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OfflineShrewmz
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Registered: 02/02/11
Posts: 185
Last seen: 10 years, 3 months
Looking to Upgrade Computer, What to get First?
    #14542877 - 05/31/11 09:34 PM (12 years, 11 months ago)

Hey guys, looking to upgrade my gaming computer soon because framerates are getting slightly sloppy on the newer games, and not being an expert at computers, I ask, what should I upgrade first?

I mainly play SC2, APB Reloaded, and many other new games on steam... What would help improve my framerate the most?

Here are my computer stats, let me know if you need more

Processor
Intel Core i7 860(2.8GHz)

Processor Main Features
64 bit Quad-Core Processor

Memory
4GB (2GB x 2) DDR3 1600

Hard Drive
500GB SATAII

Optical Drive 1
24X DL DVD+/-RW Drive

Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GTS250 1GB

Power Supply
700W

Operating System
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

My budget is $300-$500

I was considering upgrading the RAM to 8gb and getting a better graphics card, but don't know what to get, any suggestions would be awesome!

Thanks

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Offlineimachavel
I loved and lost but I loved-ftw
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Re: Looking to Upgrade Computer, What to get First? [Re: Shrewmz]
    #14543110 - 05/31/11 10:20 PM (12 years, 11 months ago)

your graphics card processes 1 gb of memory?

quad core cpu? 4 gig ram?

what else do you think you need? i don't think there is a faster card than nvidia 1 gb. are you having trouble running media/playing games? Maybe it's a software issue, because with your specs i doubt it's a hard ware issue. maybe i'm wrong, but i swore you just listed some pretty bad ass specs. maybe i'm seeing things :wink:



anyway, upgrade to 8 gigs ram if you want. try this graphics card:


you planning to run some vmware on that computer as well? :lol:


--------------------
:kingcrankey: I did not say to edit my signature soulidarity! Now forever I will never remember what I said about understanding the secrets of the universe by paying attention to subtleties!

:facepalm: I'm never giving you the password again. Jerk

Edited by imachavel (05/31/11 10:22 PM)

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InvisibleHeavyToilet
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Registered: 08/06/03
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Loc: British Columbia
Re: Looking to Upgrade Computer, What to get First? [Re: Shrewmz]
    #14543213 - 05/31/11 10:44 PM (12 years, 11 months ago)

Pretty sure your graphics card is the bottleneck.

Quote:

imachavel said:
i don't think there is a faster card than nvidia 1 gb.




Ram is only one factor in how good a graphics card is, and generally speaking, it's probably the last thing you should look at when deciding what card to buy (unless you're using high resolutions).

Edited by HeavyToilet (05/31/11 10:49 PM)

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OfflineShrewmz
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Registered: 02/02/11
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Re: Looking to Upgrade Computer, What to get First? [Re: HeavyToilet]
    #14543228 - 05/31/11 10:48 PM (12 years, 11 months ago)

Quote:

HeavyToilet said:
Pretty sure your graphics card is the bottleneck.




Yea I thought so, the gtx 560 looked nice so might go with that

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InvisibleCosmicJokeM
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Registered: 04/05/00
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Loc: Portland, OR
Re: Looking to Upgrade Computer, What to get First? [Re: Shrewmz]
    #14543277 - 05/31/11 10:59 PM (12 years, 11 months ago)

here's a graphics card hierarchy chart, try to go for 3 tiers higher than what you have...

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card-game-performance-radeon-hd-6670,2935-7.html

a gtx 560 would be a good choice to get some improved performance, as your graphics card is pretty budgety.  if you have a stock heatsink fan, maybe get a good one and try for some overclocking on your cpu.  and surely upgrade to 2gb ram per core on your cpu.


--------------------
Everything is better than it was the last time.  I'm good.

If we could look into each others hearts, and understand the unique challenges each of us faces, I think we would treat each other much more gently, with more love, patience, tolerance, and care.

It takes a lot of courage to go out there and radiate your essence.

