Upgrading my old slightly broken computer

[Rubar_b]

Hi, this is my first post on the forum, I’ve been a fan of Linus Tech for years and have recently got back into watching and just tech in general! 

im looking to upgrade my computer on the cheap before I save up and build an entirely new system.

the reason for this is my GPU has completely died and it was pretty terrible whilst it worked given it’s age and spec

 

My current specs:

FX-4100 (4ghz)

16gb 1333mhz ddr3

120gb SSD

1TB HDD

Sapphire HD 7770 ghz edition (broken)

crappy 400w(I think) power supply

 

Now my initial thinking on upgrading this computer is to buy a used GTX 970 and something like an EVGA 500w power supply, my biggest concern is that my cpu will severely bottle neck my computer.

I could go the route of buying a new motherboard and maybe an older intel cpu but it doesn’t seem worth it as I’ll probably try and build an entirely new system within the next 6-8 months. The upgrade will cost me about £100 which is really cheap.

I may consider another used FX CPU if that would fix my problem, although I’m not sure if it would help much. 

 

My goal is to have a decent gaming PC to keep me going until I can afford a new system and once I have that keep this one spare for my friends to use when they come over.

 

Currently I’m relegated to playing openTTD on my integrated graphics with my GF, which is great fun but that’s all my computer is capable of currently    
 

Thanks so much, Rubar

[boggy77]

Welcome to the forum.

I'd go directly for the GPU that you want for your new build and a proper psu that you can transfer to the new build as well. your pc will still be faster than how it was with the 7770 in it, even though your new card will be limited by the cpu. when it's time to upgrade the rest, just move the gpu over. probably not worth holding on to an old system unless friends coming over to play is a really frequent occurrence.

[Rubar_b]

2 minutes ago, boggy77 said:

Welcome to the forum.

I'd go directly for the GPU that you want for your new build and a proper psu that you can transfer to the new build as well. your pc will still be faster than how it was with the 7770 in it, even though your new card will be limited by the cpu. when it's time to upgrade the rest, just move the gpu over. probably not worth holding on to an old system unless friends coming over to play is a really frequent occurrence.

Thanks for the reply! I would agree with you but I’m very set on the idea of 2 computers, if not only for if friends come over but also for nerding around with random projects.

[boggy77]

2 minutes ago, Rubar_b said:

Thanks for the reply! I would agree with you but I’m very set on the idea of 2 computers, if not only for if friends come over but also for nerding around with random projects.

then go for a second hand gtx 970 /  rx 470/ rx 570, whichever you find cheaper (they are pretty similar in performance) and that cpu can't really cope with more than that. if your psu is old and no-name I would definitely change it.

[Rubar_b]

2 minutes ago, boggy77 said:

then go for a second hand gtx 970 /  rx 470/ rx 570, whichever you find cheaper (they are pretty similar in performance) and that cpu can't really cope with more than that. if your psu is old and no-name I would definitely change it.

Great! Yeah my PSU is no name trash, I don’t even think it would have the PCI connectors to work with a 970

[Akira Shimazu]

13 minutes ago, Rubar_b said:

Great! Yeah my PSU is no name trash, I don’t even think it would have the PCI connectors to work with a 970

Welcome to the forum.

i Strongly recommend upgrading the PSU first. since we dont want to blow it. CX450W can di great job at decent price.

About gaming since you have 4ghz CPU. then we only need to upgrade ram. second hand try for RX570. the 400 series is like Consuming too much tho. in my place the XFX RX570 4GB is around 143$ brand new.

[Rubar_b]

4 hours ago, Wolfycapt said:

Welcome to the forum.

i Strongly recommend upgrading the PSU first. since we dont want to blow it. CX450W can di great job at decent price.

About gaming since you have 4ghz CPU. then we only need to upgrade ram. second hand try for RX570. the 400 series is like Consuming too much tho. in my place the XFX RX570 4GB is around 143$ brand new.

Thanks, yeah new PSU definitely and I’ll choose between an RX570 and 970 depending on the prices, will probably look after Christmas.