Improving my PC.

[Jake_Ag19]

Looking to make my current system BF3 capable. (Don't have a massive amount of experience in building PC's.)

Current Spec:

Asrock M3A UCC Motherboard.
Amd Phenom II x2 550 3.1Ghz CPU.
Nvidia GeForce GTS 250 GPU.
Corsair 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 memory kit.
430W True Power Silent ATX PSU.
Gigabyte GZ-KX1 Chasis.

I'm thinking of keeping the motherboard and upgrading the rest for around £400 so it would look something like this;

Asrock M3A UCC Motherboard.
AMD Phenom II x6 1100T 3.2Ghz CPU.
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560 1GB DDR5 GPU.
Corsair Vengeance Blue 8GB DDR3 memory kit.
Cooler Master GX 550W Gaming PSU.
Gigabyte GZ-KX1 Chasis.

Just a few questions.

Does everything here look compatible?
Is a 550W power supply enough, or should I go for a 650W?
Is there a large difference between different versions of the GTX 560? (Asus, Gigabyte & MSI GTX560's)
Could I do anything better without affecting the price too much?

Many thanks.

 

[decto]

Hi,

Personally I'd skip the x6 and go for the quad 965 ... plenty for BF3.

Spend the £60 on:

better PSU from corsair / bequiet etc ~ 600w is plenty
Graphics GTX 560Ti better than the plain 560

You could probably skip the memory for now which may get you near a 6950 or GTX570

More memory is a quick easy drop in when cash allows.

AD

 

[shadow_boxer]

Have you tried unlocking your current CPU. You may well have a dormant quad core lying there and overclocking it will boost performance. If not just get a Phenom II 955 BE & reasonable CPU cooler.

No need to upgrade the RAM. 4GB if fine for gaming, no real benefit in going up to 8GB.

PSU is a bit of a weak one but by no means a really bad one. It will cope with a 2GB 6950 or GTX560Ti fine but I would look to replace it eventually.

How about:

Your basket
Product Name Qty Price Line Total
Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 6950 "Dual Fan Edition" 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 6950 "Dual Fan Edition" 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £224.99
(£187.49) £224.99
(£187.49)
AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition "125W Edition" 3.20GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition "125W Edition" 3.20GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail £85.99
(£71.66) £85.99
(£71.66)
OCZ ZS Series 550W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply OCZ ZS Series 550W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £54.98
(£45.82) £54.98
(£45.82)
Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £25.99
(£21.66) £25.99
(£21.66)
Sub Total : £326.63
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £10.00
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £67.33
Total : £403.96