Advice on how to upgrade my PC

[ReconEssence]

I'm not super knowledgeable when it comes to PC hardware and I'm having a bit of trouble deciding on how to upgrade my computer.

Here are my specs:

Windows 7,Intel® Core 2 Quad CPU Q9400 2.66Ghz (4 CPUS's) ~2.7Ghz, 4096 Mb of RAM, GeForce GTX 550 Ti, 1920x1080

 

My main issue with my current setup is modding Bethesda games. I can play skyrim on very high settings with a good framerate but as soon as I add lots of mods to the mix stuttering and crashing makes it unplayable. Framerate tanks in places like whiterun but otherwise remains steady but microstutter and weird lags happen constantly. Older bethesda games have similar problems especially when heavily modded. Most modern games run reasonably well but some newer games like Arma 3 are hard to max out without lag.

 

What I want to be able to do is run a huge mod list for Skyrim and New Vegas including HD textures, ENB lighting mods, gameplay mods, city overhauls etc. without hitting a wall or bottleneck. I also want to be able to max out modern games like Battlefield 3, Arma 3, and even hogs like Crysis 3 on higher graphics. Most of all I want to upgrade because of Skyrim and New Vegas so any upgrade that favors these games would be best, for example I have read that VRAM is important for skyrim and having a slow card with lots of vram is better than a fast one without? I'm not sure how accurate that is but that's the idea.

 

I would think that my old CPU is probably the main problem but I keep wondering if a better GPU with more VRAM would make a difference? Also considering buying a solid state drive for my OS and Skyrim/New Vegas but im really not sure how much this would help. I figured I would ask you guys because your probaly a lot more knowledgable then I am. I have the money to upgrade but would definitaly prefer to spend wisely so if I can get away with spending less that would be good, despite that I want whatever upgrades I get to be future proof for at least two years or so.

 

Also I should mention that I would prefer a Nvida card if I have to upgrade my GPU. Thanks in advance for any advice, I appreciate anyone taking the time to help me out.

[nafisbro]

hi ReconEssence

first of all i would like to remind u that skyrim cant use above 4gigs of vram so geting a gtx titan or amd cards with high vram wont help.... but above all pls provide ur max budget as in how many grands r u planing to waste :)

[Rennn]

You're probably wrong about your CPU holding you back. It's not a remarkable CPU, but it has 4 cores, so it should be pretty well optimized for modern games. The 550 TI still seems to be weaker.

 

A GTX 660 is a good choice. They're available for less than $200 if you check around. Mine has no problem maxing Skyrim, with HD textures and quite a few mods. I wouldn't trust it to keep a good framerate with ENB, or to max Crysis 3 though.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130826

 

If you want something to put Last Light or Crysis 3 on ultra, you'd probably need something like a GTX 770.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125463

 

if your CPU is actually what's holding you back (you should get a program to monitor game performance to check for sure), then something like this would be a good choice.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115233

Edited September 1, 2013 by Rennn

[ReconEssence]

Well I could see myself spending as much as grand on this project though I would definatly rather keep it lower. However one of the primary reasons I'm looking for advice is so I can determine how much a need to spend to get the preformance that I am looking for. If I need a large budget I can deal with that, although I do not plan on spending unwisly and would prefer to maximize the bang for my buck. :blush:

 

Also a Titan is probably a bit overkill, thats definatly not in the budget haha. I was more meaning should I shell out money for a new GPU with better VRAM or is that not my problem?

[ReconEssence]

Thanks for the reply Rennn. I think that 770 might fit what I am looking for. Are there any other components that you think are holding me back?

[Rennn]

Thanks for the reply Rennn. I think that 770 might fit what I am looking for. Are there any other components that you think are holding me back?

 

First, make sure your PSU is strong enough for a GTX 770.

 

Then, it can't hurt to go to 8GB of RAM.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233180

 

Skyrim itself can only use 3.2GB of RAM, but when you only have 4GB, your operating system and background tasks takes a chunk and leaves Skyrim with only about 2.5GB, which is clearly not ideal.

8GB will be much more important next-gen as well.

Edited September 1, 2013 by Rennn

[ReconEssence]

Ok I will upgrade my RAM and figure out if I need a new PSU. Any thoughts on the relevance of a solid state drive?

[Rennn]

Ok I will upgrade my RAM and figure out if I need a new PSU. Any thoughts on the relevance of a solid state drive?

 

Not worth the cost, if you're on any normal budget. They'll dramatically decrease load times, but they won't generally improve your framerate, and you won't be able to fit many games on one.

[ReconEssence]

Ok good to know, the reason I was wondering about solid state drives is because I read that they decrease stuttering which is one of my major problems with Skyrim despite the amount of workarounds I have tried to fix this problem. Is there an alternative hardware upgrade you would recommend in order to reduce stuttering and memory lags? Thanks for all your help BTW.

[Rennn]

Ok good to know, the reason I was wondering about solid state drives is because I read that they decrease stuttering which is one of my major problems with Skyrim despite the amount of workarounds I have tried to fix this problem. Is there an alternative hardware upgrade you would recommend in order to reduce stuttering and memory lags? Thanks for all your help BTW.

 

Mostly RAM and VRAM. That's the source of like 99% of the stutter in Skyrim.

Any reasonably strong PC shouldn't be getting noticeable stutter in Skyrim unless you're either running HD textures and exceeding your VRAM, or you raised your uGrids.

 

On a couple occasions I got stutter from capping my framerate at 30 in Skyrim, though I've no idea why that would cause it.

Edited September 2, 2013 by Rennn