Sign in with
Sign up | Sign in
Your question
Solved

Are these PSU, Case, and GPU upgrades really worth it?

Tags:
  • Power Supplies
  • Build
  • Components
  • Gtx
  • GPUs
  • Cases
Last response: in Components
Share
October 1, 2014 3:00:49 PM

Hi,

Recently I decided on getting a new GPU, the Gigabyte GTX 970 (423AUD), to replace my troublesome GTX 560Ti. However, because of this GPU, I also require two more components, a new case, the NZXT S340 (80 AUD), and a new PSU, the EVGA 750W G2 (129 AUD).
I require a new case because the GPU wouldn't fit in my approx 5 year old Sonata III, and the new case doesn't come with a PSU.


The upgrades above approximately equate to 632AUD. They're all prices converted from USD to AUD from Amazon.
These are my current specs:

    GPU - GTX560Ti
    Fans - Hyper212 Evo and Noctua NF-F12.
    Motherboard - Asrock Z77 Extreme4.
    CPU - i5 3570k
    Case - Sonata III w/ a 500W Antec EarthWatts PSU.
    Hard drives - 2
    SSD - 1
    Fans - 2
    Ram - 2x4gb (G.Skill Ripjaw)
    DVD RW/R Drive - 1


I built this PC about 2 years ago, however the Case&PSU are 5 years old.

So I'm asking you guys, is it worth it to upgrade? Or should I just wait for a while and create a whole new computer next year or the year after? I know this is my own choice to make, I just want to see your opinions.

EDIT: Added Fans, Drives, and Ram to Specs.

More about : psu case gpu upgrades worth

a b ) Power supply
October 1, 2014 3:07:15 PM

The i5 ivy bridge is still a solid performer today and will not bottleneck. Your system should last a few more years.

The 970 will definitely be a big upgrade from the 560ti.

You don't need a PSU upgrade, the 970 is very power efficient.
m
0
l
a b ) Power supply
October 1, 2014 3:08:01 PM

I think you will see a very nice increase in performance from your current build, and it will be well worth the money. You already have a pretty decent CPU and I don't see a pressing need for you to upgrade it at all. Even next year you likely won't see chips so good that it will make your current CPU obsolete.
m
0
l
Related resources
October 1, 2014 3:24:34 PM

RazerZ said:
The i5 ivy bridge is still a solid performer today and will not bottleneck. Your system should last a few more years.

The 970 will definitely be a big upgrade from the 560ti.

You don't need a PSU upgrade, the 970 is very power efficient.


The main factor is that the 970 wouldn't fit in my current case, as it only has 9inches of space for the GPU, while the 970 is about 11 inches long. However I can just use my previous 500w from the case, Would you recommend that?
I'm not very experienced in building computers as I didn't install the PSU in the first place and since its non-modular I'm afraid I'll mess something up.

Entomber said:
I think you will see a very nice increase in performance from your current build, and it will be well worth the money. You already have a pretty decent CPU and I don't see a pressing need for you to upgrade it at all. Even next year you likely won't see chips so good that it will make your current CPU obsolete.


I never mentioned the need to upgrade my CPU at all, but thanks for telling me, I never knew that the CPU I have at the moment would still be decent even after at least 2 years of having it.

m
0
l
a b ) Power supply
October 1, 2014 3:35:42 PM

I was commenting that it would be probably a waste of money (unless you had money to burn) to completely replace your system next year, since your CPU will still be quite relevant.
m
0
l
a b ) Power supply
October 1, 2014 4:11:51 PM

Yes your current PSU should be fine. There are plenty of tutorials on youtube to help connect the cables in the appropriate places, and if you have any trouble you could always post here and we'd be happy to help :) 
m
0
l
October 1, 2014 6:16:28 PM

RazerZ said:
Yes your current PSU should be fine. There are plenty of tutorials on youtube to help connect the cables in the appropriate places, and if you have any trouble you could always post here and we'd be happy to help :) 


That's weird, because the other day I also asked how many watts I needed for my GPU, and they said that I needed at least 650w.

Oh, I also forgot to mention that I have 2 hdd, 1 ssd, 2x4gb, and 1 dvd rom. 2 fans including cpu cooler and case fan.
Sorry about that, will update in main post.
m
0
l

Best solution

a b ) Power supply
October 1, 2014 6:50:04 PM

I'm not going to ask who said that' but that's not true. An i7 4930k paired with a 970 used around 311W under load in one benchmark.

If you want to see how much power you really need just search "GTX 970 Power Consumption" and you should find lots of benchmark showing the an average power consumption under load of the test system.

Besides the CPU and GPU, the other parts hardly use any power. Factor in 10W per storage device with another 8W for the ram, 20W for the optical drive, and 2W per fan that's around 50W max. Just a rough estimate. The main thing to look for is CPU+GPU power consumption.

Rest assured, you should be fine with a 500W psu.
Share
October 1, 2014 7:08:19 PM

RazerZ said:
I'm not going to ask who said that' but that's not true. An i7 4930k paired with a 970 used around 311W under load in one benchmark.

If you want to see how much power you really need just search "GTX 970 Power Consumption" and you should find lots of benchmark showing the an average power consumption under load of the test system.

Besides the CPU and GPU, the other parts hardly use any power. Factor in 10W per storage device with another 8W for the ram, 20W for the optical drive, and 2W per fan that's around 50W max. Just a rough estimate. The main thing to look for is CPU+GPU power consumption.

Rest assured, you should be fine with a 500W psu.


Great. Should I get the G2 if I'm eventually thinking of getting another 970?

m
0
l
a b ) Power supply
October 1, 2014 7:16:12 PM

ProdigyInspired said:
RazerZ said:
I'm not going to ask who said that' but that's not true. An i7 4930k paired with a 970 used around 311W under load in one benchmark.

If you want to see how much power you really need just search "GTX 970 Power Consumption" and you should find lots of benchmark showing the an average power consumption under load of the test system.

Besides the CPU and GPU, the other parts hardly use any power. Factor in 10W per storage device with another 8W for the ram, 20W for the optical drive, and 2W per fan that's around 50W max. Just a rough estimate. The main thing to look for is CPU+GPU power consumption.

Rest assured, you should be fine with a 500W psu.


Great. Should I get the G2 if I'm eventually thinking of getting another 970?



Yes that would be a good choice.
m
0
l
!