Suggestions/ideas for hardware updates.

Manasu

Hello everyone! And I will get right into the subject!

My current PC speccs:

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955

RAM: 8,00GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 803MHz (11-11-11-28)

Motherboard: Gigabyte Technology Co. Ltd. GA-880GM-UD2H (Socket M2)

Graphics: 2047MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 (ASUStek Computer Inc)

Storage:111GB SanDisk SDSSDHII120G ATA Device (SSD) , 465GB Seagate Portable USB Device (USB (SATA))

And I experience FPS issues in some online games I play . Unfrotunately for me, what I like most in gaming is large-scale PvP or PvE battles and as far as I know this aspect actually requires really solid builds!

Lately I also got a bit into sandbox/survival online games and most of them are not properly optimized...

Thus there are many times that I face FPS issues! In some games whenever there are people around me, my pc really starts to "lag" and get a drop on FPS. Even if the graphics are on maximum low!

And I don't know what I have to replace... I believe that my CPU and GPU are borderline decent for what I wanna do... So I'm not sure!  My budget is a bit "unstable" now... I've spent some money to book a trip to Italy (yaaaay) and I might go to another destinations later in summer. Also have in mind that I'm greek and money here is rather... rare .

I think that during the summer months I will have ~200euro to invest and maybe another ~200 after it. Apparently I will go for vacations but also I will be gaming during summer!

So any suggestions/ideas from either experienced or not so members are highly appreciated!

Also keep in mind that I have some discounts on ebay, so if you find solutions there it's better.

Thank you for your time!!

Quizzical

I'd recommend thinking replace rather than upgrade.  Unfortunately, that seems to be out of your budget at the moment.  But it's probably better to save your money until you can afford a decent new computer than to sink money into a platform that is 8 years old and doesn't have a glaring weakness that can be fixed by replacing just one component.

You could probably see substantial gains in some cases from a new video card, and that would fit your stated budget.  But even if you go that route, you're still going to be held back by an 8 year old CPU.

I'm guessing you've already done a fair bit of upgrading, as by the time your video card launched in 2014, your CPU no longer made any sense at all to buy new.

Quizzical

Nyctelios said:

I would toss anything that is not Intel on the garbage.

I would toss anything that is Gigabyte on the garbage and burn it to not leave evidence.

Gigabyte and decent can't go on the same phrase.

(That's just me, don't take it too seriously)

Quizzical is right; Save money and buy some good motherboard and CPU. Make it, even if slowly, from the start - meanwhile use what you have.

If it were an Intel Core 2 Quad CPU and an MSI or Asus LGA 775 motherboard, he wouldn't really be in any better of a position than he is now.  Then contemporary Intel CPU was Bloomfield, but that's a different price tier entirely.

Ridelynn

Tight spot - what Quiz says is pretty spot on.

You ~could~ throw that $200-$400 euro at a new GPU. That would get you better frame rates than your 750 is now. But only so much - your more or less stuck at that without an entire new build.

Apart from SSD (which you already have), the GPU is really the only place you could put any money that will make a difference without a mostly complete rebuild.

So I would say your options: New GPU (RX580 or GTX1060 are both ~usually~ in that price range, barring supply issues) now and rebuild later, or just save what you got now and push for that rebuild sooner than later. $400 euro won't get you an entire rebuild, but once you've saved that much, your about halfway to a nice new rebuild.

Ryzen has helped make some seriously awesome computing power a lot less expensive than it used to be, but hasn't done much to disrupt the budget build segment yet -- Zen-based APUs should help to do that, unless your keen on going with a dual core Intel build.

Cleffy

In your particular situation, it's replace the GPU with an RX 580 or look for a more modern system on EBay in your price range with a decent GPU.

Manasu

Thank you all for your answers, were rather helpful!

Well I thought that with a few smart upgrades my PC would be ok, but after what you've said any with a little research it seems like it would not... A total replace is going to be really hard...

Unfortunately I've also found out that the discounts I have at ebay only apply to items that cost ~250e or less...

Anyway, for upgrading the GPU I've found these 3:

Option 1
Option 2
Option 3

Any suggestions?

