Processor and Graphics cards.

[Hopsin]

Hey NLSC, I'm currently looking to upgrade my crap processor and Graphics card due to the fact I can't play any games using it.

I thought why not ask here since really the only game I play on PC is 2K and you guys would know better than anyone what to get.
Truthfully all I want is something that's cost efficient and gets the job done. I don't want the best, but also not the worst.

So If you guys could help me out in this department i'd be very grateful. Please note i'm a complete noob when it comes to what's good and what isn't with PC parts.
I know how to take them off and put them on and that's about it.

So thanks I really hope some of you can help me out I want to play 2K :p

Also here are my current specs.

Not sure if that's detailed enough but I hope so.

[JBulls]

what's your budget? Also, are you a graphic designer?

[Hopsin]

what's your budget? Also, are you a graphic designer?

Not much considering i'm also buying a PS4 this Thursday. I'd say I have anywhere from $100-175.

And I dabble a bit with it(Mostly Photoshop and Anime Studio) but in no way would I label myself as a graphic designer why?

[JBulls]

your graphics card is mainly for pros who work in graphics. I'll leave it to the pc components experts to answer about upgrades.

[TBM]

100 to 175 dollars isn't going to get you running this game, and if it did, you'd be playing at minimum settings.

[skoadam]

First of all whats your mainboard dude. Second, all i can propose you is second hand gpu and cpu. U can buy second hand first gen of i7 + second hand 470gtx/560Ti and you will be good for all maxed out with texture quality set to medium.All in 1080i. You need something around 200$. But to go for it,we need to know your mainboard.

[Hopsin]

Mind telling me how I can find out what mainboard I have? As I said i'm not very knowledgeable with any of this.
And second hand is fine as long as it works.
Also Max settings isn't needed but as I said if I can get it for anywhere between $100-200 i'll gladly take it.


One other thing this PC is pretty old I bought it on ebay like 3 years ago for like $150. Hopefully that doesn't hurt me.

[skoadam]

Mind telling me how I can find out what mainboard I have? As I said i'm not very knowledgeable with any of this.
And second hand is fine as long as it works.
Also Max settings isn't needed but as I said if I can get it for anywhere between $100-200 i'll gladly take it.


One other thing this PC is pretty old I bought it on ebay like 3 years ago for like $150. Hopefully that doesn't hurt me.

http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html
install this, and select mainboard tab

[Hopsin]

Mind telling me how I can find out what mainboard I have? As I said i'm not very knowledgeable with any of this.
And second hand is fine as long as it works.
Also Max settings isn't needed but as I said if I can get it for anywhere between $100-200 i'll gladly take it.


One other thing this PC is pretty old I bought it on ebay like 3 years ago for like $150. Hopefully that doesn't hurt me.

http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html
install this, and select mainboard tab

Going to go out on a limb and say this isn't good.

[Terrabad]

So, here's the deal. Why waste your money on a Playstation 4 when you are trying to upgrade your PC to play the latest video games? If you spend 500-600 dollars you'll have a better machine than any playstation, and you can use a ps4 controller with your computer, run an HDMI to your TV and your computer is a console gaming system, with better graphics.

But heres the thing, you basically would have to build a whole new computer. The motherboard on your dell isn't going to support a new graphics card without bottle necking it. You have PCI-Express graphics interface, all the new gfx cards are PCI-Express 3.0, it'll fit and it'll work but you won't be getting even half of what the graphics card can give you.

Also, the new ram and processors won't work on that motherboard AT ALL, you need to basically build a new machine from scratch. If you put in around 600-700 dollars you can get a machine pretty close to top of the line that will play just about any game. tell me your budget and i'll give you a list of what I would buy. But basically, that machine you have now is worthless, you can't upgrade it, other than the graphics card but even then you only get about half of what it can do with that PCI-Express 1.0 interface.

[Hopsin]

Ehh If I need a whole new PC then idk tbh.

If I have to spend my whole paycheck just to play 2K on PC it may not be worth it imo.
Also I'm buying a PS4 because of family who has them also a bunch of my friends.

I would love to get a new PC but my budget right now isn't great. If you can though Give me a list that would cost around $600 or so and i'll come back to it when my budget is more flexible.

[skoadam]

Hopsin, yup there is no chance for solid upgrade with your mobo, u need around 300$ to build solid spec from second hands components(cpu.gpu,mobo and ddr3 and we still dont know whats your power supply is). Or around 500-600$ to buy new components.

[fjccommish]

Go to pcpartpicker.com. There is a system forum there. Post your budget and purpose for the computer. People will tell you what you need.

[Hopsin]

Hopsin, yup there is no chance for solid upgrade with your mobo, u need around 300$ to build solid spec from second hands components(cpu.gpu,mobo and ddr3 and we still dont know whats your power supply is). Or around 500-600$ to buy new components.

How much would it cost just to build a completely new pc with second hand parts?

[intx]

You could definitely build something on the cheap to run it, for around the same price as a PS4.

However, it quickly becomes a balancing act of "How good is it now?" and "How long can I keep it around?"

For example, you could probably shop around and get a used motherboard/CPU combo that will definitely run 2k15 and throw a GFX card on top of it for pretty cheap, but depending on what you've got, you may be hitting max performance already which would suck when you try to run newer games like two years down the road.

For example, I recently upgraded my mother's pc so she can play Far Cry 4/Dragon Age and such. She has an AM3 socket motherboard which is a fairly old AMD brand processor motherboard. I was able to get her a hexa-core Phenom II 1055T which can still handle all the latest games of today for $110, but she's pretty much maxing it out already. She knows that it was a bandaid solution until she can save up for a whole new pc.

But while I was searching for a good deal on that specific processor, I saw a ton of people offering combo used motherboard/cpu for pretty cheap. Now I would recommend Intel over AMD given the choice, but a Phenom II 965 Black Edition(as an example, it's cheaper than the 1055T) processor is fairly decent(by today standard, should still beast most games), is quad core and the combo together could probably be found for 90-120 bucks if you get lucky.

Find some cheap used RAM(50 bucks for 8gb? 70 for brand new) and a graphics card and combine it with the above and you'd be looking at $225-275, assuming you were able to use the operating system/monitor/keyboard etc you've already got.

The PS4 is solid and your friends all being on there can't be understated, but neither can having a really nice PC that you can use for more than just gaming.

Good luck!

[diamenz]

you don't want second hand parts for a complete build man. save your cash for a couple of months and build yourself one from scratch. it's not hard - all you need is common sense and some dedication and research. the new gtx 970 could last you for years to come and will run current gen games with ease, maxed out. couple the 970 with a good intel cpu like the 4690k and you're gravy. here's a list of benchmarks along with prices to get you started.

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html

i just did the above build a month ago and it's great. threw in a 550watt power supply and a asrock anniversary edition mobo. good luck.

intx is right though - go amd/ati as opposed to intel/nvidia if you're on a budget. not me though, i was never happy with that. nvidia is more reliable with more options, and amd 6 & 8 core cpu's are wasteful when all you need is four (for gaming).

good things come to those who wait - save your cash, and then splurge. a good build like the one above will run u about a grand, though.

[richer]

Radeon R9 M270: has 640 stream processors and a 128-bit bus along with 4 GB GDDR5

[richer]

check out the graphics cards buying guide http://pcgamerhome.com/amd-laptop-graph ... ing-guide/