You could get an octo-core for about €150.

The more expensive route would be to get a new CPU and motherboard. You wouldn't need a CPU upgrade for a long time after that. You could get something like a 4670K if you fancied overclocking.
http://www.hardwareversand.de/Sockel+1150/78027/Intel+Core+i5-4670K+Box%2C+LGA1150.article
Or you can save €50 and get a cheaper i5 that doesn't overclock. Another alternative is to get something like a xeon CPU for similar price. This has hyperthreading.
http://www.hardwareversand.de/Sockel+1150+(XEON)/78093/Intel+Xeon+E3-1230v3+Bx%2C+LGA1150.article

You'd need a new motherboard... something like...
http://www.hardwareversand.de/DDR3/179451/ASRock+Z97+Anniversary%2C+Sockel+1150%2C+ATX.article

I would definitely get an SSD though. You can get a 250GB one for less than €100 now.
http://www.hardwareversand.de/Solid-State-Disk/212257/Crucial+SSD+250GB+BX100.article

DARK-KNIGHT

Monotype wrote: »

Right, you're talking about 1920x1080.

The GTX 660 isn't too bad. You might need to upgrade that in a while if you want full detail at that resolution. I'd be more concerned about that CPU right now. It's one of those older Bulldozer quad cores. If you wanted to go down the slightly cheaper route, you could see which CPUs are compatible with the motherboard. You could get an octo-core for about €150.

The more expensive route would be to get a new CPU and motherboard. You wouldn't need a CPU upgrade for a long time after that. You could get something like a 4670K if you fancied overclocking.
http://www.hardwareversand.de/Sockel+1150/78027/Intel+Core+i5-4670K+Box%2C+LGA1150.article
Or you can save €50 and get a cheaper i5 that doesn't overclock. Another alternative is to get something like a xeon CPU for similar price. This has hyperthreading.
http://www.hardwareversand.de/Sockel+1150+(XEON)/78093/Intel+Xeon+E3-1230v3+Bx%2C+LGA1150.article

You'd need a new motherboard... something like...
http://www.hardwareversand.de/DDR3/179451/ASRock+Z97+Anniversary%2C+Sockel+1150%2C+ATX.article

I would definitely get an SSD though. You can get a 250GB one for less than €100 now.
http://www.hardwareversand.de/Solid-State-Disk/212257/Crucial+SSD+250GB+BX100.article

would overclocking the cpu be an option? was looking at either buying another 660 and running sli or buying a 780 card.. although if i buy another 660 it will mean needing an upgrade of psu.

Monotype

Well yeah, you could overclock, but it's still not a great CPU. They were the first of a new generation of CPUs and aren't great. Power consumption goes way up when you overclock that particular line. I don't really think it's enough for the demands of modern games. GPU is always most important, but you still want a certain baseline of CPU power. I'd at least get something like an FX-6300. €100, newer generation, more cores better for overclocking. Or a FX-8320 for about €150, though this depends on the capabilities of your motherboard. It's a cheaper option, but obviously wouldn't be as powerful as the Intel option. Prices are quite high on the CPUs at the moment with the exchange rates so now mightn't be the best time to fork out for an overhaul... especially when DDR 4 systems will be on their way soon.

DARK-KNIGHT

Monotype wrote: »

Well yeah, you could overclock, but it's still not a great CPU. They were the first of a new generation of CPUs and aren't great. Power consumption goes way up when you overclock that particular line. I don't really think it's enough for the demands of modern games. GPU is always most important, but you still want a certain baseline of CPU power. I'd at least get something like an FX-6300. €100, newer generation, more cores better for overclocking. Or a FX-8320 for about €150, though this depends on the capabilities of your motherboard. It's a cheaper option, but obviously wouldn't be as powerful as the Intel option. Prices are quite high on the CPUs at the moment with the exchange rates so now mightn't be the best time to fork out for an overhaul... especially when DDR 4 systems will be on their way soon.

ok when it comes to gpu what is good value for money i was looking at buying a 780

Digital Solitude

970 is better than a 780

Value for money, you're looking at a 960, 970, R9 280X or 290

DARK-KNIGHT

Digital Solitude wrote: »

970 is better than a 780

Value for money, you're looking at a 960, 970, R9 280X or 290

are they all higher end gpu? like would they leave the 660 in the dust?

Digital Solitude

280x is the worst card there and its a good bit better. R9 300 series is out soon, will flood the second hand card market if you wanted to wait until then

DARK-KNIGHT

Digital Solitude wrote: »

280x is the worst card there and its a good bit better.

im budgeting about 250 for a card just wanna get graphics fairly smooth and silky

DARK-KNIGHT

Digital Solitude wrote: »

280x is the worst card there and its a good bit better. R9 300 series is out soon, will flood the second hand card market if you wanted to wait until then

when is that out?

Digital Solitude

DARK-KNIGHT wrote: »

when is that out?

About June

I've a 280x, any games in particular you're looking at? I don't have CSGO now

Handles pretty much everything I've tried at 60fps, Ultra

DARK-KNIGHT

Digital Solitude wrote: »

About June

I've a 280x, any games in particular you're looking at? I don't have CSGO now

Handles pretty much everything I've tried at 60fps, Ultra

ah my 660 pisses through csgo doesnt take much to run that well.

how much is a 280x?