And after that I guess I will have to replace my CPU and motherboard...
Do you have any ideas that suit my situation??

Thank you alot everyone!

Ridelynn

Option 2 is out - it looks like a laptop module.

1050Ti for $200+ is awfully steep, but given that your dealing in Euro, I don't know how that compares. Those are running $150 US new right now on Newegg, so I don't know how much of a discount you are getting or what your local options are, but Option 1 for $275 right now is almost double what that card is running for elsewhere, and Option 3 is already up to nearly $200.

In your price range - barring ridiculous crypto markup - I would expect a RX570 or a GTX1060 (3G). If you can't get at least that for at or under $200, I would just sit on the cash and wait for the crypto market to crash out and GPU prices to return to something sane.

Manasu

Ridelynn said:

Option 2 is out - it looks like a laptop module.

1050Ti for $200+ is awfully steep, but given that your dealing in Euro, I don't know how that compares. Those are running $150 US new right now on Newegg, so I don't know how much of a discount you are getting or what your local options are, but Option 1 for $275 right now is almost double what that card is running for elsewhere, and Option 3 is already up to nearly $200.

In your price range - barring ridiculous crypto markup - I would expect a RX570 or a GTX1060 (3G). If you can't get at least that for at or under $200, I would just sit on the cash and wait for the crypto market to crash out and GPU prices to return to something sane.

Hmm I see, fair enough...
Maybe I'll have to search at another site, but gonna lose the discount from ebay.. As the RX570s cost 400+ and the GTX1060 around 300. Hmmm..

Vrika

Manasu said:

Ridelynn said:

Option 2 is out - it looks like a laptop module.

1050Ti for $200+ is awfully steep, but given that your dealing in Euro, I don't know how that compares. Those are running $150 US new right now on Newegg, so I don't know how much of a discount you are getting or what your local options are, but Option 1 for $275 right now is almost double what that card is running for elsewhere, and Option 3 is already up to nearly $200.

In your price range - barring ridiculous crypto markup - I would expect a RX570 or a GTX1060 (3G). If you can't get at least that for at or under $200, I would just sit on the cash and wait for the crypto market to crash out and GPU prices to return to something sane.

Hmm I see, fair enough...
Maybe I'll have to search at another site, but gonna lose the discount from ebay.. As the RX570s cost 400+ and the GTX1060 around 300. Hmmm..

Virtual currency miners are right now hogging up all the graphic cards. That's why the prices in many places and for many cards are ridiculously inflated. GPU makers didn't expect the demand and can't manufacture fast enough.

If you can wait with your upgrade a couple of months, you could get GPU cheaper once the shortage is over. No-one knows how long the shortage will last, though.

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/ethereum-effect-graphics-card-prices,34928.html

Buccaneer

If you game on a budget at 1080p I would suggest upgrading the cpu to one of the new Intel G4560 CPU.  Getting a new CPU, motherboard and 8GB of DDR4 ram with set you back £200.  Use the GTX750 until you can afford the GTX1060.  This way it will be easier to slot in a I5 or I7 in the future.

Edit for links:

Intel Pentium G4560

MSI Bazooka Kaby Lake B250 Motherboard

HyperX FURY 8 GB DDR4 2400 MHz

Cleffy

Right now the only GPU worth buying is the GTX 1080. Everything else is inflated in price. Also if you wait until fall, all those GPUs that were bought up for crypto currency mining will probably be dumped back into the marketplace in bulk since the miners are relying on reselling the GPUs once they have been used to sufficient amount or a better solution comes along.

Renoaku

Manasu said:

Hello everyone! And I will get right into the subject!

My current PC speccs:

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955

RAM: 8,00GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 803MHz (11-11-11-28)

Motherboard: Gigabyte Technology Co. Ltd. GA-880GM-UD2H (Socket M2)

Graphics: 2047MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 (ASUStek Computer Inc)

Storage:111GB SanDisk SDSSDHII120G ATA Device (SSD) , 465GB Seagate Portable USB Device (USB (SATA))

And I experience FPS issues in some online games I play . Unfrotunately for me, what I like most in gaming is large-scale PvP or PvE battles and as far as I know this aspect actually requires really solid builds!

