Upgrading to 1080p piece by piece

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NEBAscension

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Jul 15, 2014
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Hello experts!
I'd like to ask you all for advice and help, my current PC specs are below. And the plan I have is to upgrade my computer piece bit by bit so I don't break the bank.
My setup will be two 1080P monitors, and I play games on the highest spec wherever possible. Ideally I won't have to upgrade my system again for another 4years or so, so budget isn't so much a big deal but I would like to be reasonable.

500 GB SATA-II HDD UDMA 300 7200 16MB
Samsung (S222A) DVD PLUS/-RW 22x Dual Layer - Black (IDE)
4 X USB 2.0 Ports
Motherboard Integrated 5.1 Sound
Motherboard Integrated Ethernet Lan (Broadband Ready)
4GB PC-6400 800 MHZ (2 x 2 GB) (DDR2)
Speeze QuadroFlow VIII - Low Noise
Standard Slim Keyboard (PS/2)
Standard Black Optical Mouse (USB)
X-Blade Black
Asus P5N-D S/L 1333FSB (NVIDIA 750i) (Includes 2 Free Games)
Asus 19" (VW193D-B) Widescreen TFT Black - 5MS
Standard Operating System Backup
Built & Tested CP
OCZ 700W Stealth XStream - Low Noise
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 (4 x 2.66 GHZ) 1333FSB - 4 MB
NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 - 1 GB - 2xDVI/VGA/HDMI (Asus) (Includes Free Space Simulator & WOW Games)
No Security Software Included
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64 BIT (Genuine DVD & COA Included)


I want to buy each part individualy, and recycle everything I can. replacing my existing peice with it. So a 290x to replace my gtx250 (if my mobo will allow, I don't know if it will?) keep the hdd but eventually buy an ssd.
If you can help me prioritise parts so I can swap them in my tower as I can afford them that would be incredible.


My current idea for the final build, is to have two 290X gpu's, an i7 from the 4900 range, mobo's I've no clue but something that compliments the GPU crossfire would obviously be best.
PSU whatever I need, not very clued up here either. RAM 16gb of 1600mhz ddr3

Mouse/keyboard/monitors I'll get AFTER I've got a working single card build. Using my existing parts,and pieces in the interim.

Thank you all,
James

 
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NEBAscension

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Jul 15, 2014
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Wait, how would it be bottlenecked? Is there something better than quad core i7? If it's 4900 that's wrong I may of misremembered what it's called, I'm checking again now


Edit: struggling to find it, but I recall it was 4 core with hyper threads (theoretical 8) and haswell
 
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NEBAscension

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Jul 15, 2014
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I'm aware it's all old, and if everything has to be replaced then so be it, but if for example I can keep the tower, psu (until I buy 2nd gpu) then that would obviously mean I can use it Ian's save some £'s
 
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NEBAscension

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Jul 15, 2014
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Ahh I understand sorry, but would a 290x be an improvement?
If It is, and would function, I could still put that no 1 on my purchase list, fit it, and then what would my next components have to be?
 
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Joseph DeGarmo

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Mar 12, 2014
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You can run an R9-290x now, but it will not be used at its maximum. It will be much better than your current GTS 250, yes, but when you upgrade to an i7-4790k (which I think that's what you're looking for), then the new video card will run at its full potential.
 
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NEBAscension

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If it's better than my current then that's enough, it's an investment after all :)
Could you advise me a good CPU/mobo/Ram combo for the single 290x then? If my current psu will run that, then the psu and second gpu will come last
 
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DSzymborski

DSzymborski

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Nov 19, 2010
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Upgrading piece-by-piece is generally a viable strategy, but it's tough when you wait until your PC is 5 years old to start doing it. A 290x is a terrific GPU, but it'll be held back by what is now a very old CPU. You'll need a new motherboard for a newer CPU, but you'll also need new RAM that works on the motherboard. And with an older, middling PSU, you'll likely need a new one of those too. If you had say, put in a GTX 560 in 2010 or 2011 and upgraded to Ivy Bridge a couple years ago or Haswell last year, you'd have a clearer update path.

So yes, you'll get much improvement with a 290x in your rig now. But it'll be limited by your processor. And if you take it slow and steady, by the time you upgrade your motherboard and CPU and RAM, which all will have to be done together, you would have been able to buy performance similar to the 290x at a reduced cost in the future rather than spent a premium for performance you can't actually use.

When it comes down to it, I see two practical options:

- Save up the money necessary to built an entire rig with balanced parts all bought at the same time, and then in the future, have an upgrade plan.

- Upgrade to a 270/270x or a GTX 760 now, then get your CPU/MB/RAM updated later and upgrade the PSU (if not already done) and GPU sometime after that.

 
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Joseph DeGarmo

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Your PSU may have issues with an R9-290x. May I suggest a GTX 780 Ti? It uses less power and runs cooler, albeit a higher price tag. But if you are going to do Crossfire or SLI, anyway, then it's best to get a quality brand 850w PSU. For CPU and motherboard, an i7-4790k and z97 motherboard will work well.
 
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getochkn

getochkn

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I'd save up and buy a new one myself all at once. As said above me, you don't have an upgrade path. Using old HD's really slows down a new build, HD's get slower as they age, PSU might not be up to a new load ,then that goes, and then you end up having to get new stuff and new stuff and have a frustrating system in the mean time until you work out everything that's wrong.
 
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NEBAscension

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Jul 15, 2014
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Well that's a shame, the general feedback then is scrap my idea and buy full, or make a compromise buy and settle for a weaker comp.
What would you all advise? If I'm going to compromise then I would really like to spend as little as possible and save my disposable for when I go all out.
 
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NEBAscension

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Jul 15, 2014
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So which CPU, ram, mobo psu should I get for a single 290x, which at a later date would work well with a second gpu?
I'll reuse all you said Joseph, and get the ssd as soon as I can.
And how much in uk £ approximately am I looking at?
 
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Joseph DeGarmo

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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (£229.14 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.25 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£106.39 @ Aria PC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£119.80 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£92.54 @ Scan.co.uk)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290X 4GB Video Card (£349.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: SeaSonic Platinum 1000W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£189.72 @ Scan.co.uk)
Total: £1111.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
 
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sora

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I would just get 8GB RAM and an i5-4670k. I mean, if you aren't doing heavy multitasking so 16GB RAM is kind of overkill.
 
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NEBAscension

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Jul 15, 2014
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I would just get 8GB RAM and an i5-4670k. I mean, if you aren't doing heavy multitasking so 16GB RAM is kind of overkill.
"LIGHTWEIGHT BABY!!!" - Ronnie Coleman
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Skype, whatever game is playing, 15 tabs going over dual screens, spotify, streaming video all at the same time is on a normal day. And my current CPU is often running at ~95%
 
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