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Resolved Question

Upgrading PC for Better Gaming

Jan 4, 2015 4:34AM PST

Hey everyone! I have a custom built PC that I put together this last summer. I spent around $600 just on the hardware and now starting to take PC gaming more seriously and recording and rendering videos as well. I have been having issues with low Frames Per Second and want to upgrade either my CPU or GPU to help run games like DayZ, Rust, or other bigger MMO open world games. I am not sure what I should upgrade or get in order to help increase my FPS. Right now on most games I average around 30 and in good cases around 45. But I mostly and more than normal have from 15-30 FPS in a lot of games, even Minecraft. Thanks for any help you can give! My computer specs are below. Let me know what is able to be upgraded and what is most cost effective. I would like to stay around the $300 mark. Thanks for any help.

Specs:
Rosewill Green Series RG630-S12 630W Continuous @40°C,80 PLUS BRONZE Certified, Single 12V Rail, Active PFC "Compatible with Core i7,i5" Power Supply

MSI R7 260X 2GD5 OC Radeon R7 260X 2GB 128-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

MSI A78M-E35 FM2+ / FM2 AMD A78 (Bolton D3) HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

Western Digital WD Blue WD10EZEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive - OEM

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL

AMD 760K Richland Quad-Core 3.8GHz Socket FM2 100W Desktop Processor AD760KWOHLBOX

Discussion is locked

CodyRay8 has chosen the best answer to their question. View answer

Best Answer

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Upgrade
Jan 4, 2015 10:22PM PST

Sometime in the future if you happen to have a few extra bucks.
Consider installing the proper ram in that machine.
Looks like it will support 1866 in stock mode.

Get your gpu sorted first.

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so 8gb isn't enough?
Jan 5, 2015 1:19AM PST

Hey so my 2x4gb ram isn't enough? And also do you think I need to upgrade my power supply if I get a r9 version?

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GB was fine. They were noting the board support.
Jan 5, 2015 1:22AM PST

1866 is the speed of the RAM. Since this is not a big factor in GPU Framerate, I'd wait till you sort out your GPU.

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Thank you for the help!
Jan 5, 2015 2:11AM PST

Okay I believe you have answered almost all my questions. Thanks for the help I really appreciate it.

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Answer
Looks like it's the 260x.
Jan 4, 2015 6:26AM PST
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Upgrade GPU?
Jan 4, 2015 6:38AM PST

Hey Bob. So you think I need to upgrade my Graphics Card? Could you give me some links to some you recommend? And I want to make sure it's compatible with what's already in my computer like motherboard and CPU. Thanks.

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I supplied 2 links.
Jan 4, 2015 6:42AM PST

The first seems to show frame rates consistent with your results. The second is the list I use and from that we can find a review with the new frame rates. If the R9 260X works, I expect all models from Tom's 2015 list to work with the usual work of drivers and such.
Bob

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Should I upgrade CPU as well?
Jan 4, 2015 6:56AM PST

Thanks for the links Bob. When looking at the GPUs on the list which would you expect to work best to give me better frames? I'm kind of a newb when it comes to hardware. And also, do you think I need to upgrade my CPU as well? I heard that can help with gaming as well.

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Didn't suspect the CPU because
Jan 4, 2015 7:00AM PST

The framerates looked right for the current GPU. There's also this:
"Our tests demonstrate fairly little difference between a $225 LGA 1155 Core i5-2500K and a $1000 LGA 2011 Core i7-3960X, even when three-way graphics card configurations are involved. It turns out that memory bandwidth and PCIe throughput don't hold back the performance of existing Sandy Bridge-based machines. "
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-4.html

I doubt bumping the CPU will give any gain here.
Bob

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Radeon R9 280?
Jan 4, 2015 7:06AM PST

So, for my budget of around $300 do you think I will be just fine if I get the Radeon R9 280 for $190 or should I get the GeForce GTX 970 for $340? Do you think the almost $200 difference is worth it?

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The list should include links to reviews and FPS numbers.
Jan 4, 2015 7:16AM PST

While the move from a 260x to a R9 280 is significant only you can rule which is enough. The GTX 970 (at least the last one I read a review on) has enough oomph for 4K displays.

If you are current getting 30FPS then check the review of the r9 260x and find a game that is in the list on the 260x, 290, and 970. Compare the numbers.

Also, since almost all LCD monitor refresh at 60, if a GPU can deliver 60 FPS at 1080p, I consider that good enough for today.
Bob

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Radeon R9 280x
Jan 4, 2015 7:44AM PST

I am really considering now after looking at reviews and other information along with yours buying the Radeon R9 280x. From my original post, will this new GPU be compatible with my hardware I have now? Also, do you recomend a certain site like Amazon or Newegg?

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Should be.
Jan 4, 2015 8:36AM PST

It's in the same family of the R9 so the only work should be the new driver install.

I like both Amazon and Newegg.
Bob

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Graphic Card Install
Jan 4, 2015 10:48AM PST

Okay so if I were to buy the Radeon R9 280x all I would have to do is take out the old GPU, then insert the new one in its place? Then upon start up what do I need to do?

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At that point you read the instructions about drivers.
Jan 4, 2015 10:56AM PST

I don't write such because if I did, folk would ding me as these change every few months.

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Which brand is best?
Jan 4, 2015 12:25PM PST

So after researching and looking further into the Radeon R9 280x I noticed there are a lot of different options between brands like Saphire, Powercolor, Gigabyte, HisIQ. Is there a certain one that would work better for my CPU or computer in general?

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For me, I choose from Tom's list.
Jan 4, 2015 12:39PM PST

That's what I've done for years and haven't looked back.
Bob

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Opinion on XFX Double D Radeon R9 280X
Jan 6, 2015 3:20PM PST

I have heard a lot of good things about the XFX R9 280x but want a valid opinion. I am still somewhat unsure of which brand to choose from. Could you give me any hints? And also I have a Rosewood Micro-ATX case. Should that fit this XFX R9 280x?