Lately I also got a bit into sandbox/survival online games and most of them are not properly optimized...

Thus there are many times that I face FPS issues! In some games whenever there are people around me, my pc really starts to "lag" and get a drop on FPS. Even if the graphics are on maximum low!

And I don't know what I have to replace... I believe that my CPU and GPU are borderline decent for what I wanna do... So I'm not sure!  My budget is a bit "unstable" now... I've spent some money to book a trip to Italy (yaaaay) and I might go to another destinations later in summer. Also have in mind that I'm greek and money here is rather... rare .

I think that during the summer months I will have ~200euro to invest and maybe another ~200 after it. Apparently I will go for vacations but also I will be gaming during summer!

So any suggestions/ideas from either experienced or not so members are highly appreciated!

Also keep in mind that I have some discounts on ebay, so if you find solutions there it's better.

Thank you for your time!!

Ah you can get a good Core i7 build for under $1000 if you got the base parts, power supply, case and SSD already.

I like the new I7 line, and I9 line will be upgrading mine before long .

Cleffy

Core i7 is a little expensive for a 400 euro budget. Ryzen 5 1600 or Core i5 might put him under 400.

Ridelynn

Possible. but won't really improve the gaming situation all that much if your still stuck with a GT750

A new GPU gets you a bit more out of what you got, but will definitely be bottlenecked on CPU

A new CPU gets you ... the ability to not be bottlenecked when you do eventually upgrade the GPU.

Really, this is one of those cases where it's either temporary bandaid with a GPU, or a full computer rebuild, and there isn't a lot of room in between that does you much good.

Tybost

Buccaneer said:

If you game on a budget at 1080p I would suggest upgrading the cpu to one of the new Intel G4560 CPU.  Getting a new CPU, motherboard and 8GB of DDR4 ram with set you back £200.  Use the GTX750 until you can afford the GTX1060.  This way it will be easier to slot in a I5 or I7 in the future.

Edit for links:

Intel Pentium G4560

MSI Bazooka Kaby Lake B250 Motherboard

HyperX FURY 8 GB DDR4 2400 MHz

Bump... I agree with this build!

You would benefit more from a strong GPU upgrade first- but this is possibly the worst time to upgrade to a new GPU in the past 1000 days. Upgrading your MOBO/ CPU/ RAM with the quoted components above will only lay down a slick road for you to upgrade to a stronger GPU to nitro past the lag you experience.

gervaise1

Tybost said:

Buccaneer said:

If you game on a budget at 1080p I would suggest upgrading the cpu to one of the new Intel G4560 CPU.  Getting a new CPU, motherboard and 8GB of DDR4 ram with set you back £200.  Use the GTX750 until you can afford the GTX1060.  This way it will be easier to slot in a I5 or I7 in the future.

Edit for links:

Intel Pentium G4560

MSI Bazooka Kaby Lake B250 Motherboard

HyperX FURY 8 GB DDR4 2400 MHz

Bump... I agree with this build!

You would benefit more from a strong GPU upgrade first- but this is possibly the worst time to upgrade to a new GPU in the past 1000 days. Upgrading your MOBO/ CPU/ RAM with the quoted components above will only lay down a slick road for you to upgrade to a stronger GPU to nitro past the lag you experience.

Looks good.

A lot of positive reviews of the G4560 out there for example http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-cpus,3986.html which was updated at the start of the month.

There have been some manufacturer's offers on motherboards so may be worth checking - you may be able to get a higher spec one at the same price. Any would represent a sound upgrade.  

Ozmodan

Ignore the guy telling you to get a new CPU, motherboard and memory unless you can budget the graphics card in first.  The graphics card will give you the most bang for the buck as others have recommended.  A new CPU and motherboard won't do much at all with your current graphics card.  Sometimes I wonder about the idiotic advice people put on this board.

People pricing the 1050 ti over $150 are just milking the market, I would avoid Ebay for any graphics cards as the sellers are all trying to make money off of you.   I was in Microcenter yesterday and they had lots of them at that price.  RX580 and RX480s forget it, they sell out as soon as they hit the shelf.

