Price Guide: Gaming Hardware Upgrades

DISCLAIMER

1. A Budget is subjective. 500 will be high for some and low for others.

2. This is only a hardware upgrade guide.So you should already have the essential parts like a monitor, keyboard, mouse, case etc.

Else, this will go on top of each of the budgets.

3. I am aware that there are hundreds of possible combinations of hardware that will get similar results.

This is only a rough guideline and each build is could likely be had for a couple bucks less (and always more expensive!) or with different parts if you shop around a bit. But it will give people, who don't know where to start or are confused with all the options on the market today, an idea of what they can expect to pay for a PC that will play the most recent games at high to ultra settings at an acceptable frame rate.

Every build here except for the low budget plays Battlefield 3 with ultra settings fluidly at around 60FPS.

It should be obvious, but the higher your budget, the better your new build will handle current games, and the more future proof it will be.

You can always build a cheaper gaming PC with near-obsolete parts that are 1 or 2 generations older, but don't expect to play recent games in1920*1080p resolution with full AA/AF/ETC at 60+ frames all the time. Good performance has its price, and it usually makes sense to save up a bit more.

Budget: $490 - $560

Intel Sandy Bridge I3 2120 -$125

Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H -$120
G.Skill 4GB DDR3 Kit 1333MHz - $28
AMD HD 6850 / NVIDIA GTX 460 -$150
PSU450-500W - $45
WD HDD 500GB -$65

=$538

Reasons and alternatives:

> Intel's I3 Sandy Bridge is a good budget gaming Dual Core CPU which will easily cope with current games, and still outperform most of AMD's offerings in this price category. The only downside would be that it's notOC'able.

> The Gigabyte motherboard with the Z77 chip is the ideal future proof platform, as it gives you the possibillity to upgrade to a newer CPU like the Ivy Bridgeshould the need arise. If you are looking for a couple of $'s savings, you could always chose a motherboard like the ASRock Z77 Pro4 for $109.

> A HD 6850 or GTX 460 should be good for most of the current games at high-to-ultra settings with an average framerate of about 30-40FPS, but expect a few dips here and there. The more you can invest in the GPU, the better. A step up would be a GTX 560 for about $170.A cheaper alternative would be a 550 ti @ $120,but don't expect to max out recent games.

> Make sure to get a proper PSU, which should have around 500W and should be a minimum of 80Plus Bronze certified. A few names to consider are Antec, Cougar, Corsair, Be Quiet, Thermaltake. Be very careful with cheap brands

Budget: $600 - $800

AMD FX-4170 Quad Core 4.2 Ghz - $140
GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3 - $140
Corsair Vengeance 8GB DDR3 kit 1600Mhz CL9 - $55
NVidia GTX 570 OC'd - $280
PSU 500W 80 Plus Bronze certified - $50
Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB HDD - $90

= $755

Reasons and alternatives:
> Todays games usually utilise less than 6 cores, so CPU clocks per core are more important, than actual cores.With 4.2 Ghz, it's one of the fastest and best price/power ratios, AMD currently has to offer. An alternative would be the Phenom II 965 BE overclocked to around the same level, but the need to buy a better cooler would offset the savings made on the CPU.

> The Gigabyte UD3 is a good and stable budget motherboard with excellent features.

A cheaper alternative would be theIntel Sandy Bridge I3 2120 -$125 and aGigabyte GA-Z77-D3H -$120 from the previous build, which will perform at the

same level of the AMD and would be upgradeable at a later stage.

If you can step up the budget a few notches, it's worth looking into other i3/i5 CPUs with multiplicator lock for round $180-$200, as they'll simply outperform

anything that AMD currently has to offer.

You can always chose to go with 4GB RAM to save a couple of $, but at the current low price for RAM, it makes sense to just put 8GB in the build.

A GTX 570 will play most current games at max settings, and should last for a while. Come lag and stutter time, just buy another one for SLI mode.

