Lethally outdated hardware

D

Decayer

New Member
Im going to make this simple. In 2009 i got my computer for about 873.86 $.
Parts here:

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P31-ES3G (dear christ)
CPU: Intel® Core™2 Quad Processor Q8200 (dear christ)
GPU: AMD Radeon HD 5670 (not that good, plus no new AMD tech)
Fans: Stock crap (I remind you, 4 years ago)
Power Supply: Outdated inferior (but working) power supply
RAM: dual-kit (two sticks, don't get your hopes up...) equating to 4096 MB of RAM (no brand name or model number or latency on em so, got no idea, again, dear christ)
Memory: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB (no SSD, again, dear christ)
Ask me if you want to know more

At the time this computer was pretty good, and for that kind of price it was OK, but the average lifetime of hardware like this, until something a lot better for the same price (SSD used to be way too expensive, A lot better CPU's and GPU's for the same price as back then. SATA came along and so on..) comes along is about 3-5 years. That time is being made more apparent to me by the day. The old hardware, low RAM, no SSD and so on are really hampering my computers performance.
Albeit i have a pretty good 24-inch 1080p display, good speakers with sub-woofer, Razer Naga, and a Func KB-460 Mechanical Keyboard, my computer itself is weak. It barely runs modern games, and is slow with most tasks (at this point you should know i am a hardcore gamer, who enjoys video quality in games, sound quality music, you get the point...). Now, i have installed the latest drivers for the hardware I have, and use programs like Razer Game Booster, which stops other programs and and prioritizes your game process, along with other such functions, in order to make my games run a bit better, but nothing helps the hardware out that much.
I am a bit of a tech enthusiast, and as much as I'd like a water-cooled PC with the latest core i7, 2 GTX Geforce Titans, an ASUS VI Rampage Extreme Black Edition Motherboard, Quad-kit 16-32 gigs of ram, 900 gigs of SSD, 2T of hard-drive, nice color scheme and lighting and so on, I simply don't have the money for it.
SO I'm looking towards a more cheaper, static pressure fan cooled PC with maybe an Intel Core i5, AMD Radeon r9 290x (love you AMD, the price is just ungodly for that card), any good ASUS motherboard, A middle of the line power supply, quad-kit 16 gigs of RAM maybe 250, 500 gigs SSD, 1T hard-drive, something like that. price range around 1000$-1500$(max).
So if you guys have any suggestions on selling or upgrading my current rig or getting a new one, please leave a reply :)
(P.S I know how to build a computer and overclock, don't worry XD)
 
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You've overblowing it. You're gaming performance is going to suck because that graphics card is a entry level gaming card at best, and that's when it came out. That CPU is still plenty capable for gaming purposes. I say just get a new PSU, the 290X if you want, an SSD, and upgrade to 8GB of RAM. You'll be good to go. You're crippling point is your GPU. Also a few install of Windows will do wonders, which is needed if you get an SSD anyway.

If you want to spent the money on a new system go for it, but I just say build off of what you have. A new graphics card and PSU will make a night and day difference.
 
Okay, sounds about right.
I will agree with the graphics card being an entry-level card, and i suppose 8 gigs of RAM is enough, and the fact that I need an SSD (I guess it wont be too hard to switch over) but i think the motherboard, that doesn't even support USB 3.0 for reference, Is also a crippling point, because my cores go too hot for their own good too fast and the system doesn't have good cooling, on top of the fact that it wont handle much temperature anyways, and considering the 290x has a stock temperature of 95C that's kind of off the table. Of course i can set the temperature lower in AMD Catalyst, but getting a new ASUS motherboard and Noctua static pressure fans will considerably help since I would like a higher end experience in my games. And about the CPU, whenever i want to join a server in Garrysmod or even run multiple programs at the same time, most of the time my CPU cant handle it.
So lets look over the new parts here:
New PSU
New GPU
New Motherboard
New Fans
New RAM
New Memory
So why not a new CPU? And the only thing that remains is the case, which has no cable management. Considering the money I have, I would have a safer bet with a new PC, and selling the old parts if I can. Thanks for your opinion though, but is a good PSU really that important?
Actually here's a challenge: Figure out how to either upgrade or build a new gaming rig with a budget of like 1000$ that would at least handle Battlefield 4 at medium, or get an acceptable result from 3DMark 11, winner gets a picture of my computers insides. :D
 
