core i3 System Upgrading to GTX 960

[RawenX]

hey guyz... I got a

core i3 530

Gigabyte H55-S2V

DDR3 2gb

1366x768 monitor...

i know its a horiible rig, I plan on upgrading it.. but since i'm tight on cash i would be upgrading it piece by piece, first piece being  a GTX 960, followed by a i7 6700 and finally a full HD display.

my question would there be a big bottle neck fixing a gtx 960 to my i3 sys, it would be temporary....how can I minimize it. also when buying the i7 i plan on buying the cheapest motherboard out there would that be a problem too? I 've heard motherboard doesn't affect fps, but also heard otherwise.

 

so summing up.. i3-530+gtx 960 bottleneck  and        i7 +crappy motherboard for gaming...                    

[509Vince]

If you want a tip try and get some more ram while your getting the cpu and mb. 8GB of ram isn't that expensive

[DaltonM]

I suggest getting an i5 if you're only going to be gaming. an i5-4690k is more than enough for the foreseeable future. 

 

Also get an unlocked CPU so that when it finally DOES become a bottleneck, you can OC it to get more life out of it.

 

As for the motherboard, the only thing you need to look for is OC ability. Some MOBOs do it, some don't. I also suggest taking into account the features you want. Want more than 16gb of RAM (you shouldn't for just gaming) then you'll want 4 DIMM slots. Want to use 2 GPUs? Make sure you get a MOBO with SLI/XFIRE

 

Make sure you geta 4gb GPU, 2gb isn't enough for modern game's textures. 

 

EDIT: Advice on RAM: 8gb is enough for games. The highest end games can push nearly the full 8GB on their own. So if you have one screen, 8gb is fine. 

If you have 2 screens and want to game and watch youtube with no slow down, you'll need 16GB. 

I suggest getting 1600 DDR3 RAM, it's a perfect price to performance speed, and you won't really notice difference in RAM speeds. 

[Tuloth]

I would say the very first thing you need to do is upgrade your RAM. Desperately. 2GB does not cut it nowadays and that's by far the biggest bottle neck in your system.  Many games are not threaded for multi-core use, so you can honestly get by with the i3 for awhile longer.  I would try upgrading your RAM to at least 4, better yet 8 GB as that is a cheap and easy upgrade that should give you a massive increase in performance.  Then try to upgrade the GPU and see about overclocking your CPU.

[JoePro87]

Just now, 509Vince said:

If you want a tip try and get some more ram while your getting the cpu and mb. 8GB of ram isn't that expensive

Yeah, honestly, only 2GB of RAM is going to be a HUGE issue when trying to game on any modern game. Believe it or not, the i3 won't be that bad. As you can see, pretty much everyone agrees. lol

[DioOmicida]

The motherboard wont effect your gaming. Motherboards are more about the features you want like M.2
Most games experience GPU bottlenecks before CPU ones but currently AAA titles like GTA V see's the reveres. [Assuming you had something like a 980ti]
I think you're best bet would be to buy RAM up to 8GB's first, then the GPU, and then the CPU.
There is nothing wrong with buying a budget board. 

[don_svetlio]

That i3 will be a horrible bottleneck - Nahalem i3s are weaker than current APUs by a fair bit

[arranb1223]

6 minutes ago, RawenX said:

hey guyz... I got a

core i3 530

Gigabyte H55-S2V

DDR3 2gb

1366x768 monitor...

i know its a horiible rig, I plan on upgrading it.. but since i'm tight on cash i would be upgrading it piece by piece, first piece being  a GTX 960, followed by a i7 6700 and finally a full HD display.

my question would there be a big bottle neck fixing a gtx 960 to my i3 sys, it would be temporary....how can I minimize it. also when buying the i7 i plan on buying the cheapest motherboard out there would that be a problem too? I 've heard motherboard doesn't affect fps, but also heard otherwise.

 

so summing up.. i3-530+gtx 960 bottleneck  and        i7 +crappy motherboard for gaming...                    

yea as everyone else said, 2 gigs of ram wont be enough to run any modern game. you wont need an i7, just go with and i5, but i would get the gpu first. your motherboard will not noticeably affect your performance.

[DaltonM]

Here's the upgrade path you should take:

RAM (I suggest at least 8gb) this will cost around $30-$50

SSD for OS, depending on how much you space you want this will be $40-$90. You get a 240gb for like $50

PSU, I suggest an 80+ Bronze minimum. A 650w isn't bad, but a 750w will last you forever.