As an alternative, you could buy a ATI 7850 at around $240. The next lower tier would be a GTX 560 which can be had for around $170.

> Make sure to get a proper PSU, which should have around 500W and should be a minimum of 80Plus Bronze certified. A few names to consider are Antec, Cougar, Corsair, Be Quiet, Thermaltake. Be very careful with cheap brands

Budet: $1000 - $1200

Intel i5 3570k - $230
GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD5H - $190
G.Skill 8GB DD3 Kit 1600Mhz CL9 - $50
Nvidida GTX 670 OC'd - $400
Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB HDD - $90
650-700W 80Plus Bronze PSU - $60-100

~ $1020

Reasons and alternatives:

> Range topping i5 gaming CPU with good overclocking potential. It's only $10 more than the previous 2500k, but if every $ counts, it will have similar performance if OC'd. But this will require an aftermarket cooler, like theCOOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO at $35.

> The Gigabyte UD5H is one of the best mid range enthusiast motherboards on the market at the moment, and it will provide a stable basis for overclocking.

As a cheaper alternative, next in line would be the UD3H at around $140.

> The OC'd GTX 670 currently offers the best bang for buck, and even beats the more expensive AMD 7970 in most games. If you want to save a bit of money here, you can always pick the AMD 7950 (which can be brought to 7970 levels)at $340, or a GTX 570 for $280.

> If your budget allows, I'd suggest adding a 120GB SSD drive, which will hold your OS and your most used programs and games for lightning quick boot up and access. A Crucial M4 128GB will be around$115.

> Also, if you think that you don't require 1.5TB of HDD space, you can always go fora cheaper option.

> Make sure to get a proper PSU, which should have at least 550W and should be a minimum of 80Plus Bronze certified. A few names to consider are Antec, Cougar, Corsair, Be Quiet, Thermaltake. Be very careful with cheap brands

Budget: $1500 +

...this will eat EVERYTHING you could possibly throw at it at max settings.

Intel i5 3570k @4.5Ghz - $230
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO - $35
GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD5H - $190
Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2x8) 1600 MHz CL9 - $115
2x Nvidia GTX 670 SLI - $800
Seagate Barracuda ST1500 1.5TB Sata 6GB - $110
700-850w 80Plus Gold PSU - $125

~ $1600

Reasons and alternatives:
> The 3570k Ivy Bridge is in this build again, as you won't see any big improvements in games over a i7 3770k. The i7 CPUs only make sense if you also work with many desktop applications, thanks to Hyperthreading.

> Add a good cooler like the one mentioned above, and you'll easily see 4.5 Ghz.

> The GA-Z77X-UD5H is also in this build again, as the current top range motherboards just can't justify their higher price in terms of benefits or features.One thing that might be worth waiting a little longer for is the ASUS Maximus V Formula, which seems to get very good reviews and overclocking results and should be around the $250-$300 mark.

> The two GTX 670 in SLI configuration is the combination to have at the moment. It simply eats every game at ultra settings with top FPS. It performs within 2% of a similar GTX 680 SLI setup or a single GTX 680, yet is $200 cheaper.For the ultimate in graphics performance, though, it can only be the GTX 690.

> For quicker data access, add a Crucial M4 SSD drive for yet more games and programs. A Crucial M4 with 256GB will set you back $209

> A 1.5TB Seagate with SATA 6GB/s for all your data needs.

> For the SLI setup, make sure to get a proper PSU, which should have at least 700W and should be a minimum of 80Plus Bronze certified. A few names to consider are Antec, Cougar, Corsair, Be Quiet, Thermaltake. BE very careful with cheap brands.

LOLOLOL you can build gaming pc's for cheaper than your builds XD u is jsut mad some people have less to spend than 750 bucks u hater

I like your ideas, but the first build is not a budget build. GTX 570 is not a card for budget users....

