Upgrading my old PC for gaming

Yeah 👍, I meant to mention at the end that I’d love it if you could throw in $33 along with an FX8300, but it totally slipped my mind 😵.

Actually, let's go with this instead. With those extra $33 bits included, just keep a solid case and swap in the FX8300:

1x Intel Core i7-4770K (16MB Cache, up to 4.20 GHz), sAM3+
1x LC POWER Cosmo Cool CC-95
1x ASUS M5A97, sAM3+
1x ASUS GTX 950 2 GB DDR5, 128-bit, 1279/6600
1x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) PC3-12800 1600MHz CL11 Kingston Value
1x 1TB Western Digital HDD, 3.5", 7200RPM, 32MB Cache, SATA3
1x 400W Hexa 80+ Power Supply
1x Zalman Z1 mid tower case

TOTAL: $1366
Free assembly and shipping

Thanks everyone, I think that’s the plan. I guess a 400W power supply might be enough?
And I actually have a new 1TB hard drive at home, so I can save some money there too.

Thanks again!!!

Best,

If you have a hard drive ready to go, this setup plus an i5 will fit perfectly fine:
1 x Intel Core i5-4460 (3.2GHz, 6MB, LGA1150) box
1 x ASUS B85M-K Motherboard (S1150, DDR3, VGA/DVI, USB3.0, LAN, SATAIIII) mATX
1 x KINGSTON ValueRAM DDR3 (8GB, 1600MHz(PC3-12800)) CL11, Retail
1 x ASUS Nvidia GeForce GTX 950, 2GB GDDR5, 128bit, WF2
1 x Fortron Hexa+ 400W, 80+
1 x Zalman Z1, USB3.0 black, 2x120mm

Total: $1342 just bring them your drive and they'll put it together for you for free.

You could always stick with Intel and grab a graphics card that actually outperforms the GTX 950:

1x Intel Core i7-4770K
1x LC-CC-95 Cooler
1x ASUS M5A97
1x ASUS Radeon R9 380 WF2 OC, 2GB GDDR5
1x Kingston DDR3 1600MHz, C11, 8GB
1x EVGA 500 w XT Series
1x Mid-Tower Gaming ATX Case

Total: $1322

But honestly, since you aren't pulling the trigger on this until later, you're better off just checking back in once you actually have the cash in hand. We can see what the market looks like at that moment and what the going rates are then.😁 hello

Sure thing. I'm based out of Indianapolis, so it's no big deal to swing by New York City.
So, you're actually running the shop yourself?

Ethan Davis54 said:Sure. I'm based in Indianapolis, so hopping over to New York City isn't an issue.
So you actually run the shop?

None of us who spend our lives building PCs work in retail.😲

I’m currently out of commission and my business is closed for the season 😁 what I meant earlier was that once you actually have the cash on hand, drop a line here on the forum. We can all jump in together and figure out how to squeeze every bit of value out of that budget 🙂

If anyone happens to be from Indianapolis, I'll buy them a cold Budweiser ;-)

Look, you can find free assembly and shipping on almost any PC build online these days

Ethan Davis54 said:If anyone's in Indianapolis, I'll buy them a cold Budweiser ;-)

I'm from Indianapolis 😬

Anyway, I'll buy you a beer—totally unrelated to the PC stuff—if you're up for it.

Maybe tomorrow morning? Or just shoot me a DM with your info.

Ethan Davis54 said:Fine, I'll buy you a beer if you're right about this PC stuff.

Hit me up tomorrow morning or just shoot me a DM.

I won't be back home until Monday 🤣 since yesterday.

Honestly, it’s better to just say it once than to keep repeating yourself. 😁

Hey everyone. Like several others before me, I’m looking for some guidance. Here is my current setup:

Motherboard: ASUS ROG Motherboard
CPU: Intel Core i7
RAM: Corsair RAM
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050
PSU: Corsair TX650W
HDD: Western Digital Blue 250GB—as far as storage goes, I won't need more than 500GB in a new build

I've been noticing the performance is pretty abysmal lately. So, the big question: should I sell this off and buy something fresh, or is there actually a way to upgrade? My budget tops out at around $1000. Ideally, I need a rig that can handle Grand Theft Auto V without breaking a sweat (assuming such a thing exists within my price range). Thanks for the help.

