So, I want to build a better-than-what-I-currently-have PC. E220 Dual Core, 8gigs DDR3 and a GeForce GT240.
I already have the case, PS, and HDD. So what do you guys think about these components?
AMD A10-6800---------------------------$120
ASRock FM2A88X -----------------------$70
EVGA GeForce GTX 650 2gig---------$120
And I haven't decided on memory, but you can chime in! I'd like to optimize towards this combo. I don't know if I'd get any improvement going higher than 1600? But I'd like to stay around $70-$90.
I don't do a lot of PC gaming, but want to do a little. I still use my 360 (and original Xbox). But mainly, surf the web, convert DVDs to AVIs, and other not so super intensive programs. No foto or video editing. I also run a virtual system. Maybe mess with Ubuntu or Mint inside the main OS using Virtual Box or something.
Thoughts?
What brand of power supply and chassis/case are you using? I wanna know the specs so I can better choose the parts I suggest for you. :)
If you are going to use a dedicated graphics card don't get a apu as there is no point i would say get a cpu + gpu
The case is a full ATX and the PS is an Ultra 500w.
I understand that an APU adds additional graphics processing capability. And you need that with onboard graphics, but does it help at all with a video card?
If not, what CPU would you recomend? I want to stay with AMD because of the power/price ratio.
Thanks.
No the APU doesn't add any additional graphics power. As soon as you slot in a GPU the onboard graphics turns off. You can run them in dual graphics but only if you use one or two select AMD GPUs which are very low power anyway. Running in dual graphics is more expensive, slower, and generally not as good as getting a cheaper CPU and a dedicated GPU.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/vy8Pgs
This will kick ass.
Sorry, not Ultra, Antec. Neo HE 500
Thanks for the suggestion. I'mma run it by my wife!
Also, would the GeForce GTX 650 be better than the Radeon R9 270? It's $10 cheaper, but Newegg has a $20 off promo. And the 650 uses about half as much power and has a faster clock. I don't know everything about video cards, and I do know that just because it has higher specs doesn't mean it's better.
The R9 270 is a much much faster card. With a GTX 650 you would be looking at low/med settings @ 1080p but with the R9 270 you will be looking at high/ultra settings in games like BF4
Ok, so I currently have an older Intel Core 2 Duo E2200 on an MSI G41M with 8 gigs DDR3 1600mhz with an Nvidia GeForce gt240. I was wondering if I were to replace the graphics card with the R9, would it be worth it? Can my system handle it? Or is it too much video card for it?
Just thinking, my current system seems good enough for now, for what I do, (right now I'm running a Virtual PC, surfing multiple web pages, copying files, listening to music, and downloading some stuff and it's running well. No hickups, or hangups) and I can see spending some money on the card for now. And later, I can build another system and use this card. Would that be a bad idea?
im guessing the cpu will bottleneck the gpu
Yeah, your CPU is a bit old now. I had a GPU slightly weaker than the R9 270 in my old C2D e8600 @4ghz, and my cpu was barely keeping up.
That said, you should still see a massive improvement in gaming performance.
I guess my main problem right now is that this computer (main) is running a 27" Vizio tv and for a second monitor a Princeton 19" 4:3 monitor. The Vizio looks like crap through the HMDI, so it's running off the VGA and the Princeton is running off the DVI. So, even if I do build a better system, or get a better card, I don't think that I'll notice too much of a difference. Except speed obviously, but when it comes to visuals, I'm not sure. If so, for my system, what would be a good upgrade (worth the money and be able to see a difference) using the VGA? Even an adapter from DVI to VGA would work. But then, would that degrade video quality? Or would a better video card help free up more system resources?
Your framerates would increase a lot, if you kept the settings the same. This would result in overall smoother gameplay.
Since both your TV and monitors are kind of old/crap, perhaps look into a new monitor? Cheap ones that still perform well are around $120-130 not counting tax.
If you're still going to use the Antec Neo Power 500 after you purchase a new GPU, you'll need to choose a graphics card that only needs 17 amps or below. Anything higher than 17 amps will not work well on your current PSU and will cause problems.
Here's a list of GPUs and their power requirements:
http://forum-en.msi.com/faq/article/power-requirements-for-graphics-cards
If you're fine with your current PC and have no problems what so ever, I highly suggest that you don't buy a new PC and just save your money.