I like your ideas, but the first build is not a budget build. GTX 570 is not a card for budget users....

kraken2109

The Ram you chose seems a bit overpriced. 2x4GB = 8gb of ram should be obtained easily for $43~ at 1600 mhz. The $70 Ram will barely even earn you 1 fps.. if that. Also 2x8gb listed in the high budget build is overkill. Either get 4x4gb since the motherboard has enough slots anyway or just stick with 2x4gb. By the time games need more then 16gb of ram, you'll need a whole new system. I still don't even use all 4gb of ram that my current computer has.

Ram prices at Newegg

I know you put some effort, but this guide is bad.

your budget guide is actually the medium/high end

570 for a low budget and 670 for a medium?! Also 600w PSU in a low budget build?! 2133Mhz RAM?!

570 for a low budget and 670 for a medium?! Also 600w PSU in a low budget build?! 2133Mhz RAM?!

V4LENT1NE

I think this thread is better suited for system wars. Think of this like a mormon or jehova way of knocking on the doors of consolite and showing them the way.

LOLOLOL you can build gaming pc's for cheaper than your builds XD u is jsut mad some people have less to spend than 750 bucks u hater

ionusX

Thank you for adding something useful and constructive to this thread. What's with the attitude? How old are you? 12?

Keep your butthurt replies to System Wars.

Sure, you can build gaming PCs for less, but don't expect any fluid gameplay in games like BF3 on high or ultra settings.

$750 is considered a low budget for a gaming rig and I don't care if you can't afford it. Either build a cheaper PC and get less visual quality or

lag and stuttering, or go get a job or save some more of your pocket money and do it right the first time.

And read the whole dang post before crying about cases, drives and the amount of RAM. It's a rough upgrade guideline. And you're always free to

get lesser parts for less money.

[QUOTE="ionusX"]

LOLOLOL you can build gaming pc's for cheaper than your builds XD u is jsut mad some people have less to spend than 750 bucks u hater

Sturmfuehrer_

Thank you for adding something useful and constructive to this thread. What's with the attitude? How old are you? 12?

Keep your butthurt replies to System Wars.

Sure, you can build gaming PCs for less, but don't expect any fluid gameplay in games like BF3 on high or ultra settings.

$750 is considered a low budget for a gaming rig and I don't care if you can't afford it. Either build a cheaper PC and get less visual quality or

lag and stuttering, or go get a job or save some more of your pocket money and do it right the first time.

And read the whole dang post before crying about cases, drives and the amount of RAM. It's a rough upgrade guideline. And you're always free to

get lesser parts for less money.

[QUOTE="Sturmfuehrer_"]

[QUOTE="ionusX"]

LOLOLOL you can build gaming pc's for cheaper than your builds XD u is jsut mad some people have less to spend than 750 bucks u hater

ionusX

Thank you for adding something useful and constructive to this thread. What's with the attitude? How old are you? 12?

Keep your butthurt replies to System Wars.

Sure, you can build gaming PCs for less, but don't expect any fluid gameplay in games like BF3 on high or ultra settings.

$750 is considered a low budget for a gaming rig and I don't care if you can't afford it. Either build a cheaper PC and get less visual quality or

lag and stuttering, or go get a job or save some more of your pocket money and do it right the first time.

And read the whole dang post before crying about cases, drives and the amount of RAM. It's a rough upgrade guideline. And you're always free to

get lesser parts for less money.

Yeah, I'm on a personal crusade. :roll:

Yours just happened to be the first non-conrtuctive post. Have a tissue.

I'm sure one of the mods will be along soon to clean the thread.

[QUOTE="Sturmfuehrer_"]

[QUOTE="ionusX"]

LOLOLOL you can build gaming pc's for cheaper than your builds XD u is jsut mad some people have less to spend than 750 bucks u hater

ionusX

Thank you for adding something useful and constructive to this thread. What's with the attitude? How old are you? 12?

Keep your butthurt replies to System Wars.

