Any ideas for a better PC upgrade?

So, I’ve had this new PC for about a year now.
Here’s what’s inside:

1. AMD A8-5600K
2. ASUS HD6670
3. ASUS F2A55-M LK2 PLUS
4. 8GB RAM at 1333MHz
5. Toshiba 500GB

First off, the RAM situation is kind of driving me nuts... one stick is bigger than the other, I guess. The larger one is a Transcend and says it's 4GB at 1600MHz, but then there's this smaller Kingston stick that just says "remowe" or something, and it doesn't even specify if it's 4GB. I mean, I guess I should ask—is this setup actually okay, or did they just throw random parts together? Also, from what I gather, this AMD processor only has two physical cores and two logical ones, right? So, I was wondering if there's a version with four physical cores that would actually fit my motherboard and be decent for gaming? And maybe, just maybe, anyone knows how much it would cost to grab an 8GB kit of 1600MHz RAM (or faster, if my board can even handle it) along with a new 4-core processor hitting at least 3.50 GHz?

Zachary Smith2 said:I've had my new PC for a year now.
Here’s the specs:

1. AMD A8-5600K
2. ASUS HD6670
3. ASUS F2A55-M LK2 PLUS
4. RAM 8GB 1333MHz
5. Toshiba 500GB

First off, the mismatched RAM is driving me crazy. One stick is bigger than the other. The larger one is Transcend and says 4GB... 1600MHz, but the smaller Kingston one just says something about Remow and doesn't specify it's 4GB. Now I'm wondering what kind of junk they actually put in this computer—is it any good or not? I heard this AMD processor only has two physical cores and two logical ones, so I want to know if there's a 4-core option that fits my motherboard and actually works for gaming? Also, how much would it cost to grab 8GB of 1600MHz RAM (or faster if my board can handle it) along with a new 4-core processor hitting at least 3.50 GHz?

that CPU has 4 physical cores

Nah, man, don't even bother typing if you haven't got a clue what you're talking about.

Actually, it’s not Intel Hyper-Threading. In the Piledriver and Bulldozer architectures, those two cores per module share the L2 cache and the FPU, but they are actual physical cores, unlike Intel's approach.

I think Linus Torvalds explained it once—Hyper-Threading is basically like trying to eat with two hands (representing the tasks being handed to a core) but only having one mouth (the core itself). So, Hyper-Threading is really just a very efficient scheduler. That isn't how AMD does things.

You probably just need to swap out the GPU, maybe grab an R7 265 for about $367 and you're set; 95% of games will run at max settings at 1080p. For the absolute heaviest titles, you might have to settle for High.

Zachary Smith2 said:Don't bother typing if you don't know what you're talking about.

😵
Maybe try doing some actual research before you start spewing nonsense. 👍

Thanks, I appreciate it. But, uh, I was reading around some forums and saw that my AMD A8 is basically on par with an Intel i3. And apparently, an i5 has 4 physical cores, while an i7 has 4 physical and 4 logical ones—so 8 cores total, right? I guess... do I actually need to swap out my RAM? Also, does anyone know why they messed with my RAM like this in the first place? Not sure what the deal is. Like, what's the max MHz my motherboard can actually handle, and what kind of RAM should I probably be looking at for my setup?

So, I was downloading this game, right? And then I ran one of those hardware info tools, and it’s telling me I have 2 physical cores and 2 logical processors. Is that... normal? I guess I'm just confused about how it's counting things.

Honestly, looking at those specs, you're just staring at nonsense. That’s a textbook quad-core setup right there. If you want the real story, download a proper utility like CPU-Z; check what it says regarding the RAM and paste that here. You can also pull your full system details using tools like Speccy or Everest Ultimate.

So, it says I've got 4 cores and 8GB of RAM running in dual channel. My Transcend stick shows 4096 MB at 800MHz, but then there's this Kingston one sitting at 4096 MHz and 667 MHz... or something like that, I guess. Is it even worth trying to swap in some better RAM? I was thinking about picking up a new GPU, more RAM, and maybe a 1TB hard drive since my current one is totally maxed out. I'd love to just keep the old 500GB one and slap a 1TB drive right next to it—is that actually doable on my motherboard? Also, any ideas for a decent cooler? This thing is way too loud and honestly doesn't seem to be doing much cooling at all. I'm trying to figure out how much this whole mess would cost if I wanted to keep things pretty cheap. And do I really need to ditch my PLATINUM MS-400ATX P4 power supply
?

