Tax return upgrade route

[MasonCase]

So looking to make some upgrades when I get my tax returns, and yes you can roast me for the absolute potato that I play on. 

I only go for 1080 60fps.

What I currently have:

 

MSI MS-7778

AMD A8-550

8 GB DDR3-1600

1 TB Sata HD (I don't think that matters much in my case)

GeForce GTX 660

And a 500 Watt Evga psu

-------------------------------------

• Mostly what I play is CS, rocket league, and right now of course fortnight.
• I noticed I get frame rate pretty bad near and in tilted towers (-60 frames) I just thought I need to upgrade my gpu but I'm pretty sure it is my cpu/ram. Ram is pretty easily up-gradable I don't have any questions on that, but on the cpu side of things I am stuck in a FM2 socket. I looked into what I could upgrade in the FM2 socket and everything looked pretty slow. Was I missing a cpu that would actually be beneficial for me to get or give me a decent fps improvement? Or should I be looking down the new mobo/ processor route. 
• I'll look to spend ~100-135 usd

 

Thanks for your guys time

 

Edit: Someone recommended this to me elsewhere but is it actually realistic to think I could get this price

 

See if you can get a hold of a used Haswell i3 or i5 system on the cheap. Oftentimes businesses will offload their old equipment for under $100, and it'll come with a much better CPU, motherboard, and usually a single stick of memory. Add in your existing 8GB, GPU, HDD, PSU, and case, and you'll likely see a boost in frame rate. 

 

 

 

Edited February 27, 2018 by MasonCase
New info

[Himommies]

Get a 3770 and a mobo

Most of those games are more CPU bound than GPU

[tikker]

Not that familiar with older hardware, but I'd guess you're better off saving up a bit more until you can switch to a new platform rather than upgrade now.

If you can still manage with this rig for now, that is. Although with current RAM prices that might be a while maybe depending on your expenses and savings.

 

[Edit] or  stick with a DDR3 platform. Still I think a platform upgrade will get you more than staying on this one.

[Canada EH]

Well that mobo is Socket FM2

 

Best to buy this

Refurbished: Lenovo Desktop Computer M83 Intel Core i5 4th Gen 3.2 GHz 8 GB DDR3 500 GB HDD Windows 10 Pro 64-Bit  $199^.99

^{Swap in your old ram, to make it 16GB}

^{Make the GPU fit somehow}

^{Install old 1TB now you got 1.5TB}

 

Keep or Sell

500 Watt Evga psu $30-$35

 

Sell

MSI MS-7778 for $35

AMD A8-550 for $15

[MasonCase]

8 minutes ago, Canada EH said:

Well that mobo is Socket FM2

 

So you are saying ditch the mobo and processor then?

[Canada EH]

3 minutes ago, MasonCase said:

So you are saying ditch the mobo and processor then?

for $200usd + $5 s/h from newegg, you will have a 1,000,000 times better pc

that $5.00 s/h price is correct, I just bought one myself for the office

[MasonCase]

Just now, Canada EH said:

for $200usd off of newegg, you will have a 1,000,000 times better pc

Thanks for the advice, I'm expecting a 1,000,000x performance increase 

[Canada EH]

6 minutes ago, MasonCase said:

Thanks for the advice, I'm expecting a 1,000,000x performance increase 

Even the best A8 cpu cant beat the i5 4th gen

http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/AMD-A8-6600K-APU-vs-Intel-Core-i5-4570/m3344vs2770

 

even the best next gen amd, the a10 cant beat the intel 4th gen i5

http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/AMD-A10-7890K-APU-vs-Intel-Core-i5-4570/m118648vs2770

 

The newest gen, Ryzen 1200 cpu - guess what, cant beat the 4th gen i5

comes close though!

http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/AMD-Ryzen-3-1200-vs-Intel-Core-i5-4570/3931vs2770

[MasonCase]

1 minute ago, Canada EH said:

Even the best A8 cpu cant beat the i5 4th gen

http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/AMD-A8-6600K-APU-vs-Intel-Core-i5-4570/m3344vs2770

Definitely going to have to get rid of my mobo/ processor

[Canada EH]

2 minutes ago, MasonCase said:

Definitely going to have to get rid of my mobo/ processor

For your budget, just save up $200 and buy a complete computer with the intel 4th gen i5 cpu and you will be amazed before you are halfway through

[MasonCase]

1 minute ago, Canada EH said:

For your budget, just save up $200 and buy a complete computer with the intel 4th gen i5 cpu and you will be amazed before you are halfway through

Yeah I'm just going to go straight for that, I didn't realize how much better I could do that's why I wasn't making my budget any higher. If I am going to get that much improvement for only 200 beans I will do that 1000%

[Canada EH]

5 minutes ago, MasonCase said:

Yeah I'm just going to go straight for that, I didn't realize how much better I could do that's why I wasn't making my budget any higher. If I am going to get that much improvement for only 200 beans I will do that 1000%

Yup, well lots of people dont like OEM's but they are so fucking cheap, its worth it. Just remember that your GTX-660 might be too large for the case. All I did is use metal snips to cut out enough space for my card to fit. I place my case under my desk so it doesnt matter.

 

 

 

Small Form Factor (SFF) GPU will not fit.

