Upgrading Computer Would Like Suggestions

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
S

sterlin22

Honorable
May 17, 2012
74
0
10,630
Little bit about my current build:

I bought a $600 pre-built computer that was on sale during Christmas time of 2012. The upcoming Spring I made a few upgrades and have continued to make upgrades ever since, the only parts from the pre-built computer that remain are the RAM, Operating System, Hard Drive, CPU, and Motherboard.

Currently I've got:

I5-2310 2.9ghz
8GB DDR3 1333 Mhz RAM (2x4GB)
Intel Micro Motherboard
1TB 7200 RPM HDD
Sapphire 7850 2GB OC Edition (used to be able to overclock to 1100 mhz, can only do 1025 comfortably now)
Coolermaster Storm Enforcer Medium-Sized Tower
H60 Liquid Cooler for CPU (compatible with LGA 1150 I believe)
A few extra fans for the case
Corsair GS 600 watt Power Supply (80 plus)
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
ViewSonic 1920x1080 32"

The upgrades I'm considering making are:

New Motherboard - ASUS MAXIMUS VII HERO LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132125

New CPU - i5-4670k
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116899&cm_re=i5_4670k-_-19-116-899-_-Product

And then eventually...

New GPU: GTX 870 4GB (when it comes out)

What do you guys say about these upgrades? What about the other parts to my system, would you advise upgrading some of them first (RAM, Hard drive, etc.)?




 
Solution
woltej1
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7te250bw this is the go to SSD right now, samsung has their stuff together.

Yes, you install your OS and major apps, like games, on there and use your HDD for things that don't need to load quickly. Since an OS will take up about 20gb and games are starting to reach 30+GB, you want to aim for at least 250gb as SSDs perform best when they aren't close to full capacity. There are ways to utilize smaller SSD with a HDD, but 250gb is a nice area to aim for.

I'd say upgrade the CPU when you want that 870 as then it'd be worth it. There might be new CPU stuff out by then too.
Sort by date Sort by votes
woltej1

woltej1

Splendid
Nov 15, 2010
3,534
1
24,960
your CPU is still strong, don't really need an upgrade yet as you won't benefit from it gaming wise. If you want a good upgrade get a SSD and maybe higher frequency RAM. Look into your BIOS to see if you can OC your CPU a bit if you need more performance now.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
S

sterlin22

Honorable
May 17, 2012
74
0
10,630


Unfortunately, the CPU I currently have is NOT a K model, the max you can adjust it to is I think 3.2 Ghz, there's some "turbo" feature on the CPU that automatically brings it to 3.2 when under stress.

It is to my understanding that the SSD will make things load quicker, but it won't have much to do with your framerate in video games, and that's all I currently care about. The higher frequency RAM was something I was considering, but I'd wanna get 16GB DDR3 2166 or better, and we're talking a $130+ upgrade just for that alone. My current motherboard can't handle more than 8GB 1600 I believe, so this would have to be something I'd do after upgrading my motherboard, and I'd need a new CPU anyway if I make this motherboard upgrade.

So as of right now I feel that the CPU + Motherboard upgrade is the way to go, as it's what will set up my future upgrades in regards to RAM, GPU (3.0 PCI-eX16 slot, which doesn't really matter, but still), and even SSD.

Like I said, my operating system came from the pre-built computer, and I'm almost positive that I don't have any code / key associated with it when I bought the package, so my other concern is: Would I need to purchase another operating system?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
woltej1

woltej1

Splendid
Nov 15, 2010
3,534
1
24,960
I'm running an i5 750 and have no framerate issues, that's 100% your GPU. FYI, gaming wise frequency doesn't mean much above 1600mhz, so spending the cash for 2133+ may not be worth it.

Upgrading your CPU will not give you the gaming FPS you want. You can monitor your CPU usage vs GPU usage in game to see if there is actually a bottleneck by your CPU, but i highly doubt it.

I recently got a SSD and will never have a computer without one again. Trust me when I say a SSD is a lot better than a new CPU for you.

For the OS, check on the back of the case or somewhere on the inside, they usually put the sticker for the OS somewhere in there. There are plenty of mirroring software to transfer data off a HDD to SSD.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
S

sterlin22

Honorable
May 17, 2012
74
0
10,630
I am stubborn. I have it stuck in my head that if I don't get this new motherboard and CPU now, then I won't actually do it for at least another 1 or 2 years. I can see where an SSD would be a nice benefit though, can you link any good ones that aren't outrageously expensive? I feel like this is something I would purchase in the not-so-near future.

Also do you have your OS and all of your games installed to your SSD?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
woltej1

woltej1

Splendid
Nov 15, 2010
3,534
1
24,960
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7te250bw this is the go to SSD right now, samsung has their stuff together.

Yes, you install your OS and major apps, like games, on there and use your HDD for things that don't need to load quickly. Since an OS will take up about 20gb and games are starting to reach 30+GB, you want to aim for at least 250gb as SSDs perform best when they aren't close to full capacity. There are ways to utilize smaller SSD with a HDD, but 250gb is a nice area to aim for.

I'd say upgrade the CPU when you want that 870 as then it'd be worth it. There might be new CPU stuff out by then too.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
S

sterlin22

Honorable
May 17, 2012
74
0
10,630


Definitely appreciate the advice, I will take that particular SSD into strong consideration, right now my priorites are:

Motherboard > CPU > GPU (unless not out yet) > SSD > RAM > Better Monitor
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom