Rebuild or Update PC?

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typeo

typeo

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Aug 9, 2008
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Hi all,

I have had this PC for roughly 5 years now, and am looking to either upgrade some parts (if it would make sense), or rebuild from scratch. My current setup is as follows:

Motherboard - ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3
CPU - Intel Core i5 2500K 3.3GHz
Graphics Card - AMD Radeon HD 6950
RAM - G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000)
SSD - 180GB Corsair SSD

Would it be worth it to just update a couple pieces of hardware, or with everything being a bit dated, should I start from scratch again?

Thanks for the help!
 
Solution
manddy123
In my opinion, just a couple of changes

- Get two new RAM sticks of 8GB each, 16GB of RAM will make your PC and Games run smoother, as games now tend to consume a big chunk of RAM
- Get a GTX 1060 6GB or better, the difference gap between your current GPU and a 1060 is huge. Anything higher would increase even more that game, helping a lot in your gaming experience.

Done, you'll be playing much better now.
Your current CPU is still pretty decent, no need to upgrade it, what you can do is a bit of overclock with it. But that would require a nice Cooler too.

At 1080p with those changes would be a perfect match!
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manddy123

manddy123

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In my opinion, just a couple of changes

- Get two new RAM sticks of 8GB each, 16GB of RAM will make your PC and Games run smoother, as games now tend to consume a big chunk of RAM
- Get a GTX 1060 6GB or better, the difference gap between your current GPU and a 1060 is huge. Anything higher would increase even more that game, helping a lot in your gaming experience.

Done, you'll be playing much better now.
Your current CPU is still pretty decent, no need to upgrade it, what you can do is a bit of overclock with it. But that would require a nice Cooler too.

At 1080p with those changes would be a perfect match!
 
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Solution
WildCard999

WildCard999

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Are you gaming at 1080P? 60hz? I would put a decent aftermarket cooler such as the Cryorig H7 on there and overclock that 2500K as far as it will safely go, increase RAM to 16gb, then replace the HD 6950 with a GTX 1060 6gb or 1070 8gb if gaming at a higher resolution then 1080P or if your monitor supports 120+FPS.
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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Oct 9, 2006
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What do you use this pc mainly for?
Is it doing the job?
If not, where is it lacking?

Do you have a budget?
Do you have a good use for this pc if you were to build from scratch.

2500K, especially with an overclock is still a very good processor.
If you are using the stock cooler, a $30 cryorig H7 will be quieter and allow you to overclock better.
If your usage is for gaming, the 6950 is, indeed getting old and a card like a GTX1060 would be a nice upgrade.

How full is your 180gb ssd?
Once it nears 90% it will slow down and lose endurance.

What is your monitor?
Perhaps you could be looking into a 27" 1440P monitor.
Keep your current monitor as a side monitor.

If you do lots of multitasking, then more than 8gb is appropriate.
Do not try to simply add 8gb, there is no guarantee that it will work.
Buy a 2 x 8gb kit and keep your old ram as backup.
 
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typeo

typeo

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Hi all,

big thanks for the replies. Will try to answer some questions posted above.

1. The PC is mainly a gaming PC, I have a 24" monitor, 1080p i believe.
2. I have an aftermarket cooler, a big tower cooler. Its basically a giant heat sync with a fan attached to the side of it. I can not think of the brand / name of it however.
3. I have not messed with overclocking this CPU before. I will look into it.
4. SDD is usually pretty full, I have to constantly remove and add games depending on what I am playing. Not really a big hassle though. I also have a 1TB internal drive for non gaming file storage.
5. Monitor is a ASUS VS248H-P 24" Full HD 1920x1080 2ms HDMI DVI VGA Back-lit LED Monitor - Ordered it a couple years ago.


I will check out some newer RAM as well as an updated graphics card, and start reading up on CPU overclocking.

Thanks for the input!
 
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manddy123

manddy123

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Go for it buddy, cheers!
 
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