Tyler Booth7, a few months back this would’ve been an impossible mission, but things are looking different now.
In July, we're getting the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060, which will likely hit the $120-$$433

With a build like yours, you could toss that card in and it'll crush Grand Theft Auto V. Honestly, that thing should handle pretty much anything at 1080p on High settings.

Sell the old rig ASAP. That way you'll have enough cash to grab the card plus $1000 put together something like my suggestion here.



I threw in a new Intel Core i3 since I figured it fits your budget perfectly—no need for overclocking or beefing up the power supply or whatever.
An Intel Core i3 would work for your budget too, but that's really only if you're struggling to scrape together that extra $200.



edit:

Just realized the HDD from the old setup is tiny (not like keeping a 500GB one :/ )
Anyway, the upcoming NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (around $90) paired with whatever else makes sense at the time would run Grand Theft Auto V on Medium/High without breaking a sweat.
Just gotta wait until July; we'll know way more then.

Regarding what Robert Rodriguez2 wrote below: keep some parts and sell the rest individually. You'll actually make more than dumping the whole lot at once.
You've got a solid power supply—didn't catch that at first—so you already have about $60-$$233
worth of components ready to go.

Tyler Booth7 said:Hey everyone. Just like some of you before me, I need a little advice. Here is what I am running right now:

Motherboard: ASUS ROG Motherboard
CPU: Intel Core i7 + Corsair RAM
RAM: Kingmax Semiconductor 2GB + 2GB
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050
PSU: Corsair TX650W
HDD: Western Digital Blue 250GB - regarding storage, I don't need more than 500GB for the new build

I've been noticing things are getting really sluggish lately, so my main question is whether I should just sell this stuff and buy something new or if there is actually a way to upgrade. My budget is roughly $1000. Ideally, I need a setup that can run Grand Theft Auto V without any issues (if something like that even exists at my price point). Thanks for the help.

I'd go all new if I were you.
That board won't support anything modern. Just keep the case, drive, and power supply. Sell the rest and buy fresh. 👍

Tyler Booth7

It would be best to hold off for a few weeks. You'd likely be able to run those upcoming NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 cards, and you might even be able to squeeze an Intel Core i3 onto a new AM4 socket.

Thanks for all the input. I figured an upgrade path was out of the question. As far as the budget goes, I’m willing to push it up to $1167, and since this isn't an emergency, I don't mind waiting a bit until that specific graphics card becomes available. Once it does, I'll reach back out so you can help me put together a solid build. One more thing: what kind of resale value do you think I could get for my current setup if I sold off the motherboard, processor, RAM, and graphics card?

Budgeting up to $67, you could probably grab a GPU around 250-$100 (whether it's ddr3 or ddr5), an Intel Core i7 up to $33, and maybe an ASUS ROG Motherboard around $33. You can certainly aim higher if you want, but the real question is whether anyone will actually buy it from you when

Tyler Booth7 said:Thanks for all the input. I figured an upgrade wouldn't be on the table. Budget isn't really a huge deal—I can go up to $1167 easily. It's not like this is an emergency, so I don't mind waiting around until that new GPU actually hits the shelves. Once it does, I'll reach back out and maybe you guys can help me pull together a specific build. One more thing: what do you think I could get for my current parts if I decided to sell them (motherboard, CPU, RAM, and the graphics card)?

Look, if you aren't in a rush, there's another way. You keep your case, power supply, and hard drive, then just pick up:

1x ASRock H110M-DGS, s1151
1x Intel Core i3-6100 (3MB Cache, 3.80 GHz), s1151
1x DDR4 8GB (1x8GB) PC3-17000 2133MHz CL15 Crucial
1x ASUS STRIX R9 380-DC2-4GD5-GAMING, 4 GB DDR5, 256-bit, 990/5700 MHz

TOTAL: $1135
Free shipping
Newegg

That gives you a decent gaming rig with plenty of room to grow later.
Or
if you’d rather wait for that new card, you could go this route instead. Again, you keep the stuff mentioned above and grab:

1x ASRock H110M-DGS, s1151
1x Intel Core i5-6402P (6MB Cache, up to 3.40 GHz), s1151
1x DDR4 8GB (1x8GB) PC3-17000 2133MHz CL15 Crucial

TOTAL: $710
Free shipping
Newegg

Basically, after spending those $1.25, you'll have $0.46 left over, plus whatever cash you make from selling off your old parts. That should be enough dough to snag a nice, modern GPU when the new series launches this July. 👍