Sure, you can build gaming PCs for less, but don't expect any fluid gameplay in games like BF3 on high or ultra settings.

$750 is considered a low budget for a gaming rig and I don't care if you can't afford it. Either build a cheaper PC and get less visual quality or

lag and stuttering, or go get a job or save some more of your pocket money and do it right the first time.

And read the whole dang post before crying about cases, drives and the amount of RAM. It's a rough upgrade guideline. And you're always free to

get lesser parts for less money.

low budget is like 400 bucks so about half of what you are claiming

[QUOTE="Sturmfuehrer_"]

[QUOTE="ionusX"]

LOLOLOL you can build gaming pc's for cheaper than your builds XD u is jsut mad some people have less to spend than 750 bucks u hater

ionusX

Thank you for adding something useful and constructive to this thread. What's with the attitude? How old are you? 12?

Keep your butthurt replies to System Wars.

Sure, you can build gaming PCs for less, but don't expect any fluid gameplay in games like BF3 on high or ultra settings.

$750 is considered a low budget for a gaming rig and I don't care if you can't afford it. Either build a cheaper PC and get less visual quality or

lag and stuttering, or go get a job or save some more of your pocket money and do it right the first time.

And read the whole dang post before crying about cases, drives and the amount of RAM. It's a rough upgrade guideline. And you're always free to

get lesser parts for less money.

TC, you must not pay your own bills or are a lifelong bachelor. Those descriptions of the ranges are laughable.

low budget for upgrades? 200-300 bucks

medium budget for upgrades? 300+-500 bucks

high budget for upgrades? 500+-700 bucks

insane budget for upgrades? 700+-900 bucks

If you are spending 1000 bucks or more for an UPGRADE and not even a new system, you did something wrong.

TC, you must not pay your own bills or are a lifelong bachelor. Those descriptions of the ranges are laughable.

low budget for upgrades? 200-300 bucks

medium budget for upgrades? 300+-500 bucks

high budget for upgrades? 500+-700 bucks

insane budget for upgrades? 700+-900 bucks

If you are spending 1000 bucks or more for an UPGRADE and not even a new system, you did something wrong.

GummiRaccoon

Truth.

[QUOTE="GummiRaccoon"]

TC, you must not pay your own bills or are a lifelong bachelor. Those descriptions of the ranges are laughable.

low budget for upgrades? 200-300 bucks

medium budget for upgrades? 300+-500 bucks

high budget for upgrades? 500+-700 bucks

insane budget for upgrades? 700+-900 bucks

If you are spending 1000 bucks or more for an UPGRADE and not even a new system, you did something wrong.

the_bi99man

Truth.

TC, you must not pay your own bills or are a lifelong bachelor. Those descriptions of the ranges are laughable.

low budget for upgrades? 200-300 bucks

medium budget for upgrades? 300+-500 bucks

high budget for upgrades? 500+-700 bucks

insane budget for upgrades? 700+-900 bucks

If you are spending 1000 bucks or more for an UPGRADE and not even a new system, you did something wrong.

GummiRaccoon

Right, everyone could come in here and post ridiculously low numbers.I'd love to see your shopping lists for 2-700 buck gaming PCs and what sort of FPS they could do in games like BF3!

Ya know, the funny thing is, get on a proper gaming enthusiast forum with mature people and the opinions will differ vastly from yours.

By the way, I support a family of 4 but I don't work at McD's or hand out newspapers for a living, so for me, $750 for a gaming rig is considered low budget.

But it's obvious that this forum is full of immature kids who only seem to earn pocket money and can't appreciate if someone's trying to help with a proper PC build and feel the need to troll, post over-used internet images, and ultimately try to pull every thread down to SW levels.

In the end, it's all about your priorities. And I don't care. What people decide to buy is up to them. The hardware I mentioned above is high quality, future proof and should last you for a couple of years.

