Planning a new upgrade with 300US$ (and no more) from Venezuela

[LaczPro19]

Hi everyone. I'm Leo, writing from Venezuela. I'm trying to "survive" with just 300US$ to upgrade my actual desktop PC.

 

That computer has:

 

AMD Athlon II 170U processor (the big guilty. All the computer slows without doing nothing)

4Gb DDR3 1333Mhz RAM

Asrock N68-VS3 UCC motherboard

500Gb WD Blue SATAIII

EVGA Geforce 210 1Gb DDR3

Stock 500W PSU (I'm living with that danger... Too close)

 

Ok, I need a huge improvement. But, thinking I was able to spend just 300 bucks with my graphics to buy on Amazon or eBay (And I think a lot of time), I get this:

 

AMD A6-7400K APU (69.15$, used, on Amazon)

Gigabyte GA-F2A88X-UP4 (supossed to be a top tier motherboard, I get this for 69.99$, "open box" on Amazon)

HyperX Savage 8Gb DDR3 2133Mhz kit (2x4Gb. Brand new, 85.59$ on Amazon)

Cooler Master V700 80Plus 700W PSU (Fully modular, better than stock, more efficient, "slighty used". 69.95$ on eBay)

 

I spend 294.48US$. For me, it was a great moment.

 

But, for graphics... Maybe isn't ready.

 

I want a PC to learn video and picture edition and some HD gaming (if better than console gaming, its perfect). I want to play Battlefield (at this time, I could'nt play that game 'till the end), a lot of racing games (GRID, NFS, F1... so on) and the latest one (when Rockstar launches): GTA V.

 

Ok, I understand that APU combination maybe is slighty low, but I can't buy for the "exchange control" situation in my country (Venezuela). Maybe I can contact a family member and take other 300$, but for now I want to estimate how much can I spend for a graphics card.

 

This is the big question: Which one?

 

The GTX 970 is a great piece of technology. I love the "zero db mode" in most of my electronics, my concern is about efficiency in this case. The GTX 960, recently launch, catches my attention too. But both are NVIDIA based graphics card. I don't know right if the "Fusion technology" means something right now.

 

In the red team, the problem is big: The R9 290, 290X and 285X are great options but I don't know if AMD plans to launch a new graphics card in the next months. I don't want to take right now an unnecessary risk.

 

That are my concern. Which graphics card can I buy in the 0-300$ range? Which one can gave me the best experience (considering quietness, energy consumption, performance and temperature)? Is there something I must to change in the FM2+ options to get the most in my computer or is this OK?

[MadOliveGaming]

On your budget id go 960. the 900 series preforms very well, but also pretty cool and quiet, and if your psu is quality wise still good then you can keep it. Im running a 970 of 500w psu flawlessly, just make sure its a good unit.

The 960 would be 200$ http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00SIOOLS2/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?qid=1422212198&sr=8-4π=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&dpPl=1&dpID=41Nob-9p6ML&ref=plSrch&dpPl=1&dpID=41Nob-9p6ML&ref=plSrch

Than get the fx6300 for 100$

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009O7YORK/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1422212892&sr=8-1&dpPl=1&dpID=51BpBxTmKCL&ref=plSrchπ=AC_SX200_QL40

Then get a used msi am3+ mobo from amazon for 29$. Amazon says as good as new, which means maybe no wraping, but nearly untouched and in origional box.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B005SEB336/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all

(if you dont see it its probably sold)

This puts you 30 dollars over budget in exchange for massive gpu AND cpu improvement. You can run with your ram a bit longer if you like. Upgrade it later. Now the mobo cant do more than 1333mhz but if you get 8gigs of it later on its all good. Its not that much worse than 1600.

Edit:

I checked, 500w is plenty on a decent psu. Also, afterwards try selling your old stuff instead of trashing. You nevet know

[LaczPro19]

On your budget id go 960. the 900 series preforms very well, but also pretty cool and quiet, and if your psu is quality wise still good then you can keep it. Im running a 970 of 500w psu flawlessly, just make sure its a good unit.

The 960 would be 200$ http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00SIOOLS2/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?qid=1422212198&sr=8-4π=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&dpPl=1&dpID=41Nob-9p6ML&ref=plSrch&dpPl=1&dpID=41Nob-9p6ML&ref=plSrch

Than get the fx6300 for 100$

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009O7YORK/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1422212892&sr=8-1&dpPl=1&dpID=51BpBxTmKCL&ref=plSrchπ=AC_SX200_QL40

Then get a used msi am3+ mobo from amazon for 29$. Amazon says as good as new, which means maybe no wraping, but nearly untouched and in origional box.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B005SEB336/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all

(if you dont see it its probably sold)

This puts you 30 dollars over budget in exchange for massive gpu AND cpu improvement. You can run with your ram a bit longer if you like. Upgrade it later. Now the mobo cant do more than 1333mhz but if you get 8gigs of it later on its all good. Its not that much worse than 1600.

