It's been several years since I did my last upgrade/build (2010/2011), and it's finally reached the point where I really need to do some upgrades.
First time I've ever posted about my computer, so let me know if I left something out!
Existing Specs:
Windows 7 x64
Motherboard: ASUS M4A78T-E AM3 AMD 790GX
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb Quad-Core 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
Primary Hard Drive: Western Digital WD Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s
GPU: GeForce GTX 470 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card (evga)
RAM: 10GB - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600, also 2 x 2GB chips, but one went bad recently, so it's reading 10 GB)
PSU: CORSAIR TX Series CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V v2.3 SLI CrossFire 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified
Case: Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower
I'm considering upgrading the hard drive, the gpu and ram. What I'm wondering is if upgrading those things will help performance enough, or if I'm better off upgrading the hard drive now, and saving to do a new build later on.
This is used both for both gaming and my work using CAD & 3d software. It's been working fine for the older games (Skyrim, Witcher, Dragon Age, GW2, etc), but I want to be able to play some of the upcoming games (DAI, Witcher 3, etc). It's also been starting to slog a bit on large CAD projects, so I want to increase performance there.
For the hard drive, I want to upgrade to a ssd (Samsung 840 EVO Series MZ-7TE500 500GB), along with a large storage HDD. Right now I have two older internal hard drives, as well as three external hard drives connected by USB. Too much information all over the place!
For the GPU, I'd like to upgrade to the GeForce GTX 970, if it would work with my system. Probably not evga this time, I'm thinking ASUS/Gigabyte/MSI.
I need to upgrade the RAM, because I've had a few chips go bad, and now they are mismatched and reading an odd amount (10 GB).
I'd love to upgrade the CPU, but I think that would also involve upgrading the motherboard, and if I was doing that, it feels like I might as well do a new build completely. I don't really have the money for that at this point, but it's always so tempting when I start looking at parts! I'm not overclocking, so I could also look into doing that.
Any advice on if I should upgrade or save money for a new build would be much appreciated!! Thanks!
First time I've ever posted about my computer, so let me know if I left something out!
Existing Specs:
Windows 7 x64
Motherboard: ASUS M4A78T-E AM3 AMD 790GX
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb Quad-Core 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
Primary Hard Drive: Western Digital WD Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s
GPU: GeForce GTX 470 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card (evga)
RAM: 10GB - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600, also 2 x 2GB chips, but one went bad recently, so it's reading 10 GB)
PSU: CORSAIR TX Series CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V v2.3 SLI CrossFire 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified
Case: Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower
I'm considering upgrading the hard drive, the gpu and ram. What I'm wondering is if upgrading those things will help performance enough, or if I'm better off upgrading the hard drive now, and saving to do a new build later on.
This is used both for both gaming and my work using CAD & 3d software. It's been working fine for the older games (Skyrim, Witcher, Dragon Age, GW2, etc), but I want to be able to play some of the upcoming games (DAI, Witcher 3, etc). It's also been starting to slog a bit on large CAD projects, so I want to increase performance there.
For the hard drive, I want to upgrade to a ssd (Samsung 840 EVO Series MZ-7TE500 500GB), along with a large storage HDD. Right now I have two older internal hard drives, as well as three external hard drives connected by USB. Too much information all over the place!
For the GPU, I'd like to upgrade to the GeForce GTX 970, if it would work with my system. Probably not evga this time, I'm thinking ASUS/Gigabyte/MSI.
I need to upgrade the RAM, because I've had a few chips go bad, and now they are mismatched and reading an odd amount (10 GB).
I'd love to upgrade the CPU, but I think that would also involve upgrading the motherboard, and if I was doing that, it feels like I might as well do a new build completely. I don't really have the money for that at this point, but it's always so tempting when I start looking at parts! I'm not overclocking, so I could also look into doing that.
Any advice on if I should upgrade or save money for a new build would be much appreciated!! Thanks!
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