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Question

New GPU and CPU or the graphic card only for now

Oct 5, 2018 1:00PM PDT

Hi guys, I have a few years old computer which was preatty decent at the time I put it together, but now, It can’t run the games anymore. It was decent until the last year, still allowing me to play something on the low settings, but not anymore (could not even start Far Cry 5, or the new Assassin’s Creed). The setup I have is: MS-7599, Phenom II x4 965, 8GB ram and AMD Radeon R7 200 Series. I would like to be able to play something again on it, and was wondering if just replacing the graphic card would do the trick, or I need to change the CPU/motherboard as well? My budget is limited, and do not want to spend lots of money on it, just looking to play the newer games on medium settings if possible. If I csn get away with just the GPU it would be great. Thanks for all your help!

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Some details missing.
Oct 5, 2018 3:15PM PDT

But the usual is the Nvidia 1060. If severely budget limited then you tell the user they have to move to lower settings with the 1050 Ti. DO NOT EVEN CONSIDER the plain 1050.

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As to the CPU.
Oct 6, 2018 10:28AM PDT
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Answer
Gpu
Oct 6, 2018 1:12AM PDT

No matter which r7 200 you have the gtx 1050ti will be a big bump in video power.

Then you get the proper driver and start doing some testing.

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Answer
Total Upgrade Needed
Oct 6, 2018 10:19AM PDT

While it's true that the GPU does most of the "heavy lifting" when it comes to gaming, it's also true that the GPU performance is partially dependent on the cpu and memory. Your cpu was pretty darn good in its day, but any new, good quality GPU that you add to the system now will definitely NOT be able to give you its full performance, not even close. To get your money's worth from a GTX 1050Ti or, better still, a GTX 1060 you must upgrade the motherboard, cpu, and memory. This may also entail a new, stronger power supply.
You can certainly begin by simply upgrading the GPU with a view to upgrading the rest of the components later. But, if you only upgrade the graphics, that's like buying a new car then driving it in 2nd gear on under-inflated worn out tires.