Help needed plz - Upgrading desktop

D

DeadPool

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I'm thinking of upgrading my PC. Budget is +-R5 000.
This is for a CPU, Motherboard, RAM & Gfx card.
Power supply & hard drive I have already got.
This Pc will be primarily used for gaming & some work but nothing that requires heavy cpu usage.

Thanx :)
 
I recently upgraded to a Core I3 530, socket 1156 motherboard and 4 gigs of ram. I paired this with my old 4850 and am happy with the performance. I haven't figured out how to enable an FPS counter in BFBC2 yet, but I'm guessing I get between 30 and 60 fps on mostly medium at 1920x1080. The only stage which my PC struggles on is one of the snow stages which has a snowstorm happening the entire time.

For CoD4 I went from about 30-75 fps (average) on a full server with almost all high settings (no AA or AF) at 1920x1080, to 60+ fps all settings maxed out,max AA and max AF at 1920x1080.

It also plays 1080p video quite happily, which my old 3800X2 struggled with.

I spent R4000 on a case, cpu, ram and mobo at retail, so you could probably shave that down to R3300 - R3500 depending if you can order online or direct from suppliers. I will probably upgrade to one of the core i5s or i7s much later down the line.
 
cant do too much better than qwikslvers reccommendation.
 
with a gigabyte board you can clock that i3 to 3Ghz using standard cooler. and a few extra case fans for good measure. : )
 
bleh69 said:
with a gigabyte board you can clock that i3 to 3Ghz using standard cooler. and a few extra case fans for good measure. : )
Click to expand...

I think you meant 4 GHz? The stock i3 530 is speced at 2.93 GHz.

As a very recent convert to aftermarket coolers, I think the small amount spent on reducing the temperature rise of your overclocked CPU is a good investment. Of course you still need the case fans to get the heat out of the case...
 
I suppose it comes down to. Do you mind having a dual core, while there are quad cores, and even hex cores (outside your price range)
In terms of performance in games you wont see much difference between the two at the moment. (i3 530 and PII x4 925)
Nice review http://www.anandtech.com/show/2921/2
This might help you:
i3 530
Pros
If you into OCing then the i3 with a CM Hyper 212 (R300) and you'll be hitting 4GHz easy!!
Low power consumption
Little heat
Can upgrade to i5 or i7 later on..

Cons
Only Dual core
Crappy Onboard graphics

PII 925
Pros
Quad core
Can upgrade to hex core later on..
Low power usage
little heat

Cons
Not such a good OC

So what matters the most to you?
I'd go i3 530 cause I like the OC.
But then PII also gets your attention cause almost certainly games will become more threaded in the future.

Edit: Go the AMD route it is better in the long run.
 
Last edited:
The 925 is the better option. For the dual core to match it in any multi threaded environment (which many games are nowadays) it needs to be overclocked. Then the i3 530 becomes hot and power hungry.
 
nakedpeanut said:
I suppose it comes down to. Do you mind having a dual core, while there are quad cores, and even hex cores (outside your price range)
In terms of performance in games you wont see much difference between the two at the moment. (i3 530 and PII x4 925)
Nice review http://www.anandtech.com/show/2921/2
This might help you:
i3 530
Pros
If you into OCing then the i3 with a CM Hyper 212 (R300) and you'll be hitting 4GHz easy!!
Low power consumption
Little heat
Can upgrade to i5 or i7 later on..

Cons
Only Dual core
Crappy Onboard graphics

PII 925
Pros
Quad core
Can upgrade to hex core later on..

Cons
High power usage
Lots of heat
Not such a good OC

So what matters the most to you?
I'd go i3 530 cause I like the OC and low power consumption.
But then PII also gets your attention cause almost certainly games will become more threaded in the future. So more cores would be better. But i feel i3 wins at the moment.
Click to expand...

That quad isn't hot. Think it's a 95W part. BTW games are multithreaded NOW.
 
Qwikslver said:
That quad isn't hot. Think it's a 95W part. BTW games are multithreaded NOW.
Click to expand...

I know. And if you read properly you would notice I said "...games will become more threaded in the future."
Whether 1 thread to 6 or 4 to 6.. It is still more threaded.

If it is 95w then sorry. Just know AMD usually 125w mark.. I have update my post. And agree AMD is the better route.
 
Last edited:
Thanx for all the input guys. I've got a lot to think about now. But that rig that Qwikslver suggested sounds good.
@ nakedpeanut : I'm not in a rush to get any of the parts yet. Whats the deal with the 460's anyway?
 
Sorry they were supposed to be one of the best price/performance cards released! But currently in SA they so overpriced it's not worth it! In the USA they $200, here they over $300!! Just crazy...
You better off with a 5770 or if you push it a 5850 (vtx3d model @R2700)
 
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