Upgrading Computer. What's needed?

[WiteBeam]

Here is what I'm working with now.

CPU- Intel i5 750
Ram- 4GB (2GBx2) G.SKILL Ripjaws
Motherboard- ASUS P7P55D
Video card- ATI Radeon HD 4650 1 GB DDR2 Memory
OS- Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit Edition)

I have been told I would need a new graphics card. Would investing in a better graphics card and putting another 4 GB of ram into my system be a decent enough upgrade?
I appriciate any and all help. I built this computer 2 and a half years ago and am a little lost on what needs improving.

[Goku]

What resolution are you going to be playing and what is your power supply?

You have the right idea for a upgrade also. Just depends on how deep your pockets are. How much do you want to spend on a card? For ram I would just upgrade to 8GB of DDR3 for $40 with a 2x4GB kit. Take out what you have now and keep it for back up usage.

[WiteBeam]

What resolution are you going to be playing and what is your power supply?

You have the right idea for a upgrade also. Just depends on how deep your pockets are. How much do you want to spend on a card? For ram I would just upgrade to 8GB of DDR3 for $40 with a 2x4GB kit. Take out what you have now and keep it for back up usage.

Thanks for the quick reply Goku. I think you may have just hit my biggest bottle neck right on the nail.
When I ordered all the parts to my computer a couple years ago, the power supply was DOA. So I just put my old computers power supply in it and really didn't think about it.
Bestec atx 1956d 200 watt is what I have in it now.
Could I have been depriving my system this entire time?

As far as RAM. Are you saying just replacing the 4 gigs I have with a completely new set of 8 GB RAM will be better than just getting another set of 4GB? I guess RAM is dirt cheap now.

Thanks a bunch.

[Goku]

200W? Wow. Yeah time for a new PSU. You are lucky it didn't pop just due to that 4650 not being power hungry. Since it didn't you just had enough power to squeeze by.

Yes throw out the ram. 8GB is cheap right now, so just get a whole new set.

What case do you have right now and what is the resolution of your monitor (1920x1080, 1680x1050, etc)?

[WiteBeam]

Damn. I was clueless. Will the computer run better/faster with more wattage?

My case is a Smilodon Raidmax. It has a bunch of fans.
The monitor right now is at 1280x1024. It's an HP 2009m. Does that play a large roll in frames?

[Goku]

No. You will not yield any performance gain from using a 500W verse a 1000W PSU.

OK just wanted to make sure it wasn't a OEM case.

Resolution does play a role in FPS. Lower the resolution the more FPS you have. Therefore you may need a $300 card to max out a game on 1920x1080, but only say a $125 card to do the same on 1280x1024. Have you given any thoughts on upgrading your monitor to a widescreen 23 inch at all? If so you really don't need to drop $300+ plus on a new GPU.

[Rbstr]

Resolution matters a lot for performance and yours is on the lower end these days. So unless you plan on upgrading that you don't need to look much past mid-range cards.
A 560Ti would be the highest I'd shoot for sticking with 1280x1024.

All you really need is the ram (honestly it doesn't matter if you get a new set of 2x 4gb or just two new 2gb sticks. I don't see a need to spend the $20 extra for 4gb sticks.) a graphics card and a PSU to support it.
The i5 750 is still pretty strong...I've got one and I'm still happy with it.

[Pancake]

GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150561
PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428

The GPU should be perfect for your current monitor, while offering great performance if you ever do upgrade to 1920x1080. I wouldn't recommend anything lower.

The PSU is a good deal, reliable, and will last you a long time (you can use it on your next build or for SLI/CrossFire). If you are tight on cash, a $60 600W Raidmax will do. You might get a DOA though.

RAM is very reliable and exceptionally cheap. G.Skill is the best RAM hands down. Any G.Skill 2x4GB 1600 will do.

[Rbstr]

Corsair is good for a powersupply, but you don't need more than 600w-650.
Unless you know you're going to do crossfire or SLI there's no reason to prepare for it.

And why DDR1600? He only supports 1333 as it is, and he can save $20 by just getting a pair of 2gb sticks. Everybody is telling him not to, but why? It's not like cost doesn't scale, he'll pay almost exactly 1/2 for half the ram.

[Goku]

Corsair is good for a powersupply, but you don't need more than 600w-650.
Unless you know you're going to do crossfire or SLI there's no reason to prepare for it.

And why DDR1600? He only supports 1333 as it is, and he can save $20 by just getting a pair of 2gb sticks. Everybody is telling him not to, but why? It's not like cost doesn't scale, he'll pay almost exactly 1/2 for half the ram.

I'm mostly concerned with the ram not matching up and causing potential issues is why I just recommended getting a 8GB kit.

[WiteBeam]

Thanks a bunch for the advice and recommendations. Very helpful.

[WiteBeam]

Would this PSU run my system if I upgraded the RAM and got a decent graphics card?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027

[Vancha]

Yes, if it wasn't DOA. They seem to have a higher DOA-rate than other PSUs (plus I always suggest companies other than Corsair (www.overclock.net/t/1177728/the-problem-with-a-single-psu-brand)).

I'd go for this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703035), with it's current deals.

Can anyone tell me in which order MIR and discounts are applied on Newegg? Would the Silencer MKIII come to $51 or $48?

[Goku]

$90 - $13.50 (15% off) - $20 MIR=$56.50

Its a good PSU.

[Vancha]

$80 - $12 - $20 = $48

[Goku]

I was eyeballing the 600W :o my mistake.