RAM Vs. CPU

[MontyPython]

Okay guys, so for this Christmas I am aloud to buy a processor or ram. My price range is about 200$, and my question is...which will boost my gaming performance the most. I know I'm not giving you guys much to work with but my specs are basically as following: AMD a8-5500 APU Quad-core, 8GB DDR3 Ram, and an integrated video card...since i am mediocre at the hardware of computers I'm not to sure where i should place my 200$. If you guys suggest that i buy a actual graphics card than i guess that is the direction i will go towards, please help i am completely at you mercy. Thank you in advance.

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

I would suggest a dedicated graphics card. Depending on what games you intend to play your CPU and RAM ought to be sufficient.

 

Oh, and welcome to Neowin.

[Sandor]

CPU is a dual-core I think rather than quad? RAM is fine already tbh.

 

Buy a proper graphics card.

 

Edit: Nevermind...is a quad core it seems.

[scorpian007]

What games do you play? As the others have suggested, a graphics card would boost your gaming performance significantly.

[djdanster]

Get a dedicated graphics card, your other specs don't seem too bad IMO. What's your budget? Also you have to take any graphics card that is worth playing a game on is going to consume a lot of power. You would also possibly need to look into getting a better power supply.

 

Is the PC pre-built from a manufacturer such as Acer or HP? or is it a custom build which you or somebody else has made?

 

Also, wel to Neowin :)

[MontyPython]

Thank you guys and i play bf3 with the lowest setting and i intend to be playing bf4 christmas day with a new and better computer. So i will look into a real video card. Thank you guys again, what video cards do you recommend for 200$?

[MontyPython]

And it is an HP Computer

[MontyPython]

and it is pre built as you can probably guess

[Sandor]

Depends if it has the ability to take a dedicated card. Often mass manufactured PCs have annoying motherboards or cases that make it difficult.

[djdanster]

Does the motherboard have a PCIe slot? If you don't know what that is, take a picture and we'll be able to tell you :). Better yet, if you know the exact model we can go from there.

[UseLess]

As people are saying, I would go the dedicated graphics. Do make sure you can install it however - give us the details of your computer (specific model/part names or numbers).

 

The $200 mark is great for graphics - you get something that is pretty powerful, at an amazing price. Best power/$ ratio! :)

 

Anyway. At this price, ATI is the way to go. I would pick up this little gem. Radeon 7950 3GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127737 (technically it is $210, but has $30 rebate, and im assuming you're in the US of A - im in Australia, and prices are much higher)

 

You could also get this Radeon 7850 2GB (with free games!) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150609 which is still amazing but is a little cheaper.

 

Edit: I have found that the pre-built computers I have played with do have the ability to add stuff, but sometimes it takes a little creativity to make some space :) - Removing some internal air channels etc. Also I realise that this is a PCI-E 3.0 card, but it will work with the PCI-E 2.0 CPU...motherboard allowing.

[psionicinversion]

Gaming card definately, boosting your ram wont make any difference at all as youve got plenty there and the quad core cpu is more than enough id get a 7950

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150590 xfx $200 after rebate

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202026 sapphire $200 after rebate

 

either of those 7950's will crush every game out there at the moe at ultra settings and be future proofed for BF4 crysis 4 etc. whatever you can throw at it, there are slightly cheaper ones after rebate but seeing i dont mess about with overclocking id go for XFX for 900Mhz out of the box. not to sure what the boost stuff is for but if ya fancy that go with the sapphire for 925Mhz after boost is enabled

[djdanster]

Guys, don't forget that because it's prebuilt it's probably going to have a PSU that is capable of only pushing out what it needs, not allowing room for much more such as a graphics card. So that'll probably need to be included in the budget.

[MontyPython]

alright guys as soon as  i can get to my computer...on my laptop at friends house....i will take a pic and up load it for you guys to tell me and ill get the exact part names and model numbers! it may be a few hours though so sit tight and again thank you guys!

[psionicinversion]

then then hes parents will have to shell out for a bit more for a psu!!!

[UseLess]

Guys, don't forget that because it's prebuilt it's probably going to have a PSU that is capable of only pushing out what it needs, not allowing room for much more such as a graphics card. So that'll probably need to be included in the budget.

 

That is a good point, and something we should consider. Even a pretty low-end PSU should be 350W+, enough to cover a lowish power CPU and a 7950...or could go a 7850 if you were particularly worried.

 

Granted the quality of the PSU might be a bit off...so it would be good to have a surge protected power board/switch.

 

edit: for PSU calcs I normally grab any online calculator and then add a bit extra "to be safe"

[Arceles]

Go for a dedicated GPU, your processor is fine, as pointed out however, check that your PSU can handle the GPU.

[MontyPython]

My ram is ddr3 can i use a gddr5 video card?

[Mindovermaster Global Moderator]

Video RAM and system RAM are two different things. Yes, you can run with GDDR5.

[Andre S. Veteran]

As everyone else has said, get a better graphics card. You got the list of best cards in their best respective price range here and how they compare to each other here. Make sure you have a free PCI-E slot and enough room the card, the required PCI-E connector(s), that PSU meets the power requirement and is a unit of a reputable brand. 

[soldier1st]

Dedicated Graphics card unless you have  a weak psu. 8GB ram is plenty for games.

[MontyPython]

So i have a pcie x16 and 2 pci x1

[MontyPython]

how is 

GIGABYTE GV-N650OC-1GI GeForce GTX 650 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card

[Andre S. Veteran]

That's a good video card, but it's hard to tell if that's the best choice for you without knowing what sort of games you play, at what resolution and how demanding you are on graphical settings. For 200$ you could get something a lot faster than that.

[max22]

then then hes parents will have to shell out for a bit more for a psu!!!

 

How do you know he is a kid ?