Posts by Kimberly Gomez34

Which CPU would you go with?

Here’s a list of CPUs compatible with your motherboard. Just make sure you check which BIOS version you're running, and I'd highly recommend avoiding any 125W processors if you can help it.

I assume you’ve decided to pivot away from an all-in-one setup—but have you actually sat down to play Grand Theft Auto IV yet? 😲

Bottom line: this rig will handle web browsing (just try not to go tab-crazy), run Office, and tackle older titles just fine. In the meantime, you can save up and start planning your next upgrade.

You aren't going to get anywhere with that approach, so stick to your guns. Believe me, I have a nearly identical setup sitting in my storage closet. Back in the day, I was trying to figure out what the absolute best GPU would be for a newer generation single-core chip (like a P4 or an Athlon 64). A single core is a total relic by today's standards, and that ATI Radeon HD5450 512 is actually plenty—maybe even overkill depending on what you're playing. To be specific, an Athlon 64 3500 paired with an HD6450 works fine for games released up until about 2006. But from that point on—specifically with titles like Oblivion or The Witcher—the CPU is constantly pegged at 100%, while the GPU sits around 45-75% usage (that’s with a 1440x900 resolution; if you drop the resolution, the performance is just as bad or even worse). Most of the time, the card stays around 50%.

Only grab a different card if you're planning on upgrading everything else very soon. Honestly, it's much smarter to fix your platform first, then add the "cherry on top" later by picking up a better graphics card.

Noah Miller6 said:$50 from the store 🙂

Honestly, I highly doubt it's going to be any worse than the integrated graphics this kid is currently running. 🙂

THX

What kind of processor are you rocking? Look, if you're already spending the money, just buy something decent—assuming the CPU can actually handle it.
Keep in mind these are modern titles. Pretty soon Madden NFL 14 and FIFA 14 will be moving to entirely new engines, and then the kid will be complaining that he can't run the next big thing—even before it hits the shelves.

Honestly, the Corsair CX series is total garbage.
cx430 could handle it easily, or even better, an xfx 450.

There won't be any negative consequences; in fact, the power supply will actually be under less stress given its capacity.

Samuel Martinez22 said:How good is that Fortron? Is it actually reliable? If I were picking one, I'd probably go with the Fortron Raider sa 650 w Silver just to be sure I have enough juice under the hood.

For that price point, it’s a steal. Do yourself a favor and check out some reviews for the full breakdown; there are a few guys over at PCMag talking about that unit, so give those a read:

"Fortron raider 550W—it's quiet, budget-friendly, has super long cables, uses the same architecture as the Aurum Gold series, and hits 89% Efficiency. So far, so good."

Honestly, I don't think you even need 650W. Between the 550W capacity and that Silver efficiency rating, you'll have plenty of headroom.
If you're willing to shell out a bit more, though, just grab one of those two Seasonic units if they're in stock.

or seasonic-ss-520gm—that would be Gold efficiency (assuming availability)—compared to fortron raider, which is just Silver
.

Check this out.

Or even better, take a look at this http://www.nabava.net/trazilica.php?tp=0&q=xfx+450

You could probably get away with something slightly more budget-friendly, but honestly, don't skimp on this part.

By the way—do you already have the card in hand? If you haven't bought it yet and you're planning your build, you're much better off picking a cheaper CPU so you can put that extra cash toward a beefier GPU (especially if gaming is your main goal).

7950 Xerox, I read somewhere that overclocking could potentially boost performance by about 22%.

swiftfalcon89 said:Performance-wise, the GTX 760 and HD 7950 are pretty much neck and neck, but if I were in your shoes, I’d definitely go with the PowerColor HD 7950 Vapor-X OC...

I'm with him on this one.

Excellent. That’s basically the industry standard motherboard right there.

Lawrence Murphy68 said:Wait, hold on a second... is this graphics card actually up to the task for newer series? I’m thinking medium to high settings on games like *Genshin Impact*, maybe even throwing one or two heavier titles at it on low settings. Which model should I go with? 😕

If you're eyeing that 6670, just make sure you're looking at... DDR5 is a game-changer for anyone serious about their hardware setup. If you think DDR4 was fast, just wait until you see how this architecture handles heavy multitasking and high-bandwidth workloads. It’s like upgrading from a standard two-lane suburban road to a massive ten-lane interstate highway—everything just flows smoother and faster. For enthusiasts building high-end rigs, it's a necessary leap forward. They're significantly more powerful than DDR3.
It is highly probable that the one she’s offering you—that 4850—is a single-slot card running on DDR3. It’s an older model, which means it’s going to run hotter and likely burn out much sooner than something modern. Whatever you do, steer clear if the power supply is total junk.

I'm still waiting for someone to weigh in on this. Any thoughts? kaže:
Pardon me for veering off-topic, but I have been pondering a specific technical evolution lately. Why is it that modern monitors seem to have completely phased out the DVI port? My current display was purchased back in late 2007, and it still features a DVI input. Does the presence of that port imply that the unit was considered a higher-end model at the time of its release? Furthermore, why isn't DVI being integrated into budget-friendly monitors today? 🤷 I appreciate the clarification. 🙂

Who knows, I haven't really looked into it. Back in the day, even high-end rigs—probably still are today—didn't come equipped with DVI. I've even seen some decent AOC monitors with IPS panels that are technically superior, yet they completely skip over DVI too. 🤷

awesome 👍

You're thinking of DVI—it provides a much sharper image
As for resolution, 1080p is generally the sweet spot for high-end gaming rigs and serious graphics cards, though the resolution you're using isn't bad at all

You should definitely hang onto that monitor. There’s really no point in selling it just to turn around and buy something almost identical right away.

Kenneth Jackson3 said:Well, I’ve been stuck at 1280x1024 up until now, but that was just the limit of my old monitor. Now I'm looking to pick up a monitor like this one (back then, I was playing on a 32-inch TV, haha)
http://www.edigital.com/Monitors/BenQ...VI-p38316.html

Honestly, I'm not sure yet. I'll just have to see what works best. I've never actually played anything at a resolution higher than 1280x1024.

Wait, so you're saying your monitor was dying? So it really is toast? Just like I suspected...

That BenQ is actually an incredible value, especially since it still includes a DVI port—you almost never see that in this price range nowadays.

Well, it really depends on what he ends up picking

If that price tag includes a monitor, he should be more than fine

Honestly, you're overthinking things regarding swiftfalcon89—that power supply is actually quite decent. It was still hitting shelves fairly recently (around $117) and could easily handle a pretty solid mid-range build. You’d only run into trouble if you were trying to push some extreme, high-end setup...

As for the monitor, I can't tell you its exact resale value, but I am 100% certain you aren't going to get that much money for it. Nowadays, you can pick up a brand-new 22" model for about $110, and for $367 you can grab one with an IPS panel (brand new with a 3-year warranty)

EDIT—looks like Benjamin King2 beat me to it.

That won't be hitting the market for quite some time; you might as well save up for something more powerful by then.