I know you scared, you should ask us if we scared too.  If you was there, and we just knew you cared too.

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Offlineimachavel
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Re: Looking to Upgrade Computer, What to get First? [Re: CosmicJoke]
    #14543633 - 06/01/11 12:08 AM (12 years, 11 months ago)

that is a good idea, 2gb per core. not necessary, but not a bad idea. i've never heard of a game running bad on a pc with 5 gigs of ram though. i had a friend with a quad core, a really good graphics card, and 5 gigs ram on his pc, and it seemed to be able to run call of duty, crysis, all that shit just fine.

although 2 gig per core isn't a bad idea, but games MOSTLY require high end graphics cards, and the pc functions to do so. only higher end applications like vmware should really pull soooo hard on your ram.

i don't know, maybe i've missed something along the way, but I was pretty sure I was correct a few minutes ago before i read cosmic joke's reply. of course, with computers, often times a few minutes ago you can think one thing, and at the present, have learned something entirely new.


--------------------
:kingcrankey: I did not say to edit my signature soulidarity! Now forever I will never remember what I said about understanding the secrets of the universe by paying attention to subtleties!

:facepalm: I'm never giving you the password again. Jerk

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InvisibleCosmicJokeM
happy mutant
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Registered: 04/05/00
Posts: 10,848
Loc: Portland, OR
Re: Looking to Upgrade Computer, What to get First? [Re: imachavel]
    #14543792 - 06/01/11 12:34 AM (12 years, 11 months ago)

it really depends on the game, some are very cpu intensive and not particularly gpu intensive... that's the case with most MMOs for example, which is why some good cooling and OCing the cpu is definitely worth considering


--------------------
Everything is better than it was the last time.  I'm good.

If we could look into each others hearts, and understand the unique challenges each of us faces, I think we would treat each other much more gently, with more love, patience, tolerance, and care.

It takes a lot of courage to go out there and radiate your essence.

I know you scared, you should ask us if we scared too.  If you was there, and we just knew you cared too.

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Offlineimachavel
I loved and lost but I loved-ftw
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Registered: 06/06/07
Posts: 31,564
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Last seen: 12 hours, 21 minutes
Re: Looking to Upgrade Computer, What to get First? [Re: CosmicJoke]
    #14544102 - 06/01/11 02:25 AM (12 years, 11 months ago)

oh i see. yes an mmo can have very large maps with low quality resolution graphics. but would need lots of processing to play those games online with like 50 people on a huge map.


--------------------
:kingcrankey: I did not say to edit my signature soulidarity! Now forever I will never remember what I said about understanding the secrets of the universe by paying attention to subtleties!

:facepalm: I'm never giving you the password again. Jerk

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OfflineDimi
The Mindful One


Registered: 05/09/11
Posts: 190
Last seen: 7 years, 3 months
Re: Looking to Upgrade Computer, What to get First? [Re: imachavel]
    #14544974 - 06/01/11 09:27 AM (12 years, 11 months ago)

Geting the RAM to 8GB will only be useful if the games and applications you use can utilize it, however the upgrade will make your system have a higher useful longevity.

It seems like we have a lot of NVidia lovers around here, but don't discount ATI. The HD 6990 is a shining example of what they're capable of.

Here's an ATI alternative:

I think a HD 6950/6970 1GB DDR5 would be a great choice for your system, imo. The benchmarks are good for both cards, and gives you a choice of how much to spend.

From the benchmarks I've seen, the GTX 570 is faster than both, most of the time, but costs more too.

Note: The ATI cards are reportedly louder, and respond with less performance in regards to overclocking, if you're into that stuff.