If you decide to buy old(er) hardware for less, then you'll either miss out on new features, be upgrading again in 12 months or will play future games with less visual quality.

Indeed you did something wrong if you do that iv Gived my input about computer information in about how to assemble a Little over 200 Computer's upgrade on gamespot in 3 year and this guide is wrong if ur seeking a HD 1080P Gaming PC

SSD are not essential when ur going all the way to high res gaming but it sure the HDD Crisis make the PC Build A little Harder : SSD are thing you get After you got the Gaming hardware if you want super fast loading time : you pool most on the gpu : less on the cpu : not more then 8GB unless ur into multi-media

I could make a Guide but back to gaming :Pmarcthpro

That's the first semi-constructive post here.

I actually thought that people here are smart enough to know that they can always modify the shopping list and leave out things like an SSD or buy cheaper RAM. Heck, it's even in the descriptions. But Gamespot proved me wrong.

low budget is like 400 bucks so about half of what you are claiming

NailedGR

And you'd buy what exactly for $400?

[QUOTE="ionusX"]

if u noticed here NOBODY has said anything constructive you just enjopy singling me out when ppl go on the offensive cause u shook

kraken2109

Missed that one.

That's what I call constructive. At least some people seem to have brains here.

Indeed you did something wrong if you do thativ Gived my input about computer information in about how to assemble a Little over 200 Computer's upgrade on gamespot in 3 yearand this guide is wrong if ur seeking a HD 1080P Gaming PC

SSD are not essential when ur going all the way to high res gamingbut it sure the HDD Crisis make the PC Build A little Harder: SSD are thing you get After you got the Gaming hardware if you want super fast loading time : you pool most on the gpu : less on the cpu : not more then 8GB unless ur into multi-media

marcthpro

Dude, is english your first language?

[QUOTE="marcthpro"]

Indeed you did something wrong if you do thativ Gived my input about computer information in about how to assemble a Little over 200 Computer's upgrade on gamespot in 3 yearand this guide is wrong if ur seeking a HD 1080P Gaming PC

SSD are not essential when ur going all the way to high res gamingbut it sure the HDD Crisis make the PC Build A little Harder: SSD are thing you get After you got the Gaming hardware if you want super fast loading time : you pool most on the gpu : less on the cpu : not more then 8GB unless ur into multi-media

chunkowookie

Dude, is english your first language?

Dude, is english your first language?

chunkowookie

[QUOTE="chunkowookie"]

Dude, is english your first language?

marcthpro

And that's why I ask. It does shock me how many native english speakers write so poorly that you have to question it.

Thread is looking more reasonable now.

[QUOTE="GummiRaccoon"]

TC, you must not pay your own bills or are a lifelong bachelor. Those descriptions of the ranges are laughable.

low budget for upgrades? 200-300 bucks

medium budget for upgrades? 300+-500 bucks

high budget for upgrades? 500+-700 bucks

insane budget for upgrades? 700+-900 bucks

If you are spending 1000 bucks or more for an UPGRADE and not even a new system, you did something wrong.

Sturmfuehrer_

Right, everyone could come in here and post ridiculously low numbers.I'd love to see your shopping lists for 2-700 buck gaming PCs and what sort of FPS they could do in games like BF3!

Ya know, the funny thing is, get on a proper gaming enthusiast forum with mature people and the opinions will differ vastly from yours.

By the way, I support a family of 4 but I don't work at McD's or hand out newspapers for a living, so for me, $750 for a gaming rig is considered low budget.

But it's obvious that this forum is full of immature kids who only seem to earn pocket money and can't appreciate if someone's trying to help with a proper PC build and feel the need to troll, post over-used internet images, and ultimately try to pull every thread down to SW levels.

In the end, it's all about your priorities. And I don't care. What people decide to buy is up to them. The hardware I mentioned above is high quality, future proof and should last you for a couple of years.

If you decide to buy old(er) hardware for less, then you'll either miss out on new features, be upgrading again in 12 months or will play future games with less visual quality.

