Project Reality Forums

Hey guys, looking to upgrade my rig a bit as its been a few years and the current rig I can feel is starting to go component wise.

Current Build:

CPU:[email protected]
GPU:GTX460 (1GB RAM)
RAM:8GB (would have to check on brand and speed.
HDD's: 500gb barracuda + 320gb ""

Looking to spend around ?300 on upgrades MAX.

The main problem right now is the mobo is a micro one so I only have 1-2 fan inputs for the rear/side of the case, witch sucks as my GPU gets super hot, thus I have to crank its crank its fans and I can tell they must be starting to go soon.

So really I want a rig that is not going to struggle with Arma3 or most current gen games. Just not sure if the CPU is going to hold back a current gen GPU? for example a GTX660? Also a SSD might be worth it.

GPU must be nvidia also as AMD drivers are not too friendly to most 3d packages.

Your CPU seems to hit/sit slightly above the recommended specs on A3's system requirements (i5 2300) and GPU not far below recommended (definitely above minimal). Not sure, but don't think your CPU would hold back even somewhat newer cards, although, I guess with ArmA any extra CPU power is welcome. I don't know enough about this stuff to really judge what kind of mobo you'd need, but from what you're saying about the fans etc. it sounds like you could use a better one (and then possibly new/extra fan?). Would probably help anyone else to check what mobo you have now specifically.

If you're going to just upgrade your mobo, all I can say is make sure you choose one with a socket that fits your CPU (i5-760 is LGA 1156) and for the rest just check it's specs (DIMM slots, SATA600 for SSD, USB ports and all that).

Wrt SSDs, I've currently got a Samsung's 830 series which has served me well so far. Put your OS on it and stuff like Max/PS, you'll love the startup times. Could help with ArmA too yeah. They've now got the 840 series, which seem to mostly significantly improve writing speed. Price here looks to be about the same for the 830 and 840 series. Other than that I've heard some good things about the Crucial M4 series and Intel's current SSDs, but ofc make sure to read up on that stuff if you're looking to buy one.

You're not in bad shape here,
the CPU you have is more or less equivalent to the Intel Core i3-2120 @ 3.30GHz , but your [email protected] is a quad core.

The [email protected] can balance up to the GTX660 Ti .

You are pretty much on the right track,

suggest:
GTX 660 or 660 Ti

In Re: SSD,
you need to check your motherboard specs, if your motherboard has Sata3 or Sata6 ports.

If it is only Sata3, you can buy any prior gen of SSDs , get more storage per Pound, and still max out the Sata3 read/write speeds.

SSD prices are so crazy I won't give you a price.
The older gen that are rock solid is the Crucial M4, Samsung 830, all the Intels, and the faster Plextor Pro series. Might be cheaper to buy a 6GB SSD now then tracking down older 3GB SSDs/

There are a decent number of third party fan controllers on the market, of various quality, they connect the controller to a free Molex connector, and come with extra lengths of fan cables to reach your installed fans. As a cheap solution to extend the life of your system, and to add more fans and/or extend the life of new fans, it's a good option.

As for new fans,
R10- Fan Testing-Bitfenix,Noctua,Silenx,NoiseBlocker,Phobya | martinsliquidlab.org

The gentle Typhoon AP-15 and Gently Typhoon AP-14 (I own 4 ap-14's) are outstanding fans. Combine with cheaper 4 pin PWM fan controller and you'll have much quieter rig.
?12.47 inc VAT
X2 or X3 fans.


120mm Scythe Gentle Typhoon 1450 rpm Cooling Fan - GT-120-1450 - Scan.co.uk

And something like the Corsair Link fan controller: ?26.10 Inc VAT

Corsair Link Cooling Node - CL-9011102-WW - Scan.co.uk

review and video of it:
Corsair Link Review and Installation

Also, the GTX 660 and GTX 660 Ti come in various NVidia spec and OEM custom cooler options, try to find one with rear exhaust.

For example buy this type of cooler:
?179.59 Inc VAT
EVGA GeForce GTX 660 Superclocked NVIDIA Graphics Card - 2GB - 02G-P4-2662-KR - Scan.co.uk

Thanks guys that helps a lot!

So I ended up going a bit cheap on the GPU, bought a GTX570 for ?110 off someone I know, a lot less than market price mostly and not that far off a 660 benchmark wise. I think I will save the rest for a decent mobo and fans/SSD.