1 x MSI R7 265 2GD5 OC, 2GB DDR5, DVI-I, DVI, DP, HDMI, R7 265 2GD5
1 x Fortron 600W Power Supply, Hyper, PPA6003302, 12cm fan
1 x WD 1TB HDD, Caviar Blue 10EZEX, 1000 GB, SATA3, 64 MB, 3.5", 24mo

$673 AMD

You don't really need more RAM; 8GB is plenty, and honestly, the speed doesn't matter much. It'll run at 1333MHz since everything defaults to the slowest module—which I guess is that Kingston one—but whatever, it won't make a difference. A CX430W would probably be enough for you, but this power supply is just $30 pricier while offering way more headroom.

I don't think you really need to worry about upgrading your RAM. Whether it's running at 1333 or 1600 MHz doesn't make much of a difference in this case; the main thing is just making sure you have 8GB total. As for a graphics card, you could probably grab an R7 265, a GTX 750 Ti, or maybe an R7 260x. You might be able to squeeze in one more hard drive too. However, you should definitely get a new power supply—something like a Fortron Hexa 400 or just the cheapest Corsair CX430W you can find.

Alright, let's start with this:

- Grab yourself a decent power supply—maybe an EVGA 400 W or an EVGA Cx series.
- If you aren't running an aftermarket cooler yet, definitely get one—the stock ones just don't cut it for a 5600k—try something like an LC CC 95 or a SPIRE KEPLER R2.0.
- Swap out those 2x4 GB 1866 MHz sticks for something faster—higher RAM speeds actually give a nice little boost to integrated graphics performance.
- Try linking your integrated graphics with the HD 6670 via Crossfire using your BIOS settings and drivers.
- If you pull all that off, you should see a pretty noticeable jump in performance. But, look—since dual GPU modes on an Intel APU aren't exactly perfect and aren't optimized for every single game, if you're still looking for more, just grab a dedicated GTX 750 Ti, a 265, or even hunt down a used HD 7790/HD 7850.

Mixing an integrated GPU with a discrete one probably isn't the smartest move here. In certain games, you might not see any performance boost at all. Honestly, spending time and money just to swap out the same amount of RAM for slightly faster speeds seems like a waste; I guess it's better to just stick with what you have and put that cash toward a dedicated card instead. For instance, a GTX 750 Ti would run about $120

So, first things first, I’d probably grab a power supply. I saw this GigaTech 530W one at the store with this massive red fan on it, it was about $67—uh, I can't really remember the full model name, sorry—but would that be a decent pick if I went for it? Also, how exactly am I supposed to hook up that Intel APU and GPU setup you were mentioning? And man, any idea what I'd be looking at for some Kingston HyperX 1866MHz 8GB (2X4GB) RAM?

I wouldn't touch that power supply; it’s still low-tier and basically on the same level as that MS unit you've got.

As for the RAM, maybe try upgrading it if they'll let you pay the difference. If not, I guess I’d rather just grab a new dedicated graphics card than waste my time messing with RAM, since the performance jump isn't even that massive.

Zachary Smith2 said:First off, I’d grab a power supply. I saw some GigaTech 530W unit at the local shop with this huge red fan for $67—can't remember the full name, would that be a good buy? Also, how do I actually hook up that APU and GPU combo you mentioned? And what's the damage on an 8GB kit (2x4GB) of Kingston HyperX 1866MHz RAM?

Look, there isn't a decent 430-500W PSU out there under $117, and honestly, finding a reliable unit for $67 is tough, even if the fan was encrusted with Swarovski crystals. Don't let yourself get distracted by "cool" effects like a red fan (which, by the way, you won't even see once you're actually doing anything useful on your PC unless you flip the whole tower upside down just to stare at it), skull decals, or flashy LEDs...

And seriously, leave that RAM alone. It does its job just fine. If you're using a dedicated graphics card, memory clock speeds aren't going to move the needle much on your total performance. With an Intel APU, it matters if you're stuck using integrated graphics, but you already have a separate card and you're looking to upgrade further.

You've already gotten two or three solid pieces of advice here. Just piece them together instead of wasting money on marketing nonsense filled with colorful stickers, bright lights, and big numbers that don't actually mean anything....

EVGA Core edition 450 w is such a steal. 😁

Timothy Kim60 said:If you look at all those silly details, it’s clearly just a standard quad setup. You should grab a proper utility like CPU-Z; check what it says regarding your RAM timings and paste that here. You can pull the rest of your PC specs using tools like Speccy or Everest Ultimate.

Just a quick heads-up, Everest is pretty much ancient history—AIDA64 is what everyone uses now.