Gaming PC $500 Upgrade - what should I get?

• 

  abbztract on 07/05/2014 - 15:57

  I'd recommend going for a GPU upgrade first and then the CPU. You can get a decent card like an R9 290 which would be a significantly better video card compared to the 560 Ti Sli for ~$450

  Amazon has the Windforce 4GB R9 290 seen here http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GDDR5-4GB-2xDVI-Graphics-GV-R… for $467.87 shipped to Aus ( to my address in Melbourne at least). Great card. Would be a great upgrade.

  And IMO, in a gaming rig the most important component for an upgrade should always be the GPU because thats what does most of the work.

  • 

    ProjectZero on 07/05/2014 - 16:02

    I think a R9 280X or 270X will be an improvement on the 560 Ti SLI… 270/280X is around $400 so he'll have some cash to throw in for RAM

    So something like this

    RAM

    280X
    or
    270X

    Something like that? Total will be around $500 not incl. shipping

    • 

      abbztract on 07/05/2014 - 16:21

      IIRC, the 270x is like an HD7950 and the 280x is a 7970. The 7950 and equivalent cards like the GTX760 aren't much better than the 560Ti SLI except on the power consumption front. A GTX770 and HD7970 are a bit better while the 290 and 290x cards are significant so.

      Sadly, OP will have to resort to purchasing internationally if he wants to make maximum use of his $500. Internationally, eBay has 290x cards going as low as $350 while Aussies still have them at $450-500 used.

      I would recommend making use of pcpartpicker.com and reddit.com/r/hardwareswap and /r/buildapcsales to get some good deals. Hardwareswap has some great seller and I have myself gotten some good trade deals there.

      • 

        p1 ama on 07/05/2014 - 19:10

        270X is a 7870, not a 7950.

  • 

    abbztract on 07/05/2014 - 16:22

    +2

    Found this for OP.

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/143287

    OzBargainer with a 290 for $399.

    Go do it OP. Get that price lowered more and take it.

    • 

      ProjectZero on 07/05/2014 - 16:29

      If thats the case go for the 290 =)

• 

  ProjectZero on 07/05/2014 - 15:57

  +1

  Assuming that you are a heavy gamer, my priority list would be as follows

  GPU —> RAM —> CPU —> SSD.

  I doubt you will notice any difference in speed if you got a new SSD as the speed of yours should be more then sufficient for anything (SSD helps with loading time only)

  GPU will be your bottle neck for newer games if you like to max everything…

  RAM wise, i'm not sure if 4GB is enough these days… someone please comment on that…

  CPU, some games can use up to 4 cores these days, thats not to say they can't use more in the future. but going from an i3 to an i5 would benefit you a little…

  TL;DR

  Games are mostly GPU dependent and any changes to your other parts will help but not as much as GPU

  • 

    [Deactivated] on 07/05/2014 - 18:37

    RAM? 4GB is most likely enough unless you like to keep a plethora of apps open or use photo/video editing.
    GPU? Naaargh, 2x 560ti is gonna be pretty decent.
    CPU? yeah bra, upgrayd that shiz

    Would I upgrade at all? probably not, although I'm happy using "good enough" hardware. The question you should ask yourself isn't what specs you want but what experience you want.

    If you want better graphics/frame rate get a GPU
    If you want better loading times get an SSD
    if you think you somehow manage to use all of your RAM, get more(check performance monitor after youve had your PC running for a couple of days and have lots of apps open, you'll probably still be using maybe 3GB)
    If you want an all around better experience in regards to office/video editing/framerates/loading get that CPU

    If you're happy with your current setup and don't really see how spending that money will actually make you happier, spend it on hookers and blow, it'll be an experience you'll never forget (just joking, just do something fun with it).

    • 

      nephilim on 07/05/2014 - 18:44

      4GB isn't enough for downscaling, which any high end gamer should be doing in 2014. Pointless playing all these console ports at max 1080p settings while GPU is at 50%

    • 

      ProjectZero on 08/05/2014 - 09:54

      +1

      Don't let the 560ti SLI fool ya, 560Ti is the borderline mid range card for the 500 series…

      I've looked up reviews and comparing 3DMark 11 scores (no other comparisons could be made as there were no exact same game used for both review), The 270X actually beats the 560Ti SLI by a little, a 280X would be an improvement and as abbztract stated, the 290 would be a good improvement.

      CPU wise, if he upgrades his GPU going from dual card to single card, I don't think one GPU will be bottlenecked by the i3 CPU.

      Looking at the other posts, most people seem to agree on upgrading the GPU and the RAM at the same time…

      So go for the 290 if you can and get yourself the 8Gb Ram OP

• 

  garethb on 07/05/2014 - 17:06

  On ocau, 280x has been going for around $220-$250 still in warranty, and cpu like i5 3570k for around $180 with warranty remaining. And lately 8GB G skill trident X 2666 ram for $100. A little over but if OP doesn't mind second hand.
  Only thing you have to be a member for 3 months before you can buy/swap/sell. Might be worth the wait though..

• 

  Tech5 on 07/05/2014 - 17:47

  Ram get the ram…ramm….8gb is standard for a gamer

• 

  ethereal88 on 09/05/2014 - 07:30

  Watch Dogs and Shadow of Mordor recommend i7's and 8GB of RAM. Even Wolfenstein recommends 4GB of RAM and an i7. I'd bet money that Inquisition and Witcher 3 will too. You need a new box at least. I'd go right past 8GB RAM and put in 16GB minimum.

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  [Deactivated] on 18/05/2014 - 16:49

  What about your monitor? Every gamer knows you spend half your money on your GPU, half your money on your monitor and the rest on everything else.