Need help on PC upgrade.

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ziant

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Hi,

I am planning to upgrade my PC, mainly because I wanted to be able to run ArmA 3. But I need some help on this. I am offered to upgrade my GPU from GeForce 310 512MB to GeForce GTX 660 Gigabyte OC Version.

My Current PC:
MOBO: Dell Inc. OC2KJT (Form= Micro ATX)
CPU: Intel Core i3-550 3.2GHz
GPU: NVidia GeForce 310 512MB
RAM: 4GB DDR3 2200MHz
OS: Win7 32bit

My question is:
- Will my mobo be able to support the new GeForce GTX 660?
- If not, can you give me some upgrade recommendation (NVidia preferred)?
 
The GeForce GTX 590 might be better supported in that mobo since its a PCI-E x16 2.0. You're not going to get the full power advertised on the 660 looking at the specs since its meant for a PCI 3.0. It might cost less too and still a great card. Just my opinion but compare the two. The processor if you can try to upgrade it to an Intel? Core™ i7-880 Processor. It's supported by the mobo dont know what kind of power supply you though to run everything. http://ark.intel.com/compare/48505,48500 that way you get the best setup possible. Lastly, this can wait a bit, try to add another 4gb of ram. Might go over $550 but you don't have to do all of it at once.
 
if he gets a pci 3.0 it will work on the 2.0 lanes with no loss and it would be future proofed if he changes motherboard down the road
 
ziant said:
around usd 550, i guess.
Click to expand...
Before you go spending 550 on graphic, be aware that you most likely going to hit bottleneck because of CPU. PCIE 3.0 is backwards compatible with PCIE 2.0 currently there isnt a major performace gain going from 2.0to 3.0
 
With 550 dollars I would put it towards building a new PC, but a gtx 660 will be fine on your rig.

Like wizecracker said you will experience bottlenecks from your i3. You should actually look into getting an i5, a cheap LGA 1155 mobo, and a 660.
If you catch the right deals you will easily make your 550 budget.

And the Gtx 650 ti Boost is quite a card @ 175$ just make sure you get the 2GB VRAM one.

If you aren't going to be playing any CPU extensive games I would invest a better video card and get a i3 3220. The 3220 has good single core threading and is a beast for dual core programs. They come around @ 130$ usd. Or if you're an AMD guy a FX-6300 paired with a AM3+ 760g chipset will suit you nicely.(The FX-6300 is a 95w so it works with mATX boards nicely) Both of those processors are around 130$ and go nicely with a 200-300$ gpu.

Thanks for letting me bomb you with a wall of text!

-CaptBattlefield
 
alright guys. thanks a lot for the suggestion.
with 550 of course i am referring to upgrading my PC, not only on my graphic card. I know that my PC is quite tricky to upgrade because of the mobo. I am considering to get a new pc as well.
 
ziant said:
alright guys. thanks a lot for the suggestion.
with 550 of course i am referring to upgrading my PC, not only on my graphic card. I know that my PC is quite tricky to upgrade because of the mobo. I am considering to get a new pc as well.
Click to expand...
yeah, if I were you I would save my money and get brand new computer all togather.
Wait till christmas maybe there is bound to be deals
 
hyde895 said:
The GeForce GTX 590 might be better supported in that mobo since its a PCI-E x16 2.0. You're not going to get the full power advertised on the 660 looking at the specs since its meant for a PCI 3.0. It might cost less too and still a great card. Just my opinion but compare the two. The processor if you can try to upgrade it to an Intel? Core? i7-880 Processor. It's supported by the mobo dont know what kind of power supply you though to run everything. http://ark.intel.com/compare/48505,48500 that way you get the best setup possible. Lastly, this can wait a bit, try to add another 4gb of ram. Might go over $550 but you don't have to do all of it at once.
Click to expand...
Umm gtx 590 is way more expensive that gtx 660ti. Also not to metion the 590 is a power hog
 
wizekraker said:
yeah, if I were you I would save my money and get brand new computer all togather.
Wait till christmas maybe there is bound to be deals
Click to expand...

yeah. i am most probably gonna do that, by then i should be able to get a nice pc.
btw, can you give me some advice though.
like what should i pay attention to when building my rig, choosing the stuffs, etc.
 
