Upgrading Mobo+RAM

rohit32407

Ambassador of Buzz
My current Specs are:

Processor: Intel i5 2310 2.9 ghz(3.2 turbo)
RAM: ADATA(Basic One) 4 gb ddr3 1333 MHz
Mobo: Intel DH61ww
GPU: MSI AMD 6770 1 gb DDR5
Cabinet NZXT Gamma
PSU: FSP Saga II 500 Watts
HDD: 1) seagate 500 gb 7200 RPM 3 gb/s 16 mb cache
2) Seagate 2TB green version 5400 rpm 6gb/s 64 mb cache

I cant upgrade the whole rig at once due to financial constraints but i have 2 options right now
1) Mobo+ RAM( mobo i selected is ASUS P8B75-M LE + G.Skill RipjawsX 8 GB RAM F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL)

OR

2) GPU (2 options here as well- AMD 6870 or Nvidia GTX 560/560 Ti)

I basically play FSX and few other games like assassins creed series, crysis, age of empires, battlefield 3 etc

At best my monitor can handle 1600 x 900 resolution so that is the max resolution i am going to use for another year so as i am not upgrading my monitor as of now.

Please suggest which 1 should i upgrade first- mobo+ RAM or GPU. Basic purpose is gaming, not full HD but with medium to high settings with 1600 x 900 resolution.

I think i don't need to upgrade my processor as of now. If i make an upgrade right now then I won't be able to make another upgrade for next 5-6 months. I am confused so please help me out. I have no intention for overclocking coz that would mean buying proper cooling equipments which i can't currently afford.
 

topgear

Super Moderator
Staff member
you won't get any performance boost by upgrading the mobo+ram and the gfx card you have can handle most of the games @ 1600*900 very well.
 
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rohit32407

rohit32407

Ambassador of Buzz
you won't get any performance boost by upgrading the mobo+ram and the gfx card you have can handle most of the games @ 1600*900 very well.

So what you mean to say is that i should wait and upgrade the rig altogether? Should i upgrade my RAM to 8 GB for now and upgrade my GPU to some 7000 series lateron along with a mobo later? I forgot to mention that i have already ovreclocked my 6770 to 900/1300 with temps stable at around 60 C with fan running arnd 60%.
 
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Sainatarajan

Wise Old Owl
What is your budget ?

Your current system is good and your GFX card is good to play all latest games in 1600x900 .
 
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rohit32407

rohit32407

Ambassador of Buzz
What is your budget ?

Your current system is good and your GFX card is good to play all latest games in 1600x900 .

Budget as of now is arnd 12k for any upgrade that i do. I also have my 6770 overclocked to 900/1300(though i don't know how much performance increase i got with it) and it does run most of the latest games with medium settings and max 4x AA on 1600 x 900. I just had a chance to upgrade and I couldn't decide on what component to upgrade. Should I upgrade just the RAM for now and wait a little while for the GPU and mobo?

Just out of curiosity if i had to upgrade my GPU, should i go for 6850 and overclock it or go for 6870 straight away? GTX 560 Ti i checked is out of my budget and GTX 560 is not par with 6870 anyway( correct me if i am wrong)
 

the1337est

Hardcore Gamer
You won't have any performance increase by upgrading your motherboard. Maybe just try getting another 4GB 1333 Mhz stick.
 

Tech_Wiz

Wise Old Owl
You don't need any upgrade as of now with that Config. Only Upgrade you may consider is a Bigger HD Monitor & then replace the card with a HD7850.

Rest of the things need no change for next 2 years minimum.
 

Sainatarajan

Wise Old Owl
You can buy Corsair Value Select 4 GB DDR3 @ 1.2K .
You can also upgrade your motherboard if you want lot of features like USB 3 , Sata 3 etc. But this wont give you performance in Gaming .
 
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rohit32407

rohit32407

Ambassador of Buzz
You can buy Corsair Value Select 4 GB DDR3 @ 1.2K .
You can also upgrade your motherboard if you want lot of features like USB 3 , Sata 3 etc. But this wont give you performance in Gaming .

The problem with adding another 4 gb chip is that I have 2 DIMM slots and right now i am using 2x2gb chips as RAM. So i will have to get the whole 8 gb kit if i want to upgrade RAM but that is no big deal i can do that. I don't want all those features just for the sake of having them coz i know its going to be of no use to me. I will get an 8gb RAM kit and pass on the MOBO. I just hope if I do upgrade to a better GPU my motherboard wont bottleneck its performance.

I at most have 1 year of more time left for occassional gaming at best(have to go for MBA then) that is why i thought i will try to get the best experience possible within my budget. From what i gather after going through posts here and on some other threads the only thing that is going to help me is if i get a new GPU.

If you guys have any suggestions for a good GPU which can give me considerable performance boost over 6770 within 12k plz feel free to mention them. I am neither hard bent on Nvidia or AMD. They both are fine by me.

For now i am considering 6850 and 6870. Whether a 6850(overclocked) better option than a stock 6870? If so then which brand's 6850 performs best with stock cooling when overclocked?
 

Sainatarajan

Wise Old Owl
Get GTX 560 . Less Price But equal Performance to HD 6870 . Your motherboard wont bottleneck any GPU . Only processor does Bottlenecking ( not yours ) .
 
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rohit32407

rohit32407

Ambassador of Buzz
Get GTX 560 . Less Price But equal Performance to HD 6870 . Your motherboard wont bottleneck any GPU . Only processor does Bottlenecking ( not yours ) .


MSI N560GTX-M2D1GD5

this is what i found in smcinternational.in. Best price for a gtx 560 i could find. There are no proper GPU dealers in my city so i will have to buy it online but since i have already bought my old 6770 from smcinternational so i am comfortable buying from them. Flipkart is a little overpriced for computer components at the moment.

I was just wondering if i take the dual fan version of this model can it be overclocked? or there isnt any need at all to overclock it for 1600 x 900 resolution.

If you can suggest a better deal or a better variant of 560 within 12k please do. Also i have the FSP Saga II 500 Watt PSU I hope it will be able to handle this card.Also worth mentioning is that i have a NZXT GAMMA cabinet i hope this card will fit in comfortably into it as it is quite a big card.
 
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topgear

Super Moderator
Staff member
^^ GTX 560 dual fan version is a good choice - it will let you OC and keep the card cooler than nay other single fan based gpus but as you FSP Saga II 500 PSU don't bother to OC the gpu.
 
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