Edit:

I checked, 500w is plenty on a decent psu. Also, afterwards try selling your old stuff instead of trashing. You nevet know

 

Nice. I would appreciate your answer.

 

 

 

Im running a 970 of 500w psu flawlessly, just make sure its a good unit.

 

My PSU is a Cooler Master with 700W and 80 Plus gold. Maybe, that can work good. 

 

 

 

Than get the fx6300 for 100$

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009O7YORK/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1422212892&sr=8-1&dpPl=1&dpID=51BpBxTmKCL&ref=plSrchπ=AC_SX200_QL40

 

The FM2+ based APUs is worse than AM3+?

 

 

 

Then get a used msi am3+ mobo from amazon for 29$. Amazon says as good as new, which means maybe no wraping, but nearly untouched and in origional box.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B005SEB336/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all

(if you dont see it its probably sold)

 

The motherboard you said has a PCI-e x16 2.0. Mine has three PCI-e: x16 3.0, x8 2.0 and x4 2.0... And is ATX: More slots for maybe other cards like wireless network or an SSD via PCI-e.

 

 

 

Also, afterwards try selling your old stuff instead of trashing. You nevet know

 

Yes. I'm selling my old computer, but I can't get US$ for it right now in my country. 

[clapthemcheeks]

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/jojokidc/saved/7Z6mP6 how about this it is a little over your budget at 355 but i think it is worth it.

[LaczPro19]

Its nice, but I can't buy anything from Newegg because they don't accept payment with my credit card (issued outside the US). The budget is very fine, but passes through the 300$ barrier. That's so bad because maybe a later upgrade to an i7-4970K can be possible in that build.

I have (well, I'm waiting for them) the components mentioned above. I want to know which graphics card I must consider buying and if it necessary to change anything for my needs.

[Derpologist]

Hi everyone. I'm Leo, writing from Venezuela. I'm trying to "survive" with just 300US$ to upgrade my actual desktop PC.

 

That computer has:

 

AMD Athlon II 170U processor (the big guilty. All the computer slows without doing nothing)

4Gb DDR3 1333Mhz RAM

Asrock N68-VS3 UCC motherboard

500Gb WD Blue SATAIII

EVGA Geforce 210 1Gb DDR3

Stock 500W PSU (I'm living with that danger... Too close)

 

Ok, I need a huge improvement. But, thinking I was able to spend just 300 bucks with my graphics to buy on Amazon or eBay (And I think a lot of time), I get this:

 

AMD A6-7400K APU (69.15$, used, on Amazon)

Gigabyte GA-F2A88X-UP4 (supossed to be a top tier motherboard, I get this for 69.99$, "open box" on Amazon)

HyperX Savage 8Gb DDR3 2133Mhz kit (2x4Gb. Brand new, 85.59$ on Amazon)

Cooler Master V700 80Plus 700W PSU (Fully modular, better than stock, more efficient, "slighty used". 69.95$ on eBay)

 

I spend 294.48US$. For me, it was a great moment.

 

But, for graphics... Maybe isn't ready.

 

I want a PC to learn video and picture edition and some HD gaming (if better than console gaming, its perfect). I want to play Battlefield (at this time, I could'nt play that game 'till the end), a lot of racing games (GRID, NFS, F1... so on) and the latest one (when Rockstar launches): GTA V.

 

Ok, I understand that APU combination maybe is slighty low, but I can't buy for the "exchange control" situation in my country (Venezuela). Maybe I can contact a family member and take other 300$, but for now I want to estimate how much can I spend for a graphics card.

 

This is the big question: Which one?

 

The GTX 970 is a great piece of technology. I love the "zero db mode" in most of my electronics, my concern is about efficiency in this case. The GTX 960, recently launch, catches my attention too. But both are NVIDIA based graphics card. I don't know right if the "Fusion technology" means something right now.

 

In the red team, the problem is big: The R9 290, 290X and 285X are great options but I don't know if AMD plans to launch a new graphics card in the next months. I don't want to take right now an unnecessary risk.

 

That are my concern. Which graphics card can I buy in the 0-300$ range? Which one can gave me the best experience (considering quietness, energy consumption, performance and temperature)? Is there something I must to change in the FM2+ options to get the most in my computer or is this OK?

That GeForce 210 is probably more powerful than any good (ish) console. 

Go with the new 960. I've been recommending it since day one. Its got great specs, and a great price. If you can cough up the extra 200 or so dollars for it, its worth it...

[LaczPro19]

Maybe a little better than the Xbox 360 (I can play Medal Of Honor 2010, even with the first config, in 1080p).

[MadOliveGaming]

The 6300 is a 6 core, the apus are 4 cores, though those would work fine too.

And yes a cm 700w is Plenty for any single gpu setup.

