Old DIY Gaming PC Build - Upgrade for strategy gaming?

[DwarfWomen]

Hi, I got a pre-built custom gaming PC a while ago. Here are the specs:

64-bit OS (Windows 10)
Storage: ST500DM0 02-1BD142 SATA Disk Device (500 GB)
RAM: 8GB
Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 7800 Series
Processor: AMD FX(TM)-4100 Quad-Core (3.60 GHz)

Storage has been the main concern, so if anyone has recommendations for that it would be appreciated. As a lover of Total War, I'm also disappointed that I can't get much above a low graphics setting for Rome II and Shogun II without a significant FPS drop! So would love to know if there are certain upgrades I can make that would make the going easier, or if you have good set-ups which you'd recommend. Cost isn't an issue.

Thank you!

 

[Danny75]

Hi, welcome to the forum.

An SSD so your general experience will feel a lot snappier and improve on boot/load times. They are expensive so most use a 120/250/500GB SSD in combination with a larger mechanical HDD.

New CPU, motherboard and DDR4 RAM.

Power supply maybe, which do you have?

Which case?

It isn't clear which graphics card, only that it's 7800 series. But if you are getting very low frames then good chance it won't be just that weak CPU but also the GPU not up to scratch.

By which point a whole new setup (other than keeping Windows 10 and the 500GB HDD if you want) is probably best, since cost is no issue. However, stating a general budget to aim for is a good idea, even if you can later stretch a bit. Or you could get specs all the way from £1,000 to £5,000 or so.

Also, which monitor (resolution, refresh rate and whether it has Gsync or Freesync or neither).

 

[orbitalwalsh]

YouTube Ryzen 1200 Vs your country FX4100 or FAX 4300 and you'll see even the lowest budget Ryzen CPU from AMD is a god send !

It might even give a boost to your current GPU ! Specially at 1080p