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OfflineShrewmz
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Registered: 02/02/11
Posts: 185
Last seen: 10 years, 3 months
Re: Looking to Upgrade Computer, What to get First? [Re: Dimi]
    #14545304 - 06/01/11 11:24 AM (12 years, 11 months ago)

I'm a pretty big NVidia fan just because I haven't had any trouble with their cards. When I used to raid in WoW, people would constantly complain that their ATI cards would start overheating or degrade for some reason

However whichever can handle long gaming sessions at high quality settings at good FPS and at a good price, I'll probably go with that

Which would be better:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102915&cm_re=ATI_HD_6970-_-14-102-915-_-Product

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130595&cm_re=gtx_570-_-14-130-595-_-Product

Exact same price, I'll probably look at the benchmarks when I get a chance

Anyway thanks for the replies so far!

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OfflineDimi
The Mindful One


Registered: 05/09/11
Posts: 190
Last seen: 7 years, 3 months
Re: Looking to Upgrade Computer, What to get First? [Re: Shrewmz]
    #14545957 - 06/01/11 02:15 PM (12 years, 11 months ago)

The GTX 570 will give the best framerates from what I've read. Look for one with a great cooling soution and you're all set. If they're the same price, you might as well get NVidia because you get PhysX too.

BUT if you plan on doing DVD to Video Conversions(ripping), or playing mp4-type video, the ATI card has hardware-based acceleration for both uses, and is faster than the competition. Even my HD 5670 1GB plays DVD's with less than a few % CPU usage.

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Invisiblefrith
God

Registered: 10/27/09
Posts: 7,512
Loc: Philadelphia, PA Flag
Re: Looking to Upgrade Computer, What to get First? [Re: imachavel]
    #14546434 - 06/01/11 03:42 PM (12 years, 11 months ago)

Quote:

imachavel said:
faster card than nvidia 1 gb.



1GB is not a measure of speed.




as far as upgrading the ram, you should see a much more noticeable difference in speed if you upgraded to an SSD. id probably spend the cash on that before ram..


--------------------

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OfflineDimi
The Mindful One


Registered: 05/09/11
Posts: 190
Last seen: 7 years, 3 months
Re: Looking to Upgrade Computer, What to get First? [Re: frith]
    #14546532 - 06/01/11 03:57 PM (12 years, 11 months ago)

Quote:

as far as upgrading the ram, you should see a much more noticeable difference in speed if you upgraded to an SSD. id probably spend the cash on that before ram..





I disagree.

SSD's improve load times, sure. RAM improves load times, removes the need for disk caching,  and improves multitasking perfomance.

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OfflineShrewmz
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Registered: 02/02/11
Posts: 185
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Re: Looking to Upgrade Computer, What to get First? [Re: frith]
    #14546578 - 06/01/11 04:07 PM (12 years, 11 months ago)

Quote:

frith said:
Quote:

imachavel said:
faster card than nvidia 1 gb.



1GB is not a measure of speed.




as far as upgrading the ram, you should see a much more noticeable difference in speed if you upgraded to an SSD. id probably spend the cash on that before ram..




From what I heard SSDs only increase the speed of your boot time, then ram is for everything else, however I haven't really looked into it yet, so will now

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InvisibleCosmicJokeM
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Registered: 04/05/00
Posts: 10,848
Loc: Portland, OR
Re: Looking to Upgrade Computer, What to get First? [Re: Shrewmz]
    #14547102 - 06/01/11 06:02 PM (12 years, 11 months ago)

[quoteFrom what I heard SSDs only increase the speed of your boot time, then ram is for everything else, however I haven't really looked into it yet, so will now
 




An SSD won't make a great difference in the performance of your games other than launch times, but it's still one of the most enjoyable upgrades one can make in their system.  A quality SSD though is still rather pricey, and with the OP's budget in mind, I'm still sticking with the idea of upgrading the GPU, an aftermarket cooler for OCing, and RAM, in that order... the later two should be relatively inexpensive to upgrade, maybe $50 for the heatsink fan and $50 for an additional 4gb of ddr3 1600 ram.


--------------------
Everything is better than it was the last time.  I'm good.

If we could look into each others hearts, and understand the unique challenges each of us faces, I think we would treat each other much more gently, with more love, patience, tolerance, and care.

It takes a lot of courage to go out there and radiate your essence.

