Looking for advice about upgrading my PC

[lymc7578]

I've been thinking really long about it, and decided that my PC components are too outdated to play anything that comes out this year. I'm looking to rebuild my entire system, but as I'm not very knowledgeable about building a PC(my parts were all handpicked by the uncle at Fuwell, can't remember his name but a nice guy anyway).

So, I've decided to come to you guys, the well-known PC gurus for advice about what parts should be upgraded or what should stay in my system.

Goal: Play games like Watch Dogs or Metro: Last Light as high a setting as it can go within my budget, also getting a 24" 120hz IPS monitor outside of my budget so would prefer if the GPU could run to those specifications

Budget: $800-$1000

Specifications:

OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit
CPU: Intel i3-540 3.07ghz duo-core
Graphic Card: Palit Nvidia GeFORCE GTS 250
Motherboard: ASUS P7H55-M PRO
Memory: 2x2GB OCZ DDR3
Storage: 500GB Corsair Black + 250GB Generic Acer HDD
Optical: Samsung 22x DVD-Writer
Power Supply: AeroCool E85M-550 550W

Note: I have a licensed copy of Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit that I bought from school, if it possible to get it on the upgraded PC, would it mean better performance? I only know that the 32-bit version allows only 4gb of physical memory, what about the 64-bit?

 

[dataworld111]

I've been thinking really long about it, and decided that my PC components are too outdated to play anything that comes out this year. I'm looking to rebuild my entire system, but as I'm not very knowledgeable about building a PC(my parts were all handpicked by the uncle at Fuwell, can't remember his name but a nice guy anyway).

So, I've decided to come to you guys, the well-known PC gurus for advice about what parts should be upgraded or what should stay in my system.

Goal: Play games like Watch Dogs or Metro: Last Light as high a setting as it can go within my budget, also getting a 24" 120hz IPS monitor outside of my budget so would prefer if the GPU could run to those specifications

Budget: $800-$1000

Specifications:

OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit
CPU: Intel i3-540 3.07ghz duo-core
Graphic Card: Palit Nvidia GeFORCE GTS 250
Motherboard: ASUS P7H55-M PRO
Memory: 2x2GB OCZ DDR3
Storage: 500GB Corsair Black + 250GB Generic Acer HDD
Optical: Samsung 22x DVD-Writer
Power Supply: AeroCool E85M-550 550W

Note: I have a licensed copy of Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit that I bought from school, if it possible to get it on the upgraded PC, would it mean better performance? I only know that the 32-bit version allows only 4gb of physical memory, what about the 64-bit?

Hi, to my knowledge(which isnt much) your rig is still capable of serious gaming but what is holding it back big time is your os. Upgrade to a 64bit and see whether if the performance gained is enough for your needs or not. if not enough then consider a parts upgrade. For parts upgrade maybe you can consider upgrading your GPU to a more recent card and bump up your ram to 6GB or 8GB.

EDIT: actually to be more accurate, a 32bit os only allow 3.2gb of ram to be used. So by upgrading the 32bit os to a 64bit os, the limit is raised to, depending on the variant of your win 64bit os, 16GB to 32gb or ram if im not wrong.

Just for your consideration, currently some of the more bang for buck recent cards includes but not limited to, "7950 LE" cards or 650ti boost or a 7850 1GB or if you like, you can hold the upgrading until this september where by its rumored that Ati, intel and nvidia will be releasing nxt gen tech for their CPUs, APUs and GPUs respectively

 

[undead102]

Yeah think your overall system still quite good. Can just invest in a new GPU instead for better gaming performance though.

 

[lymc7578]

Hi, to my knowledge(which isnt much) your rig is still capable of serious gaming but what is holding it back big time is your os. Upgrade to a 64bit and see whether if the performance gained is enough for your needs or not. if not enough then consider a parts upgrade. For parts upgrade maybe you can consider upgrading your GPU to a more recent card and bump up your ram to 6GB or 8GB.

EDIT: actually to be more accurate, a 32bit os only allow 3.2gb of ram to be used. So by upgrading the 32bit os to a 64bit os, the limit is raised to, depending on the variant of your win 64bit os, 16GB to 32gb or ram if im not wrong.

