Looking to upgrade

Ausaris

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Location
Canada
Hello all, i've got an HP (model # p6732f) that I bought about 4 or 5 years ago, and I would like it to have a bit more juice to it. I upgraded the graphics card about 2 years ago, but other than that everything is stock. I'm new to quite a bit of this, so I welcome any and all advice.

What it has now is :

Operating system - Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Processor - AMD Athlon II x3 445 (3 CPU) 3.1GHz
Memory - 4GB RAM
GPU - NVIDIA GeForce GT 430 (Integrated RAMDAC, 2765 MB memory) - I picked this up at staples.

What i'm hoping to get out of this, is specs that would allow me to run the games I play (Mainly ArcheAge and Mechwarrior Online) on high settings - or maximum if possible - and still have a good framerate.

I plan to stick another 4GB of RAM into it, but as for upgrading the processor and the GPU I only have a very vague idea as to what direction I should head in.

I would like to keep the cost to around $500 max, and if anyone here could give me some advice on what would give me the best performance within that budget range, or even just what would actually WORK with my PC, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks for your time!

Ausaris
 
Best CPU I believe you could put in there is the 125w version of the Phenom II 955BE which would require a cooling upgrade as well.

Not sure about the pricing of the CPU (you'd have to hit up Ebay or used Amazon I bet). If you could get a cheap one then a GTX 970 shouldn't be without reason. You'll need a new PSU as well.
 
Sorry for the slow response, I opened this thread just before going to bed.


Alright, I've been trying to find a Phenom II 955BE on Amazon and sites like Newegg, but I haven't found them on a site that doesn't have it listed as "out of stock". I'm going to continue looking when I get home in a few hours, but just in case I can't find it, is there another CPU I could use in place of it with similar specs?


Getting a GTX 970 wouldn't be a problem, I'm just looking into finding the cheapest price right now, the prices I've found are right around $300-350, so it depends how much the CPU would cost me if i'll end up getting the GTX 970 or something a bit cheaper. Whatever I have left within my budget after purchasing the CPU and GPU will go into a cooling system and a good PSU.


Would you have any recommendation on a good PSU that would cover my system with these upgrades? Something with a not-cheap-but-not-expensive price, and made by a quality brand. I really don't know much about things like this, so I figured I'd ask before buying something and it not being suitable.


EDIT : Also, if I were to upgrade my Motherboard, would I be able to get a better / more cost efficient CPU, or would I be better off keeping the stock Motherboard to stay within my budget?


Thanks again!


Ausaris
 
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The reason you can't really find anything is because your board takes old CPUs. Newegg and AMazon won't have new stock and I don't think NCIX would either which is why I mentioned Ebay because you're looking at 2008/2009 stuff.

You can search for a Phenom II 940 as well. Here is a 955BE, keep an eye on it and don't pay more than 60 for it.
AMD Phenom II x4 955 3 2 GHz Black Edition Quad Core CPU 4 GHz Overclock 764024006430 | eBay

Then you can get this:
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - CPU Cooler with 120 mm PWM Fan - Newegg.ca

MSI GTX 970 4GD5T OC GeForce GTX 970 4GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support G-SYNC Support Video Card - Newegg.ca

CORSAIR CX series CX500 500W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Newegg.ca

As of posting right now all this = 493.
 
Looked at the Phenom II you linked on Ebay, and it says it won't ship to Canada. <Insert many sad faces> I will take a look on Ebay.ca when I get home in an hour or so, hopefully they will have a used one there as well, but if not it looks like upgrading the Motherboard may be pretty much the only way to go.


The stuff on Newegg is great, and I totaled all of it up (the GPU, cooling unit, and PSU), and your price is spot on minus the shipping costs, so that I can handle as it only puts me slightly over budget, but with a CPU and possibly a Motherboard coming into the picture, I may end up way over my budget.


I really appreciate you helping me out and giving me advice on this, it's a really big help to a newbie like me.


Ausaris
 
Most ship worldwide so that's weird. There was one on there for 13 bucks shipping from the UK. You might want to look into that one (shipping was 14).