Refurbished: Lenovo Desktop Computer M83 Intel Core i5 4th Gen 3.2 GHz 8 GB DDR3 500 GB HDD Windows 10 Pro 64-Bit

• $199^.99 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full size case, your gpu will fit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(1)

Refurbished: HP EliteDesk 800 G1 Tower i5-4590 3.30GHz 4GB 120GB SSD Win 7 Pro 1 Yr Wty

• $219^.99 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MasonCase]

4 minutes ago, Canada EH said:

Yup, well lots of people dont like OEM's but they are so fucking cheap, its worth it. Just remember that your GTX-660 might be too large for the case. All I did is use metal snips to cut out enough space for my card to fit. I place my case under my desk so it doesnt matter.

 

That is a standard ATX board right? If I could just put everything it in the case I have now.

Edit: Oh shit nvm just saw your other reply

[Canada EH]

7 minutes ago, MasonCase said:

That is a standard ATX board right? If I could just put everything it in the case I have now

Good Point

Slipped my mind

 

BUT there still might be an issue

mounting holes for OEM mobo, OEM psu maybe in different locations, and I suspect they are.

It is still a very easy workaround.

 

With RAM prices the way they are, I would get on buying that Lenovo i5 3.2Ghz with its 8GB of ram right away. Hopefully its just one stick, then you can install and add to the total ram capacity.

 

https://www3.lenovo.com/us/en/desktops/thinkcentre/m-series-sff/m83-sff/

https://www3.lenovo.com/nz/en/desktops-and-all-in-ones/thinkcentre/m-series-sff/10AN/p/11TC1TMM83010AN

[MasonCase]

3 minutes ago, Canada EH said:

Good Point

Slipped my mind

 

BUT there still might be an issue

mounting holes for OEM mobo, OEM psu maybe in different locations, and I suspect they are.

Can you explain to me what you mean I am exactly sure what OEM means in this case. I mean I understand the acronym just not how it applies

[Canada EH]

15 minutes ago, MasonCase said:

Can you explain to me what you mean I am exactly sure what OEM means in this case. I mean I understand the acronym just not how it applies

Well they build their own motherboards and cases and psu's to suit their own needs, so the psu for example is proprietory, however you can install your own EVGA psu with some adapters, or you can hack the wiring yourself with widely available diagram. So the OEM stuff isnt the exact same as what you'd buy at a computer store. Mounting holes would be different, the physical shape of mobo can be different as well.

 

 

 

The stock PSU for example is 240W, so you need to figure out how much your GPU needs.

https://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-660/specifications

So you'd need a 450W psu, because the gpu takes 140W

Easy, use your old psu, and buy some oem psu adapters.

https://www.outletpc.com/to3996.html

https://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l3/g11/c413/s1220/list/p1/Power_Supplies-PSU_Cables-2024-Pin_Adapters-Page1.html

 

Good news for the ram side of things, tech specs

Memory

32GB max, UDIMM, PC3-12800 1600MHz DDR3, 4 DIMM sockets1

[MasonCase]

10 minutes ago, Canada EH said:

Well they build their own motherboards and cases and psu's to suit their own needs, so the psu for example is proprietory, however you can install your own EVGA psu with some adapters, or you can hack the wiring yourself with widely available diagram. So the OEM stuff isnt the exact same as what you'd buy at a computer store. Mounting holes would be different, the physical shape of mobo can be different as well.

 

 

 

The stock PSU for example is 240W, so you need to figure out how much your GPU needs.

https://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-660/specifications

So you'd need a 450W psu, because the gpu takes 140W

Easy, use your old psu, and buy some oem psu adapters.

https://www.outletpc.com/to3996.html

https://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l3/g11/c413/s1220/list/p1/Power_Supplies-PSU_Cables-2024-Pin_Adapters-Page1.html

 

 

Good news for the ram side of things, tech specs

Memory

32GB max, UDIMM, PC3-12800 1600MHz DDR3, 4 DIMM sockets1

Thanks for helping, I am going to pull the trigger as soon as the returns hit the bank

[WallacEngineering]

I would just spend more and get an Intel Z370 or AMD X370 or wait until after April and get the new AMD X470 MB for future upgradability. CPU is up to you but considering your lower budget the Ryzen 3 1300X seems like the best bet.

 

The issue with this idea is that the Mobo and CPU alone will cost the same $200 as that used system entirely, and then you will need another $80-$160 for RAM (8 or 16GB). I would go with a single 8GB stick so you can upgrade later.

 

This is way over budget but changing over to Ryzen has some good benefits including smashing Intel on price-to-performance ratio as well as future upgradeability into 2020. In essence because the 1300X is overclockable with 4C/8T, you can nearly hit stock i7-7700 performance on a CPU that costs less then half of the i7-7700.

 

I suggest the X470 and X-unlocked UPUs because you have no idea how much overclocking and tuning will help you out. I run a dinosaur AM3 Phenom II rig myself (see my signature for more details) and honestly with overclocking it remains good enough for me to tolerate as I await to see when I should buy into Ryzen.

 

Im not sure about you but Im single with no exemptions at all and I still got $1500 back from Uncle Sam so I hope your return is bigger than $120!