Microcenter has had to put a limit on how many graphic cards you can buy at 2 a week and they have plenty of customers in that category.  The funny thing is, I can buy a 1080 for about the same price as a 1070.

gervaise1

Ozmodan said:

Ignore the guy telling you to get a new CPU, motherboard and memory unless you can budget the graphics card in first.  The graphics card will give you the most bang for the buck as others have recommended.  A new CPU and motherboard won't do much at all with your current graphics card.  Sometimes I wonder about the idiotic advice people put on this board.

People pricing the 1050 ti over $150 are just milking the market, I would avoid Ebay for any graphics cards as the sellers are all trying to make money off of you.   I was in Microcenter yesterday and they had lots of them at that price.  RX580 and RX480s forget it, they sell out as soon as they hit the shelf.

Microcenter has had to put a limit on how many graphic cards you can buy at 2 a week and they have plenty of customers in that category.  The funny thing is, I can buy a 1080 for about the same price as a 1070.

 
The budget is 200 euro. So the OP won't be popping in to Microcentre anytime soon. (Implies not in the US).

So a 1050ti - retail - might be an option (see Edit below). Is it "best value" though? You yourself suggest it isn't.

Others have suggested a CPU upgrade path. Which would also be in budget. 

I agree with the cpu option. There were reviews on several of the main review sites that paired a Pentium 3220s with a 750 Ti graphics cards. (Both gpu and Pentium 3220 cpu came out about the same time - hence the combo). The Pentium 3220 reviewed well. The new generation Pentiums are much better and - crucially - are well within budget. This option would keep the "newer" gpu replacing the "much older" cpu.


Put simply its no good WTF others posts and suggesting something that is out of budget.

Edit: if changing the GPU make sure the power supply will cope - the GTX 750 is a low power card. Having to upgrade the power supply might bust the budget).

Ozmodan

gervaise1 said:

Ozmodan said:

Ignore the guy telling you to get a new CPU, motherboard and memory unless you can budget the graphics card in first.  The graphics card will give you the most bang for the buck as others have recommended.  A new CPU and motherboard won't do much at all with your current graphics card.  Sometimes I wonder about the idiotic advice people put on this board.

People pricing the 1050 ti over $150 are just milking the market, I would avoid Ebay for any graphics cards as the sellers are all trying to make money off of you.   I was in Microcenter yesterday and they had lots of them at that price.  RX580 and RX480s forget it, they sell out as soon as they hit the shelf.

Microcenter has had to put a limit on how many graphic cards you can buy at 2 a week and they have plenty of customers in that category.  The funny thing is, I can buy a 1080 for about the same price as a 1070.

 
The budget is 200 euro. So the OP won't be popping in to Microcentre anytime soon. (Implies not in the US).

So a 1050ti - retail - might be an option (see Edit below). Is it "best value" though? You yourself suggest it isn't.

Others have suggested a CPU upgrade path. Which would also be in budget. 

I agree with the cpu option. There were reviews on several of the main review sites that paired a Pentium 3220s with a 750 Ti graphics cards. (Both gpu and Pentium 3220 cpu came out about the same time - hence the combo). The Pentium 3220 reviewed well. The new generation Pentiums are much better and - crucially - are well within budget. This option would keep the "newer" gpu replacing the "much older" cpu.


Put simply its no good WTF others posts and suggesting something that is out of budget.

Edit: if changing the GPU make sure the power supply will cope - the GTX 750 is a low power card. Having to upgrade the power supply might bust the budget).

Oh give me a break, a new CPU will do little to fix his impass, games are GPU bound NOT CPU!!!!

Elsabolts

Save up your money and replace whole system.

Gdemami

Buccaneer said:

If you game on a budget at 1080p I would suggest upgrading the cpu to one of the new Intel G4560 CPU.  Getting a new CPU, motherboard and 8GB of DDR4 ram with set you back £200.  Use the GTX750 until you can afford the GTX1060.  This way it will be easier to slot in a I5 or I7 in the future.

Edit for links:

Intel Pentium G4560

MSI Bazooka Kaby Lake B250 Motherboard

HyperX FURY 8 GB DDR4 2400 MHz

Pretty much this.


