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Upgrading a PC for a friend!

McJackson3180's Avatar McJackson318012/16/14 9:17 pm
12/17/2014 5:54 pm
53MP3RF1's Avatar 53MP3RF1
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/4bQ3dC
It was a prebuilt cyber power PC that I bought a while back, my friend wants to buy and upgrade it. What all can he do to make it a lot better than it currently is without spending over 300 dollars on the upgrade?
Note: That's not the exact PSU that it uses since I couldn't find the PSU it's currently using, yet the specifications are the same as the PSU in the build.
(Photo of current PSU)

http://i.imgur.com/HEZf924.jpg
Thanks!
Posted by McJackson3180's Avatar
McJackson3180
Level 51 : Grandmaster Ladybug
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1
12/16/2014 10:31 pm
Level 11 : Journeyman Explorer
53MP3RF1
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Build
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($96.78 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI 760GMA-P34(FX) Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard (Purchased For $0.00)
Memory: A-Data 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Toshiba 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280 3GB TurboDuo Video Card ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Commander MS-I ID ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For $0.00)
Power Supply: be quiet! Pure Power L8 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $293.52
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-16 22:27 EST-0500


This will serve your friend well. The cooler was replaced because the AMD stock coolers truly stink, especially with the higher-end FX processors. The 6300 is an older chip, but it's pretty cost-effective and it won't be obsolete for a good while. I'd say it's probably at the low-end of viable FX-series CPUs, but it will be fine. The motherboard doesn't look like it's got the best VRM setup, so don't expect much of an overclock on the chip if you decide to do so. However, it should be able to hold the card at at least stock speeds, which will be fine. The graphics card is another thing I replaced, and it will also serve your friend well in the future. If you want to downgrade it a little, you could go with a 270x and have it be cheaper, but that's up to you two.

EDIT: Do you know if the PSU is modular? I'm hoping that it isn't and that they haven't cut off the extra cables (which would be stupid, but it's a prebuilt company). I'm hoping this because they wouldn't include cables if it was semi- or fully-modular, and that would mean you'd probably be unable to plug in your swanky new graphics card. If it is modular or they have cut off the cables, however, be prepared to spend another $40-$70 on a PSU depending on what efficiency rating (bronze, silver, gold, etc.) your friend desires.
1
12/16/2014 10:41 pm
Level 51 : Grandmaster Ladybug
McJackson3180
McJackson3180's Avatar
It's not modular, thanks for the reply too. I included a picture that shows all the information displayed on the PSU
1
12/17/2014 7:25 am
Level 11 : Journeyman Explorer
53MP3RF1
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Great. Do you know if your PSU has enough power connectors for a 280? It should have at least 2 PCIe connectors (6-pin + 2-pin, leaving you 8 pins total per connector). If it doesn't, you'll need to get another PSU because the current one would have a lot of trouble powering a 280. I'd recommend a PSU like this one if you want higher efficiency, and this one if efficiency isn't a top priority for you.

If you don't know what efficiency is, it's pretty easy to explain. Your PSU converts AC power from the wall to DC power for your components. PSU Efficiency is how efficiently your PSU can do that conversion, because it isn't a 1:1 process. Bronze efficiency is 85% efficiency at standard load, silver probably rests around 87%, gold is 90%, platinum is 92 or 93%, and titanium (I believe) is 95%. A gold PSU is going to cost less to run in the long run as it's got better efficiency and thus will draw less watts from the wall. As an example, let's use a 400w computer. By this, I mean that a typical 80+ (not bronze) PSU will be able to convert 80% of 400w (320w) from the wall to DC power, while the other 20% will be lost as heat and other things. This means the PSU needs to draw more watts from the wall to make up for the 20%. That puts the PSU's consumption at 480w, which means you'll need at least 500w to run the computer. Under load, the computer will draw even MORE watts, which leads us into the 600w and 650w realm. Now, an 80+ gold PSU will be able to convert 90% of 400w (360w) from the wall to DC power, and only 10% is lost as heat. That means that in the end only 440 watts are being drawn from the wall. Again, that will change with load but it will be feasible to use a 550w PSU or possibly a 500w PSU in the build. However, in the one I recommended, it was only $5 more expensive after rebates for 100 more watts and the PSU was fully modular, so I just put it down there.
1
12/17/2014 8:54 am
Level 51 : Grandmaster Ladybug
McJackson3180
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Yeah it has PCI-E cables, bronze 80+
1
12/17/2014 5:54 pm
Level 11 : Journeyman Explorer
53MP3RF1
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You should be fine then. Good luck!
1
12/16/2014 10:30 pm
Level 31 : Artisan Modder
Lpswheat
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Try to get your friend to pitch in an extra $50 as he can get a 970 with that.
1
12/16/2014 9:24 pm
Level 9 : Apprentice Dragonborn
TheGrim123321
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Upgrade the GPU, or proccesor.
1
12/16/2014 9:25 pm
Level 51 : Grandmaster Ladybug
McJackson3180
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I was thinking both since the FX 4130 is kind of outdated ye know?
1
12/16/2014 9:22 pm
Level 45 : Master Fish
SamNub
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Probably the gpu to like a 750ti is the best minimal upgrade lol
1
12/16/2014 9:56 pm
Level 51 : Grandmaster Ladybug
McJackson3180
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In consideration.
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