[Aniallation]

Go with the new 960. I've been recommending it since day one. Its got great specs, and a great price. If you can cough up the extra 200 or so dollars for it, its worth it...

Then you've been providing people with some pretty misleading information.

 

R9 280 whoops the 960 in both price and performance.

[Aniallation]

The 6300 is a 6 core, the apus are 4 cores, though those would work fine too.

A6 is dual-core.

[Aniallation]

AMD A6-7400K APU (69.15$, used, on Amazon)

Gigabyte GA-F2A88X-UP4 (supossed to be a top tier motherboard, I get this for 69.99$, "open box" on Amazon)

You can re-use your same motherboard, update BIOS and just drop in an Athlon II/Phenom II X4 and get better performance then an A6 without having to spend money on a new motherboard.

[MadOliveGaming]

A6 is dual-core.

Is it? i better tell the guys at the hardware store here in the netherlands to correct their site then LOL. I checked amd's website and see what they did. it does have 6 cores, but on;y 2 actual cpu cores. the other 4 are gpu cores

[LaczPro19]

You can re-use your same motherboard, update BIOS and just drop in an Athlon II/Phenom II X4 and get better performance then an A6 without having to spend money on a new motherboard.

I don't want to reuse the actual components with an allowed AM3. Ok, the Phenom II is a nice processor, but not in that motherboard. I got a lot of lag when I use almost everything.

I actually buy the motherboard, memory, processor and power supply. But I need to know what is the better graphics card to get the most of my games, without spend a lot (no more than 300$).

[LaczPro19]

Is it? i better tell the guys at the hardware store here in the netherlands to correct their site then LOL. I checked amd's website and see what they did. it does have 6 cores, but on;y 2 actual cpu cores. the other 4 are gpu cores

Yes. The A6-7400K has only two CPU cores. I forgot how many GPU cores already have

[Aniallation]

I don't want to reuse the actual components with an allowed AM3. Ok, the Phenom II is a nice processor, but not in that motherboard. I got a lot of lag when I use almost everything.

I actually buy the motherboard, memory, processor and power supply. But I need to know what is the better graphics card to get the most of my games, without spend a lot (no more than 300$).

Well if you really want to get a new mobo and everything then you definitely can. However I would recommend a quad-core CPU as that will help a lot with modern gaming. Try to find something like an A8 or Athlon 750K. You can use a cheaper mobo as well, A78 is fine, don't need A88X that much. And power supply V700 is really overkill, get a lower wattage and cheaper PSU

[LaczPro19]

Ok. I already have the A6, but I'm planning to get the A10-7850K.

Would you recommend me other processor, or APU?

[Aniallation]

Ok. I already have the A6, but I'm planning to get the A10-7850K.

Would you recommend me other processor, or APU?

If you are using a dedicated GPU, get an Athlon 750K, 760K, or 860K.

[LaczPro19]

Well if you really want to get a new mobo and everything then you definitely can. However I would recommend a quad-core CPU as that will help a lot with modern gaming. Try to find something like an A8 or Athlon 750K. You can use a cheaper mobo as well, A78 is fine, don't need A88X that much. And power supply V700 is really overkill, get a lower wattage and cheaper PSU

I already have an A88x motherboard (the GIGABYTE GA-F2A88X-UP4). Is my A6 a bad choice?

[LaczPro19]

If you are using a dedicated GPU, get an Athlon 750K, 760K, or 860K.

Can I get the better quality in my games using a NVIDIA graphics card on that AMD build, or with a AMD R9 (the "Fusion technology")

[Aniallation]

I already have an A88x motherboard (the GIGABYTE GA-F2A88X-UP4). Is my A6 a bad choice?

Many newer games are requiring quad-core CPUs and therefore will not work with an A6

 

 

Can I get the better quality in my games using a NVIDIA graphics card on that AMD build, or with a AMD R9 (the "Fusion technology")

Depends what NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards specifically. 

[LaczPro19]

Maybe a GTX970 or R9 280, 285 or 290

[LaczPro19]

Many newer games are requiring quad-core CPUs and therefore will not work with an A6

Depends what NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards specifically.

A NVIDIA GTX970 (I don't know if I can buy a GTX 780 with that budget) or AMD Radeon R9 280, 285 or 290.

[Aniallation]

A NVIDIA GTX970 (I don't know if I can buy a GTX 780 with that budget) or AMD Radeon R9 280, 285 or 290.

GTX 970 performs around the same as R9 290/290X. The R9 is cheaper, but it uses more power and produces more heat.

[LaczPro19]

GTX 970 performs around the same as R9 290/290X. The R9 is cheaper, but it uses more power and produces more heat.

I saw in NCIX that GTX 970 has some memory issues. Is there anything I worry about?

[Aniallation]

I saw in NCIX that GTX 970 has some memory issues. Is there anything I worry about?

At 1080p it's no big deal, at higher resolutions though 290X will be better