If you're looking for some decent frames on arma 3, i suggest you invest more than 550. I'm using a 7950 Dual-X with an i5 4670k, and i can barely get 30 fps on 64 slot servers at low..

SP is okay, i get 100fps at low.
 
ziant said:
yeah. i am most probably gonna do that, by then i should be able to get a nice pc.
btw, can you give me some advice though.
like what should i pay attention to when building my rig, choosing the stuffs, etc.
Click to expand...

You should ask these questions when you are actually going to build your PC. Market prices fluctuate a lot.
 
I don't think anyone mentioned this yet. you are going to need a new power supply.

also as has been said you will want to put money into a cpu, especially if arma 3 is your main focus.
 
Yolobot said:
If you're looking for some decent frames on arma 3, i suggest you invest more than 550. I'm using a 7950 Dual-X with an i5 4670k, and i can barely get 30 fps on 64 slot servers at low..

SP is okay, i get 100fps at low.
Click to expand...
Im sure you can adjust you setting to get decent frames not to mention that fact the it still on beta.

ziant said:
yeah. i am most probably gonna do that, by then i should be able to get a nice pc.
btw, can you give me some advice though.
like what should i pay attention to when building my rig, choosing the stuffs, etc.
Click to expand...


Get good PSU DO NOT CHEAP out on the PSU. Corsair, sesonic and antec I belive are good brands.
Make sure parts match ie. RAM slots CPU socket
 
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for the arma 3 thingy, it is still in beta though until the full release, (i believe) even a beast computer would experience performance issues. it just depends how bad is it affected.

yeah. my friend got me to a gigabyte store near his workplace.
he recommends me a set of gigabyte pc.

here is what he offers me:
MOBO: Gigabyte H61M
CPU: Intel i5 3450 @3.1GHz
GPU: NVidia GeForce GTX660 Gigabyte OC version
RAM: 1x 8GB Geil enhance Corsa auto-coolant
Power: Gigabyte Superb E570 (570 watt)
total cost: usd 721

since i am going to get my bonus, i think i can put in some money on this.
will this pc build worth the money?
 
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ziant said:
for the arma 3 thingy, it is still in beta though until the full release, (i believe) even a beast computer would experience performance issues. it just depends how bad is it affected.

yeah. my friend got me to a gigabyte store near his workplace.
he recommends me a set of gigabyte pc.

here is what he offers me:
MOBO: Gigabyte H61M
CPU: Intel i5 3450 @3.1GHz
GPU: NVidia GeForce GTX660 Gigabyte OC version
RAM: 1x 8GB Geil enhance Corsa auto-coolant
Power: Gigabyte Superb E570 (570 watt)
total cost: usd 721

since i am going to get my bonus, i think i can put in some money on this.
will this pc build worth the money?
Click to expand...
Isnt 2x 4GB ram cheaper?
also Im not sure if the powersupply is realiable
 
wizekraker said:
Isnt 2x 4GB ram cheaper?
also Im not sure if the powersupply is realiable
Click to expand...

wait. sorry.
the photo he sent to me there were 2 piece of ram though but the list he gave me only stated 1x 8gb ram. I'll check it with him tomorrow.
why isn't the power supply reliable? please give some explanation because i'm like a noobest on this things.
 
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Just adding the cpu/mobo/ram/gpu on newegg, I am at $530. The psu is not worth $200. Gigabyte is not known for psus for a reason. A corsair TX power supply is where you want to be on this build.

Is this a prebuilt he is quoting you with a case, hdd, and OS as well or just some parts?
 
I'm your huckleberry said:
Just adding the cpu/mobo/ram/gpu on newegg, I am at $530. The psu is not worth $200. Gigabyte is not known for psus for a reason. A corsair TX power supply is where you want to be on this build.

Is this a prebuilt he is quoting you with a case, hdd, and OS as well or just some parts?
Click to expand...

yup what he said, I didnt check the price for your psu but if it is 200 dont get it.
Corsair TX650 is worth around 100
 
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