I know you scared, you should ask us if we scared too.  If you was there, and we just knew you cared too.

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OfflineDimi
The Mindful One


Registered: 05/09/11
Posts: 190
Last seen: 7 years, 3 months
Re: Looking to Upgrade Computer, What to get First? [Re: CosmicJoke]
    #14547675 - 06/01/11 07:55 PM (12 years, 11 months ago)

I just thought of a nice upgrade for your system :smile:

How about an ASUS Xonar Sound Card and a 5.1 channel 500W speaker set? :grin: That would make those games kick ass!

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OfflineShrewmz
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Registered: 02/02/11
Posts: 185
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Re: Looking to Upgrade Computer, What to get First? [Re: CosmicJoke]
    #14548589 - 06/01/11 11:14 PM (12 years, 11 months ago)

Quote:

CosmicJoke said:
An SSD won't make a great difference in the performance of your games other than launch times, but it's still one of the most enjoyable upgrades one can make in their system.  A quality SSD though is still rather pricey, and with the OP's budget in mind, I'm still sticking with the idea of upgrading the GPU, an aftermarket cooler for OCing, and RAM, in that order... the later two should be relatively inexpensive to upgrade, maybe $50 for the heatsink fan and $50 for an additional 4gb of ddr3 1600 ram.




Could you recommend me a heatsink? Don't know too much about cooling heh..

Also is my PSU fine or do I need to upgrade it for overclocking and the newer hardware?

Current PSU: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php...Story&reid=109

From what my friends said, it's a total piece of crap that came with the computer combo lol...

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InvisibleCosmicJokeM
happy mutant
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Registered: 04/05/00
Posts: 10,848
Loc: Portland, OR
Re: Looking to Upgrade Computer, What to get First? [Re: Shrewmz]
    #14548916 - 06/02/11 12:46 AM (12 years, 11 months ago)

Your link doesn't work for me, but a total piece of crap PSU is a bad idea with a high end graphics card.

I would recommend this:

PSU:

$89.99 CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005&cm_re=Corsair_PSU-_-17-139-005-_-Product


Graphics Card:

$244 EVGA 01G-P3-1561-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti FPB (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130604


Heatsink Fan: Consider one of these off the list, the Tuniq Tower 120 Extreme is definitely a classic.  http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm ;   From my recollection though, the Tuniq is pretty large, you may need to make sure you don't have any clearance issues.

And just get 2 more sticks of RAM identical to whatever you have.

Also, what is your motherboard?  Some are certainly more friendly to overclocking than others.


--------------------
Everything is better than it was the last time.  I'm good.

If we could look into each others hearts, and understand the unique challenges each of us faces, I think we would treat each other much more gently, with more love, patience, tolerance, and care.

It takes a lot of courage to go out there and radiate your essence.

I know you scared, you should ask us if we scared too.  If you was there, and we just knew you cared too.

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OfflineShrewmz
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Registered: 02/02/11
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Re: Looking to Upgrade Computer, What to get First? [Re: CosmicJoke]
    #14549673 - 06/02/11 06:52 AM (12 years, 11 months ago)

My motherboard is the Intel H55

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InvisibleCosmicJokeM
happy mutant
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Registered: 04/05/00
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Loc: Portland, OR
Re: Looking to Upgrade Computer, What to get First? [Re: Shrewmz]
    #14553695 - 06/03/11 12:10 AM (12 years, 11 months ago)

Quote:

My motherboard is the Intel H55





that's a chipset, some boards do better than others with OCing even though they use the same chipset.

anyways, google your exact board and overclocking and you should get some ideas about what you can potentially expect... surely there are some decent overclocker's forums out there.


--------------------
Everything is better than it was the last time.  I'm good.

If we could look into each others hearts, and understand the unique challenges each of us faces, I think we would treat each other much more gently, with more love, patience, tolerance, and care.

It takes a lot of courage to go out there and radiate your essence.

I know you scared, you should ask us if we scared too.  If you was there, and we just knew you cared too.

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