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If you're prepared to buy all that new stuff you may as well get a new CPU too. If you keep the CPU but replace the board, you'll need to buy an old LGA 775 board for your Core 2 Quad. If you keep the CPU but buy new RAM, again, you'll need to buy old (and expensive!) DDR2. That's pointless. May as well get a new CPU/board/RAM combination if you're prepared to buy a new board and new RAM.
 
Okay, i guess your right about the CPU/Board/RAM combination, but keep in mind I have a crappy GPU too, so im gonna need to get a new GPU. I think all things considered i might get these

GPU: MSI R9 270 Gaming OC Edition
Motherboard: ASUS P9X79 LGA 2011 Intel X79 (quad channel RAM plus great price, tell me if you know better)
CPU: Black Edition AMD Phenom II X4 Quad-Core Processor 940 (that price/preformance, dear god)
RAM: Kingston Technology HyperX 16 GB Kit Quad Channel (169.74 & FREE Shipping in Amazon)
PSU: No Idea
SSD: No Idea
Hard Drive: No Idea
OS: Windows 8.1 Pro or something I guess

Im open to suggestions on better CPU or GPU offers here :P
 
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Your board and CPU are incompatible with one another and the CPU is old. You've put an Intel board with an AMD CPU there.

What is your budget for the whole thing?
 
Decayer said:
Okay, i guess your right about the CPU/Board/RAM combination, but keep in mind I have a crappy GPU too, so im gonna need to get a new GPU. I think all things considered i might get these

GPU: MSI R9 270 Gaming OC Edition
Motherboard: ASUS M5A97 R2.0 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
CPU: Black Edition AMD Phenom II X4 Quad-Core Processor 940 (that price/preformance, dear god)
RAM: Kingston Technology HyperX 16 GB Kit Quad Channel (169.74 & FREE Shipping in Amazon)
PSU: Antec EarthWatts EA-650 GREEN 650W ATX12V v2.3
SSD: No Idea
Hard Drive: No Idea
OS: Windows 8.1 Pro or something I guess

Im open to suggestions on better CPU or GPU offers here :P
Click to expand...

I fixed your list. :)

The only reason I chose the Antec over anything else was because mine for some reason appears to last forever. But if you want something cheaper or a different brand. 650W is probably a bit much if your looking to really save money, but I would buy a power supply with headroom to last you through a few builds.
 
Still got a CPU from 2 or 3 generations ago.

Really, the Phenom II X4 isn't a lot newer or faster than what you have now.
 
I agree with Spirit....still old technology. Both AMD and Intel offer new technology that isn't that expensive if you aren't going for the absolute top-end. That $1000 budget can get you decent parts if you shop wisely.

As for PSU, there are quite a few quality PSU in the price range of the Antec listed above and are "modular".

SSD....most are very similar in real world applications by the normal user. I think that the Samsung EVO offr good value. Prices have come down, so I'd buy at least 250GB, but you can get away with a 120GB if price becomes a concern.

HDD..pretty similar situation as the SSD. Buy the most TB's you can afford.

OS...Definitely Windows 8.1 or something :) You might want to check the differences between "home" and "pro" to see which is better for you.

GPU.... one of the "most important" components in a GAMING machine. Again buy the best that you can afford for the type gaming you do...The R9 270, 280, and 290 are all good cards.
 
K, thanks for all the help, is the Phenon II x4 really not that much better, pure specs wise it did seem... well nevermind, looked up the Antec, Samsung EVO, and other boards, still considering the AMD CPU/Board combination Or Intel CPU/Board combination. The concern I have here, is getting the components and actually coming about the end budget :P
 
Decayer said:
K, thanks for all the help, is the Phenon II x4 really not that much better, pure specs wise it did seem... well nevermind, looked up the Antec, Samsung EVO, and other boards, still considering the AMD CPU/Board combination Or Intel CPU/Board combination. The concern I have here, is getting the components and actually coming about the end budget :P
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Antec makes boards??