Digital Solitude

About 250, 960 is worth looking at too. I'd take the 280x though.

Hits TW3 to ~51fps on Med, Titan only hits 60fps the same

TerrorFirmer

I don't think the R9 280X is really worse than the GTX960, and it has an extra 1GB of vram. You can get a 280X for €190 from CEX with a 12 month warranty. Bit luck of the draw but I bought one out of curiosity from the website one day, with no idea what model it would be - ended up getting the Sapphire Vapor-X 280X.

Coming from a GTX660 either of those cards is a nice upgrade and won't end up costing much when you factor in the 100 you should get for the GTX660.

CPU wise, you can either go hex or octa-core if you don't want the hassle of swapping out the board, but a basic board + basic i3 processor will destroy the Fx4100 in games and it's what I'd choose, the AMD lines these days are poor choices for gaming in my opinion - power hungry, hot, and crap per thread performance. Better suited to non-gaming applications.

It won't cost much either, maybe €160-170, and you should get about 100 back for the Fx4100 and am3 board.

So you shouldn't have to spend more than about 220 net overall to get a massively improved machine.

DARK-KNIGHT

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

I don't think the R9 280X is really worse than the GTX960, and it has an extra 1GB of vram. You can get a 280X for €190 from CEX with a 12 month warranty. Bit luck of the draw but I bought one out of curiosity from the website one day, with no idea what model it would be - ended up getting the Sapphire Vapor-X 280X.

Coming from a GTX660 either of those cards is a nice upgrade and won't end up costing much when you factor in the 100 you should get for the GTX660.

CPU wise, you can either go hex or octa-core if you don't want the hassle of swapping out the board, but a basic board + basic i3 processor will destroy the Fx4100 in games and it's what I'd choose, the AMD lines these days are poor choices for gaming in my opinion - power hungry, hot, and crap per thread performance. Better suited to non-gaming applications.

It won't cost much either, maybe €160-170, and you should get about 100 back for the Fx4100 and am3 board.

So you shouldn't have to spend more than about 220 net overall to get a massively improved machine.

guy on adverts wants my 660 card and 250 euro for a 780 card

I think that's way too expensive

Are parts easy to sell though the mobo and fx 4100 would they be a hard sell I'm limited to funds so need to offload them quickly if I'm going that way.

DARK-KNIGHT

Would an i3 processor not be behind spec wise though

Digital Solitude

i3 is fine. Most games aren't CPU intensive

DARK-KNIGHT

Digital Solitude wrote: »

i3 is fine. Most games aren't CPU intensive

I want the PC to play arma and dayz reasonably well

Digital Solitude

Its grand for those

DARK-KNIGHT

Would I be better off trying to get a more up to date like an i5 or i7 though what would I be looking at reasonable price wise for motherboard and processor?

Digital Solitude

i3 is 115
i5 4460 is 175

Cheapo motherboard is about 50
Decent is about 80

TerrorFirmer

The i3 will be fine. Of course it's a matter of how much you want to spend. Obviously an i5 is technically better, but in the vast majority of games, the GPU is what matters not the CPU - at least, not when you have a current generation i3.

The i3-4150 or 4160 would be 50%+ faster than the Fx4100 in games, and it uses less power, runs cooler, etc.

DARK-KNIGHT

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

The i3 will be fine. Of course it's a matter of how much you want to spend. Obviously an i5 is technically better, but in the vast majority of games, the GPU is what matters not the CPU - at least, not when you have a current generation i3.

The i3-4150 or 4160 would be 50%+ faster than the Fx4100 in games, and it uses less power, runs cooler, etc.

just wondering would the i3 and new mobo play the likes of arma better than an fx8350 cpu?

DARK-KNIGHT

hi guys just an update i have a chance to swap my gtx660 card and 250 cash for a gtx 780 http://www.zotac.com/products/graphics-cards/geforce-700-series/gtx-780/product/gtx-780/detail/geforce-gtx-780-oc-1.html

or i can order a gtx 970

im thinking if i go one way ill save a few quid but will that saving be worth it or will the gtx 970 be well worth taking the hit for?

also I am gonna basically change everything starting with gpu and buy an ssd and next few weeks im thinking of changing cpu to intel i5 or i7

vlad2009

I wouldn't trade the cards, I would sell what you have for 100-150 and buy a 970 card instead. 780 is a good card, but its a generation old. I would also try push to an i5 if possible, as you will most likely use the computer for more than just gaming.

TerrorFirmer

That's a terrible deal. You're basically handing over 350+ for a last gen card with no warranty.

A lot of people on adverts live in denial as to what parts are worth, I see GTX780's with asking prices of 300 regularly.

Don't know if the i3 would be better at Arma than the 8350 as I don't know how well Arma scales across processors, but in the vast majority of games the i3 easily beats the 8350, while using far less power and running cooler. I'd wage that probably applies to Arma as well.

