Upgrade 3 Year Old Gaming System Or Rebuild From Scratch?

Guest · Jul 6, 2013

So I've been on several forums trying to get the most feedback on how I should essentially upgrade my gaming rig. Well I initially came out saying that I have a $2000 budget and that I can use that to build an entirely new system however, for the most part, people have been advising to simply upgrade the parts I have now and save some cash as my platform is, and can remain viable for a few more years to come (atleast until Haswell-E or Skylake, I would hope). I suppose I could also upgrade to the upcoming Ivy Bridge-E platform, slated to come out in the fall, but again as I've been told, just upgrading my specs would be the best option.

So here's my current build (3 years old)

CPU: Intel® Core™ i7 CPU 920 @ 2.67GHz
GRAPHICS CARD: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 768MB
MOTHERBOARD: EVGA X58 SLI LGA1366
RAM: OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3
DISPLAY: SyncMaster 2233SB,SyncMaster Magic CX2233SB(Digital) 1920 x 1080
HDD: Western Digital WD VelociRaptor 10000 RPM 300GB
OPERATING SYSTEM: Windows 7 64 bit PSU: Corsair 750TX

And these are the parts I would upgrade to my system.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1dJj8
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1dJj8/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1dJj8/benchmarks/

CPU Cooler: Corsair H110 94.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($219.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($259.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $589.97
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-06 20:27 EDT-0400)

The idea as I've been told is to OC my CPU, hence the water cooler from corsair, so that it may keep on par with a more powerful GPU, which is a key component that I mostly need to upgrade. In addition to this, get an SSD for more space.

geofelt · Jul 6, 2013

Gaming is more dependent on the graphics card than the cpu in general.

I would do the upgrade in two steps:
1. Upgrade to a really good graphics card, a GTX770 at least, and a GTX780 if you can manage it. The card will carry you to the cpu/motherboard upgrade. To prove it to youself that the cpu still has legs, Run your games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely cpu limited.
2. A simple $30 cooler like a cm hyper212 would benefit you by running quieter, allowing you a modest oc if you wish.
3. The Samsung pro is nice, but will not perform any better than the normal 840. The value of a pro is endurance. That means that instead of a 840 wearing out in 15 years, your 840 PRO will be humming along, long after it is obsolete. With a SSD, everything will be quicker, I will not build again without one. But it will not help games, except perhaps level loads.
4. Most games only use 2-3 cores, so I would not look to any 6/8 core or hyperthreading for much benefit.
Today, the 3570K and 4670K perform equally, and are about as good as it gets. I would pick for a new build the 4670K, mainly for the Z87 chipset and it's benefits.
5. If you have a bit of cash to burn, buy a 27" or 30" 2560 x 1440/1600 ips monitor.

Guest · Jul 6, 2013

geofelt :

Gaming is more dependent on the graphics card than the cpu in general.

I would do the upgrade in two steps:
1. Upgrade to a really good graphics card, a GTX770 at least, and a GTX780 if you can manage it. The card will carry you to the cpu/motherboard upgrade. To prove it to youself that the cpu still has legs, Run your games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely cpu limited.
2. A simple $30 cooler like a cm hyper212 would benefit you by running quieter, allowing you a modest oc if you wish.
3. The Samsung pro is nice, but will not perform any better than the normal 840. The value of a pro is endurance. That means that instead of a 840 wearing out in 15 years, your 840 PRO will be humming along, long after it is obsolete. With a SSD, everything will be quicker, I will not build again without one. But it will not help games, except perhaps level loads.
4. Most games only use 2-3 cores, so I would not look to any 6/8 core or hyperthreading for much benefit.
Today, the 3570K and 4670K perform equally, and are about as good as it gets. I would pick for a new build the 4670K, mainly for the Z87 chipset and it's benefits.
5. If you have a bit of cash to burn, buy a 27" or 30" 2560 x 1440/1600 ips monitor.

What do you suggest that I upgrade my system or build entirely from ground up? I know I'll be salvaging my PSU at the very least. Also as for a monitor would a 1440p be able to run on my system with a 780 on max settings?