Intel G4560 is awesome budget option and what you need the most currently since your CPU is not catching up any more. 

I would encourage you to try out B150 or H110 chipsets even if you can find them for better price. They need a BIOS update to run G4560 generation CPU but that should be already supplied by manufacturers these days. If it won't work, you should be able to return or exchange the mobo with no issue.

If you are getting mobo with 2 DIMM slots only, get 1x 8GB module only, it should be cheaper than 2x4GB anyway.

Ridelynn

Given the options:

a) Save money, get a great FPS/gaming improvement later
b) Spend money, get some FPS/gaming improvement now
c) Spend money, get little to no FPS/gaming improvement now

Why are people even recommending option C? I mean, sure spending money is fun and all, but I don't just go and light it on fire.

waynejr2

Ridelynn said:

Given the options:

a) Save money, get a great FPS/gaming improvement later
b) Spend money, get some FPS/gaming improvement now
c) Spend money, get little to no FPS/gaming improvement now

Why are people even recommending option C? I mean, sure spending money is fun and all, but I don't just go and light it on fire.

Why not hookers and coke?

Ozmodan

Gdemami said:

Buccaneer said:

If you game on a budget at 1080p I would suggest upgrading the cpu to one of the new Intel G4560 CPU.  Getting a new CPU, motherboard and 8GB of DDR4 ram with set you back £200.  Use the GTX750 until you can afford the GTX1060.  This way it will be easier to slot in a I5 or I7 in the future.

Edit for links:

Intel Pentium G4560

MSI Bazooka Kaby Lake B250 Motherboard

HyperX FURY 8 GB DDR4 2400 MHz

Pretty much this.


Intel G4560 is awesome budget option and what you need the most currently since your CPU is not catching up any more. 

I would encourage you to try out B150 or H110 chipsets even if you can find them for better price. They need a BIOS update to run G4560 generation CPU but that should be already supplied by manufacturers these days. If it won't work, you should be able to return or exchange the mobo with no issue.

If you are getting mobo with 2 DIMM slots only, get 1x 8GB module only, it should be cheaper than 2x4GB anyway.

Again, it is the GPU that is causing the issues NOT the CPU.  Granted a complete new build is probably the answer in this situation and if that is in the budget is highly recommended, but like I said before even old cpus can get an amazing boost from a new gpu.  

I would be shocked if he saw much difference playing games with your cpu/motherboard option.

Vrika

Ozmodan said:

Gdemami said:

Buccaneer said:

If you game on a budget at 1080p I would suggest upgrading the cpu to one of the new Intel G4560 CPU.  Getting a new CPU, motherboard and 8GB of DDR4 ram with set you back £200.  Use the GTX750 until you can afford the GTX1060.  This way it will be easier to slot in a I5 or I7 in the future.

Edit for links:

Intel Pentium G4560

MSI Bazooka Kaby Lake B250 Motherboard

HyperX FURY 8 GB DDR4 2400 MHz

Pretty much this.


Intel G4560 is awesome budget option and what you need the most currently since your CPU is not catching up any more. 

I would encourage you to try out B150 or H110 chipsets even if you can find them for better price. They need a BIOS update to run G4560 generation CPU but that should be already supplied by manufacturers these days. If it won't work, you should be able to return or exchange the mobo with no issue.

If you are getting mobo with 2 DIMM slots only, get 1x 8GB module only, it should be cheaper than 2x4GB anyway.

Again, it is the GPU that is causing the issues NOT the CPU.  Granted a complete new build is probably the answer in this situation and if that is in the budget is highly recommended, but like I said before even old cpus can get an amazing boost from a new gpu.  

I would be shocked if he saw much difference playing games with your cpu/motherboard option.

Agreed. Spending 200 euros to an upgrade that doesn't give good performance increase is stupid. Either get something that gives you good performance boost right now - a GPU - or save for when you can get something that gives a good performance boost.


If you're really tight on money you might even go cheap and buy a GTX 1050 at bit over 100€. Even it would be nearly twice as fast as your current GPU.

http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GTX-750-vs-Nvidia-GTX-1050/3162vs3650