Whatever about an i5 unless you're doing rendering/editing that uses the power of an i7 you're wasting your time, games perform no better on the i7 vs i5 (and in most cases even i3).

vlad2009

I would also like to add, that the CPU will affect how Dayz runs because the game is on a bad engine, and it is quite CPU intensive game for that reason I believe.

DARK-KNIGHT

I have agreed a deal for a zotac gtx 780 ti AMP for 330 euro, a guy i know says the ti is a very good card and worth the 330.

i am going to upgrade to an i3 i think and sell the amd 4100 cpu and motherboard.

Jesus nobody said pc gaming was gonna be as addictive as this im just trying to get a beast machine now lol

WE NEEEEEED MORE POWWWWWWEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRR

lol

vlad2009

I started with trying to build something for 700, and I am now over 1400

DARK-KNIGHT

vlad2009 wrote: »

I started with trying to build something for 700, and I am now over 1400

ANYONE that says you can build a pc and game on it for 500 and honestly be happy with it and not want to upgrade it straight away is a damned liar

vlad2009

I did end up selling my console to have a better rig haha

DARK-KNIGHT

vlad2009 wrote: »

I did end up selling my console to have a better rig haha

i have sold my xbox one ps4 ajnd wii u is next to go and i have a ****load of cash to splash

TerrorFirmer

DARK-KNIGHT wrote: »

I have agreed a deal for a zotac gtx 780 ti AMP for 330 euro, a guy i know says the ti is a very good card and worth the 330.

i am going to upgrade to an i3 i think and sell the amd 4100 cpu and motherboard.

Jesus nobody said pc gaming was gonna be as addictive as this im just trying to get a beast machine now lol

WE NEEEEEED MORE POWWWWWWEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRR

lol

I wouldn't recommend it, better off getting a new GTX970 for just a few quid more, full warranty and peace of mind - and the same performance. 330 for a 2nd hand card with no warranty - that's not a bargain to be honest.

As for the 500 debate, i3-4160 + GTX750Ti and you're able to play New Blood, Battlefield Hardline, GTA V and others at 1080p at mid-high settings at 60fps. No shame in that, and when you factor in the cost of PC games being considerable lower than their console counterparts...

DARK-KNIGHT

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

I wouldn't recommend it, better off getting a new GTX970 for just a few quid more, full warranty and peace of mind - and the same performance. 330 for a 2nd hand card with no warranty - that's not a bargain to be honest.

As for the 500 debate, i3-4160 + GTX750Ti and you're able to play New Blood, Battlefield Hardline, GTA V and others at 1080p at mid-high settings at 60fps. No shame in that, and when you factor in the cost of PC games being considerable lower than their console counterparts...

so you reckon that card isnt worth 330? whats its true value?

TerrorFirmer

DARK-KNIGHT wrote: »

so you reckon that card isnt worth 330? whats its true value?

The true value of anything as far as I'm concerned is what anyone is willing to pay for it.

However, that said, considering you can get a brand new GTX970 with full international warranty for 350, 330 for a second hand 780ti, which is more or less a GTX970 from the previous gen, is madness.

DARK-KNIGHT

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

The true value of anything as far as I'm concerned is what anyone is willing to pay for it.

However, that said, considering you can get a brand new GTX970 with full international warranty for 350, 330 for a second hand 780ti, which is more or less a GTX970 from the previous gen, is madness.

I have seen a fair few reviews stating that card tops the 970 though

SterlingArcher

DARK-KNIGHT wrote: »

I have seen a fair few reviews stating that card tops the 970 though

Them reviews you seen probably didn't take into account the 780ti has a year head start in drivers.

Personally I'd go with terrors advice get the newer 970.

http://www.techspot.com/review/1006-the-witcher-3-benchmarks/page2.html

TerrorFirmer

And at the end of the day, if the card goes bad in a month, you might as well have flushed your 350 euro down the toilet. It just doesn't make sense from any angle.

vlad2009

Also certain 970s can be overclocked to have the power of a stock 980. Or so I've heard, I got the Gigabyte G1 gaming one myself and will overclock it quite a bit when I need to.

DARK-KNIGHT

What do you lads think of the r9 290x cards? Seem to be a little cheaper

Digital Solitude

Good card, shines at higher resolutions. Probably stick with Nvidia at 1080p, ,AMD anything higher

BloodBath

I'd also look at a cpu upgrade before the gpu.

At it is I'd say even your 660 gtx is being bottlenecked by that cpu in certain games. Especially strategy type games but there are plenty of first person shooters like BF4 that are very cpu intensive.

Maybe try overclocking the graphics card and upgrading the cpu and board for now. Sell your old stuff and budget it towards a new card. I'd be looking at a 970 or an R9 290 or 1 of the new amd cards when they come out as a worthy upgrade from a 660 gtx.

I'd also go for a new 970 over that 780ti. You will also get free games with the new cards.

Hardwareversand are also doing a discount on the higher end cards at the moment on the Asus models. You can get an Asus R9 290 for €255 after cash back or a Asus stryx 970 for €335. That's combined with the Geizhals discount.

https://www.asus-insider.de/aktionen/vgacashback/#cb_form