Just for your consideration, currently some of the more bang for buck recent cards includes but not limited to, "7950 LE" cards or 650ti boost or a 7850 1GB or if you like, you can hold the upgrading until this september where by its rumored that Ati, intel and nvidia will be releasing nxt gen tech for their CPUs, APUs and GPUs respectively

Hey dataworld111, thanks for your input! I am pretty sure your knowledge on PC building is more diverse than mine, so I'll ask this question: is it possible to upgrade the OS to a 64-bit, or must I do some kind of wipe to my system before it is possible to install the 64-bit OS onto my PC? I'm not willing to try the disc out because I'm afraid I might run into complications, as most of my files are centered around the 32-bit OS.

How much will the prices of the cards drop by? Because to be honest, I'm looking to upgrade my PC as soon as possible.

Another question, will my power supply be enough to handle the new card, presuming that I'm going for the 660Ti boost?

 

[lymc7578]

Yeah think your overall system still quite good. Can just invest in a new GPU instead for better gaming performance though.

Any GPUs that you would personally recommend? Will my motherboard be able to fit the card? Because I heard that there are different kinds of slots for different parts. For instance, certain motherboards can only accept certain CPUs, is this true?

 

[dataworld111]

Hey dataworld111, thanks for your input! I am pretty sure your knowledge on PC building is more diverse than mine, so I'll ask this question: is it possible to upgrade the OS to a 64-bit, or must I do some kind of wipe to my system before it is possible to install the 64-bit OS onto my PC? I'm not willing to try the disc out because I'm afraid I might run into complications, as most of my files are centered around the 32-bit OS.

How much will the prices of the cards drop by? Because to be honest, I'm looking to upgrade my PC as soon as possible.

Another question, will my power supply be enough to handle the new card, presuming that I'm going for the 660Ti boost?

Nop its not possible to say do a patch and upgrade a 32bit to a 64bit. They are technically 2 very distinct and different computing architecture. A 64bit installs exactly like a 32bit OS. If you are worried about compatibility, i would recommend that you do a VM(vmplayer/vmware etc), install the 64bit on it and test for compatibility issues. However, to my knowledge, 64bit OS can run most 32bit programs no probs. Incompatibility usually occur for drivers that do not have any 64bit compatibility.

Not sure if its spelling mistake or ? but i think u meant 650TI boost instead? if its a 650ti boost, a 550w psu should provide more than enough power with a comfortable bufferzone

Any GPUs that you would personally recommend? Will my motherboard be able to fit the card? Because I heard that there are different kinds of slots for different parts. For instance, certain motherboards can only accept certain CPUs, is this true?

GPU only requires a PCIE slot (or more for some higher end GPUs). So a GPU should be able to fit almost all motherboards that sports a PCIE slot. More importantly before buying the gpu, check whether if it will fit your casing or not. If you would like a recommendation, state your budget and needs?

Certain motherboards can only accept certain CPU thats true due to the difference in sockets. But since your not upgrading your CPU so that shouldn be much of a problem?

Most likely when the new Gen rolls out, the older gen(current gen) cards will be EOL-ed. You wont see a sharp or drastic price drop. Local retailers too smart for that lol. I only recommend waiting until september because the purpose of your rig seems be centered around gaming. This is because in september, other than intel amd etc. releasing new tech, you have the 2 consoles coming out around same timing, which for reasons too long and complex to explain here, may cause a change in how a pc is built for performance in gaming.

 

[lymc7578]

Nop its not possible to say do a patch and upgrade a 32bit to a 64bit. They are technically 2 very distinct and different computing architecture. A 64bit installs exactly like a 32bit OS. If you are worried about compatibility, i would recommend that you do a VM(vmplayer/vmware etc), install the 64bit on it and test for compatibility issues. However, to my knowledge, 64bit OS can run most 32bit programs no probs. Incompatibility usually occur for drivers that do not have any 64bit compatibility.

Not sure if its spelling mistake or ? but i think u meant 650TI boost instead? if its a 650ti boost, a 550w psu should provide more than enough power with a comfortable bufferzone

So do I have to completely remove my current OS and install the new one on it? Sorry if this seems like a stupid question because I really am clueless. Yeah sorry I meant the 650TI, but I'm actually considering the 660 card because I read the sticky on the forum and it seems to have what I want in a GPU.

GPU only requires a PCIE slot (or more for some higher end GPUs). So a GPU should be able to fit almost all motherboards that sports a PCIE slot. More importantly before buying the gpu, check whether if it will fit your casing or not. If you would like a recommendation, state your budget and needs?

