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#1 Aug 09 2013 at 1:38 PM Rating: Decent
Well, I have been a long time reader and have always been impressed by the community here. However, I have never posted but was hoping that I could receive some help.

I built my PC in 2010 and I was debating making some upgrades to the CPU and GPU (and maybe some other parts), depending on my final budget. I was hoping I could get some tips from my fellow FFXIV fans. My current system is as follows:

CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1055T (2.8 GHz)
GPU: ATI Radeon HD 5830
RAM: 4 GB
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
Motherboard: ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO
Power Supply: 650W

I was thinking of trying to stay around 400$. So, should I upgrade both my CPU and GPU or just one or the other? If so...what should I CPU/GPU should I choose? Please let me know what you think and thanks in advance!
#2 Aug 09 2013 at 1:42 PM Rating: Excellent
I would say upgrade your RAM to 8 MB and your GPU to something more powerful. I think that's your best bet to increase game performance.
#3 Aug 09 2013 at 1:44 PM Rating: Good
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254 posts
I would recommend doubling up your RAM, then go with this:
MSI GeForce GTX 650 1GB Video Card $99 from NCIX
Seems like your processor is fine, but if you want higher speed with just 4 cores, you could go with:
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor $90 from SuperBiiz
#4 Aug 09 2013 at 1:49 PM Rating: Excellent
Came across this bundle on Newegg:

Click Me!

Gives you some room if you want to upgrade your CPU as well.

Click Me Too!

Or go with the 965 like the previous poster mentioned, it's a beast of a CPU.
#5 Aug 09 2013 at 1:54 PM Rating: Excellent
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1,439 posts
Almost the same thing for me as I built mine for FFXIV in 2010 although mine was a mixture of ATI GPU and Intel CPU. Upgraded my GPU, PSU and small capacity SSD. Feels so much faster in many ways now. I don't see RAM making a big difference unless you are running multiple programs but it wouldn't hurt.
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#6 Aug 09 2013 at 1:55 PM Rating: Good
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I'm not sure if you want to get an intel chip or not, but I got my Radeon 7870HD and i5-3570k for around $430 combined. I'm scoring 8400+ on the benchmark with max settings in 1080p.

With $400 to spend you can get a great GPU and CPU for about $200 each.

I would try to upgrade both of them with parts that cost roughly the same. There isn't much sense in dropping $400 on a GPU and not upgrading your CPU.

Oh, and do double up on your RAM :D
#7 Aug 09 2013 at 1:56 PM Rating: Excellent
EdyNOTB wrote:
Almost the same thing for me as I built mine for FFXIV in 2010 although mine was a mixture of ATI GPU and Intel CPU. Upgraded my GPU, PSU and small capacity SSD. Feels so much faster in many ways now. I don't see RAM making a big difference unless you are running multiple programs but it wouldn't hurt.


An SSD is a very nice addition to any PC. Could also go with a hybrid if you want SSD boot speed with HDD capacity.
#8 Aug 09 2013 at 1:58 PM Rating: Excellent
DamienSScott wrote:
I'm not sure if you want to get an intel chip or not, but I got my Radeon 7870HD and i5-3570k for around $430 combined. I'm scoring 8400+ on the benchmark with max settings in 1080p.

With $400 to spend you can get a great GPU and CPU for about $200 each.

I would try to upgrade both of them with parts that cost roughly the same. There isn't much sense in dropping $400 on a GPU and not upgrading your CPU.

Oh, and do double up on your RAM :D


He would have to get a new mobo too, he's running AMD right now. Though if he is willing then the CPU/GPU combo you mentioned would be the way to go.
#9 Aug 09 2013 at 2:07 PM Rating: Good
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SkinwalkerAsura wrote:
He would have to get a new mobo too, he's running AMD right now. Though if he is willing then the CPU/GPU combo you mentioned would be the way to go.



Oh yeah, derp XD. I forgot about the whole socket thing. I was originally going to tell him to watch out when upgrading his CPU if he had an OEM copy of Windows, but then remembered that it was tied to the MoBo.. I suppose my advice would end up making him have to buy another copy anyway if he followed through.

Still, when I built mine and my G/f's PCs I found the 7870 to be pretty solid for the price.
#10 Aug 09 2013 at 2:13 PM Rating: Good
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DamienSScott wrote:
SkinwalkerAsura wrote:
He would have to get a new mobo too, he's running AMD right now. Though if he is willing then the CPU/GPU combo you mentioned would be the way to go.



