Upgrading a friend's PC

ATMINSIDE said:

The 750Ti will play almost any current game at 1080p adequately for a LOT of users.
Most games will do high settings around 45-50FPS, which still plays better than a console. And has higher detail at the same time.

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ATMINSIDE said:

Need to be looking at Canadian sites, check the OP's links.

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Theocnoob said:

It's a real shame how badly we're getting ripped off in Canada right now. The Canadian dollar was actually worth more than the US dollar briefly 3-4 years ago. We used to pay the exact same prices as the US and I used to be able to bring in US advertisements to my computer shop and show them on my phone and they'd price match. Now we're sitting at 80 cents US per Canadian dollar. Ridiculous. The US dollar is surging in value. They say it could be worth as much as the British pound in a year or two. Good for the USA. Baaaaaaad for Canada.

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jlnx said:

I'd assume a desire to replace the PSU would be largely out of reliability reasons, peace of mind, etc. and case for looks, which, if it's OEM is probably pretty bad. He doesn't HAVE to spend a cent, the A6 has decent integrated graphics and it'll probably run what he wants it too. We're going on what the OP says with the idea he WANTS better graphics performance, a better looking case, and a decent PSU, etc. You don't need an i5 for a 'proper' system. What proper is is defined but what the guy wants, not if you think it's a 'stone'. The power of an i5 or i7 is wasted on most people. Not saying it is here, but the computer should be usable as is. A case and a PSU can be carried over and last years. Honestly way longer then a GPU remains relevant. You need to assume the OP has an idea of what he wants and if he says the guy wants a new case, he probably wants new better looking case.

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and while APUs are not great CPUs for graphics cards and high end or even mid range gaming, for budget gaming they kick the crap out of anything Intel can offer, and if he doesn't mind 720p, frankly he could save $100 and just stick with it. Or not. His choice.

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Theocnoob said:

What you're suggesting is equivalent to throwing money in the fireplace. Seriously. No offense is intended, I just really don't think I'm making my point here. He has a computer. We've established that. The computer is in a case. The computer has an APU. He does need a new GPU, if he wants to game, because a low end APU like what he has is not going to be decent for gaming, even at 720P, in pretty much any AAA title, except the Sims, which it should run swimmingly based on my experience (I run it on my mom's 5150 Athlon APU). He does need a new GPU. But does he need a new case? No. Does he need a new PSU? No. What the heck for? Those OEM PSUs are usually fairly long lasting, even if they have garbage efficiency. They don't roll over and die after 6 months in most cases. So he thinks the case is ugly/ you think the case is ugly. So what? What you're proposing is taking an unattractive 1989 Volkswagen Rabbit and repainting it and putting a wing on the back of it. What's the point? You're just throwing money at a junker, which is essentially what his PC is. Again, no offense intended. I'm just trying to make a point. This guy has what was probably a $400-500 OEM PC, and you want to spend $60 on a case, $80 on a PSU, $140 on a GPU. That's almost $300. So you're nearly doubling the price of the PC-- to what end? To get a higher framerate in games? When you could pull that off with just over $100 with a low profile 750Ti? Ridiculous IMO. Just ridiculous. He's made his bed by buying OEM, or being gifted OEM, or whatever the case was. Let's not waste money by putting makeup on a monkey. The only worthwhile pursuit here is to improve the performance of the machine, and that can be done for just over $100 with a 750Ti. Case is ugly? Put it under the desk. No sense spending money to make a monkey pretty.

"Nice case. What kind of rig you got in there?"
"A low end OEM mobo with a low end APU"

Doesn't make sense. I'm guessing this is your friend's first desktop, based on the rationale being presented in this thread. All I would say to him at this point is to never take form over function in life. In any respect.

He can take that $300 he has, add another $500, and buy a truly decent gaming machine. Don't let him flush it down the toilet.

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jlnx said:

Welp, first of all, the OP has never said gaming was the primary use for this computer. If I've missed it I apologize but I can't seem to find it.

Second of all, you are completely missing the entire point of what I've been saying. I'm NOT saying he shouldn't buy a 750 Ti or similar GPU. Heck, I'm currently planning on buying one myself. I'm saying out of hand you shouldn't dismiss the case and PSU (and the computer as a whole). I'm saying instead of saying what YOU think is best, if you're going to offer help, offer it on what the OP actually did say in the beginning of the article- case, PSU, and GPU. It's not so much what you're saying that frustrates me, as it does bare logic, but the kind of off hand assumptions when you have minimal info from the OP. You cannot conclude he 'needs' a GPU based on the info given.

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jlnx said:

Ever consider the general use possibility? Like what 95% of people use their computers for?

also, note your point A). We all try to value function over form but a little form is nice too. I'm just saying it's all his choice and you made an awful lot of assumptions.

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Theocnoob said:

There's no sense to adding a GPU to a system with decent integrated video for "general use".

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jlnx said:

And that's exactly it. Your assumptions may very well be right, but they are only assumptions, however experienced you are.

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Theocnoob said:

There's no sense to adding a GPU to a system with decent integrated video for "general use". I'm quite certain the projected usage here is gaming. My assumptions are based on experience.

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