Where do I go from this build?

Steviep3488

Steviep3488

Steviep3488

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Joined
20 Oct 2011
Posts
90
Hi all. I really could do with some advice. I am looking at upgrading my pc but don't really know where to upgrade. I'll briefly explain. System so far.

800w psu
And phenom ii x4 940 CPU
4th ddr2 1066 ram
Radeon hd 6950 1gb version gpu
Alivexfire esata 2 motherboard 1.5 tb hdd
Monitor is going to be 37" 720p Philips LCD tv when I move the rig upstairs.

I'm looking at taking it forward but not sure what will benefit the most. I will mainly be playing bf3. I played the beta fine but would like some if not all the eye candy and at present I game at 1680 x 1050 but when upstairs I will be at 1280 x768 or whatever 720 res is.
I know the system is old but I'm looking at spending £200 on it. I don't mind selling some of my gear to fund I.e sell 6950 to fund a tts 280. I also don't mind second hand bits for value benefits. My problem is CPU is limit of motherboard. So to upgrade ram I need new mobo, new CPU as it's am2 and only am3 supports ddr3.
It's painful, too many options.
Should I keep rig and just up the gpu?
Any ideas will be Grately appreciated

Thanks steve
 
You could sell your current mobo/CPU/ram and get new i5 2500k cheap z68 mobo and 4 gig of DDR3 ram, this can be had for 250 quid easy which should be about doable by selling current parts
 
A new CPU would mean a new motherboard and RAM, and would exceed £200 pretty quickly as you say.

I would say get a feel for what you can get for the processor, mobo, and RAM as a bundle (valuations can't be given on the main board here, and you don't have enough posts for the members market) then add that to your current budget.

May struggle to cover the cost of the upgrade, but you will notice a difference in performance (especially on gaming, if that is what you use your system for).

These benchmarks will show you the benefit of the 2500k > the 940 http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/288?vs=80


YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £184.99
1 x Asus P8Z68-V LX Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £81.59
1 x Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C10 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (BL2KIT25664BA160A) £21.98
Total : £299.96 (includes shipping : £9.50).





I have little experience of AMD to be honest. If someone has that processor (or similar) maybe they can shed light on what their experiences are with a higher GPU upgrade. But, for "future proof" I would maybe bite the bullet and save a bit more, and go all out.
 
Well I was thinking intel as they are leaps ahead of amd at the moment. I saw i5 2500k 3.30 for £150 earlier today. That was new so it's dropped in price. What about gnu is it ok? Is i5 a good overclocker
 
That was an OEM one, and it was a "today only". All gone now :(

The i5 2500k is a superb overclocker. You can comfortably get to 4.0Ghz with ease, and people easily get a lot more (4.5-4.7Ghz is realistic, check peoples sig's here).
 
Well the £200 was a rough figure. I have my sons gaming rig I built for him it's a
Amd 9850
Half decent mobo
Gtx 280
750w psu and 19 LCD monitor so
It's fairly good.
Has a 500gb hdd too so I'm guessing I'd get around 200 for that and then 80 - 100 for my CPU mobo ram combi.
 
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