Oh yeah, derp XD. I forgot about the whole socket thing. I was originally going to tell him to watch out when upgrading his CPU if he had an OEM copy of Windows, but then remembered that it was tied to the MoBo.. I suppose my advice would end up making him have to buy another copy anyway if he followed through.

Still, when I built mine and my G/f's PCs I found the 7870 to be pretty solid for the price.


Nah, he could still activate it. He'd just have to go through manual activation and give Microsoft a call.
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#11 Aug 09 2013 at 2:19 PM Rating: Excellent
DamienSScott wrote:
SkinwalkerAsura wrote:
He would have to get a new mobo too, he's running AMD right now. Though if he is willing then the CPU/GPU combo you mentioned would be the way to go.



Oh yeah, derp XD. I forgot about the whole socket thing. I was originally going to tell him to watch out when upgrading his CPU if he had an OEM copy of Windows, but then remembered that it was tied to the MoBo.. I suppose my advice would end up making him have to buy another copy anyway if he followed through.

Still, when I built mine and my G/f's PCs I found the 7870 to be pretty solid for the price.


Agreed, I have the same GPU. BTW, did you ever figure out that noise your GPU was making? I remember the thread but haven't checked on it.
#12 Aug 09 2013 at 2:35 PM Rating: Decent
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2,536 posts
With $400 bucks your options are very limited.

Firstly, you don't need more ram for XIV. If you're talking about other games, too, then that's another matter. But for XIV, 4Gb is plenty.

If you want to upgrade your CPU, you're gonna need a new motherboard. Your motherboard doesn't support the newer generation CPUs. Anything other CPU you buy that fits in your motherboard would be more of a sidegrade than an upgrade. Either buy both CPU and mobo, or don't bother wasting money on a new CPU.

Your best bet for now is a new GPU. You can go for a GTX 660 for about $200. If you're sticking with your current CPU, don't bother getting anything above a GTX 660 since you will be bottlenecked by your CPU (again, talking about XIV).

So in short, with $400 budget, just get a new GPU for about $200 and don't bother with anything else. If you want to upgrade both GPU and CPU, you're gonna need a new motherboard for the CPU upgrade to be an actual upgrade instead of a sidegrade, so you're gonna need a bigger budget.

#13 Aug 09 2013 at 2:48 PM Rating: Decent
Thank you for all the replies so far. The help is greatly appreciated! Please keep more ideas coming if all of you would like. I am curious, though, why going to the AMD Phenom II 970 would be like a sidegrade rather than an upgrade like one reply implied. Some hierarchy charts I looked at show it as a tier higher or so. Would I not be able to use it with my current motherboard? If I can use it, would it be a good match with 7000 series GPU that some have mentioned? Thanks again!
#14 Aug 09 2013 at 2:58 PM Rating: Excellent
wsmiles86 wrote:
Thank you for all the replies so far. The help is greatly appreciated! Please keep more ideas coming if all of you would like. I am curious, though, why going to the AMD Phenom II 970 would be like a sidegrade rather than an upgrade like one reply implied. Some hierarchy charts I looked at show it as a tier higher or so. Would I not be able to use it with my current motherboard? If I can use it, would it be a good match with 7000 series GPU that some have mentioned? Thanks again!


Generally, you have to move up 3 tiers to see a worthy increase in performance. Your CPU is fine, I just threw the 970 out there because it was in your budget. Your mobo is AM3 socket. Newer AMD CPUs are AM3+ or FM sockets, so they wouldn't work. Like everyone has said, you'll get the most bang for your buck by upgrading your GPU and RAM.
#15 Aug 09 2013 at 3:34 PM Rating: Excellent
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311 posts
Get yourself a better GPU for sure. I just got myself a GTX 660 yesterday and it set benchmark on fire. (Did really well)

As for RAM, 6-8Gigs is around where you want to be.

I would say to upgrade your CPU as well, but that can be a real pain in the rump with the thermal paste and whatnot...
#16 Aug 09 2013 at 6:16 PM Rating: Good
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Hello fellow AMD user. Smiley: smile Our systems are almost the same if fact yours is slightly better.it seems you looked at the character benchmark and feel your score is low. If you look at it again and come to terms that our CPU is the bottleneck and is always lower than the i7 people insane scores.At 1280x1024 i'm stuck at 7900...5k to 9k scores is good for Amd systems.Our two systems are old but runs FF14 just fine, the frugal thing i did was upgraded memory to 16gigs and i'm getting a future proof videocard again.3yrs ago we both bought 2k+ score videocards,"mines a gtx 460sc" great 3 yrs ago but now the future proof cards are around 5k "in score". Cards that was $300 a few months ago are going sub $200 Check here for scores-
  • http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/
  • . The new card and memory can be done well under your budget and can be added to your new system later when your current one fails. Good luck on the budget.
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    #17 Aug 10 2013 at 4:40 AM Rating: Decent
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    wsmiles86 wrote:
    I am curious, though, why going to the AMD Phenom II 970 would be like a sidegrade rather than an upgrade like one reply implied. Some hierarchy charts I looked at show it as a tier higher or so.


