Upgrade my old pc to gaming pc?

Buying Advice Desktop & PC Buying Advice
1

Hi friends I would like to upgrade my old pc to a mid range gaming pc

My existing configuration is pentium d processor D102 motherboard and 1.5gb DDR2 ram

450watt smps

my maximum budget will be around 21k

I only need following things

MOBO,Processor,ram,graphic card

Here is the proposed things

Mobo Asus M5A78L-M LE AM3 = 3225/-

Processor AMD phenom x4 =4000/-

Ram DDR3 4gb =1300/-

Graphic card DDR3 =Need suggestion

I choose the asus m5 mobo because it support cpus upto 8 cores like the FX series i think

I will go for phenom x4 for now bcoz i think it is good for gaming and moderate price rang

Graphic card is the main think i need some suggestion

I am not a hardcore gamer i just play games like COD,NFS,Counter strike etc… and most probably i like strategy games like civilization

so please suggest me decent graphic card below 5k and also please verify the above mentioned upgrade is future proof at least for 3-5 yrs

And one more think can my need can be meeted by core 2 duo mac mini i think it is 2010 model

bcoz i can get it at 14k for used one is this good or not

2

Sir fill up the template for detailed idea of what you want-http://www.techenclave.com/topic/454634-template-for-what-should-i-buy-use-this-when-asking-for-advice/

3

  • Q: What is your budget?

  • 21K

[*]Q: What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)

  • CPU - Pentium D 2.8ghz

  • Motherboard - Intel D102

  • GPU - onboard

[*]Q: Which hardware will you be keeping (component name - component brand and model)

  • Monitor - LG L122s

  • SMPS - Intex 450

  • HDD- 80Gb 7200RPM

[*]Q: Which hardware component are you looking to buy (component name). If you have already decided on a configuration then please mention the (component brand and model) as well, this will help us in fine tuning your requirement.

  • CPU - AMD Phenom X4

  • Motherboard -ASUS M5A78L-M LE AM3

  • GPU - Not decided preferably under 5k

  • RAM-4GB DDR3

  • Future Proof For 3-5 yrs

[*]Q: Is this going to be your final configuration or you would be adding/upgrading a component in near future. If yes then please mention when and which component

  • Yes, will upgrade the following as needed

  • SMPS - if needed

  • RAM -4GB DDR3

  • HDD- 1TB 7200RPM

  • *DVDR/W- Blu ray Writer *

[*]Q: Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)

  • Kerala

  • Open to online purchase

[*]Q: Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TE market

  • Yes

[*]Q: What is your intended use for this PC/hardware

  • Gaming

  • Browsing

  • Desktop Processing

  • Watching HD movies

[*]Q: Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.

  • Any products as long as they have reliable service centre within kerala or India

[*]Q: If you will be playing games then which type of games will you be playing?

  • Strategy - Civilization 4

  • Racing - Grid at medium to high settings

  • Action-Crysis 2

  • Mid range games

[*]Q: What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage

  1. Gaming - 1280x72

​Q: Are you looking to overclock?

  1. Yes/No

Q: Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?

  • Windows 7 64 bit

  • Linux - ubuntu

4

CPU-Intel i3 2100-6.2k

Mobo-Intel DH67BL-B3-5.6k

RAM-Corsair XMS3 2X2gb 1600mhz-1.5k OR Gskill Ripjaws 2X2 1600mhz-1.6k

PSU-Corsair CX430V2-2.3k[It’d be better if you get a new psu]

GPU-Sapphire HD6670-5k

Case-Nzxt Gamma-2.4k

This rig will serve you for 3-4 years.

5

COULD U Please tell me wats the problem with the mobo i told here.I choose it bcoz AFAIK AMD is good for gaming and multimedia,and the mobo i told here is future proof at-least it can accomadate FX series processor,

And also another point is that Asus has collection center or service center near my vicinity or if go for Intel if some thing bad happens i have to send it to their company.I am not really confident with that

6

i think Jacob is right in suggesting you a Intel build over AMD coz they are much better CPU’s than the AMD. Besides, FX series doesnt look like beating Sandy Bridge for now, leave alone Ivy B.

Also, what is the size of your monitor and is it full HD capable??

I guess you dont have plans to change your monitor. so the 67xx series looks the best bet.

7

go For Intel i3 2100 with a (ASUS)mobo that is compatible with future ivy Bridge processor(this is what is future proof), better performance, also get a dual memory like 2x4gb ddr3 1333 (~2200rs) no need to get 1600mhz cause h67 dosen’t support 1600mhz(even on AMD defualt is 1333 and usually nobody overclocks it). Get a Nvidia gtx 550-TI1gb (currently priced 7.5k at primeABGB) with a New Corsair 430watts PSU.

IMO you should go for Intel Sandy Bridge rather than AMD because Intel is better in performance also gaming (In future you can upgrade to Ivy Bridge processor for better performance), secondly I would prefer Nvidia GTX 550-TI over AMD 6770 because both are approx same price and 550-TI is bit faster than AMD 6770.

approx total cost of rig will be 21k.

8

could you please tell me which is the asus mother board that is most suited and under 5k prferably cheaper the better

I have no plan to change the monitor now but in future i will do it.

On more think some one is offering me mac mini2010 for 14 k used one is it worth for the price i mean for mild to moderate games before 2011

9

ASUS P8H67-M LX B3-5.3k is what you’ll get in that budget,no idea about mac mini so other members will share their opinions on it.

10

mac mini2010 has a Core 2 duo 2.4ghz (with HT) and 2GB 1067mhz DDR3 ram, and Nvidia 340M GPU, Personally I liked the looks of it but in terms of performance its way below than what you will get with i3 2100 and Nvidia 550-TI.

If you want Cheaper ASUS mobo then go for h61 (chipset) instead of h67, drawback will we you won’t have USB3.0 and SATA 6.0 controller. Price will be down by 2k.

11

I know that the price of RAM has gone south recently but can you really get an 8GB kit for 1.5k?

@TS

Current Intel offerings offer better performance(and power consumption) but there is also the higher cost of admission to consider. A typical low/mid-range Intel motherboard/CPU will likely be quite a bit more to a comparable AMD one. Depending on your needs, going with either platform is definitely still an option. Your requirements are unlikely to see the performance benefit but the price savings will let you put the surplus into more important components such as the GPU/PSU/RAM (particularly if you are planning to upgrade your monitor in the near future).

12

Well sorry forgot to edit 2X2 gb,did that now,first i suggested 2X4gb so it’s edited now,thanks for mentioning it.