MOBO+CPU. I suggest an i5, unlocked chip. You can go skylake for just a little more, but the RAM, MOBO will cost more with DDR4 and it's support. Not worth it for average gamer.

Lastly: The GPU, save up as MUCH as you can for this part. Basically this is the one place where you spend more to get more. 

[JoePro87]

8 minutes ago, DaltonM said:

 

Lastly: The GPU, save up as MUCH as you can for this part. Basically this is the one place where you spend more to get more. 

On that note, if you don't bleed specifically green or red, I'd suggest you try the Sapphire Radeon R9 390. It's a $300 card, but the price to performance ratio on that card is top notch. Also, the Sapphire edition runs really cool, and is very quiet. Every single game I have played, I run at 1080p, max settings, and it is very rare that I notice any dips in the framerate. But, again, it depends on how much you can save up.

[JaZoN_XD]

Depending on what you may need to do, you really don't need that i7. If you are only gaming, even an i3 will work just fine, otherwise get either a locked or unlocked i5.

[DaltonM]

1 minute ago, JoePro87 said:

On that note, if you don't bleed specifically green or red, I'd suggest you try the Sapphire Radeon R9 390. It's a $300 card, but the price to performance ratio on that card is top notch. Also, the Sapphire edition runs really cool, and is very quiet. Every single game I have played, I run at 1080p, max settings, and it is very rare that I notice any dips in the framerate. But, again, it depends on how much you can save up.

IMO, the only reason to get an Nvidia card is for the features, mainly gamestreaming. IF you can live without that AMD is usually the better choice. 

That being said, even if I didn't game stream I would get an Nvidia card

[JaZoN_XD]

2 minutes ago, DaltonM said:

IMO, the only reason to get an Nvidia card is for the features, mainly gamestreaming. IF you can live without that AMD is usually the better choice. 

That being said, even if I didn't game stream I would get an Nvidia card

Yep and personally, I really enjoy shadowplay and technologies like mfaa

[RawenX]

10 hours ago, DaltonM said:

IMO, the only reason to get an Nvidia card is for the features, mainly gamestreaming. IF you can live without that AMD is usually the better choice. 

That being said, even if I didn't game stream I would get an Nvidia card

whats  game streaming?

 

[RawenX]

Great! OK guys i'd be first upgrading the RAM and then the GPU, I think i'll stick to the 2GB GTX 960, now I think for a 1080p display 2GB would be just fine right?   and any power supply suggestions? a decent 550w would be enough right?

[DaltonM]

On 3/26/2016 at 10:20 PM, RawenX said:

Great! OK guys i'd be first upgrading the RAM and then the GPU, I think i'll stick to the 2GB GTX 960, now I think for a 1080p display 2GB would be just fine right?   and any power supply suggestions? a decent 550w would be enough right?

Don't get a 2gb card, even for 1080p, you'll have to put textures to medium 

It's just not enough for modern games

[Alfered Bie]

On 3/26/2016 at 11:20 PM, RawenX said:

Great! OK guys i'd be first upgrading the RAM and then the GPU, I think i'll stick to the 2GB GTX 960, now I think for a 1080p display 2GB would be just fine right?   and any power supply suggestions? a decent 550w would be enough right?

Your upgrades, in order, should be: 

RAM: 8GB DDR3-1600

Power Supply: EVGA 600B 

Graphics card: EVGA 2GB 960 (Yes 2GB should be fine for 1080p)

Monitor: 1080p IPS variant

CPU/Motherboard: i5-4690k and z87 board

 

RAM first because you desperately need it. 

PSU because you dont want to run your shiny, new, expensive graphics card on a shoddy POS. you can destroy the card. 

Graphics card because you want it. 

Monitor because then you will have the necessary horsepower. 

CPU/Motherboard because they are the least important. Do note that an i7 is almost certainly unnecessary. get a well reviewed motherboard from a decent brand. To minimize bottlenecking, overclock the i3. 

[Tech Deals]

On 3/25/2016 at 11:12 AM, RawenX said:

hey guyz... I got a

core i3 530

Gigabyte H55-S2V

DDR3 2gb

1366x768 monitor...

i know its a horiible rig, I plan on upgrading it.. but since i'm tight on cash i would be upgrading it piece by piece, first piece being  a GTX 960, followed by a i7 6700 and finally a full HD display.

my question would there be a big bottle neck fixing a gtx 960 to my i3 sys, it would be temporary....how can I minimize it. also when buying the i7 i plan on buying the cheapest motherboard out there would that be a problem too? I 've heard motherboard doesn't affect fps, but also heard otherwise.

