Need help with upgrading my system

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Pillowe

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Jan 1, 2016
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Hello all,

First time poster. I thought this would be a good site to ask my questions because I used it to do some research on new GPUs and CPUs.

I have a system I built several years ago and I got some christmas money to help upgrade it.

I have a Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. Z68MA-D2H-B3 motherboard which I have learned supports socket 1155 CPUs.

My CPU is an i3-2100 3.10 GHz and my GPU is a Sapphire Radeon HD 6800 series.

I used a GPU and CPU review blog on this website to look at some potential upgrades.

I initially selected an i5-6500 3.2GHz as a CPU upgrade but later learned it was an 1151 and not compatible with my motherboard.

I am also thinking about the Sapphire Radeon R9 380 2Gb as my GPU upgrade.

I posted this information on another site and only got one response saying I should just go with looking for a used i5-2500k or i7-2500k and get a R9 390. That's a pretty decent chunk of money.

What do you guys think in terms of an upgrade? Is the 380 a good GPU for modern gaming or should I bite the bullet and go for the 390? I'm in definite need of advice concerning the CPU as I don't know much about them.


Thank you so much for any help!

 
Solution
BadActor
It's still an option. I was just trying to make the point that you could get newer hardware for the money you were going to spend upgrading the older generation. With the money you have available you could do the build below, which will perform better now, and still be upgradable in the future.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($174.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($67.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 380 2GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($173.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($55.99 @...
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Chayan4400

Chayan4400

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How much are you looking to spend? That can change quite a lot of things. Also, post the full specifications of your PC, including the model and manufacturer of your PSU. The 390 is a power hungry card; you want to make sure your PSU is up to the job.
 
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Pillowe

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Jan 1, 2016
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Ah, sorry left out some info. I'm currently running only 4Gb of RAM but I am definitely looking to upgrade that to at least 8Gb. My PSU is a Rosewill Green Series RG530-S12 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182199)
 
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Pillowe

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PSU is a Rosewill Green Series RG530-S12. I run two 1920x1080 monitors currently. Also currently running 4Gb of RAM and hope to upgrade to at least 8.
 
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BadActor

BadActor

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Oct 31, 2015
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Short of upgrading the CPU and the PSU, it may be a better choice to just go with an R9 370 or GTX 950, which won't be bottlenecked by your processor. You will still get good frame rates at 1080p and a major bump over your current graphics card. Your current system is getting old enough that the money spent upgrading it may be better spent on newer hardware.
 
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Pillowe

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Hmm, ok. I have 150 newegg giftcard and I'm looking to put an additional 300-400 dollars into the upgrade. Is not upgrading the processor at all a viable option?
 
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BadActor

BadActor

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Oct 31, 2015
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It's still an option. I was just trying to make the point that you could get newer hardware for the money you were going to spend upgrading the older generation. With the money you have available you could do the build below, which will perform better now, and still be upgradable in the future.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($174.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($67.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 380 2GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($173.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($55.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $472.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-02 00:02 EST-0500
 
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Solution
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Pillowe

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Jan 1, 2016
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Oh wow this is great info! I didn't know spending money on all new hardware would be such a good option. It seems that this system would be able to run most current games at or around max settings, correct? Can you explain why a PSU upgrade is necessary here? Also, thank you for the help you have been so far. It was obviously really needed.
 
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Pillowe

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Jan 1, 2016
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Alright well that sounds fantastic! With this new system would you recommend 8Gb of RAM or more?
 
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Chayan4400

Chayan4400

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Sell the 270X online for $150, then you have $600 to upgrade with.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($174.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($62.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($318.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($55.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $612.35
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-02 04:49 EST-0500

With this upgrade you'll be able to max out almost any game and still get good framerates at 1080p.
 
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Pillowe

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Jan 1, 2016
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What do you mean sell the 270X? What is that?
 
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