Alright OPPO PC Enthusiasts/Connoisseurs. It's me again with some questions for a desktop PC upgrade.

"In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you" (hoontheangelsing) 07/04/2016 at 15:29 • Filed to: None

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This is my gaming (toaster) PC named Mendicant Bias

As of current; here’s the part list:

Mo’board: Asus M5A97 R2.0

CPU: AMD FX 6350 @ 3.9 GHz

Memory: 2x4=8GB (Sticks are DDR3 @ 1.6 GHz)

GPU: Nvidia GTX 750

Hard drive: 1TB HDD @ 7200 RPM

OS: Win 7 Premium

Monitor: HDTV (1080p (native) w/ 60 Hz Refresh Rate)

Your mission OPPO: determine which part(s) need to be upgraded. My budget is $500 but I would prefer it to be about $400.

THANK YOU!

TheHondaBro > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you 07/04/2016 at 15:33

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Update the graphics card!

PS9 > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you 07/04/2016 at 15:34

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$200 of that $400 should go into the graphics card. If the 1060 turns out to be more than $200, try a 970 after a few months.

KirkyV > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you 07/04/2016 at 15:47

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I’ll second the GPU upgrade crowd - your CPU’s getting a little long in the tooth, too, but your GPU’s definitely the bottleneck for now - and also suggest that you grab an SSD. Nothing speeds up an older PC like an SSD—it’ll make day to day operation, and game load times, massively faster.

You can keep your HDD in another bay for media storage and such.

(I think most people would be aghast at the idea of a gaming PC named after a Halo character, but I actually played Halo: CE for the first time on a PC, so...)

facw > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you 07/04/2016 at 15:48

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I’d recommend a higher-res monitor, but if you are using a TV, there’s probably not much point, you won’t sit close enough to really get much value out of a 4K display.

Given that, go for a video card upgrade. The GTX 1070 is in your price range but is probably overkill for a 1080p display. The 8GB Radeon RX 480 would work well in your price range (though read up on the power issues, you hate to get it and then have AMD have to cripple performance to run in it spec). Someday there will probably be a GTX 1060 that might be an option as well. There may be deals on the previous gen cards, but I’d stay away unless it is really good, they’ll inevitably use more power and produce more noise.

I’d look for a deal to bump the RAM to 16GB, especially if you have two slots open (can’t tell if you are 2x4GB or 2GBx4).

Lastly look for SSD deals. 480GB SSDs start around $100, and will be much nicer than your spinning disk. You can pick up a 120GB drive for less than $40, but even as an OS drive that’s probably too small to be worth the hassle. You could do 256GB + your spinner, but at this point SSDs are cheap enough I’d just spring for a bigger one.

Out, but with a W - has found the answer > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you 07/04/2016 at 15:53

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GPU, and an SSD of at least 250GB for Windows and a couple of heavy-hitting games (there are utilities that can move Steam games around on your hard disks, so you can put the ones you’re currently playing most on your SSD and swap them out later).

As for GPU, I’d say RX 480 (or near-future GTX 1060), which should leave some money for peripherals. If you don’t have them yet, a good gaming mouse and mechanical keyboard are a great upgrade.
However, it’s also possible that a new GPU will be too much for your current PSU, so you might have to change that out instead.

In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you 07/04/2016 at 15:55

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Another question.

Upping upgrading my processor,

Should I stick to AMD or switch to Intel.

AMD or Nvidia for Graphics Card

In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you > Out, but with a W - has found the answer 07/04/2016 at 16:05

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PSU is a Corsair CX550

facw > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you 07/04/2016 at 16:08

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That should be plenty to power a RX 480 or GTX 1060 (or even a GTX 1070).

facw > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you 07/04/2016 at 16:18

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If you upgrade the processor, I’d go Intel. You might be able to save money at the low end with AMD, but even at low mid-range they aren’t especially competitive.

AMD is probably the best bet for graphics at the moment. We have a weird situation where Nvidia has only released their high-end next gen cards, while AMD has only released mid-range. Since a high-end card would eat your whole budget, you’d either want the AMD part, or to wait for the 1060. The AMD card is good in terms of price/performance, but is more power hungry than Nvidia’s new offerings.

In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you > facw 07/04/2016 at 16:18

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Problem is, my budget is in Amazon gift cards and the price surging on the 8GB RX 480 is RIDICULOUS

wiffleballtony > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you 07/04/2016 at 16:20

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I’d upgrade that GPU and get some more RAM.

facw > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you 07/04/2016 at 16:25

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Yeah, supply is really tight right now. Definitely don’t buy one for $300+. I think list is $230, and Newegg seemed to be selling them for $240, though almost always out of stock. I’d definitely wait until the supply normalizes a bit, which shouldn’t take so long, as opposed to buying a last gen card.

lonestranger > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you 07/04/2016 at 16:26

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Depending on how and what you’re using the PC for, I’d say the weakest link here is your “monitor”. Most TVs, even a 1080P ones, are not well optimized for close-range viewing of text or other such finer details such as desktop icons, taskbar, folders, etc. It’ll still be great for watching videos and most fullscreen gaming, however.

The other thing I’d upgrade is the OS. I realize this is a controversial topic, but Windows 10 performs much better than Windows 7 with negligible downsides that have been either overblown, easily remedied and/or flat out incorrect. Keep in mind that it’s currently a completely free upgrade, but that offer will expire July 29th. Furthermore, you have a period of time that you are able to roll back to your previous OS if you’re unhappy with W10.

Since you’re itchy to show your rig some TLC, give its interior a good dust cleaning with a can of air.

TL;DR A basic 16:9 or 16:10 @60hz LCD (TN panel) monitor, a Windows 10 install, and (if needed) a case cleaning will do wonders.

In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you > facw 07/04/2016 at 16:28

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With Intel, I would have to swap my motherboard.

facw > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you 07/04/2016 at 16:30

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True, and it probably isn’t worth it, but honestly I’m not sure upgrading your processor is a very good bang for buck upgrade unless you are doing something you know to be processor intensive.

vicorp > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you 07/04/2016 at 17:37

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Kind of in the same boat as you but with an old Intel CPU. If you try to get a CPU that will fit your current motherboard, you can pick one up for around $100-150 or so. HOWEVER, it is a dead end as AMD is going to the AM4 socket will all future CPUs starting this fall. Considering what you have right now, maybe scan CL for a used i5 (2-4th gen) with a motherboard as you can reuse your memory in it. Everything from here on out is pretty much new sockets & higher spec RAM (DDR4).

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you 07/04/2016 at 18:24

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Remember that even the most expensive AMD CPU and chipset only support PCI express 2.0

So if you do upgrade your CPU and board even just an i5-4570 and a budget board with an SSd you will be doing yourself a massive favour in catching up to current gen systems.

With the way 980Ti prices are dropping you would be a fool to buy a 1080,1070, or 480

Junkrat aka Rick Sanchez: Fury Road Edition > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you 07/04/2016 at 18:52

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I recommend Intel if you have the money to spend, but don’t blow the budget on one. Don’t blow all your money on an i5 and MB and leave your 750. You have $500 bucks as your budget, I would try to squeeze the RX480, SSD, and a 144Hz 1080p monitor into the budget. Until the RX480's get in stock everywhere, start looking for deals on the other two. I think that will give you the most bang for the buck. Then in six months if you want to throw another $500 buy an i5 MB and 32GB of RAM. Then in another three months buy another power supply and second RX480.

In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 07/04/2016 at 19:20

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What about AMD’s Fury X line

(The liquid cooled one)

Of the R9 Fury Nano?