Monitor Upgrade or Graphics Card Upgrade

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DrunkunDrip

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

Topic # 136276 21-Nov-2013 16:43

Hi i am going to upgrade both my monitor and my graphics card however one will have to wait until sometime next year, so basically i would like some advice on which to do first. My main use is for gaming and i play a lot of Dota 2 and some Action RPGs.

My system specs are:

Intel Core i5 CPU 750 @ 2.67GHz
4.29GB Memory
ATi Radeon HD 4800 Series 2.94 GB Memory
128GB SSD
3TB HDD
Samsung Syncmaster 226BW Monitor

When i upgrade my graphics card i will be looking to spend around $400-$500 (looking at R9 270, HD 7850 or if i can push the budget an HD 7950)

Monitor wise i would also be looking around that $400-$500 mark not sure whether it is worth getting a 27" over a 24" or not so open to either. Currently have been looking at ASUS VN247H, ASUS VE278Q or Samsung LS24C45KBWV/XY.

I note that a lot of monitors these days don't have DVI so if i were to upgrade my monitor first i may be held back by this as my HD 4850 does not have an HDMI out.

Any other suggestions for graphics cards and monitors are greatly appreciated along with advice on which to upgrade first.

Sorry if this is in the wrong place.

Cheers,

Poll

322 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 56

Reply # 938561 21-Nov-2013 17:26

Hi DrunkunDrip and welcome to the forums.

First question to ask is does your Radeon 4850 adequately drive your Samsung Monitor fine for the games you play currently?
If no then it's time to upgrade the video card first, if yes then I would upgrade the Monitor.
For that sort of budget on a monitor I would be looking at an IPS panel rather than a tn unless you're aiming for 3d or higher refresh rate than 60hz and you should be able to come in well under $400.

For that budget for graphics card you could get one of the cheaper Radeon r9-280x's which will be plenty powerful to drive a 1080p screen and give you a fair bit of future proofing too or spend far less on one of the 270x's.

If you shop around you could get a 270x and a 24 inch tn monitor for under $500 combined at the moment if you're not stuck on those particular monitor models. Just make sure to read reviews before buying anything.

DrunkunDrip

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

Reply # 938693 21-Nov-2013 22:10

Thanks for your help Poll, yea everything is running fine at the moment i just thought it was time to head towards HD gaming. All the games i play work fine on high settings.