Best upgrade path for my system

weberdarren97 · Mar 11, 2016

I currently have a system that I affectionately call Big Blue.

My current specs:

MOBO: Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0
CPU: AMD FX 8350 (OC'd to 5.2GHz)
CPU cooler: Cooler Master Seidon 120V
RAM: 32GB DDR3 1866MHz
GPU 1: Asus R9280X-DC2T-3GD5
GPU 2: Same as first
Sound Card: PowerColor Devil HDX
SSD: Samsung SSD 850 EVO
HDD: 4tb WD Black
ODD: Asus Blu Ray writer/reader
USB Controller: Generic SYBA PCIe x4 USB 3.0 with internal header and two external ports
Front panel card reader: Generic SYBA 6-in-1 USB 3.0 card reader with USB 3.0 port
Chassis: NZXT Phantom 530 Black
Chassis fans: 1x200mm, 1x140mm, 2x120mm as intake; 2x200mm, CPU radiator can as exhaust
PSU: Cooler Master V1000

The USB ports on the chassis are connected to the USB 3.0 header on the MOBO, the card reader gets its connection from the header on the expansion card.

My question is, if I want to edit videos at 1440p, game at 1080p, and just do everyday things that put a heavy load on the CPU, what would be a good upgrade path for me?

I was thinking about going Intel this time. And I intend to keep and reuse my chassis.

RockyPlays · Mar 11, 2016

Since you already have DDR3, you could grab an i7 4790k with a good Z97 board. Though a 8350 clocked to 5.2GHz should be pretty good for your needs.

X79 · Mar 11, 2016

You're fine. Not much worth upgrading. You could of course get the latest i7 CPU and OC it to your hearts content. You're already able to game at 1080p with such a system. Easily. I don't see why you need an upgrade path; unless you're actually struggling to do the tasks you outlined.

maxxw7 · Mar 11, 2016

You really only need to upgrade your cpu and gpu to get what you are looking for. I suggest an i5 6600k it is great for video editing and gaming. You could go i7 but would cost more. A good graphics card to handle all games at 1080p would be something like the gtx 970 or r9 390 or 390x. Other wise your rig is very good.

USAFRet · Mar 11, 2016

weberdarren97 :

In what way is the current system lacking?

RockyPlays · Mar 11, 2016

maxxw7 :

He already has 32GB of DDR3 so it would be better to stick with Socket 1150. Also he has Crossfire 280x so none of those cards are going to be an improvement.

weberdarren97 · Mar 11, 2016

I keep my system very clean of startup objects and uninstall all the apps and programs that I don't use. I have Windows 10 PRO and the only programs set to run at startup are Radeon Control Center, Xear Audio Center, and CoreTemp (I use it monitor CPU temps). Yet when I try to edit videos at about 1080p, it maxes out the CPU and becomes unresponsive for anywhere from about 400 milliseconds to sometimes almost five while seconds until the CPU calms down. I never try to multitask while I'm editing. And it makes a lot of heat, but that's to be expected at my clock speed. And no, the CPU is not overheating, it's never been above 65 Celsius.

USAFRet · Mar 11, 2016

I'd start with undoing some of that OC.
See what happens.

X79 · Mar 11, 2016

Probably too much voltage!

weberdarren97 · Mar 11, 2016

I did the overclock because of that issue. It actually takes longer for the CPU to calm down at its stock clock speed. I was thinking it was related to the AMD Bulldozer architecture having a low instruction per clock? But correct me if I'm wrong here, that's why I posted.

weberdarren97 · Mar 11, 2016

So I created a copy of my overclock profile in BIOS, renamed it, factory reset that profile, and booted the system with it selected as the active profile. Now when I try to edit it's a seven to eight second delay between adding an effect and the system becoming responsive again... It was better with the overclock applied. And it's not like the CPU is really heating up (hovers around 40 Celsius), it's just pinned at 100% until the effect is applied.

Please suggest a board capable of Crossfire/SLI that I can use my memory with, a good CPU for editing and gaming that'll work with said board, and let me know if you think 2 R9 380X's is a good idea or not.

I am willing to spend $800 plus whatever I can get for my MOBO, CPU and two R9 280X's (if I end up going with two R9 380X's)

weberdarren97 · Mar 13, 2016

So has everybody just stopped trying to help me here?

X79 · Mar 15, 2016

Or the hilarious option of one amazing GPU instead of two, while blowing the budget.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($348.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($629.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1118.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-15 14:48 EDT-0400

I lean towards Nvidia cards, as they tend to run cooler and less hot in my experience.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($348.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($320.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $809.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-15 14:47 EDT-0400

Or with what you requested

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($348.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 380 4GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($199.99 @ Micro Center)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 380 4GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($199.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $888.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-15 14:50 EDT-0400

I'd jump for any of these personally. You can also reference this list for yourself if you want.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gpus,4380.html

The CPU in all these builds is OC'able like your current one and everything should fit; CPU, motherboard, RAM, CPU-cooler and so on. The board supports up to 32GB RAM and at any speed of course, as well as both SLI and CrossFire X, so that you have options. Asus is also one of the absolute best motherboard brands. SLI or CrossFire are only good insofar as your ability to cool the system sufficiently and deal with the extra noise and electricity usage. You wouldn't have any troubles gaming, for sure, with any of these systems and for a non-workstation, it's still very beefy for editing.

weberdarren97 · Mar 15, 2016

I think I'll go with the two R9 380s... I'm kind of an AMD fanboy. Although I don't mind Intel CPUs since everything AMD is old at this point. And since Zen is going to hit servers in Q3 2016 (can't confirm that) but will wait longer to be released for desktops, I'd rather rebuild than just jump on a new CPU lineup that I don't have any knowledge of. Thanks for the parts lists man.

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