the most bang for my buck?

kdawg490

New Member
looking to play arma3 and gta 5 on my cuurent pc. arma 3 is currently at 10fps and gta is 10-20 fps.
current specs-
Geforce 9500gs
intel core i7 920
12 gb ddr3 ram
windows 7
1tb harddrive

what can i buy that would help my fps the most?preferably on the cheaper side thanks
 

kdawg490

New Member
ok i have no idea what psu i have. all i know is that it was a rebuilt gateway fx6802-07c that i bought in january. im pretty sure it has he stock psu, thought im not entirely sure. Do you have any suggestions for a gpu? because i dont understand computers at all

thanks
 

beers

Moderator
Staff member
Yowza. The 9500gs was pretty slow when it was new.

The i7 920 is getting pretty old at this point, although you should see some massive improvements with a new power supply and gpu.

If you take the side cover off of the PC there should be a giant wattage sticker that will tell you the rating of the unit. You could snap a picture of it too and we could take a look if that makes it easier.

Most prebuilts come with power supplies that barely meet the system requirements. If you add a large graphics card they typically don't have enough power anymore, hence needing to upgrade.
 

Agent Smith

Well-Known Member
Updating an OEM computer is going to be a real chore. You can do it though. That PSU will need to be replaced and you should look at a GTX 1060 GPU at least. Though, I'm wondering now if the CPU will be a bottleneck.
 

Laquer Head

Well-Known Member
I agree that a new PSU is needed if you want a new card, such as a 1060.

That being said, I run a 650W Corsair with a 1080TI so really, if you were looking at a 1050TI or a 1060 all you need is a decent 500/550W from a reputable brand like Corsair, Seasonic, EVGA

If the rig is noisey, its unlikely being caused by the power supply, but rather buggered up bearings on case fans, cpu cooler fan (if appplicable)

A new psu and gpu would be a drastic difference in gaming, and if you needed to change some fans,,120mm and 140mm are dirt cheap.
 

beers

Moderator
Staff member
I'd replace that PSU anyway. It's not really a 'known quality' unit.

What kind of budget are you working with for the upgrade?
 

kdawg490

New Member
To be honest, I wanted to keep it fairly cheap, all around 300 but thats not possible ( to give me a significant upgrade).
Anyways I went and put together some stuff that are in my new budget(700) can you guys take a look and let me know if they'd be compatible together? and if they are a good upgrade
Thanks
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ...39.1022192492.1501484067-281408017.1501484067
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ...39.1022192492.1501484067-281408017.1501484067
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ...39.1022192492.1501484067-281408017.1501484067
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ...39.1022192492.1501484067-281408017.1501484067

let me know if theres anything else i need to add
 

Intel_man

VIP Member
Being that it's an OEM desktop, I can't be certain which CPU is supported on that motherboard especially since Gateway redid their website and basically tossed the whole list of CPU supported list section of that old legacy product.

PSU wise, I'd say a Corsair CX500 is probably all you'd need.
 

Laquer Head

Well-Known Member
Oh no. Do you have a suggestion for what cpu in the same range would work?
And what watt psu would be good?
As I mentioned above, a 500/550W is all you need, and a 1050TI or 1060 would suit your needs quite well.

As @Intel_man says, however, we aren't 100% on the compatibility/upgradability of that OEM motherboard as far as CPU changes go.

A large problem is the age of the machine, being a 1st gen i7 you are pretty much outta options when it comes to 'new'. Buying a 'new' CPU off ebay, for example, for that board doesn't make sense.

We are well into the 7th gen of Intel current CPU so, sockets, tech, and compatibility are completely different from mid-end of 2008 when that line of CPU was new.

Essentially you should be looking at new motherboard, cpu, cpu cooler, ddr4 ram, hdd/ssd, gpu, psu, and possibily a case for a new build in the near future
 
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Laquer Head

Well-Known Member
alright. one last question. do i want a atx mid tower case, full tower case or super tower case?
Only you can answer that... but really, I have a full-tower and while the space is nice, its totally unnecessary.

Mid tower really is the way to go for most builds.
 

jevery

Active Member
Look at the benchmarks,

GPUs - The Geforce 9500GS has a PassMark G3D Mark score of 280

A GTX 1050Ti G3D Mark = 5746 (20x faster)

A GTX 1060 G3D Mark = 8713 (31x faster)

A GTX 1070 G3D Mark = 11033 (39x faster)

CPUs - The I7-920 CPU Mark = 4958

An i5-4460 CPU Mark=6456 (Only 23% faster)

I game with an I7-950 (12GB RAM) with a GTX 970. While I don’t play GTA5, it handles graphic intensive games (at 1060) with very good frame rates.

In my mind, your low frame rates are due to your GPU, not your CPU. Personally I’d start with a GTX 1050Ti or a 1060 + appropriate PSU. If you’re still not happy with your frame rates then at least you will have good components to add to a new MB/RAM/CPU/case.
 
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