Need advice (my setup)

Hi, I have the option to upgrade one thing in my current setup in preparation for dcs world 2.5 and the hornet. It's old, so I don't think I can upgrade the processor, but I was wondering if more RAM or a better video card would make the most difference for DCS.

My setup is : Intel i7-2600 @3.4 Ghz (4 core) | Nvidia GTX 750 Ti | 8GB RAM |

My pc is a Dell XPS 8300 from 2011 which is quite old so like I said I'm pretty sure I can't upgrade the processor but I was wondering what people think I should upgrade.

Currently I run DCS 1.5.8 on medium-high with a stable 40-50fps without mirrors (which reduce me to around 20fps)

Thanks for any info

If you had a non dell PC I would say Overclock your CPU in BIOS

You could buy a realy good GPU eg nvidia 1080 or 1080TI and that

will boost things a bit

But to to honest I would start saving up for a new PC if I were you

If you had to upgrade, I would go with a GPU as that will give you the biggest boost. But like Rico said, I would start saving your pennies for a ground up build, though 2600 is no slouch... But not in a locked-out dell.

Yeah, you're due for a complete. That being said, I did my overhaul in bits, and I got my GPU months before I managed to get the CPU/Mobo. If you can only do 1 thing now, that would be the way to go.

Thanks for the replies. so RAM upgrade wouldn't make a difference?

You can use a new gpu in your next rig but you will be stuck with the ram as it will be ddr3 and not compatible with the new ddr4 ram used in current builds.

As jvanhoog said, a ram upgrade will be a waste of money. A GPU upgrade is the only logical choice unless you wish to just save all the money toward a complete system upgrade.

A 2600 was a great chip but without the ability to overclock it there is little you can do to prolong it's serviceable life.

If you had a non dell PC I would say Overclock your CPU in BIOS

 

You could buy a realy good GPU eg nvidia 1080 or 1080TI and that

will boost things a bit

 

But to to honest I would start saving up for a new PC if I were you

You can't overclock a non-k chip. Additionally since it's a dell PC i doubt it has the power supply or the cables to power it.

Your best bet is too build one from scratch, you could re-use parts from your existing build.

thanks for all the help. Looks like a new graphics card would be the way to go for me

thanks for all the help. Looks like a new graphics card would be the way to go for me

Which one do you plan on getting, make sure that it's compatible with the current PSU that you have installed in your system. You may find that you'll blue screen as there isn't enough power getting to the GPU.

Which one do you plan on getting, make sure that it's compatible with the current PSU that you have installed in your system. You may find that you'll blue screen as there isn't enough power getting to the GPU.

I can only second that !

I recently fixed a buddies PC that wouldnt run his 980Ti in mining, light games worked, FurMark was ok most of time, but a miner was instant black screen.

We took out his 2-lbs weight ( max I guess ) and put in a spare one I had, 3x the weight, same 650W rating, Bronze vs. Gold, ChenYun vs. Enermax , and suddenly 650w is enough.

I put him a 1kW PSU in last night as he ordered two more fat GPUs for mining and he learned the lesson, bad PSU = bad computing.

Seasonic Prime, best you can buy right now imho. Sunflower & Corsair good as well. Dont cut corners with a PSU, that is like bad tyres on a fast car !

I can only second that !

 

I recently fixed a buddies PC that wouldnt run his 980Ti in mining, light games worked, FurMark was ok most of time, but a miner was instant black screen.

 

We took out his 2-lbs weight ( max I guess ) and put in a spare one I had, 3x the weight, same 650W rating, Bronze vs. Gold, ChenYun vs. Enermax , and suddenly 650w is enough.

 

 

I put him a 1kW PSU in last night as he ordered two more fat GPUs for mining and he learned the lesson, bad PSU = bad computing.

 

Seasonic Prime, best you can buy right now imho. Sunflower & Corsair good as well. Dont cut corners with a PSU, that is like bad tyres on a fast car !

I learnt the hard way as well. I had this Dell Optiplex and put a R9 290 in it. It would run fine but i could never work out why my PSU died a couple months later. 300W PSU was not up for the task lol.

You dont need to buy 1kW for a 1GPU, neither does it need to be a high end Platinum or Titanium rating, just don't buy the cheapest with the highest wattage, a decent PSU sells for under 100€/$

if you dont plan SLI or mining 24/7. That's when things take revenge.

Over 3 decades computing and fixing my own or client PC's, PSU remain the unrivaled #1 part that needs replacement on the average PC. On the other hand, good quality PSU's run for many many years and do they work reliably.

What makes sense are modular PSU's, it's just that much cleaner and less fuzzy, tho it is no need, de facto Titanium grade PSU's often have fixed cables again, to achieve the highest conduction possible, any connector is a malus. A little two edged sword here tbh.

If it's a Dell factory I would echo again the previous advice on the PSU, since prebuilt off the shelf PC's save their money on things like PSU's and cut them right down. You also find lack of cabling on those.

Also check the case to see if the PSU isn't hard moulded into anything else the GFX card upgrade will be painfully expensive. If you find getting whatever upgrade into the same system is clipping your choices on anything whatsoever then don't bother else it will be false economy.

would the GTX 1060 work in my system? also how would I check the power of my PSU short of taking the computer apart?

I've upgraded the gfx card in the past. Maybe about 3-4 years ago, I had a Raedon thing that was woefully out of date and I put the GTX 750 Ti in it, but didn't have to change anything else.

Here's some additional info about my system:

https://imgur.com/a/83giQ

https://imgur.com/a/DAuBt

Sceptre if you can I would go for a beefier card than than that one.So when you upgrade the rest of your computer you will have a descent card to get the most out of your new system..

I would go with a GTX1080 card at this point as it should provide a good boost of performance and then as others have stated, save your pennies to build a new rig.. When you have enough you can build the new one and use the 1080 that you have already paid for..

that makes sense. ty everyone

would the GTX 1060 work in my system? also how would I check the power of my PSU short of taking the computer apart?

 

I've upgraded the gfx card in the past. Maybe about 3-4 years ago, I had a Raedon thing that was woefully out of date and I put the GTX 750 Ti in it, but didn't have to change anything else.

 

Here's some additional info about my system:

 

https://imgur.com/a/83giQ

https://imgur.com/a/DAuBt

You don't have to take it apart. The power supply specs should be visible if you open the case. Or if you look at the back of the computer, the specs may be visible there as well.

Also, when you consider a new PSU, you have to aim higher than what you actually expect your power draw to be. One way to go might be to go to pcpartspicker.com and design an ideal build, something you think you might afford in a year or whatever. The site will give you a required wattage. Then, when you go to get a PSU to match your new GPU, you need to aim higher than that amount, ideally by nearly double, although to save money it certainly doesn't have to be, but PSUs are most efficient operating at around 50% capacity, fwiw. I honestly can't remember atm if I have a 750 or 850, but I think my expected draw was around 450W. A PSU, like a monitor, will last you through more than 1 build, most likely, so it's nice to get quality, imo.

45-65% load is best. dont pull constant 450w from a 550w psu.

i.e. I pull 500-600w 24/7 from my psu right now, dual gpu (mining) + cpu (mining). My psu-fan hardly ever spins up and my rig is still below 20dB, thanks to my external monster radiator MoRa3.

always plan for upgrades....