Upgrading old mesh pc

standarduck

standarduck

standarduck

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Location
Bristol, United Kingdom
Hi, just been gifted a desktop by a now good friend. Play some steam games FPS and the like (not worried about super stunning graphics), and I'd like the whole thing to run a bit better.

System looks like
Windows 8.1 64 Bit
ASUSTeK Computer INC. M2N68-VM (AM2)
AMD Phenom II X4 955#
8.00GBDDR2
512MB ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series (ATI AIB)

Don't want to spend loads (maybe a couple hundred if it's worth it)

Is there much point in trying to upgrade anything here? It sort of works if I put graphics options down super low.

Cheers
Duck
 
Thanks so far!

The current PSU is a Cooler Master Silent Pro M600

No idea if that's worth keeping. Do I need to upgrade that before thinking about fitting a new GPU?
 
standarduck said:
Thanks so far!

The current PSU is a Cooler Master Silent Pro M600

No idea if that's worth keeping. Do I need to upgrade that before thinking about fitting a new GPU?
Click to expand...

With 480w on the 12v rail it isn't great but should be sufficient for a mid range card such as the GTX960 or R9 380
 
yes overclocking and a new gpu and psu would help, but its just false economy.
just pile your monies into a new intel machine and sell the mesh one on gumtree.
 
teenwolf said:
yes overclocking and a new gpu and psu would help, but its just false economy.
just pile your monies into a new intel machine and sell the mesh one on gumtree.
Click to expand...

This seems like the most honest response, but I can't afford a new rig unless there's some super cheap build which wouldn't break the bank...
 
I would say there is nothing wrong with trying to get more out of old hardware, after all, life is not all about a poor return for your money by gaining a few brownie points in online benchmark graphs.

Like others have said it may be worth looking into overclocking, but I would say that with AMD this will require not just a reputable after market CPU cooler (IE one that cools, not baed on cost), but reasonable case airflow too (based on the opinion that you will have a basic micro ATX case with possibly a single 80mm to 120mm fan?). And are you comfortable with overclocking?

Personally I think a 960 is overkill, not sure if it would be bottlenecked by the CPU, therefor I would be looking at cards like the Nvidia 750ti 2gb, or the Nvidia 950 2gb, both are superb compliments to old hardware.

Right now budget gaming PC's are around the £300 to £400 mark. This is usually an Intel G3258 budget build, based around an Nvidia 750ti though that has been superceded by the Nvidia 950. Gaming is usually medium to high settings at 1080p.
There is no reason why you cannot upgrade your current PC with little upgrades here and there, things like the PSU, case, SSD, HDD, GPU, CPU cooler can all be upgraded and used in a later build.
But at the same time, a CPU such as an i3, with a budget motherboard, and 8gb of memory may also be affordable and fit in your current build. If you were after PC performance that would be advisable, but if it's budget gaming, your current GPU is worth changing.

To be honest, with what your saying in your 1st post, the Nvidia 750ti 2gb or 950ti 2gb (if you have a PCI-E cable) may well make all the difference you want. An old DDR2 system certainly does not warrant a huge GPU upgrade, even the better Intel LGA 775 systems offer a compromise on cards like the old AMD 7950.
 
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To get things running smoothly, you'd need to upgrade pretty much everything - but keep the following in mind:

You have a case, a HDD, a copy of Windows.

For just a bit of change over the £300 mark you could go for something like the following - it would happily mince its way through most games on high @ 1080 (the Radeon 370 is worth the extra £ over a 750ti - it has a much larger bus - other cards are available).

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £313.97
(includes shipping: £11.10)
​


​

PSU is optional, but I'd recommend a new one if you can stretch to it.

That's not a definitive build, many here could offer alternatives - but for £300, using your current HDD and case, you could do what you originally requested - run most games at a high level of detail smoothly.

For comparison, my 3-year old AMD build runs BioShock, Tomb Raider, Crysis 1/2 and BF4 all maxed out and at playable framerates (albeit at 1680x1050, as thats what I run):
AMD FX 6300+ (stock speeds, never needed to OC this, its a beast for its age/cost)
2x4GB Kingston HyperX CL9 DDR3 1600 Mhz
MSI OC r7850 1GB (AMD 7850)
Gigabyte GA-970a-DS3 Motherboard

Cost me ~£300 2.5 years ago, couldn't be happier with it.