 

so summing up.. i3-530+gtx 960 bottleneck  and        i7 +crappy motherboard for gaming...                    

If money is indeed tight, there is something else to consider...

 

i3-6100 + H110 motherboard = $170 total

8GB DDR RAM - $35

GTX 960 2GB - $180

 

That would make for a rather nice gaming machine.  Yes, I know "but, it is ONLY an i3".  Yea, but frankly a lot of games play just fine on that CPU, it is 3.7GHz and hyperthreaded, and if money is tight, that is a whole lot less expensive than a i5 or i7.

 

BTW, "crappy motherboard" is rarely a good value.  Spend $5 more and get something from ASUS, Gigabyte, or MSI.

 

 

[Nena Trinity]

1. you need 8GBs of RAM minimum but 16GBs is best!

2. That i3 will hold back the 960 some so upgrade that next!

[Alfered Bie]

11 hours ago, Nena360 said:

1. you need 8GBs of RAM minimum but 16GBs is best!

2. That i3 will hold back the 960 some so upgrade that next!

16GB isnt really necessary unless youre a chrome tab fiend or video editing. 

 

[Nena Trinity]

28 minutes ago, Alfered Bie said:

16GB isnt really necessary unless youre a chrome tab fiend or video editing. 

 

Depends on how many crappy optimized games he is gonna play!

[Tech Deals]

10 hours ago, Alfered Bie said:

16GB isnt really necessary unless youre a chrome tab fiend or video editing. 

 

Maybe not, but it is changing.

 

Games like Fallout 4 recommend 8GB, and that is for the game.  If you're like me, or some other people, you have many things running that you don't shut down just because you're playing a game.

 

Online backup (Backblaze or Crashplan), OneDrive or Dropbox, Skype, and often a browser or two, along with all the random stuff that ends up in the task tray.  Right now I'm looking at about 12 things there, all of them needed.

 

For serious gaming, I personally suggest 16GB as the proper amount of RAM these days.  8GB works, but the needle is moving.

 

Also, keep in mind, Windows 10 does a better job of using your RAM.  Put in 4GB and Windows runs fine, using maybe 2.5GB of it.  Put in 8GB and now you're using 3.5GB, same load.  Put in 16GB and now it is using 5GB, and compressed memory isn't needed.  Windows 10 has that so just because it runs doesn't mean it isn't using CPU cycles to compress RAM.

[JoePro87]

7 hours ago, Tech Deals said:

Maybe not, but it is changing.

 

Games like Fallout 4 recommend 8GB, and that is for the game.  If you're like me, or some other people, you have many things running that you don't shut down just because you're playing a game.

 

Online backup (Backblaze or Crashplan), OneDrive or Dropbox, Skype, and often a browser or two, along with all the random stuff that ends up in the task tray.  Right now I'm looking at about 12 things there, all of them needed.

 

For serious gaming, I personally suggest 16GB as the proper amount of RAM these days.  8GB works, but the needle is moving.

 

Also, keep in mind, Windows 10 does a better job of using your RAM.  Put in 4GB and Windows runs fine, using maybe 2.5GB of it.  Put in 8GB and now you're using 3.5GB, same load.  Put in 16GB and now it is using 5GB, and compressed memory isn't needed.  Windows 10 has that so just because it runs doesn't mean it isn't using CPU cycles to compress RAM.

As far as the whole 8GB vs 16GB thing goes, here's my thought on the matter. The only time you're going to have an issue with RAM being a bottleneck in your system is when you don't have enough of it. It's always better to be safe than sorry. 16GB of RAM may be a bit overkill, but it isn't that expensive these days. 

[Clonzoo]

On 28.3.2016 at 5:36 AM, DaltonM said:

Don't get a 2gb card, even for 1080p, you'll have to put textures to medium 

It's just not enough for modern games

I'd suggest you give this a read DaltonM, its good that you try to help, but I feel you are somewhat providing misleading information here.

[DaltonM]

41 minutes ago, Clonzoo said:

I'd suggest you give this a read DaltonM, its good that you try to help, but I feel you are somewhat providing misleading information here.

Doesn't change the fact that 2GB is going out of style. 

My 750ti can max Dying light at 10/16 render distance but with only medium textures at the 16:10 equivalent of 720p . This is because of the 2GB of VRAM. 

 

I'm not saying games look run/better with more than 2gb, I am only talking about textures. 2GB is hardly enough for modern games at 720p, and they're only getting bigger.

 

Don't save a few bucks to buy something that's already obsolete.