Tabris DarkPeace · Jul 6, 2013

As a counter remark to the above, on the assumption that GPU's depreciate in value faster than CPU's, as processors have only been getting +15% faster year over year of late, then getting a GTX760 now -and upgrading the Graphics Card (GPU/VRAM) later- is also another option to consider.

This is the baseline or yardstick spec that I recommend running comparison against for under $1,000 builds.

You can get the following components, which may be a better deal if you already have a Case and Power Supply Unit lying around, or have a greater than $1,000 budget.

GPU: GeForce GTX760 with at least 2GB --- $320
CPU: Intel Core i5 4670K (3.4GHz), --- $250
MOBO: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H (Z87 Chipset), --- $227
RAM: Kingston HyperX 8GB Kit (2x4GB) 1333MHz/1600MHz DDR3, --- $70
SSD: Samsung 830 or 840 Series 120GB SSD, --- $128

If you have a better budget (including the case and PSU) then get a better GPU than the GTX760, never get anything less than the GTX760 if you plan to play modern 3D Games beyond 2H 2013!

Some vendors may charge up to +$25 for one part and charge $25 less for another part (usually the CPU and Graphics Card).

Guest · Jul 6, 2013

Tabris DarkPeace :

As a counter remark to the above, on the assumption that GPU's depreciate in value faster than CPU's, as processors have only been getting +15% faster year over year of late, then getting a GTX760 now -and upgrading the Graphics Card (GPU/VRAM) later- is also another option to consider.

This is the baseline or yardstick spec that I recommend running comparison against for under $1,000 builds.

You can get the following components, which may be a better deal if you already have a Case and Power Supply Unit lying around, or have a greater than $1,000 budget.

GPU: GeForce GTX760 with at least 2GB --- $320
CPU: Intel Core i5 4670K (3.4GHz), --- $250
MOBO: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H (Z87 Chipset), --- $227
RAM: Kingston HyperX 8GB Kit (2x4GB) 1333MHz/1600MHz DDR3, --- $70
SSD: Samsung 830 or 840 Series 120GB SSD, --- $128

If you have a better budget (including the case and PSU) then get a better GPU than the GTX760, never get anything less than the GTX760 if you plan to play modern 3D Games beyond 2H 2013!

Some vendors may charge up to +$25 for one part and charge $25 less for another part (usually the CPU and Graphics Card).

Do you suggest that I start from scratch or upgrade my PC parts? If I would start over I would just wait until September for Ivy-Bridge-E.

geofelt · Jul 7, 2013

@Flavio Del Pino :
I suggest a two step upgrade.
1. Yes, a GTX780 will run a 2560 x 1440 monitor very well. I run one with a 2560 x 1600 monitor with no problems.
I particularly like the units with a titan style blower cooler. They get the heat out the back of your case quickly.

2. A GTX780 needs a 575w psu. Not much more than your current GTX460 needs. If your psu has the wattage and is of decent quality, plan on keeping it.

3. As to future cpu upgrades, I do not see ivy bridge-E as a value upgrade. It might be ok for a big budget multi graphics card situation.
6 cores will not be that useful, and the motherboards will be more expensive.
I would, today, point to a 4670K and a Z87 based motherboard. You might be able to reuse your 6gb of ram if it is1.6v or less.

Guest · Jul 7, 2013

So is it worth investing on a 1440p monitor? Maybe ones from Overlord?

geofelt · Jul 7, 2013

I have no knowledge of overlord monitors.
But, I think investing in a great monitor is a good idea. The larger, the better, with a ips type panel that has a 178/178 viewing angle and highest resolution.
You will be looking at a great monitor for a long time.

Guest · Jul 7, 2013

Would this be a good investment?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU Cooler: Xigmatek Dark Knight II SD1283 Night Hawk Edition 89.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston HyperX 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($60.96 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($219.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($659.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $990.93
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-07 18:00 EDT-0400)

Along with a 1440p display
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=114&cp_id=11401&cs_id=1130704&p_id=10509&seq=1&format=2

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