I’m on the same page as Taylor Gray8—it makes sense to prep the ground first by sorting out the power supply. Once you move on to the CPU, motherboard, and RAM, you'll finally see what your graphics card is actually capable of. From there, you can decide if you're happy with the performance; if not, just sell it and put some extra cash toward a more powerful card.
rapidpuma59 said:We have officially decided to go with Intel, but I have just one more question. Looking through the Best Buy website, I noticed they have about fifteen different models priced around the $100 mark. It's the same story with motherboards. Could someone explain this to a layman? What is the actual difference, and does picking a model that is, say, $100 more expensive actually mean a significant jump in quality? Don't think I'm trying to play hardball here; I just don't know enough about this stuff and I'm genuinely curious.
There is no difference in build quality; it's purely a matter of raw power. By tier: You've got Celerons (2 cores)—perfect for basic office PCs (web surfing and such). Then there's Pentium (slightly better with 2 cores), and the i3 (2 cores and 4 threads), which is decent for casual gaming. However, because of next-gen titles, you're better off going with an Intel Core i5 (4 cores), or an i7 (4 cores, 8 threads) if you're doing professional work.
To clarify—why is a 4-core i5 better than an FX-6300 with 6 cores? Simply put, the individual cores are much more efficient.
Look, that Intel option is basic—it has two RAM slots and supports USB 3.0 despite being budget-friendly. However, you absolutely cannot pair an AMD FX with a cheap motherboard, like the one under $167, because they’re notorious for crashing when hitting turbo mode or other similar nonsense. Even if it dies, just look at the price tag; the AMD setup is better equipped with four RAM slots and more connectors, making it superior for overclocking. Essentially, a huge chunk of your budget disappears into the AMD build plus the cooler.
But since you already own a CPU meant for overclocking—and if it's the x2 3600+ BE model, as I suspect—I'd recommend sticking to factory settings. Assuming you aren't hardcore overclockers (not sure how much your son knows or will learn), an i5 would actually be the smarter move for you . Here is a visual comparison : http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i...vs-AMD-FX-6300
Regarding gaming, you will see a performance boost because of the processor, especially since your decent gtx 650 isn't being fully utilized right now. Just keep in mind that even then, you won't be playing Far Cry 3 on max settings—it'll likely stay at medium for smooth gameplay. I mention this so you aren't disappointed, as the GPU remains the most critical component for gaming. Once you upgrade, the graphics card becomes the bottleneck if you try to push high detail settings. Think of this upgrade as just clearing the path; even the strongest GPU can't perform if it's held back by a weak CPU and power supply. That's why you might want to go with that first, cheaper combination and save the rest of your money for a new graphics card by the time Watch Dogs comes out.
I've updated the link above (swapped out the motherboard for 2x RAM sticks)
From there, you could just grab 8GB of RAM right away. Alternatively, you can upgrade using this: http://www.diskont24.com/product.php...cat=515&page=1 Grab a cooler at the same time too: http://www.diskont24.com/product.php...cat=407&page=1 or http://www.diskont24.com/product.php...cat=407&page=1 http://www.diskont24.com/product.php...cat=395&page=1 - if you do that, an i5 might actually fit the budget. That would make much more sense if this PC is strictly for gaming and you aren't planning on overclocking (OC).
You won't need a second cooler here (this CPU is quieter, more efficient, and draws less power—plus, you don't need an expensive motherboard like you would for an AMD fx).
That's actually quite a decent budget, even sitting just above a mid-range gaming PC. You should be good for a while—at least until quad-core CPUs become the absolute bare minimum for next-gen titles.
Before Watch Dogs drops, you might want to toss in an extra 4GB stick of RAM and maybe a different CPU cooler if things get too noisy. For instance, something like $33 would help quiet it down, though you might need more beefy cooling if you decide to overclock, which this CPU handles pretty well. Then, down the road, you can judge for yourself how that GPU is holding up. If you find you need higher settings for those upcoming heavy hitters, you can always swap out the graphics card later on.
Your power supply is pretty low-end—honestly, you're better off swapping it out. You’ll likely need a reliable unit anyway if you plan on upgrading your graphics card down the road. That game, Grand Theft Auto, is supposed to be incredibly demanding on hardware.
You're going to need to swap out several components. The smartest move would be starting with a completely new platform—motherboard and CPU—which means you'll need new RAM and a new power supply too. It all really depends on your budget. You could probably hang onto your current graphics card for now, though it'll be heavily bottlenecked by that old processor I assume you're running. As for the case, hard drive, and even the cooling, you can stick with those as long as they use standard SATA connectors.
Henry Campbell4 said:Man, I really thought my GPU was doing fine—turns out it’s useless without a new rig. It’s like trying to buy premium concert tickets with zero cash in your pocket, except now my computer is acting up too, haha. Thanks, everyone!