Certain motherboards can only accept certain CPU thats true due to the difference in sockets. But since your not upgrading your CPU so that shouldn be much of a problem?

I stated my budget in the first post, which is $800-$1000. Goal is to have my games run smoother and look better, especially graphically intensive games like Metro: Last Light, Crysis 3 and Far Cry 3. If it is possible and a need to upgrade my CPU I am willing to fork out a bit more. Looking to get the parts over the course of the next two months.

 

[dataworld111]

So do I have to completely remove my current OS and install the new one on it? Sorry if this seems like a stupid question because I really am clueless. Yeah sorry I meant the 650TI, but I'm actually considering the 660 card because I read the sticky on the forum and it seems to have what I want in a GPU.



I stated my budget in the first post, which is $800-$1000. Goal is to have my games run smoother and look better, especially graphically intensive games like Metro: Last Light, Crysis 3 and Far Cry 3. If it is possible and a need to upgrade my CPU I am willing to fork out a bit more. Looking to get the parts over the course of the next two months.

ah sorry didn see your budget in your first post

yea you would have to..unless you dual boot, a 32bit OS alongside a 64bit OS. No worries, everyone was a beginner at some point of time, 100% legit question lol.
A gtx 660 is definitely a solid card and your budget definitely can afford. However, i would suggest that you do research for the reliability of your PSU. If your PSU is reliable, 550w should have no problems. But if your psu is those cheap cheap low quality one then...due to aging of the PSU i dunno whether if can support a GTX660. If cannot support, you might need to change a new PSU that can support.
With a 660, you should be able to max out or high settings the games you mentioned...other than crysis3 (that game has some rope physics problems that makes even the GTX titian cry)
Your CPU, if im not wrong, is LGA1156 socket. If you want to upgrade, it would be rather difficult coz all the LGA 1156 cpus have already EOL-ed thus extremely difficult to find on market.
If you wanna upgrade to a i core 3rd gen cpu, you would need to change the motherboard to one that supports the LGA 1155, which i believe the current gen of i cores cpus are based on. That would translate into a huge $$.

TLDR:
in regards to cpu, i wouldn suggest upgrading that coz your i3 is still very capable, not to mention that after this september, the trend for CPUs may very well lean towards AMD cpus.
in regards to gpu, gtx 660 performance wise is solid. If you like the card, have the budget..then why not?

 

[lymc7578]

ah sorry didn see your budget in your first post

yea you would have to..unless you dual boot, a 32bit OS alongside a 64bit OS. No worries, everyone was a beginner at some point of time, 100% legit question lol.
A gtx 660 is definitely a solid card and your budget definitely can afford. However, i would suggest that you do research for the reliability of your PSU. If your PSU is reliable, 550w should have no problems. But if your psu is those cheap cheap low quality one then...due to aging of the PSU i dunno whether if can support a GTX660. If cannot support, you might need to change a new PSU that can support.
With a 660, you should be able to max out or high settings the games you mentioned...other than crysis3 (that game has some rope physics problems that makes even the GTX titian cry)
Your CPU, if im not wrong, is LGA1156 socket. If you want to upgrade, it would be rather difficult coz all the LGA 1156 cpus have already EOL-ed thus extremely difficult to find on market.
If you wanna upgrade to a i core 3rd gen cpu, you would need to change the motherboard to one that supports the LGA 1155, which i believe the current gen of i cores cpus are based on. That would translate into a huge $$.

TLDR:
in regards to cpu, i wouldn suggest upgrading that coz your i3 is still very capable, not to mention that after this september, the trend for CPUs may very well lean towards AMD cpus.
in regards to gpu, gtx 660 performance wise is solid. If you like the card, have the budget..then why not?

How would I go about removing my current OS and installing the new one? Will any sensitive data be lost in the process? What about dual-booting, how does that work? Will dual-booting require a lot of space from my HDD?

My PSU is pretty reliable, but it has been 3 years since I bought it, so I think I might get a new PSU for the GTX 660 anyway

I will wait until September then, always a good idea to save money where ever I can!

Another question, will I have to look for similar RAM cards for the other two slots on my mainboard or is it okay if I use different cards?

 

[dataworld111]

How would I go about removing my current OS and installing the new one? Will any sensitive data be lost in the process? What about dual-booting, how does that work? Will dual-booting require a lot of space from my HDD?