So it can be done on a budget. But be aware that you'd need to upgrade such a build in a few years just to keep up with trends.

Swings and roundabouts!

teenwolf said:
The psu will be shocking
Click to expand...

I see what you did there...


Edit:-

As an aside, my build was modelled around the then-unreleased-but-suspected PS4/XBone specs. My thought being that most PC-ports from those (most games) would run similarly on this PC. It is, however, academic now as I'm converting that PC into an HTPC thats pc-game capable, but its sat under my PS4, which gets way more mileage these days.
 
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Wow - I'll get saving!

There's so many options - wasn't quite aware that for basically double a GPU I could build a half-decent system (with cannibal parts).

This place is amazing.
 
Yeah - you can really get a reasonable system for not much money these days - with upgrade headroom.

I would suggest buying this month's copy of PC Format of Custom PC (magazines, you can find them in most supermarkets/newsagents, and on Google Magazines). They tend to have a really solidly tested budget build that I would always strongly suggest looking at - their budget is usually £400, but that includes cases, kb + mouse etc.,

Also - if your PSU can handle it (I haven't checked), you could swap out the PSU above for a better graphics card:-
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/his-...xpress-graphics-card-h380qm2gd-gx-103-hs.html

Its all up for debate, I'm sure someone can offer a better build - but for now, just save some cash and research options.
 
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An important thing to remember!

Look at what your requirements are for the majority of time the PC is used, not some possible scenario that may happen four times a year.

Base your GPU on the current resolution you use or will definitely have, and judge it's performance on the games you love, not just what you read about.

You do not have to overclock, and unless you plan to, then a G3258 or K series CPU is pointless. Same with cores, many will be fine with an i3 over an i5.

There is minimal gain between a stock i3 and stock i5 in the majority of uses, and those gains that some deem worthwhile really only add up to an average user (ie indy games and a few mainstream titles on a 1080p monitor, web browsing, watching movies, ripping a movie) waiting a few seconds more or losing a few FPS here and there.

By all means build up a list of ideal budget PC components you would like, and then prioritise the benefits, you will easily be able to add just the GPU and upgrade elsewhere later, or you could get a CPU/motherboard/memory and be no better off in regards to GPU and overclocking.
 
Perhaps a basic question follows.

I'm going to go for a 950 or a 750ti. Is there much to choose between them?

Also, why are there so many brands of the same card...?
 
standarduck said:
Perhaps a basic question follows.

I'm going to go for a 950 or a 750ti. Is there much to choose between them?

Also, why are there so many brands of the same card...?
Click to expand...

Yes the 750ti is pants, you'd be best saving abit and getting a 960/ r9 380

you could try getting an r9 285 quite cheap which is just an r9 380 (380 is rebadged)
 
I find it mostly preference, from what information you've given us i would go for any 2gb model, most coolers will suffice these days so its really up to you. if you want abit more future proofing you could always go for a 4gb model but as you're not hugely bothered about all super settings in games 2gb will do.
 
powelly2010 said:
Yes the 750ti is pants, you'd be best saving abit and getting a 960/ r9 380
Click to expand...

This is exactly where forum advice in here fails. If your playing below 1080p resolution and only indie titles on an old DDR2 system with no intention of upgrading or buying newer titles, you would have to be thinking with your pants if spending £160+ on a GPU.


So in all honesty, just buy any new graphics card, here is a review of your PSU http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story4&reid=134
I cannot imagine any GPU mentioned above, including the AMD R9 380, being a problem. It just boils down to what games you play and at what resolution. You could even upgrade to an SSD, but simply get budget upgrades one at a time in that old PC. Any of the GPU's mentioned will be a worthwhile upgrade, get what gives you the best value.

But maybe state the resolution of your current monitor, and the actual game titles you play, I still think if your are having to make do with a handout PC and have a low budget for upgrading, your better off buying just a GPU that will benefit the majority of games you play, not the minority for a few fps more. It would be questionable to buy a 380 if all you played was Unturned and Minecraft on a 1024 × 768 monitor, quite simply I doubt there would be any point above a 260X.
 
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