Advice needed: PC upgrades

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irionthepanda

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Hi all,
I am currently stumped as to which parts to upgrade. I'm not pushing for anything in particular, but some advice on my current rig would be awesome. I am also without a headset, so if someone could recommend a relatively good but not too pricey one, that too would be much appreciated.

Current Rig
CPU: AMD FX-6300 @ 4.0 GHz
Cooler: CoolerMaster H80i
GPU: Gigabyte R9-280X 3GB Rev. 3
Mobo: ASUS M5A78L M LX
PSU: Corsair AX 760
RAM: 8GB 1333Mhz
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200 RPM
Case and Fans: Storm Scout 2 with SP 120's (Red LED)

Peripherals
HEADSET RECOMMENDATION PLEASE :3
Samsung B2330 23"
Razer Naga 2013
Microsoft 200 Wired
Windows 8.1 64-bit
 
Last edited:
what are you wanting to get from the upgrade? is your pc struggling with something? Looks a pretty decent rig by today's standards.

no advice re headset...I don't game that seriously so don't have one.
 
Definitely an SSD. It's crazy not to have one. I've seen great prices on 240GB's on Wootware and Rebel Tech recently.

Personally I would also look into upgrading to a 27" monitor, but you might not share my aversion to smaller displays.
 
That PC looks fine as it is. If you have money to spend maybe spend it on a pair of decent headsets.

I'm currently using Skullcandy and loving it. Sure it's not gaming headphones and not expensive but it serves my purpose. Movies, Gaming and Music. Sure you can get a very good pair for a few grands :p

Edit: Second the SSD upgrade for your OS
 
irionthepanda said:
Hi all,
I am currently stumped as to which parts to upgrade. I'm not pushing for anything in particular, but some advice on my current rig would be awesome. I am also without a headset, so if someone could recommend a relatively good but not too pricey one, that too would be much appreciated.

Current Rig
CPU: AMD FX-6300 @ 4.0 GHz
Cooler: CoolerMaster H80i
GPU: Gigabyte R9-280X 3GB Rev. 3
Mobo: ASUS M5A78L M LX
PSU: Corsair AX 760
RAM: 8GB 1333Mhz
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200 RPM
Case and Fans: Storm Scout 2 with SP 120's (Red LED)

Peripherals
HEADSET RECOMMENDATION PLEASE :3
Samsung B2330 23"
Razer Naga 2013
Microsoft 200 Wired
Click to expand...

Depends on your budget and what you actually want to do with it, because for most that set up would be just fine.

GPU: GTX 970 and up to justify an upgrade. Secondhand prices on the R9 280x has been somewhat unpredictable but lets say R2500.
Would cost you like R2000/2500+ to go up to that card if you sell your current one.

CPU: 4th gen intel, but since you have a cooler, going stock might not be enough of a justification, so you'll have to go k version of a CPU, spend extra on motherboard, but it won't give you the performance gain a GTX 970 would so not entirely sure if it would be worth it.

Those FX-6300 are strangely turning into collectors items in South Africa, they actually pretty rare on the secondhand market, and still sufficient for today's games.
Just not very sufficient in terms of price/performance at retail pricing when buying new.
So if you already have one, might as well sick with it until it dies or when you have too much money too waste.
 
Some excellent advice given already and I'd have to agree with the SSD as the 1st choice upgrade.
It's the single biggest increase in "performance" you'll be able to actually notice.

Depending on budget, these are a couple you should look at.

http://www.rebeltech.co.za/ssds/976...ata6g-sequential-read-write-540-480mb-s-.html

GALAX Gamer SSD (G1AN8EBDMHA), 120GB, 2.5", SATA6G, Sequential Read/Write: 540/480MB/s, Random IOPS 4K Read/Write: 80000/75000, Toshiba 19nm MLC NAND Flash, Heracles Controller (developed by GALAX and Jmicron), SLC Cache Auto-Release, SMART Tools, Supports Trim, Idle Time Garbage Collection, MTBF: 2 Million Hours, 3 Years Warranty.

R949

http://www.rebeltech.co.za/ssds/976...sata6g-sequential-read-write-540-480mb-s.html

GALAX Gamer SSD (I2AL32A85MHA), 240GB, 2.5", SATA6G, Sequential Read/Write: 540/480MB/s, Random IOPS 4K Read/Write: 74000/76000, Toshiba 19nm MLC NAND Flash, Heracles Controller (developed by GALAX and Jmicron), SLC Cache Auto-Release, SMART Tools, Supports Trim, Idle Time Garbage Collection, MTBF: 2 Million Hours, 3 Years Warranty.

