Upgrading my desktop ~£200

[gambleroni]

Had some performance issues so I'm looking to update my desktop after about 4 years of loyal service. My budget is about £200. I've outlined roughly what I think would be best bang for the buck, what do you think?

Current specs:

MB: MSI 770-C45
CPU: AMD Athlon X4 635
RAM: 2 x 2BG DDR3
GPU: ASUS 4670 512MB
PSU: Corsair 400W



I'm thinking an SSD, a new GPU and perhaps new RAM.



SSD:
120GB should be more than enough space for the OS and some programs. The M500 @ £55 looks as good as any to my untrained eye. Any issues with this?



GPU:
Had a look at this (link) post on Tom's Hardware and something like a 7790 or R7 260X seems right for me.
- 2GB R7 260X @ £104 link
- 1GB 7790 @ £116 link
It looks like a no brainer for the R7 260X - newer technology and cheaper - but am I missing something? Are there better options for me?



RAM:
I see a few options here, not sure what is best.
- Get another 2 x 2GB @ £36 link
- Replace current RAM with 2 x 4GB @ £62 link
- Replace current RAM with 1 x 8GB @ £62 link
- Do nothing, will a few extra GB give any real performance increase?


I should also ask if my 400W PSU will be able to cope with this upgrade, or will I need a new one?


Many thanks in advance!

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

What is the main purpose of the upgrade and what is the model number of your PSU??

The R7 260X and HD7790 use the same GPU,and for £100 to £130 you can get the superior HD7850,HD7870,R7 265 or R9 270.

[gambleroni]

The main performance issue is that my system is no longer coping as well as I would want with dual screens. E.g. games don't run smoothly/crash/BSOD if I'm dual screening. Also, there is a part of me that just wants to upgrade as a treat to myself.

My PSU is a Corsair CMPSU-400CXUK.

I see I was fooled by the new names for graphics cards, I just assumed it was new tech...

[Bonebreaker777]

I would go for the extra 2 x 2GB RAM (preferably eBay, 2 x 2GB DDR2-800MHz PC2-6400 for £17.98 ).

Plus higher class GPU, as pointed out by CAT, Sapphire R7 265 2GB GDDR5 for £111.50 is slightly better that an HD 7850 and cheaper that most HD 7850 models so no brainer.

And you should have still enough left for the SSD, so either leaving yourself some change by choosing Crucial 2.5-inch 120GB M500 for £53 or by adding a little bit of extra Crucial 2.5-inch 240GB M500 for £83.

EDIT: (£18 + £111.50 + £53 = £182.50 or £18 + £111.50 + £83 = £212.50, also don't forget to take advantage, where applicable, of Flubit or Topcashback). Also your PSU should be fine, even with the newly chosen GPU.

[dfour]

I would go for the extra 2 x 2GB RAM (preferably eBay, 2 x 2GB DDR2-800MHz PC2-6400 for £17.98 ).

Plus higher class GPU, as pointed out by CAT, Sapphire R7 265 2GB GDDR5 for £111.50 is slightly better that an HD 7850 and cheaper that most HD 7850 models so no brainer.

And you should have still enough left for the SSD, so either leaving yourself some change by choosing Crucial 2.5-inch 120GB M500 for £53 or by adding a little bit of extra Crucial 2.5-inch 240GB M500 for £83.

EDIT: (£18 + £111.50 + £53 = £182.50 or £18 + £111.50 + £83 = £212.50, also don't forget to take advantage, where applicable, of Flubit or Topcashback). Also your PSU should be fine, even with the newly chosen GPU.

His board is DDr 3 not 2

http://uk.msi.com/product/mb/770C45.html#/?div=Basic

I would go with 2*4gb sticks and not 1*8gb if your going to upgrade it.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...=8&subcat=1517 £56

[Bonebreaker777]

His board is DDr 3 not 2

http://uk.msi.com/product/mb/770C45.html#/?div=Basic

I would go with 2*4gb sticks and not 1*8gb if your going to upgrade it.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...=8&subcat=1517 £56

Damn! How did I missed that???

Review:

I would go for the extra 2 x 2GB RAM (Corsair 2 x 2GB DDR3 1600Mhz Vengeance Memory for £34.50 ).

Plus higher class GPU, as pointed out by CAT, Sapphire R7 265 2GB GDDR5 for £111.50 is slightly better that an HD 7850 and cheaper that most HD 7850 models so no brainer.

And you should have still enough left for the SSD, so you could choose Crucial 2.5-inch 120GB M500 for £53.

EDIT: (£34.50 + £111.50 + £53 = £199 total), plus don't forget to take advantage, where applicable, of Flubit or Topcashback. Also your PSU should be fine, even with the newly chosen GPU.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

My mate has a Silverpower 400W PSU which is basically the same PSU as the CX400W. He runs a Phenom II X6 1055T and an HD7850 2GB fine,so an R7 265 will run fine. BTW,the Sapphire R7 265 also has a quiet cooler too.

Regarding the HD7790 and the R7 260X,the latter has TrueAudio enabled which is the major change. However,the R7 265 is much faster for games.

Edit!!

Novatech is a bit more expensive but you get some free games:

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/c...32-00-20g.html
http://www.amd4u.com/radeonrewards/

For slightly more you can get an HD7870 or an R9 270 though:

http://www.cclonline.com/product/135...-Card/VGA2233/
http://www.cclonline.com/product/143...Box-/VGA2101X/

An HD7870 does use two PCI-E power connectors though.