    The 970 is set at a faster speed than your CPU (3.5Ghz vs 2.8Ghz). However, your CPU has 6 cores while the 970 has 4.

    The CPU hierarchy that you saw was a general ranking, which generally accounts for games that use 4 cores or less.

    From what I've noticed, this game takes advantage of up to 5 cores/threads most of the time, with a 6th core/thread occasionally being fired up. The 970 might still be a bit faster than your CPU for this game, but the difference would be too little to be worth spending money on. Not worth it, imo. That's why I said sidegrade.

    Also, the 970 is like, what, a 2-3 year old CPU. If you're going to upgrade, I'd really recommend saving up a bit more and going with the latest generation. :)

    If you also play other games and do stuff like rendering or editing, get a new GPU and more RAM.

    If the only thing you do is browse the internet and play XIV, just get the GPU and don't bother with RAM. You'll have $200 left. Save up some more and get a new mobo+CPU combo in a few months.
    #18 Aug 10 2013 at 8:35 PM Rating: Decent
    Thanks for the help and honesty, everyone. You've all been very kind, and I appreciate the time taken to set me on the right course.
    #19 Aug 10 2013 at 8:45 PM Rating: Decent
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    SkinwalkerAsura wrote:
    I would say upgrade your RAM to 8 MB and your GPU to something more powerful. I think that's your best bet to increase game performance.


    No. FFXIV is not RAM intensive and won't make use of the 4GB he has, much less 8.

    The cheapest upgrade you can get is a fan. Yes, a fan. Install a fan and overclock your processor. Beyond that, a GPU is the next best thing. GTX 670 is the best 'bang for the buck' GPU out right now and it handles anything I toss at it(including the FFXIV benchmark). IIRC this fits right into your budget at just under $400.

    SkinwalkerAsura wrote:
    An SSD is a very nice addition to any PC.

    It is, but has no bearing on performance for almost any game. Not worth upgrading to unless you like windows to boot faster.
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    HaibaneRenmei wrote:
    30 bucks is almost free

    cocodojo wrote:
    Its personal preference and all, but yes we need to educate WoW players that this is OUR game, these are Characters and not Toons. Time to beat that into them one at a time.
    #20 Aug 10 2013 at 11:25 PM Rating: Excellent
    FilthMcNasty wrote:
    SkinwalkerAsura wrote:
    I would say upgrade your RAM to 8 MB and your GPU to something more powerful. I think that's your best bet to increase game performance.


    No. FFXIV is not RAM intensive and won't make use of the 4GB he has, much less 8.

    The cheapest upgrade you can get is a fan. Yes, a fan. Install a fan and overclock your processor. Beyond that, a GPU is the next best thing. GTX 670 is the best 'bang for the buck' GPU out right now and it handles anything I toss at it(including the FFXIV benchmark). IIRC this fits right into your budget at just under $400.

    SkinwalkerAsura wrote:
    An SSD is a very nice addition to any PC.

    It is, but has no bearing on performance for almost any game. Not worth upgrading to unless you like windows to boot faster.


    I suggested RAM and an SSD because I think everyone should have one Smiley: tongue As far as OC goes I'm curious as to how much of an increase people are getting with OCs. I got about 600 point jump with a 1 Ghz OC. It wasn't worth the extra heat so I went back to my usual .5 Ghz OC. Maybe I'm doing something wrong? Maybe it's my AMD CPU that's holding it back?
    #21 Aug 10 2013 at 11:57 PM Rating: Decent
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    SkinwalkerAsura wrote:
    FilthMcNasty wrote:
    SkinwalkerAsura wrote:
    I would say upgrade your RAM to 8 MB and your GPU to something more powerful. I think that's your best bet to increase game performance.


    No. FFXIV is not RAM intensive and won't make use of the 4GB he has, much less 8.