Indeed you did something wrong if you do that iv Gived my input about computer information in about how to assemble a Little over 200 Computer's upgrade on gamespot in 3 year and this guide is wrong if ur seeking a HD 1080P Gaming PC

SSD are not essential when ur going all the way to high res gaming but it sure the HDD Crisis make the PC Build A little Harder : SSD are thing you get After you got the Gaming hardware if you want super fast loading time : you pool most on the gpu : less on the cpu : not more then 8GB unless ur into multi-media

I could make a Guide but back to gaming :Pmarcthpro

That's the first semi-constructive post here.

I actually thought that people here are smart enough to know that they can always modify the shopping list and leave out things like an SSD or buy cheaper RAM. Heck, it's even in the descriptions. But Gamespot proved me wrong.

DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT WORDS MEAN

LIKE

UPGRADE

LOW

MID

HIGH

DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT WORDS MEAN

LIKE

UPGRADE

LOW

MID

HIGH

NailedGR

Yes. What's your point?

Do you understand how to turn off caps?

Not trying to hate, but what the crap is a cougar brand psu.

I think the budget build is better suited with a crappy board instead. Since the buyer is likely a first time pc gamer/builder who is testing waters and may not amount to getting too serious with a rig.

Theres a lot more to a setup than the rig itself, sound system, monitor, blah peripherals.

http://www.cougar-world.com/psu_production.html

I've seen a couple of raving reviews about them. Good internals etc. Which doesn't imply it's the only good manufacturer out there.

Everything from Antec, Be Quiet, Thermaltake, etc. and the other big names will be as good. Just do your research But point taken. I'll just say PSU.

I think the budget build is better suited with a crappy board instead. Since the buyer is likely a first time pc gamer/builder who is testing waters and may not amount to getting too serious with a rig.

Bikouchu35

I've put theASRock Z77 Pro4for$109 in the alternatives. If you know a cheaper option that doesn't blow up right away, just let me know and I'll add it.

Theres a lot more to a setup than the rig itself, sound system, monitor, blah peripherals.

Bikouchu35

This is only a hardware upgrade guide.So you should already have the essential parts like a monitor, keyboard, mouse, case etc.

Sturmfuehrer_

Appreciate the feedback.

http://www.cougar-world.com/psu_production.html

I've seen a couple of raving reviews about them. Good internals etc. Which doesn't imply it's the only good manufacturer out there.

Everything from Antec, Be Quiet, Thermaltake, etc. and the other big names will be as good. Just do your research But point taken. I'll just say PSU.

[QUOTE="Bikouchu35"]

I've put theASRock Z77 Pro4for$109 in the alternatives. If you know a cheaper option that doesn't blow up right away, just let me know and I'll add it.

[QUOTE="Bikouchu35"]

Theres a lot more to a setup than the rig itself, sound system, monitor, blah peripherals.

Sturmfuehrer_

This is only a hardware upgrade guide.So you should already have the essential parts like a monitor, keyboard, mouse, case etc.

Sturmfuehrer_

Appreciate the feedback.

Cougar products are very good..(i.e..psu, Cases, case fans)...I have a Cougar 850w psu that's been powering my system for nearly a year now and it's fantastic ! If anyone has never heard of them before, check out forum reviews, they consistently receive high marks.
As for your system recommendations, I get where you were coming from trying to piece together parts that fit a budget and still get max performance. Your lists were subjective in that the hardware could be changed out for something less expensive if someone felt they could still get the same performance. And I understood you made it clear that your lists were just for the main internal parts, though I feel that you should have included the case as an important part of your builds.
As for making build suggestions without the OS, I would have included that, as I think a lot of people putting a system together maybe for the first time would need it.
I commend you for taking the time to put your ideas out there for discussion.