[pastymuncher]

The Original Corsair CX400 was a high quality unit built by Seasonic and has 360w on the 12v rail so will support a decent system. The inferior CX430 that replaced it only had 336w on the 12v rail despite supposedly being a 430w unit.

[Pob255]

Damn! How did I missed that???

Review:

I would go for the extra 2 x 2GB RAM (Corsair 2 x 2GB DDR3 1600Mhz Vengeance Memory for £34.50 ).

Plus higher class GPU, as pointed out by CAT, Sapphire R7 265 2GB GDDR5 for £111.50 is slightly better that an HD 7850 and cheaper that most HD 7850 models so no brainer.

And you should have still enough left for the SSD, so you could choose Crucial 2.5-inch 120GB M500 for £53.

EDIT: (£34.50 + £111.50 + £53 = £199 total), plus don't forget to take advantage, where applicable, of Flubit or Topcashback. Also your PSU should be fine, even with the newly chosen GPU.

I'd say that a pretty solid selection for an upgrade. pearsonally I'd not go for a higher capacity ssd, just keep your old hard and use that for additional storage, if you just have your OS and most frequently used software on the ssd then 120gb is plently.

[pp05]

Add a small SSD in there for OS. A 64GB can be had for small money(£50). You will see some improvement to your system in terms of general responsiveness.

[Stuen4y]

My mate has a Silverpower 400W PSU which is basically the same PSU as the CX400W. He runs a Phenom II X6 1055T and an HD7850 2GB fine,so an R7 265 will run fine. BTW,the Sapphire R7 265 also has a quiet cooler too.

Regarding the HD7790 and the R7 260X,the latter has TrueAudio enabled which is the major change. However,the R7 265 is much faster for games.

Edit!!

Novatech is a bit more expensive but you get some free games:

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/c...32-00-20g.html
http://www.amd4u.com/radeonrewards/

For slightly more you can get an HD7870 or an R9 270 though:

http://www.cclonline.com/product/135...-Card/VGA2233/
http://www.cclonline.com/product/143...Box-/VGA2101X/

An HD7870 does use two PCI-E power connectors though.

I'd say that a pretty solid selection for an upgrade. pearsonally I'd not go for a higher capacity ssd, just keep your old hard and use that for additional storage, if you just have your OS and most frequently used software on the ssd then 120gb is plently.

+1 120GB is plenty for an OS drive, programs and several games. And tbh no one plays more than one or two games at a time. With today's internet speeds you don't have that many installed at the same time as well. Even a relatively slow HDD is more than enough for data - music, movies, photos, etc.

[F2K8]

What you're planning to buy looks all well and good, and should give you a significant boost. Are you using the stock CPU cooler by the way? Maybe if you have money left over, you can buy a CPU cooler, since that is an older gen CPU, I can imagine it gets very hot compared to the newer gen.

[gambleroni]

Damn! How did I missed that???

Review:

I would go for the extra 2 x 2GB RAM (Corsair 2 x 2GB DDR3 1600Mhz Vengeance Memory for £34.50 ).

Plus higher class GPU, as pointed out by CAT, Sapphire R7 265 2GB GDDR5 for £111.50 is slightly better that an HD 7850 and cheaper that most HD 7850 models so no brainer.

And you should have still enough left for the SSD, so you could choose Crucial 2.5-inch 120GB M500 for £53.

EDIT: (£34.50 + £111.50 + £53 = £199 total), plus don't forget to take advantage, where applicable, of Flubit or Topcashback. Also your PSU should be fine, even with the newly chosen GPU.

Looks like this is the one:
2x2GB to add on, a R7 265 and the M500 120GB SSD. Great shout on topcashback, can't believe that I have never seen this before!

My mate has a Silverpower 400W PSU which is basically the same PSU as the CX400W. He runs a Phenom II X6 1055T and an HD7850 2GB fine,so an R7 265 will run fine. BTW,the Sapphire R7 265 also has a quiet cooler too.

Regarding the HD7790 and the R7 260X,the latter has TrueAudio enabled which is the major change. However,the R7 265 is much faster for games.

Edit!!

Novatech is a bit more expensive but you get some free games:

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/c...32-00-20g.html
http://www.amd4u.com/radeonrewards/

For slightly more you can get an HD7870 or an R9 270 though:

http://www.cclonline.com/product/135...-Card/VGA2233/
http://www.cclonline.com/product/143...Box-/VGA2101X/

An HD7870 does use two PCI-E power connectors though.

Nice find with the free games, but how do I redeem these? I can't seem to find any games in their store.

[gambleroni]

What you're planning to buy looks all well and good, and should give you a significant boost. Are you using the stock CPU cooler by the way? Maybe if you have money left over, you can buy a CPU cooler, since that is an older gen CPU, I can imagine it gets very hot compared to the newer gen.

I did notice my CPU temps being quite high a year or two back with the stock cooler (~50^oC iirc) and got a giant Arctic cooler; now temps more like 28^oC.

[Bonebreaker777]

Looks like this is the one:
2x2GB to add on, a R7 265 and the M500 120GB SSD. Great shout on topcashback, can't believe that I have never seen this before!

Topcashback for more generic purchases, but Flubit if you buying anything from Amazon.

Nice find with the free games, but how do I redeem these? I can't seem to find any games in their store.

Here to redeem, once you have the code(s).

[gambleroni]

Topcashback for more generic purchases, but Flubit if you buying anything from Amazon.



Here to redeem, once you have the code(s).

All ordered now. I decided to go with the cheaper R7 265 as right now I would prefer the saving over a couple of games - I've got more than enough for now.

Many thanks for everyone's help.