If you go CPU/mobo/RAM you'll pretty much cap your budget since you need a GPU too you won't be getting anything extravagant.

This is over, then add shipping.
Intel Pentium G3258 Haswell Dual-Core 3.2GHz LGA 1150 Desktop Processor BX80646G3258 - Newegg.ca
ASUS H81M-K LGA 1150 Intel H81 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Newegg.ca
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL - Newegg.ca
SAPPHIRE DUAL-X 100373L Radeon R9 280 3GB 384-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 CrossFireX Support Video Card - Newegg.ca
CORSAIR CX series CX500 500W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Newegg.ca

The reason I'm pushing towards the 970 is because maxed out Mechwarrior Online kinda gives my 4GB 680 (GTX 770) a run for it's money. Something more powerful than that would be necessary to get 60+ FPS with AA enabled. I average about 50fps.
 
I think upgrading the motherboard may end up being too much trouble with my PC; if i'm going to change out pretty well all of the internals, I may as well just build a new rig from the ground up, but that will quickly put me way over budget.

I guess i'll just have to work with what I have and find new gear that is compatible. I managed to find both a Pheron II 940 and a 955 on Ebay.ca - the 955 shipping from the UK with a current bid of $55.23 CAD, and the 940 shipping from US with a bid of $30.85 CAD.

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Quad Core Processsor 3200 GHZ HDZ955FBK4DGI | eBay
AMD Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition Quad Core 3 0GHz Socket AM2 125W Processer | eBay

In all truth, I don't need a best in class graphics card, if I can run ArcheAge and MWO a notch below max settings with a decent frame-rate i'd be happy. Anything that isn't below 25 FPS
 
That last reply decided to post itself before I was done... lol

Starting from where that one left off; i'd be happy as long as the FPS isn't under 25, the full 60 FPS isn't all that much of a concern to me. I've gotten used to playing around 15-25, so anything from 25-45 would be heaven for me. When I play ArcheAge on medium-high settings it can bounce anywhere from 6-20 FPS, depending on what's happening around me.

I really wish finding a processor for this computer was easier, but I guess outdated PC's never really get much love anyway. I would build a new rig from the ground up, but I just don't think I have the money to do something like that right now. Even with what the upgrades i've been looking at so far i'll have to drop the RAM I wanted to add, otherwise i'll be a good amount over budget.

Maybe i'm better off saving up for a bit more, buying a new shell and installing all the fillings.
 
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Well, I thought about it a little more, and after playing ArcheAge and actually noticing the constant jerks in the frames on med quality; i'm just going to build myself a new rig. I'll give the PC i'm using now to my brother, it'll be perfect for him as he just plays WoW, Minecraft, and wants to play MWO but his laptop has massive amount of lag, so he should be happy to have an upgrade.

I didn't want to spend the money at first, but if i'm going to upgrade, I may as well build something I can have for a good while. Would a system with the gear you linked most recently reach the goal I initially mentioned in my posts? The GPU you linked is out of stock at the moment, so i'll have to go for something else, and i'm willing to bring my budget up to $600-700. With everything you linked minus the GPU, the Source 210 shell, and a copy of Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit, the total for all of it on Newegg is $537.91 with taxes and HST included. Everything but the PSU is on sale.

Any other GPU you would recommend for this build? Or even changes to the whole build that would work better within the $600-700 range? If I throw a GTX 970 in there it puts it to almost $900, which is definitely more than I want to dish out. In all truth I shouldn't be spending the money to build a computer period, but i'm getting tired of dealing with this old HP haha. I also realize that i'm going to need an optical drive and a hard drive for the machine, so this is becoming quite difficult to keep on budget :/.

EDIT : Ok, I found half of the items you linked above (including the GPU that was sold out on Newegg) on Amazon cheaper than I could get them from Newegg, but with the copy of Windows 7 and a Seagate Barracuda 1 TB HDD SATA 6 Gb/s NCQ 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive it puts me over $800 total cost - $925 with shipping and HST.
 
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