Need guidance on improving your PC?
Need guidance on improving your PC?
PC Specifications
CPU – Intel i7-4770 @ 3.40GHz
Motherboard – Gigabyte Z87-HD3
Graphics Card – NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER
Memory – 32GB DDR3 RAM
Storage – 1TB SSD plus 1TB HDD
Power Supply – 600W
Display – Sceptre 27-Inch FHD LED Gaming Monitor at 75Hz
I’m focusing on upgrading just one part. I need the most affordable or biggest improvement possible. With a budget under $200, I’m limited. If I can afford more later, I’ll save up, but if I upgrade now it seems worthwhile. 🤷♂️
My main goal is to enhance my gaming performance. Besides games, I occasionally face other issues. An upgrade should help with those too:
- Load times are slower than desired
- Textures sometimes cause problems
- A higher FPS would be beneficial
I usually play games with intense visuals—explosions, effects, destruction—and more speed would really improve the experience.
The CPU is at the top of the food chain for that motherboard.
32 GB of DDR 3 memory is also about the limit you can reach.
You have an SSD; if it isn't nearly full, it's unlikely to be a problem.
You should determine whether investing heavily in a new graphics card would really benefit you, given the other older components you own. I'm not sure.
200 dollars probably won't make much difference.
My initial thought would be to save money until you reach at least 400 or 500 dollars for a new CPU, RAM, or motherboard.
Is that power supply as outdated as your CPU?
The CPU is at the top of the food chain for that motherboard.
32 GB of DDR 3 memory is also about the limit you can reach.
You have an SSD; if it isn't nearly full, it's unlikely to be a problem.
You should determine whether investing heavily in a new graphics card would really benefit you, given the other older components you own. I'm not sure.
200 dollars probably won't make much difference.
My initial thought would be to save money until you reach at least 400 or 500 dollars for a new CPU, RAM, or motherboard.
Is that power supply as outdated as your CPU?
A suitable GPU option:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/dg...am...70-pgd-8go
Consider exploring the Ryzen 5500 B550 paired with 16 GB of 3200mhz RAM for roughly 200 dollars.
Combined, this setup would cost around 450 USD for both the CPU and GPU.
Adding a PSU is also recommended.
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
AMD Ryzen 5 5500 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor
($91.34 @ Amazon)
Motherboard:
Gigabyte B550 GAMING X V2 ATX AM4 Motherboard
($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory:
TEAMGROUP T-Create Expert 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory
($30.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card:
ASRock Phantom Gaming D Arc A770 8 GB Video Card
($249.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply:
Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 TT Premium 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
($89.99 @ Newegg)
Overall cost: $562.30
Shipping, taxes, and any available discounts are included
Created by
PCPartPicker
2023-08-22 02:42 EDT-0400
This setup is likely to face a CPU limitation, so for under 200 dollars I recommend an AMD Ryzen 5 4500 paired with a Gigabyte B550 Aorus Elite board. The Ryzen 5 4500 offers strong performance for its cost, and the robust motherboard will handle future upgrades without problems.
Regardless of your choice, you’ll need new RAM—consider used DDR4 modules, targeting speeds around 3200MHz or higher.
This will provide a solid foundation, and you’ll probably want to replace your graphics card later.
By the way, if you proceed, opt for an Intel ARC chip only if you’re comfortable, as driver support remains inconsistent and enabling the Resize Bar in BIOS is essential.
Checking if VRAM is low or if games are consuming excessive hard drive space. Inquiring about the specific loading times for particular applications.
I believe I'm running out of VRAM. I've been looking for possible causes and this seems to be one of them. My GPU reports 4GB VRAM, which is considered low by current standards. I mostly run my games on the HDD but the important ones on the SSD. Still, the issues I'm facing are consistent whether I switch devices or not. I'm not sure how to address the second question.
It's a basic requirement for playing current games. Texture popping usually points to insufficient VRAM. Sometimes it's also linked to hard drives in open-world titles.
That seems to be about VRAM.
If the game is using an SSD, then it might be more about the CPU. When you mention starting a match, it's not something like Cod Warzone.
It's challenging to offer a suggestion without understanding your preferences regarding replacing the PSU and confirming its specific model. Ensuring the new PSU meets both power needs and quality standards is essential, but without clarity on these details, it's difficult to provide a meaningful recommendation.