Upgrade advice for 2010 rig

[-Avenged-]

Hi guys. Here's my 2010 rig set-up:

• MSI P55-GD55 motherboard
• Intel Core i5-650 processor (1st Gen i5)
• 2x 2GB Kingston RAM
• Sapphire ATi Radeon 5770 1GB GFX card
• 500GB HDD (main), 2TB HDD (storage)
• Andyson 550W PSU

Basically, I would like, if feasible, to upgrade this rig for gaming for the next 2 years or so. I don't need to max out games; medium is good enough for me. Right now even Diablo 3 lags when there is too much going on (i.e. skill effects and lots of monsters).

What are feasible and economical upgrades to keep this rig going? Thanks!

 

[Alternative X]

1) Budget?

2) List down all games that you are playing.

3) State model of casing used.

 

[-Avenged-]

1) Budget?

2) List down all games that you are playing.

3) State model of casing used.

Hi! As asked...

1. If I can just settle for an upgrade... Looking at about $4XX. Not sure if realistic though

2. Currently playing Diablo 3, have games like Bioshock Infinite, the Arkham series, and the new Tomb Raider awaiting in my Steam account. I definitely want to get Dragon Age Inquisition as well!

3. CM Elite 310

 

[bunnypangsai]

Upgrade gfx and get an ssd?

Hi! As asked...

1. If I can just settle for an upgrade... Looking at about $4XX. Not sure if realistic though

2. Currently playing Diablo 3, have games like Bioshock Infinite, the Arkham series, and the new Tomb Raider awaiting in my Steam account. I definitely want to get Dragon Age Inquisition as well!

3. CM Elite 310

 

[Alternative X]

Suggested upgrade parts:

RAM: G.SKILL PC 12800/1600MHZ DDR3 CL11 VALUE RAM (4GB) (50)
GPU: POWERCOLOR R9 280 3GB TURBODUO (285)
SSD: PLEXTOR M6S 128GB (99) (optional)
PSU: SEASONIC S12II-NON MODULAR 620W (99)

Total cost: $533

Buy at PC Themes, #04-15, and ask for discounts.

Notes:

1) A single 4GB stick of RAM is added to allow you to upgrade your rig to 8GB RAMs for a smoother gaming experience.

2) The R9 280 is capable of playing Batman and Bioshock at max settings and Tomb Raider and Dragon Age Inquisition smoothly at High settings in 1080p.

3) The SSD is completely optional, but having a SSD as the boot drive will allow you to enjoy faster bootup times and if you install games in the SSD, your games will have reduced loading times.

4) If you do not want a SSD, can use the $$$ saved and get a Superflower HX 600 for $109 and get yourself a PSU with 80+ Gold efficiency instead of 80+ Bronze efficiency with the Seasonic S12II 620W.

 

[-Avenged-]

Upgrade gfx and get an ssd?

Definitely need to upgrade GFX card, SSD is a nice luxury but I'm still considering haha...

Suggested upgrade parts:

RAM: G.SKILL PC 12800/1600MHZ DDR3 CL11 VALUE RAM (4GB) (50)
GPU: POWERCOLOR R9 280 3GB TURBODUO (285)
SSD: PLEXTOR M6S 128GB (99) (optional)
PSU: SEASONIC S12II-NON MODULAR 620W (99)

Total cost: $533

Buy at PC Themes, #04-15, and ask for discounts.

Notes:

1) A single 4GB stick of RAM is added to allow you to upgrade your rig to 8GB RAMs for a smoother gaming experience.

2) The R9 280 is capable of playing Batman and Bioshock at max settings and Tomb Raider and Dragon Age Inquisition smoothly at High settings in 1080p.

3) The SSD is completely optional, but having a SSD as the boot drive will allow you to enjoy faster bootup times and if you install games in the SSD, your games will have reduced loading times.

4) If you do not want a SSD, can use the $$$ saved and get a Superflower HX 600 for $109 and get yourself a PSU with 80+ Gold efficiency instead of 80+ Bronze efficiency with the Seasonic S12II 620W.

And thank you very much Alternative X, for the detailed post with comments! Really appreciate the effort taken to break down each component for me with explanations as it makes it very easy for me to target the specific components; I'll be going shopping for parts soon then

Cheers guys!