Need advice with an upgrade

[getalifebud]

I am considering an upgrade, this is my pc

Item: Coolermaster Elite 330 Black Mid Tower Case - No PSU - Qty: 1
Item: OCZ Stealth XStream 600W PSU - SLI Ready ATX2.2 12cm Fan - Qty: 1
Item: LG GH22NS50 22x SATA DVD±RW Dual Layer & RAM Black Bare Drive - OEM - Qty: 1
Item: AMD Athlon X2 245 2.9GHZ Socket AM3 2MB Cache Retail Box Processor - Qty: 1
Item: Sapphire HD 5770 1GB GDDR5 Dual DVI HDMI DisplayPort PCI-E Graphics Card - Qty: 1
Item: MSI 785GM-E51 785G Socket AM3 DVI VGA HDMI Out 8 channel audio mATX Motherboard - Qty: 1
Item: Kingston DDR3 2GB 1333MHz i5 Memory Module CL9 1.5V - Qty: 2
And a 2TB HDD 7200RPM

Things are beginning to run slower. I like to do a fair bit of gaming and Battlefield 3 isnt running too smoothly for me.

Should I upgrade what I have? Should I consider a new motherboard and all?

Been considering these

CPU - http://www.ebuyer.com/242140-amd-ath...-adx640wfgmbox
Memory - http://www.ebuyer.com/248449-kingsto...333c9d3b1k2-8g
GFX card - http://www.ebuyer.com/284386-his-hd-...card-h685fn1gd

 

[Knufire]

4GB RAM should be fine. I'd upgrade to at least a 960T and a 6870 though. BF3 is a very intensive game.

 

[getalifebud]

Are you sure the 4GB is enough? The task manager regularly shows it as near full, is that just because other parts are bottlenecking?

Also I have a 500GB lower RPM HDD, would my system run faster if i used that for some storage?

 

[Knufire]

Moving stuff off the main HDD probably won't make a significant difference.

What programs are using so much RAM? I've only seen my RAM usage hit 4GB, never exceed it, and that was while I was running a Minecraft server+HD texture pack (terribly written game = HUGE RAM hog).

 

[getalifebud]

Im not even sure now, I guess it might just me my love for multiple tabs that can push it to the limit. So you think my best option is the 960T and the 6870? I might slightly cheap out and get a 6850, seems like a little bit more value for money but im not sure how fast the hardware requirements are moving these days.


Also does anyone have advice on how to sell my used parts?

 

[Knufire]

Looking on Newegg at the cheapest models for both cards, there's only a $20 difference.

Based on this review, it performs significantly better, much more than $10 worth on BFBC2 (BF3 wasn't out when the 6870/6850 was released): http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-6850-6870-review/14

I'd say the 6870 is better value for the money.

The forums here have one of the most secure classifieds of anyone. However, you need a minimum of 100 quality posts, along with a .edu, .mil or an ISP (e.g. @comcast.net, @att.net) email address linked to your account.

 

[getalifebud]

I am really confused, is my graphics card that far behind? Its a 5770 and the 5870/5970 seem to do best in tests.

 

[Knufire]

It's not, but you have to upgrade to something if you want better FPS...it's mostly just because BF3 is super intensive.

 

[getalifebud]

Ergh, so unlikely that the processor alone will do it?

 

[Knufire]

If you can only afford the new processor for now, go for it. It'll help for sure, and IMO your CPU is worse than your GPU in that build.

 

[getalifebud]

Ok thanks, I ordered the CPU. I can afford the GPU I just really begrudge forking out the cash for another GPU so soon when the CPU is the only part I really held back on.