My PSU is pretty reliable, but it has been 3 years since I bought it, so I think I might get a new PSU for the GTX 660 anyway

I will wait until September then, always a good idea to save money where ever I can!

Another question, will I have to look for similar RAM cards for the other two slots on my mainboard or is it okay if I use different cards?

Not too sure about dual boot, never done it before. Saw a friend's dual boot config is that he have 4TB worth of HDD space then split 2TB among his win 7 and ubuntu linux. But when i upgrade to a new OS, i would backup critical files/programs into a external HDD. i got 2 1TB external HDDs for such needs. Those i deemed not critical i just leave it and let it be overwritten when i install new OS orh.
If you want to be on the safe side, check out a software called acronis. Clients from work got feedback before that that particular software can allow user to "snapshot" the OS and everything so if got anything screw up still can reverse the process. Didn use it before so good luck lol.

mm do some research 1st. if that psu is reliable enough, wont need to change = save $$.

Best is get the same model de ram coz heard that different model de rams may cause problems. From start up to now, i always use same model of ram de so cant really advice you there if you choose to mix and match

 

[galenkhai]

Read your post and i definitely would like to know where would you be getting your 120hz IPS monitor... Local(though i highly doubt that) or overseas??

Anyways, i do not think IMHO that you really need a 24inch 120hz monitor let alone one which has an IPS panel. Reason being that if you finally decide getting the GTX 660 and run a game @ 1920x1200/1080 resolution at HighQuality settings, your framerate/FPS is less than 50. And this is at HQ video settings not to mention Ultra which will drag your framerate lower.

All regular IPS or TN monitors run at 60hz unless advertised. If your gaming rig is capable of outputting games at more than 60fps at HQ or Ultra settings, then of course you will be subjected to screen tearing/shearing without VSync or Adaptive Sync turned on. But since you have said that the gtx 660 has captured your fancy i really do not think/recommend you wasting the extra dollar in getting a 120hz IPS monitor. Unless ofcourse maybe you wish to game at a lower resolution then by all means...

Anyways, my wish for you is that, be patient. Do not rush. Don't know, please ask. Not sure, ask. Do not be pressured into deciding because of time or cash. The parts will always be there. And newer and possibly better parts will arrive in their own time. The only difference is YOU. You have the final say. And from one gamer to another; do your research thoroughly. One of the best things i find about building my own PC is not only the end result but the process of finally deciding on each and every component was a joy to me as well.

Have fun and good luck!!!

 

[lymc7578]

Not too sure about dual boot, never done it before. Saw a friend's dual boot config is that he have 4TB worth of HDD space then split 2TB among his win 7 and ubuntu linux. But when i upgrade to a new OS, i would backup critical files/programs into a external HDD. i got 2 1TB external HDDs for such needs. Those i deemed not critical i just leave it and let it be overwritten when i install new OS orh.
If you want to be on the safe side, check out a software called acronis. Clients from work got feedback before that that particular software can allow user to "snapshot" the OS and everything so if got anything screw up still can reverse the process. Didn use it before so good luck lol.

mm do some research 1st. if that psu is reliable enough, wont need to change = save $$.

Best is get the same model de ram coz heard that different model de rams may cause problems. From start up to now, i always use same model of ram de so cant really advice you there if you choose to mix and match

Hmm okay, other than my games, videos and work which are the most important I can think of that are stored in my HDD, I don't think there is anything else that I should be backing up, right? Video drivers and similar files shouldn't be a problem I presume?

Okay, I've thoroughly researched on my PSU's reliability and I will be keeping it in my system.

 

[dataworld111]

Hmm okay, other than my games, videos and work which are the most important I can think of that are stored in my HDD, I don't think there is anything else that I should be backing up, right? Video drivers and similar files shouldn't be a problem I presume?

Okay, I've thoroughly researched on my PSU's reliability and I will be keeping it in my system.

i think thats about it. Oh and take note of galenkhai's post. Very informative in regards to your monitor selection~

 

[lymc7578]

Read your post and i definitely would like to know where would you be getting your 120hz IPS monitor... Local(though i highly doubt that) or overseas??

Anyways, i do not think IMHO that you really need a 24inch 120hz monitor let alone one which has an IPS panel. Reason being that if you finally decide getting the GTX 660 and run a game @ 1920x1200/1080 resolution at HighQuality settings, your framerate/FPS is less than 50. And this is at HQ video settings not to mention Ultra which will drag your framerate lower.

