[GAMING] Upgrading gaming rig

[watashijen]

hi bros, i have friend that would like to play evolve with us as it releases on 10th feb. recommended specs of the game are as follows.
OS: Windows 7 64-bit
INTEL CPU: Core i7-920
SYSTEM RAM: 6GB
NVIDIA VIDEO CARD: GeForce GTX 670 or GTX 760
VIDEO MEMORY: 2GB

this is my friend's current rig
CPU+MOBO: i5-2500 @ 3.3GHz + Gigabyte P67DS3B3
RAM: 8GB
GPU: Nvdia Geforce GTX450
SDD: None
HDD: Some 2tb one he said
PSU : No idea (dont think its 500w though)
PC Casing: x11 advanced x station

budget $400
my suggestion to him was to go for the PC themes bundle MSI GTX 750 TI 2GB GAMING + THERMALTAKE SE 630W 80+ PSU @$315 + CRUCIAL M550 128GB SATA3 SSD 2.5" @85.

i have to ask him to check whats his psu again but assuming that its below 500w, and bros would like to help me out here. still not very experienced in building and would appreciate help/feedback.

 

[Alternative X]

Ask your friend to read off the PSU label for the exact brand and wattage of the PSU.

Also, I do not think a GTX 750Ti is going to cut it for Evolve, best to get something better as a GTX 760 is actually much more powerful than a GTX 750Ti. Of course, if your friend does not mind playing Evolve at Medium-High settings in 1080p, then can also get the GTX 750Ti.

Also, what is the GPU clearance in that X11 Advanced X Station, can't find the casing specs anywhere. If dunno, ask your friend to take measuring tape/ruler and measure approx max GPU clearance.

 

[watashijen]

sorry for the delay, my friend just got back to me.
his case is the cooler master rs-500-pcar-d3. so its 500w. dont think its high quality thou so if he wants a gtx 970 or similar i guess he has to upgrade.
i checked the casing online, apparently it has up to 30cm headroom for the gpu so can easily fit a zotac 970.
ADVANCE X11 PC Tower Case - 8102B0 | Pixmania <-- has the main specs of the casing.
if he was to upgrade his psu and get an ssd will his com be able to run a 970 efficiently?
oh and he upped the budget to around 600, so if he get the zotac 970 from lazada with the current CNY 10% off at 420. he'll have around 180+ to spend for the psu + ssd.
or what would your recommendation be?

 

[Alternative X]

A GTX 970 should be more than enough to play Evolve at max settings smoothly at 1080p.

For PSU, get a FSP Aurum S 500W for $89. Should have some $$$ left for a Crucial M550 128GB SSD for $86.

 

[Jian19]

Gtx960 + Crucial m550 128gb ssd

 

[watashijen]

will the msi r9 290x gaming be a better choice?
its on offer now from corbell @449 and if its worth it i might get him this one instead. 279mm so i think can fit in his case.

 

[Alternative X]

will the msi r9 290x gaming be a better choice?
its on offer now from corbell @449 and if its worth it i might get him this one instead. 279mm so i think can fit in his case.

1) You are going to need at least a 650W PSU with that GPU. Get a Superflower Leadex 650W ($139) to go with this GPU.

2) The GPU is known for being hot in operations. You might need to buy additional case fans or rearrange the case fans to a negative case pressure configuration to deal with the heat. The R9 290X is still faster than the GTX 970 though.

3) You may want to take a look at the GPU benchmarks of Evolve to help you make a more informed decision. Do note that the benchmarks are for the Alpha version only and the final version of Evolve may perform differently with your GPU.

 

[watashijen]

1) You are going to need at least a 650W PSU with that GPU. Get a Superflower Leadex 650W ($139) to go with this GPU.

2) The GPU is known for being hot in operations. You might need to buy additional case fans or rearrange the case fans to a negative case pressure configuration to deal with the heat. The R9 290X is still faster than the GTX 970 though.

3) You may want to take a look at the GPU benchmarks of Evolve to help you make a more informed decision. Do note that the benchmarks are for the Alpha version only and the final version of Evolve may perform differently with your GPU.

wow thanks so much for that info
okay i think the gtx 970 will be a more feasible choice then, the 290x will be too over budget with all the addons
thanks again for the help!