[Princepapa]

I'm a Firefighter, which affords me a fair amount of time to play video games, but little money to spend on hardware upgrades. The time has come for me to upgrade my PC and a friend of mine has some old hardware from his recent upgrade that he's offering me for $100. I'm pretty sure it's better than what I have, but I'm basically a novice at this now (back in High School I was pretty tech savvy, but High School was a long time ago) and I wanted to make sure it was at least a decent upgrade before I spent the cash.
I'm looking at his motherboard, processor, and RAM.

Here is what I have:
MOBO - BIOSTAR TFORCE TA790GX 128M AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Newegg.com
Processor - AMD Phenom II X3 720 Triple-Core 2.8 GHz Socket AM3 95W HDZ720WFGIBOX Black Processor - Newegg.com
RAM - G.SKILL PI Black 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL4D-4GBPI-B - Newegg.com

He's offering me:
MOBO - XFX MB750I72P9 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Newegg.com
Processor - Robot Check
RAM - 8GB of something, not sure what


It LOOKS like an upgrade to me (the CPU is seems to be better, the RAM has got to be a step up, I'm not sure about the MOBO). But is it a big enough upgrade to make it worth $100?

I just don't have the confidence in my abilities to figure this stuff out anymore.
I appreciate any advice anyone can give me!

 

[Masterchiefxx17]

The CPUs are about the same in performance and I doubt you'll notice much in the upgrade. Your AMD unit is newer and best to just keep that.

I'd save the $100 and keep saving for new hardware.

 

[Princepapa]

Thanks for the advice and the quick response. If the RAM works with my mobo, I'll buy that off of him for cheap to buy me a bit better performance (Just Cause 3 is just BARELY playable right now and the 4GBs of RAM is part of the problem) in the short term.
Outside of that, I'll start saving!

 

[JMPC]

What video card do you have? That and the CPU may be more the issue than the RAM. If you look at the min requirements for a game like Just Cause 3 your system isn't really up to spec.

I'd suggest saving up until you game buy a used gaming system.

Minimum Specifications - Just Cause 3
OS: Vista SP2, Win 7 SP1, Win 8.1 (64-bit Operating System Required)
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K, 3.3 Ghz | AMD Phenom II X6 1075T 3 Ghz
Memory: 6GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 (2GB) | AMD Radeon HD 7870 (2GB)

Recommended Specifications
OS: Vista SP2, Win 7 SP1, Win 8.1 (64-bit Operating System Required)
CPU: Intel Core i7-3770, 3.4 GHz | AMD FX-8350, 4.0 GHz
Memory: 8 GB Ram
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 (3GB) | AMD R9 290 (4GB)

 

[Princepapa]

I have a 560ti. It's actually the most powerful part of my rig.

I was kind of surprised that running Just Cause 3 is such an issue honestly. I run GTA5 at 720p in high detail just fine. Just Cause 3 is barely playable (and only for about 90 minutes or so) at 720 with every graphical option turned all the way down.
The performance has improved with each patch (the game was very poorly optimized), but I know I don't meet the min requirements, and if I'm having trouble with Just Cause 3 I'm sure it won't be long before I'm having trouble with everything.

 

[Masterchiefxx17]

Let us know what kind of memory he is offering.

 

[Princepapa]

He doesn't have a link to the exact product any more, but here is a picture of it.

 

[Masterchiefxx17]

The back of the memory should have a information sticker, does it not?

 

[Princepapa]

Oddly enough it doesn't.

 

[Princepapa]

After looking around some more, I think even if this were a step up from what I have, I'd be better off with saving a bit more and getting much better equipment.
I found this combo of hardware:

MOBO: Robot Check
CPU: Robot Check
RAM: http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-Balli...S4G3D1609DS1S00/dp/B006WAGG14?tag=gcgctest-20

For just under $200.

That all looks good right? I'm not looking to blow my eyeballs up, I'm happy playing in 720p, I just want a smooth experience.
I'll keep my current HDs, PSU, Case, and GPU, and just upgrade the GPU in a year or two.

 

[SABL]

No mention on the OS and I see you have XP listed. Adding RAM may be futile with an outdated OS. If you've upgraded the OS, go to your control panel here at TSF and list the new info.......it will help those who are offering advice/assistance.

Firefighter?? Yep, you have some extra time on your hands......:laugh:. 24 on and 48 off with a Kelly Day every third week. Two of my sons are firefighters.......both are on 2 unit but work different districts.

 

[Princepapa]

Oh man, I had forgotten about that. I'm running Windows 10, I'll change it on the control panel, thanks for the reminder!

 

[SABL]

Looks better........:thumb:

 

[Masterchiefxx17]

That build you posted would be better. Although dual channel memory is more ideal with a configuration like 2 x 2GB.

 

[Princepapa]

Ok, so a 2x4 would be the way to go if I wanted 8? Thanks, I'll do it that way. I think I can scrounge up another $100 in the next few months. Thanks!

 

[Masterchiefxx17]

Yes, that is most ideal.

 

[Rich-M]

I note the 8 gb kit suggests high density and that is the kiss of death in compatibility of ram thought the rest in that listing does not mention it I would stay away any way as I love Crucial ram, just not the Ballistics models.
The mobo and cpu are way more desirable.
Much better shot here at a great price:
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-16GXM - Newegg.com

 

[Princepapa]

Thanks, that's a bit counter intuitive, but I'll make sure to remember that.