Looking to purchase a new PC and building one from scratch for the first time. Minimal questions.
Looking to purchase a new PC and building one from scratch for the first time. Minimal questions.
Your processor and GPU remain quite capable. I could probably purchase an affordable, large-capacity SSD (such as a Crucial MX100 256GB) and hold off until better options arrive. Constructing an entirely new system for just $1500 might not deliver the performance improvements you're aiming for.
You're right, SSDs mainly speed up load times and booting games from your computer, not necessarily overall gaming performance. They make starting games faster but don't change the core gaming experience much.
$1,500 can assemble a highly effective setup. An SSD will significantly improve load and boot speeds, making the system feel much more responsive. In fact, switching to an SSD is usually irreversible—I’d likely stick with it for storage only. I’d probably install an SSD and upgrade the graphics card. What games are you interested in, and what resolution do you prefer? Have you noticed any issues playing them now?
I enjoy various games all at 1600x900. The challenge comes with Planetside 2. Everything is configured high except shadows, which are low. I usually see around 50fps when nothing is active. During intense battles it drops to the low 20s—still playable but not optimal. Edit: In a YouTube video someone mentioned your hardware can limit the graphics card's performance. When would this happen? If my processor is five years old and I switch to a GeForce GTX 700, could the card reach its full capacity? What are typical benchmarks for these measurements?
People are frustrated with your SSDs, you seem unaware of whether his HDD is slow or if he has enough space. I just started up in 5 seconds lol. From power button to this forum it took about 6 seconds (hibernation). You have a decent laptop—just save money and upgrade to a full desktop. There’s not much you can transfer from your laptop, and it doesn’t seem worth the effort, so I’ll keep the laptop as one piece. Here are some questions: What are the hardware temperatures during use? Does it get hot and make you uncomfortable? Is it noisy enough to be bothersome? Screen resolution? Anything you’re hoping to achieve with better performance or just want to explore? Are you certain it’s a 660 Ti, I don’t think that’s for laptops—please confirm? Maybe it’s a 660M?
Planet side has several optimization issues. The CPU limits your graphics card performance whenever it can't handle the tasks needed to reach the highest possible FPS from your GPU. Even before reaching 100%, one core may become a bottleneck, especially if the software is slow—like in SC2. You can check this by opening Windows Task Manager (search in the Start menu) or using CTRL+ALT+DELETE and opening it from the Security window; then go to the Performance tab to see how each core is performing. WTM offers better performance and could even surpass current levels if developers improve. The next big change will come from software improvements, not hardware alone. The next revolution will be in the code when better solutions replace outdated ones. There’s a lot of poor software out there.
I didn't mention the specs in your original message. I have a desktop setup, not a laptop. That confirms it's likely a 660ti. I'm not sure about the current temperature while gaming—it doesn't get too hot, which is good for me. I prefer a cozy environment at home. Running quieter would be nice. For intense graphics games like planetside 2, the noise isn't bothersome because the sound effects are very loud. If I'm playing calmer games such as Skyrim, the audio does bother me a bit. Recently, I switched to a headset for better sound quality while playing Skyrim. (Skyrim is almost three years old, but I've heavily modified it and am replaying it now.)