All regular IPS or TN monitors run at 60hz unless advertised. If your gaming rig is capable of outputting games at more than 60fps at HQ or Ultra settings, then of course you will be subjected to screen tearing/shearing without VSync or Adaptive Sync turned on. But since you have said that the gtx 660 has captured your fancy i really do not think/recommend you wasting the extra dollar in getting a 120hz IPS monitor. Unless ofcourse maybe you wish to game at a lower resolution then by all means...

Anyways, my wish for you is that, be patient. Do not rush. Don't know, please ask. Not sure, ask. Do not be pressured into deciding because of time or cash. The parts will always be there. And newer and possibly better parts will arrive in their own time. The only difference is YOU. You have the final say. And from one gamer to another; do your research thoroughly. One of the best things i find about building my own PC is not only the end result but the process of finally deciding on each and every component was a joy to me as well.

Have fun and good luck!!!

Hey galenkhai, the monitor was just something I thought of buying but I listed it out as I thought the upgrades that would be recommended will be sufficient enough to warrant an upgrade for my monitor as well. My friend over in the US can order one from newegg then ship it over to me for a cheaper cost. I guess I should stick to my current monitor until it gives up, which I predict is soon.

I see, I didn't know that! I have all these graphically intensive games in my Steam library, but playing these games on the lowest settings and still getting fps drops doesn't feel great at all, but I can wait a few months before deciding to invest in new parts for my PC.

However, is there any way for me to optimise my current rig without spending too much? Like dataworld111 suggested, I could uninstall my current 32-bit OS and install the 64-bit one in its place, but as I've never done it before, I'm a little apprehensive about it. Do you have any tips about that?

 

[galenkhai]

Hello Lymc,

To be real honest with you, i have only built my first PC only about a month ago with no prior knowledge nor experience whatsoever. So to answer your question pertaining about the 32bit OS to 64bit; that i can't answer. What i can advise is Google or post on forums like Reddit or Tom's Hardware.

My PC knowledge is still in noob mode regarding OS issues and RAID stuff. Having said that, i can however give you a detailed insight on my current gaming rig and how i arrived at the parts i chose and how they have performed thus far.

Also, you asked for my opinion as to how you are able to optimize your current rig without spending too much and here's my honest view...

Seriously put, it all depends on what you really want. If you really really want to game with all the bells and whistles, it's going to cost a sum. Not an arm or a leg but a pretty penny nonetheless. And looking at your current rig, im guessing you might have to get a new motherboard, a new INTEL/AMD chip , GPU and 8gbs of ram and a new monitor as well?

Speaking of monitors, i reckon that you're skipping the thought of getting a 120hz monitor? Those aren't cheap to begin with and you are probably better off with a regular 60hz IPS panel. I know because i was rather adamant getting the very popular Benq XL2420t which costs a good 699SGD. And with the savings you get, that can easily fund you a new Mobo and CPU chip. Whats more, you have a friend in the US and prices there are way way better unless the shipping charges negates that. So do think about that...

One other thing is the GPU you want to get. My opinion is to get the gtx670. Reason being is that it has a very good price to performance ratio. Im running a gtx680 myself and it literally chews away at all games on a single monitor 1920x1200 (Dell 2412) at MAX settings. But if i were to redo my rig and trim costs, i would get the 670 instead as it really is almost neck and neck with my 680 benchmark wise. However the choice is your's to make and the people over at Reddit's buildapc seem to have a hard-on for the gtx 660ti Having said that, i love my 680 and no regrets.

One more thing about GPU.... I like the fact that you are going with Nvidia because i absolutely am OCD and screen tearing just drives me up the wall! Thank goodness they have Vsync which eliminates that. I am not sure what AMD have in their GPUs to eliminate screen tearing but i also love Nvidia's PhysX which to me is a sight to behold in Borderlands 2 which is my current fav.

Anyways, what i strongly believe is that if this is what u really wanna do, do it well. I personally feel that one mustn't do things half-way or half baked. If your wallet is in a pinch, just be patient and save up. Who knows, by the time you're ready to invest , something better would have turned up and better yet, in your budget too! Win win situation!

Other than that, i don't wanna lor-soh too much. Feel free to ask me anything!

Cheers