But anyway, yea the Phenom isnt much faster than a C2Q Im afraid. If at all. The whole Phenom layout was basically the same processor as the 64 Athlon and Athlon X2s just with a few things added on.
 
Decayer said:
K, thanks for all the help, is the Phenon II x4 really not that much better, pure specs wise it did seem... well nevermind, looked up the Antec, Samsung EVO, and other boards, still considering the AMD CPU/Board combination Or Intel CPU/Board combination. The concern I have here, is getting the components and actually coming about the end budget :P
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It's possible. I paid less than $900 for everything in my signature....of course that includes rebates, living near a Micro Center and being able to the get the 4770K CPU for $199 during their Thanksgiving special and getting Win 8 Pro for free through school account.
 
G80FTW said:
Antec makes boards??

But anyway, yea the Phenom isnt much faster than a C2Q Im afraid. If at all. The whole Phenom layout was basically the same processor as the 64 Athlon and Athlon X2s just with a few things added on.
Click to expand...

I meant Antec PSU (compared to like Corsair) and Samsung EVO SSD :P, but yeah, the Phenom actually does fall behind newer, or even cheaper Core i5 and i7
 
The Phenom isn't an awful lot better than a Q8200, no, and it's old.

If you want AMD, look at the FX-6300 or the FX-8320. Both far better. Get a good AM3+ board with a 970 or 990 chipset and it'll be good.
 
m3incorp said:
It's possible. I paid less than $900 for everything in my signature....of course that includes rebates, living near a Micro Center and being able to the get the 4770K CPU for $199 during their Thanksgiving special and getting Win 8 Pro for free through school account.
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Man, getting a 4770k for $199? ME JELLY >:L. But I live in Estonia, and since my country is so small and insignificant, ordering things from amazon is off the table

( Like this mouse called the Aula Ghost Shark http://www.amazon.com/GHOST-SHARK-4...F8&qid=1387799759&sr=8-3&keywords=ghost+shark, which has good reviews and a good price, can't be shipped to my country, same with other awesome keyboards, luck was on my side that i got the Func KB-460 for an awesome price (love dat keyboard to death))

I hope there are good electronics stores in the capital or if i can order somewhere else, with shipping under like $99999 :(
 
Okedokey said:
What games, what resolution do you play at and what exact psu is that?
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I play everything from League Of Legends, to Battlefield 4, to Guild Wars 2, to Garrysmod, to Dungeon Defenders, you get the point. I got a 1080p 144 Hz monitor, cause I felt like I really didn't need a bigger one. Hoping to get G-sync once I upgrade my hardware. The point here is I play a lot of the newer games (those that my computer can handle anyways) and I have grown soooooooooooooo tired of the crappy Low-Medium settings and below 30 fps. I mean even games like garrysmod for example take ages to start up (timed it, 58 sec) and even longer to get in a server (game freezed for 34sec, connected for 24 sec, and then stopped, and had to reconnect, taking about the same time, but disconnect caused game to freeze for 14 sec and then I finally got in)
So there clearly is a very annoying problem there. As for the PSU, I would have to open up my computer to check, u will get your answer once I get off my lazy ass and do it XD
 
spirit said:
The Phenom isn't an awful lot better than a Q8200, no, and it's old.

If you want AMD, look at the FX-6300 or the FX-8320. Both far better. Get a good AM3+ board with a 970 or 990 chipset and it'll be good.
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K, again, thanks for all the suggestions, I got a lot on my hands so any proposed build, with specific parts would be a godsend, but I'm gonna check out the prices and specifics for those boards and processors real quick
 
Still haven't heard your opinions on the board :S, we've all agreed that I need a new Board/CPU/RAM combination, but would be lovely I if I got some specific recommendations ;P
 
If you are playing games, spend the lions share on the GPU. I would just replace the PSU and GPU and see if that helps and gives you the performance you need. Overclock the CPU.

If that doesn't give you the performance you're after then replace the mobo, cpu, ram and OS.
 
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