New build or upgrade??

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Allie3333

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Dec 9, 2015
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Hi! I'm a mom...I know but please keep reading...this forum helped me last Christmas and I need you again. I posed the same question last year and upgraded my sons computer with a new graphics card and power supply. We have a good time working on his computer and he has caught the PC gaming bug and is always asking to make his computer faster. Anyway this is what we currently have on board:


Intel i5 3470
MSI Z77A motherboard
GTX970
EVGA 850 G2 power supply
16 GB DDR3 Ram
2 TB HDD
Samsung 250 GB SSD

I was thinking about getting a full size tower as the mid size case is pretty cramped....with that in mind I need some advice...I want to add another graphics card but am worried this motherboard and CPU should not make the trip to thie new tower. Your suggestions are much appreciated.
 
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Allie3333

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Dec 9, 2015
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Haha....my son and I are having fun with it. He's 14 and this computer project started in 2012 when he asked for a PC...I only had Macs. He wore me down and I agreed but we'd have to build one. I've made plenty of parenting mistakes but this one has been great. I've tried to buy quality parts and upgrade to give him a good boost in performance. If I could achieve that and stay around 500ish I'd be happy. I'm thinking if I do case, new board and CPU I can hold off on a second graphics card for his birthday. Any thoughts are appreciated.
 
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RylieDetchon

RylieDetchon

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Nov 21, 2016
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Good idea. I've made a list on PCPartPicker of my ideal build for you and your son.

Unfortunately, you may have to go a little over budget, as the new CPU and board don't support DDR3 RAM.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/FZFwyf

Enjoy!

P.S. I'm also 14 and looking into building my first computer soon, any tips you can give me?

EDIT: Whoops. That aftermarket CPU cooler is completely unnecessary.
 
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Hellfire13

Hellfire13

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Apr 20, 2016
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Why do you need new parts???
That i5 ivy is still juicy enough to give you another couple of years. Also why do you think it cant go to a new case???
 
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Niklas_13

Niklas_13

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Apr 12, 2009
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I am kind of with hellfire on this

If you want a new case just buy any ATX case you like and swap the old out.

my kids i5 3570k still runs all the kids games fine, to go from a i5 3470 to a i5 6500 don't make sense

the only thing I did to that system in 5 years was swap out my old 670 to a 980 ti

are you guys on 1080p ? maybe you want to try sli if your mobo supports it run to gtx 970s ?
maybe a new 1400p monitor and a gtx 1080 ?

I feel like your cpu still has life

maybe a case with a window ? some lights ? Gaming chair ? Speakers ? Headset ? new KB ? Mouse ? :)

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Niklas_13

Niklas_13

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Apr 12, 2009
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this would be upgrades over what you have

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($329.44 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($155.34 @ Jet)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($98.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC GAMING Video Card ($399.99 @ B&H)
Case: Corsair 730T Black ATX Full Tower Case ($139.99 @ Corsair)
Total: $1158.52
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-10 01:33 EST-0500

imo adding sli wont be worth it ( reasons ) its not 100 % 2x the fps also not all games support it.

what's your budget for upgrades this season ? and what monitor do you have and other stuff KB mouse speekers ect ?
 
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Allie3333

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Dec 9, 2015
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Thank you for your input. I have a lot to consider. I think as far as tips I can tell you we forgot to budget in software and a few smaller components that while not expensive added up. I would also say to take your time. We were so eager to get the thing up and running we were rushing and made mistakes that ended up taking more time. Thanks again.
 
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Allie3333

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Dec 9, 2015
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Thanks. No I understand they can go into the new case but I didn't know if it was time to upgrade the CPU. Sounds like I can get another year out of it though. Thanks.
 
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Allie3333

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Dec 9, 2015
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Thanks! That's a beauty. He has two monitors a mid grade keyboard, gaming mouse and headset. He is pretty hard on these things and I think he has to take better care of those before I give him something nicer. I think from the input here I'll look into a full case and checking the specs on getting another graphics card....I'm glad the general thought is I can get a bit more time out of the CPU. Thanks for helping.
 
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