Look, when you consider that gaming performance relies most heavily on the graphics card, while the CPU just determines if you're hitting a bottleneck or not, that GPU is still perfectly capable of handling some light gaming.
Look, you either get a meaningful upgrade or you get nothing at all when it comes to games that actually utilize four cores—you know, that moment where your GPU is ready to go but the CPU just bottlenecks everything. But if you can snag a quad-core processor at a bargain price, grab it immediately. Someone was posting links on eBay for a Q6600 for $150, but honestly, watch your back. There have been plenty of scammers out there trying to offload those processors for suspiciously low prices just because they're in high demand.
I’m not saying it’s a lost cause, but honestly, just let it go and pick up a new GPU instead.
If you’re looking at an upgrade path, any quad-core from that list would serve you well enough. http://www.gigabyte.com/support-down....aspx?pid=2843 Think along the lines of a Q8xxx or a Q6600, for example.
The power supply isn't going to be your bottleneck here; you should focus on the processor first if you're planning to run any high-end graphics cards.
Look, you're going to be gaming on this, and if you went with Intel, you'd end up paying more upfront—which means you’d just have to cut corners somewhere else later. Honestly, when it comes down to the heavy hitters like Frostbite, Dunia 2, or CryEngine, an i5 K and an AMD FX X8 8320 or 8350 are basically neck and neck. At the end of the day, your monitor is going to be reflecting what the GPU is doing, and that card is a beast for performance. As for noise? I can't tell you how loud it'll be; you'll just have to see if it bothers you once you're in the thick of it. Your case will play a big part in that too.
It’s a solid choice. What are people saying about this one? It's listed on the site... Basically, stick with that EVGA SuperNOVA 550 W; I wouldn't recommend anything lower than that since the price is right and you get a 5-year warranty
Pretty much. The best passive cooling cards I’ve come across here in the States were those HD7750 DDR5 models. Back in the day, there used to be quite a few of those high-end ultimate versions available. You won't find this one locally (plus, it would probably run north of $1,200).
I haven't actually played it myself, but based on the reviews I've read, coh2 is a beast of a game—it's incredibly demanding (if not the most demanding one out there). Honestly, if I were in your shoes, I’d stop worrying about silent passive cooling and just grab the most powerful card you can afford.
Unfortunately, they don't have a single GTX 780 in stock at the downtown store. It performs about the same as a GTX 770, but I’m really questioning if it's even worth picking up—the price tag is way too close to what an EVGA Radeon R9 290 would cost.
Check out this listing for the EVGA Radeon R9 290 4. It’s got 2GB of DDR5 memory. Check out this listing for the EVGA Radeon R9 290 4. It’s got DVI and DP outputs available.
Given your resolution requirements and current budget, I’d definitely suggest looking into a Crossfire setup. Honestly, picking up two cards is often the most cost-effective way to squeeze out high-end performance without breaking the bank. Just one word of advice, though: don't skimp on the power supply. You're going to need the headroom.
cosmicseal98 said:Could you please re-upload that image? I'm away from my desk right now and feeling a bit out of the loop 🤷 thanks
What do you mean? The image is working fine for me
cosmicseal98 said:Can someone help me find a power supply on the retailer's website? They don't have what I need in stock, and they suggested a Seasonic 650W, but the price is $316. That feels a bit steep to me—I know I need 650W, but still $316 🤷 Edit: They also don't have this CPU cooler in stock; they're offering the Thermaltake Contact 39 for $99. Is that a good choice?
According to the site, this one is available 🤷
Look, you don't strictly need 650W just for that single graphics card; a high-quality 550W unit will do the trick (your build should pull under 500W). Just make sure you don't buy some no-name brand
This one is also listed as available on their site. It has Gold efficiency, and Seasonic is top-tier. You really need something along those lines; you don't need a power supply that costs a fortune
You shouldn't settle for a cheap case either, but if the PSU is driving up the total cost, you can cut back there—you can go cheaper on the chassis for example http://www.retailer.com/details/product...haser-a21.aspx I'm not sure, maybe this one Just pick whichever one you prefer.
EDIT - I realized you were searching based on that specific build configuration. Think of me as your go-to contact for this stuff—I'm the guy who put those details in that photo. Since you're clearly hunting for direct links, here they are:
Look, just ask them about the cooler. Even if they can't do anything, you could still grab the card as is—that Sapphire R9 290 is going to perform exactly how it should, it's just going to be pretty loud. Honestly, it's totally standard for that specific card to hit 95 degrees under full load right out of the box, but having that extra cooler would definitely help dial those temps down. Who knows, maybe the noise won't even bother you 😬 — and if it does, you can always take it to a local repair shop later on to have an aftermarket cooler installed.