Want an upgrade, but low budget

Tydmors

Tydmors

New member
Hi all,

I'm looking for some advice - a couple of months ago i purchased the Zixaa Morpheus PC from Matrix Warehouse.

morp.jpg

I also added an extra 4GB DDR3 1333Mhz RAM and a GeForce GT210.

The main reason behind buying this pc was mainly for download to watch series and movies (via my DVD ROM of course) on my TV.

But then i started to play all sorts of steam games on it and sooner than later some of the games lagged just to much.

So to cut to the chase would upgrading the CPU to an i3 and getting a better Graphics Card, be worth while?

Lets say to a max of R3000.

Thanks in advance.
 
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I would say that yes, as a budget upgrade, go for the highest CPU that you can afford, i3 is good, the i5 will be better. Then a better graphics card will make a massive difference.

Also, when replacing these two parts, you will most definitely need to upgrade whatever PSU they gave you.... Please make sure it's around 500W or up.
 
TBlaar said:
I would say that yes, as a budget upgrade, go for the highest CPU that you can afford, i3 is good, the i5 will be better. Then a better graphics card will make a massive difference.

Also, when replacing these two parts, you will most definitely need to upgrade whatever PSU they gave you.... Please make sure it's around 500W or up.
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Hi TBlaar, Thanks for the reply. i think that the machine came with a 500W PSU, i might be wrong.

*** To update my comment - i called them and they said it came with a 450W PSU.
 
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When i leave home i game on an i3 and small graphics card perfectly. The pc costed around 2000-2500 so you can easily do it.

And a 450watt is more than enough for a small pc
 
Just meet with him, or get ID number etc so if he tries anything u have his details.

If he is reluctant to give it out dont deal with him
 
One of my friends got it for light gaming. It only draws around 85 watts, so you can run a SATA-to-Molex adapter to power it because it gets most of its power from the PCI-Express slot. Runs very well for him and he plays Battlefield 3 regularly. For R1400-odd you can't go wrong.
 
Tydmors said:
Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone here has this card - http://www.wootware.co.za/powercolo...hics-card-includes-dirt-showdown-voucher.html - any complaints about it?

I'm thinking of getting it, it requires a 450W PSU so hopefully i do not need to upgrade my current one at all.

thank you in advance.
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The 7790 should be releasing shortly and according to benchies it does perform with a nice boost over the 7770. Picture it as a little brother to the popular 7850. Should run in the region of 2k if you feel its worth saving up a little longer otherwise speak to The Joker, he should be able to get you very good pricing for it.
I presume the PSU however is the one that came with the Morpheus pc you bought from Matrix? If it is just make sure the 12v rating is sufficient for an upgrade of the gpu, I think it should be 14 - 16 amps if I am not mistaken?
 
Hi Simon and Wesley,

Thanks for the sage advice. I will def have to check out that power supply before getting a new card.

I'm not that big a pc gamer anymore, i play 3/4 of my stuff on ps3, but then again i have had a bucket load of game on steam that my current Nvidea 210 just does not want to run, and i don't feel like getting the games again on console.
So this upgrade is mainly to be able to play my THQ humble bundle + mafia 2 :)
 
Tydmors said:
Hi Simon and Wesley,

Thanks for the sage advice. I will def have to check out that power supply before getting a new card.

I'm not that big a pc gamer anymore, i play 3/4 of my stuff on ps3, but then again i have had a bucket load of game on steam that my current Nvidea 210 just does not want to run, and i don't feel like getting the games again on console.
So this upgrade is mainly to be able to play my THQ humble bundle + mafia 2 :)
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have you had any further news or updates regarding your choice?
 
Hi. I'm new here. Just wondering what kind of graphics card you run? I'm looking to build up a basic gaming PC but I'm weary of running on an i3. Having said that my budget only stretches to about 3000 so beggars can be choosers. Any suggestions?
 
I'd say and we've discussed this, i5 is the best bet for an entry level, a build up approach is the best option if possible. It may be slower but you will end up having a half decent PC to carry you through a year or 2 of gaming.
 
Zephirus said:
Hi. I'm new here. Just wondering what kind of graphics card you run? I'm looking to build up a basic gaming PC but I'm weary of running on an i3. Having said that my budget only stretches to about 3000 so beggars can be choosers. Any suggestions?
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It depends on what you need to buy with that R3000 and what your system currently has as to what is a good upgrade path.
 
simon said:
have you had any further news or updates regarding your choice?
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Hi Simon,

This will have to wait a while - my fridge died so upgrade will have to wait :(

I was almost sold on http://www.wootware.co.za/gigabyte-...128bit-gddr3-pci-e-desktop-graphics-card.html last it only requires a 350W PSU and according to http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=GeForce+GT+640&id=1432 it is not such a bad card, but yes i know it is not the best, but it scores 1200 more than my current card.
Like Zephirus said beggars can't be choosers
 
Icenflame said:
I'd say and we've discussed this, i5 is the best bet for an entry level, a build up approach is the best option if possible. It may be slower but you will end up having a half decent PC to carry you through a year or 2 of gaming.
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Thats already 2k for a CPU and unless you playing everything maxed out a i3 is pretty decent for entry level. Note the emphasis on entry level.
 
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HI op.

Hope this isnt a hijack. but i wasnt going to sell and rather build a media pc. But if i can help another gamer ill stick with my media player ..

Ive got a

amd am3 sapphire bord 790 pure crossfire
AMD phenon x 4 975 black edition ( can run 4Ghz np )
8 GB corsair 1600Mhz ram
Asus xonar 5.1
and a coolermaster hyper 2012 bundle to sell for sub R1500 ( i think this is a descent price ? ) Ive got a PSu and a chasis but both are pretty high end so not sure if that would suit your budget. Let me know and we can take it from there.
 
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