R1599

On the headset front I would personally recommend a set of Razer Tiamat 2.2

They are beautifully designed, they have incredible bass and fantastic directional and clear audio for gaming.

http://www.rebeltech.co.za/headsets...rophone-closed-ear-cup-design-for-noise-.html

Razer Tiamat 2.2, Stereo, Retractable Noise Filtering Microphone, Closed ear cup design for noise isolation, Replaceable Leatherette ear cushions, 4x 40mm Discrete Drivers with neodymium magnets, Microphone SNR: 50db, with inline Remote, 3.5mm, Black, 2 Years Warranty

R1317

You could also look at the Corsair Vengeance 1400.

http://www.rebeltech.co.za/headsets...mm-drivers-with-24mm-copper-wound-voice-.html

Corsair Vengeance 1400 (CA-9011123-NA), Analog, 50mm drivers with 24mm copper wound voice coils, noise-filtering mic, in-line control with volume and mute, soft plush fabric earcup covers with synthetic leather, closed-back design with circumaural noise isolating, padded adjustable headband with collapsing pivots for easy travel, 3.5mm, Black, 2 Years Warranty.

R712


Feel free to drop me a pm or alternatively you can email us [email protected]
 
Thank you all so much for the help! It has been on my mind for a while now that an SSD upgrade is in order :P I have just been stuck with the options of
- A 120GB which is cheaper but can be filled super quickly
OR
- A 250/256GB SSD which is FAR more pricey but has extra space.
Which size is the better option?

On the CPU front, I feel that the FX 6300 does the job well, and with the cooler, there's a lot of headroom to OC it.

GPU-wise, I have been tinkering around with the option of upgrading to a GTX 970, but I don't want to go through the hassle of selling it, and finding more cash to drop in only to find the performance only mildly better than my current card. Would there be a justifiable jump in performance?
(I currently play games such as Battlefield 4, Borderlands (2 and Pre-Sequel), and I am planning on purchasing GTA V soon).

And thanks for all the headset recommendations, gaming without one is a nightmare! :/
 
Rebel Tech said:
You could also look at the Corsair Vengeance 1400.

http://www.rebeltech.co.za/headsets...mm-drivers-with-24mm-copper-wound-voice-.html

Corsair Vengeance 1400 (CA-9011123-NA), Analog, 50mm drivers with 24mm copper wound voice coils, noise-filtering mic, in-line control with volume and mute, soft plush fabric earcup covers with synthetic leather, closed-back design with circumaural noise isolating, padded adjustable headband with collapsing pivots for easy travel, 3.5mm, Black, 2 Years Warranty.

R712
Click to expand...

I bought that headset from you guys late last year. It is indeed very awesome.
irionthepanda said:
Thank you all so much for the help! It has been on my mind for a while now that an SSD upgrade is in order I have just been stuck with the options of
- A 120GB which is cheaper but can be filled super quickly
OR
- A 250/256GB SSD which is FAR more pricey but has extra space.
Which size is the better option?

On the CPU front, I feel that the FX 6300 does the job well, and with the cooler, there's a lot of headroom to OC it.

GPU-wise, I have been tinkering around with the option of upgrading to a GTX 970, but I don't want to go through the hassle of selling it, and finding more cash to drop in only to find the performance only mildly better than my current card. Would there be a justifiable jump in performance?
(I currently play games such as Battlefield 4, Borderlands (2 and Pre-Sequel), and I am planning on purchasing GTA V soon).

And thanks for all the headset recommendations, gaming without one is a nightmare! :/
Click to expand...
Get the bigger SSD. I have a 128GB one and I wish it was bigger. After a while you can't even install games on it because system files and personal documents take up so much space.
 
irionthepanda said:
Thank you all so much for the help! It has been on my mind for a while now that an SSD upgrade is in order :P I have just been stuck with the options of
- A 120GB which is cheaper but can be filled super quickly
OR
- A 250/256GB SSD which is FAR more pricey but has extra space.
Which size is the better option?

On the CPU front, I feel that the FX 6300 does the job well, and with the cooler, there's a lot of headroom to OC it.

GPU-wise, I have been tinkering around with the option of upgrading to a GTX 970, but I don't want to go through the hassle of selling it, and finding more cash to drop in only to find the performance only mildly better than my current card. Would there be a justifiable jump in performance?
(I currently play games such as Battlefield 4, Borderlands (2 and Pre-Sequel), and I am planning on purchasing GTA V soon).

And thanks for all the headset recommendations, gaming without one is a nightmare! :/
Click to expand...

There's 0 reason to upgrade from a 280x to a 970. I doubt you'll even notice a difference.
 
Chevron said:
There's 0 reason to upgrade from a 280x to a 970. I doubt you'll even notice a difference.
Click to expand...

I agree. The only thing I find annoying is the 280X's inability to work with AA (an issue I've seen in Battlefield 4, for example). I suppose I just need to work with the settings and find what works best for me. Overall I am happy with the card, but sometimes I wanna give up -_-
 
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