*+

[QUOTE="NailedGR"]

DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT WORDS MEAN

LIKE

UPGRADE

LOW

MID

HIGH

Sturmfuehrer_

Yes. What's your point?

Do you understand how to turn off caps?

The point is 500 dollars on an upgrade is not a low budget. What're you stupid.

When upgrading the most I ever spent was 300 bucks. And I am by no means poor. I just don't spend money like an idiot.

[QUOTE="Sturmfuehrer_"]

http://www.cougar-world.com/psu_production.html

I've seen a couple of raving reviews about them. Good internals etc. Which doesn't imply it's the only good manufacturer out there.

Everything from Antec, Be Quiet, Thermaltake, etc. and the other big names will be as good. Just do your research But point taken. I'll just say PSU.

[QUOTE="Bikouchu35"]

Appreciate the feedback.

DieselCat18

Cougar products are very good..(i.e..psu, Cases, case fans)...I have a Cougar 850w psu that's been powering my system for nearly a year now and it's fantastic ! If anyone has never heard of them before, check out forum reviews, they consistently receive high marks.
As for your system recommendations, I get where you were coming from trying to piece together parts that fit a budget and still get max performance. Your lists were subjective in that the hardware could be changed out for something less expensive if someone felt they could still get the same performance. And I understood you made it clear that your lists were just for the main internal parts, though I feel that you should have included the case as an important part of your builds.
As for making build suggestions without the OS, I would have included that, as I think a lot of people putting a system together maybe for the first time would need it.
I commend you for taking the time to put your ideas out there for discussion.

*+

Good suggestions. Might add a complete build at some point. Thanks.

Blah

NailedGR

300 dollars isn't a midrange card you plebe

300 dollars isn't a midrange card you plebe

NailedGR

[QUOTE="NailedGR"]

300 dollars isn't a midrange card you plebe

darksusperia

Is this guide in American dollars or monopoly money?

[QUOTE="darksusperia"][QUOTE="NailedGR"]

300 dollars isn't a midrange card you plebe

GummiRaccoon

Is this guide in American dollars or monopoly money?

I agree with the TC.

Hell, my only reasonable option for a graphics card at this day and age would be a GTX670, and that is $400 all by itself. Add in a I5 2500k and a cheap mobo for an additional $300 and then another $50 for 8 gig of DDR3 ram and BAM, my upgrade is at $750. Any less than that would not be worth my time or effort.

[QUOTE="GummiRaccoon"]

[QUOTE="darksusperia"] Depends where you live.........darksusperia

Is this guide in American dollars or monopoly money?

I bought a 6950 brand new for 300 bucks and it was the third fastest single gpu card at the time, that is not mid range.

[QUOTE="darksusperia"][QUOTE="GummiRaccoon"]

Is this guide in American dollars or monopoly money?

GummiRaccoon

I bought a 6950 brand new for 300 bucks and it was the third fastest single gpu card at the time, that is not mid range.

[QUOTE="GummiRaccoon"]

[QUOTE="darksusperia"] I dont see anything specifying which currency its in. Im going to assume its American. But that said, this being an International forum. If you were/are in aus. top tier 680 = 580 - 830$$AU. 7970 = 490 - 590$$AU. Then mid range would be still the 560Ti 260$$AU. I guess you could throw a 570 in there as well now: 320 - 360$$AU. 7850 - 250 - 290$$AU.. So yea, midrange - 300 dollar card...darksusperia

I bought a 6950 brand new for 300 bucks and it was the third fastest single gpu card at the time, that is not mid range.

300 dollars was the release price of the 6950 in the US

EDIT

100-200 is a mid range graphics card.

You guys are all huffing glue together

[QUOTE="darksusperia"][QUOTE="GummiRaccoon"]

I bought a 6950 brand new for 300 bucks and it was the third fastest single gpu card at the time, that is not mid range.

GummiRaccoon

300 dollars was the release price of the 6950 in the US

People getting all worked up over this guide. You gotta love the internet.