    The cheapest upgrade you can get is a fan. Yes, a fan. Install a fan and overclock your processor. Beyond that, a GPU is the next best thing. GTX 670 is the best 'bang for the buck' GPU out right now and it handles anything I toss at it(including the FFXIV benchmark). IIRC this fits right into your budget at just under $400.

    SkinwalkerAsura wrote:
    An SSD is a very nice addition to any PC.

    It is, but has no bearing on performance for almost any game. Not worth upgrading to unless you like windows to boot faster.


    I suggested RAM and an SSD because I think everyone should have one Smiley: tongue As far as OC goes I'm curious as to how much of an increase people are getting with OCs. I got about 600 point jump with a 1 Ghz OC. It wasn't worth the extra heat so I went back to my usual .5 Ghz OC. Maybe I'm doing something wrong? Maybe it's my AMD CPU that's holding it back?


    Well XIV isn't RAM intensive. It's not going to use up the 4GB he has so it's not something that would slow him down. SSD will shorten loading times, but not significantly enough to warrant spending the money, especially if his budget is only 400 bucks.

    The mileage you get out of an overclock varies. FFXIV is CPU intensive so running at higher clock speeds will always improve performance, but there's another piece to the puzzle. With newer generation GPUs, the CPU is usually the bottleneck. Generally speaking, you get more performance out of the same sized overclock when you have a new GPU as opposed to an older one. It depends on your hardware, but the CPU is almost always the bottleneck these days... that or the monitor Smiley: tongue
    ____________________________
    Rinsui wrote:
    Only hips + boobs all day and hips + boobs all over my icecream

    HaibaneRenmei wrote:
    30 bucks is almost free

    cocodojo wrote:
    Its personal preference and all, but yes we need to educate WoW players that this is OUR game, these are Characters and not Toons. Time to beat that into them one at a time.
    #22 Aug 11 2013 at 1:02 AM Rating: Excellent
    FilthMcNasty wrote:
    SkinwalkerAsura wrote:
    FilthMcNasty wrote:
    SkinwalkerAsura wrote:
    I would say upgrade your RAM to 8 MB and your GPU to something more powerful. I think that's your best bet to increase game performance.


    No. FFXIV is not RAM intensive and won't make use of the 4GB he has, much less 8.

    The cheapest upgrade you can get is a fan. Yes, a fan. Install a fan and overclock your processor. Beyond that, a GPU is the next best thing. GTX 670 is the best 'bang for the buck' GPU out right now and it handles anything I toss at it(including the FFXIV benchmark). IIRC this fits right into your budget at just under $400.

    [quote=SkinwalkerAsura]An SSD is a very nice addition to any PC.

    It is, but has no bearing on performance for almost any game. Not worth upgrading to unless you like windows to boot faster.


    I suggested RAM and an SSD because I think everyone should have one Smiley: tongue As far as OC goes I'm curious as to how much of an increase people are getting with OCs. I got about 600 point jump with a 1 Ghz OC. It wasn't worth the extra heat so I went back to my usual .5 Ghz OC. Maybe I'm doing something wrong? Maybe it's my AMD CPU that's holding it back?


    Well XIV isn't RAM intensive. It's not going to use up the 4GB he has so it's not something that would slow him down. SSD will shorten loading times, but not significantly enough to warrant spending the money, especially if his budget is only 400 bucks.

    The mileage you get out of an overclock varies. FFXIV is CPU intensive so running at higher clock speeds will always improve performance, but there's another piece to the puzzle. With newer generation GPUs, the CPU is usually the bottleneck. Generally speaking, you get more performance out of the same sized overclock when you have a new GPU as opposed to an older one. It depends on your hardware, but the CPU is almost always the bottleneck these days... that or the monitor Smiley: tongue
    [/quote

    Well, it may be my monitor which is a 60mhz refresh rate. I have a FX 6300 and 7870 so they are pretty comparable power-wise. I OC my GPU too so kinda hard to pin it down. I need to run the benchmark again pure stock and go cfrom there I think. I apologize for any errors as I'm drinking Smiley: tongue if anything I should be happy my rig runs the bench well and just STFU.
    #23 Aug 11 2013 at 6:08 AM Rating: Decent
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    FilthMcNasty wrote:
    GTX 670 is the best 'bang for the buck' GPU out right now and it handles anything I toss at it(including the FFXIV benchmark). IIRC this fits right into your budget at just under $400.


    GTX 760 strongly disagrees with you. :P

    760 just a bit behind 670, but it's 50-100 bucks cheaper. Smiley: wink



    Edited, Aug 11th 2013 7:18am by Threx
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