Help me upgrade (for cheap)

[Jakoob]

This is my first post on linustechtips so i hope i'm on the right thread!

 

Hey guys, my brother has had his pc since about 2009 or 2010 and is looking to upgrade. Better fps in games is the primary motivator for the upgrade so i was considering a new graphics card. I've heard the 7950 would be a good upgrade but i was also considering a GeForce GTX 750 Ti see as how it wont use a lot of power. I was also worried that the cpu would bottleneck any new graphics card i would be willing to get but i'm not sure if that would be a problem.

BTW, im in college right now so money is a bit of an issue. my max amount for a new graphics card would be $200 but i would definitely prefer to stay near $150.

 

 

Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit

AMD Phenom II X4 945 Processor (4 CPUs), ~3.0GHz

4096MB RAM

AMD Radeon HD 5770 graphics card

He uses a 1280 x 1024 monitor which isn't HD, its an old 4:3

[julekule]

a better monitor?

[aricleather]

What is the PSU in the system? If it's 450w or lower, you may run into problems running a 7950 or something similar. If you don't want to pay for a new PSU, the 750 Ti is a nice option. I have one myself. However, at such a low resolution, both cards will perform excellently, even when you decide to upgrade to a more modern resolution like 1920x1080. I don't believe you will experience any bottlenecks with the two cards, but a CPU upgrade she be in order if you ever decide to go even higher.

[Sharif]

better monster and then a 7950

[Jakoob]

Hes got an ocz 500w power supply

[aricleather]

Hes got an ocz 500w power supply

 

For the best performance under $200 (considering you're in the US), the

 

R9 270x:

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/sapphire-video-card-100364l

750 Ti:

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-n750titf2gd5oc

660:

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-n660gaming2gd5oc

7870:

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/powercolor-video-card-ax78702gbd52dhv5eoc

 

That's the best I found under $200. Out of all of them, the R9 270x will perform best. Sorry again if your location was wrong, it wasn't specified in the OP.

[Jakoob]

Thanks for the big list. I also live in the US btw

[DJfern94]

This is my first post on linustechtips so i hope i'm on the right thread!

 

Hey guys, my brother has had his pc since about 2009 or 2010 and is looking to upgrade. Better fps in games is the primary motivator for the upgrade so i was considering a new graphics card. I've heard the 7950 would be a good upgrade but i was also considering a GeForce GTX 750 Ti see as how it wont use a lot of power. I was also worried that the cpu would bottleneck any new graphics card i would be willing to get but i'm not sure if that would be a problem.

BTW, im in college right now so money is a bit of an issue. my max amount for a new graphics card would be $200 but i would definitely prefer to stay near $150.

 

 

Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit

AMD Phenom II X4 945 Processor (4 CPUs), ~3.0GHz

4096MB RAM

AMD Radeon HD 5770 graphics card

He uses a 1280 x 1024 monitor which isn't HD, its an old 4:3

Get yourself a nice cheap monitor with decent specs, it will enhance your experience so much. I did a quick search and found this, it's £115 here in the UK, so I'm not sure what it is in USD but here you go

 

http://www.newegg.com/global/uk/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009422 

[Jakoob]

For the best performance under $200 (considering you're in the US), the

 

R9 270x:

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/sapphire-video-card-100364l

750 Ti:

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-n750titf2gd5oc

660:

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-n660gaming2gd5oc

7870:

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/powercolor-video-card-ax78702gbd52dhv5eoc

 

That's the best I found under $200. Out of all of them, the R9 270x will perform best. Sorry again if your location was wrong, it wasn't specified in the OP.

The gtx 660 looks really good considering its 140 with the rebate and comes with watch dogs but would it be better to just pay the extra $25 for the r9 270x?

[SpecTre12345]

The gtx 660 looks really good considering its 140 with the rebate and comes with watch dogs but would it be better to just pay the extra $25 for the r9 270x?

 

You're not going to be able to play Watch_Dogs on a GTX 660, go with the 270x