Have $800, thoughts on best upgrade?

M

mechoption

New Member
So, based on the specs below, I'm trying to figure out where best to spend ~$800 to upgrade my machine for gaming. I'm toying with new monitor plus new video card, but not sure if I'd bottleneck somewhere else? Might be able to squeeze a CPU upgrade in too, but not sure how much longer LGA1155 will be sticking around? According to Windows Experience Index, my CPU is my weak point.

Monitor: Dell E177FP (1280x1024, 17in, 8ms) -> candidate for upgrade
Power: OCZ ZX 850 W -> good to go I think
CPU: Intel Core i3 2100T -> kind of weak
Mobo: Gigabyte P67A-UD3-B3, Chipset Intel P67
CPU+Mobo are LGA1155, so mobo upgrade probably equals CPU too.
Memory: 2x2Gb + 2x4Gb, DDR3-1333 -> ok for now I think
Video Card: Nvidia GTX 560 Ti 448 cores -> not too bad on 1280x1024, but new monitor with higher res may need a new card?
OS HDD: Kingston 240GB SSD V300 -> ok for now.
I think those are the key performance components?

Cheers,
Mech
 
A good monitor would be a good upgrade interms of looks on the desktop and gaming as there is a big difference from your current to 1080p.

Interms of performance you just need a better Gpu and cpu. lGA 1155 is still good but I'm unsure if they bring new processors out on it as mine is lga 1155.

i would go for an i5 3570k and gtx 970. Leaving around $250 for a 1080p monitor.
 
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Yeah, a GTX 660 or a Radeon R9 270 would be a better choise in my opinion. Or the GTX 970 as said.

Look at such cards from Asus, MSI or Gigabyte for the best cooling system.
 
Thanks for this tips. Hmmm, GTX 970 might push the bank, but I think I'm going to hold out for "Black Friday" and hopefully make my move then :)
 
Newegg.com is running good deals all month.

Good graphics cards:

GTX 970
GTX 770
GTX 760

R9 270(x)
R9 280(x)

Of these the most powerful is the GTX 970, and least is the r9 270X
 
GTX 970 and i7 3770K with a 1280x1024 monitor? Lol.

I'd get yourself a nice 1080p display, they're not that expensive. Then look at upgrading the CPU to an i5 3570K or if you can get a good one new or used for a good price an i7 3770K. The GTX 560 Ti will be fine for playing at 1080p but if you have some money left over from the monitor and CPU upgrade the video card. I don't think something like an R9 270 or a GTX 760 would be a worthwhile upgrade though - you want to look at a GTX 770 or an R9 280/280X really.

But I'd say monitor and CPU are first priorities because the 560 Ti is still OK - you have the 448 core one which had 1.25GB(?) of RAM and performed more like a GTX 570 than a 560 Ti (if memory serves me correctly). That will be adequate for 1080p. A GTX 970 with a 1280x1024 monitor is such a waste so buying a new GPU before a new monitor is daft. As it is, a 560 Ti with that monitor is a waste.
 
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tylerjrb said:
A good monitor would be a good upgrade interms of looks on the desktop and gaming as there is a big difference from your current to 1080p.

Interms of performance you just need a better Gpu and cpu. lGA 1155 is still good but I'm unsure if they bring new processors out on it as mine is lga 1155.

i would go for an i5 3570k and gtx 970. Leaving around $250 for a 1080p monitor.
Click to expand...

this
 
GTAIV was a very poorly optimized game, you may find it not running smoothly

An i5 3570K and a CPU cooler to OC would be a good bet.

Also an r9 280x is a better option than the GTX 970 if you want to save some cash
 
Yes it is. Just needs a bios update. As long as its updated you will have no problems. If its not you could have a problem with it booting. It needs bios F9.
 
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