Upgrade PC or build a new one?

skypia · Dec 10, 2016

Here are my specs :

Operating System
Windows 7 Professional 64-bit SP1

CPU
Intel Core i5 3470 @ 3.20GHz 84 °C
Ivy Bridge 22nm Technology

RAM
16.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 799MHz (11-11-11-28)

Motherboard
ASRock Z77E-ITX (CPUSocket) 65 °C

Graphics
SMBX2231 (1920x1080@60Hz)
Intel HD Graphics (ASRock)
2047MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 (Gigabyte) 58 °C
ForceWare version: 375.63
SLI Disabled

Storage
1863GB ATA WDC WD20EZRX-00D SCSI Disk Device (SATA) 37 °C
111GB ATA INTEL SSDSC2CT12 SCSI Disk Device (SSD)

Optical Drives
DTSOFT Virtual CdRom Device

Audio
Realtek High Definition Audio

Hope you experts can help out, thanks.

harrysmellington · Dec 10, 2016

Well there is no point in making an entirely new PC at your rate, would be nice to know the specs of the PSU as well. If you want to upgrade the CPU you can go with an i7 3770k else you will have to change motherboard and ram as well to upgrade. If you want to upgrade the GPU any recent release would be a good choice, these include 1060, 1070, and 1080 from NVIDIA and RX470, and RX480 from AMD.

NOTE: If you upgrade to an 3770k (or any unlocked core CPU) you should also look for an aftermarket cooler such as the h100i (water cooling) or 212 EVO (air cooling). Make sure your case can fit the cooler you are looking at before you buy.

atomicWAR · Dec 10, 2016

Yeah I agree your better served upgrading at this point. Add an i7 3770k and get some more threads or a new GPU (better yet both). after all those are done first I may considering adding more ram for future proofing as some games now launching need 16GB and I tend to like double what is needed ram wise. PSU specs would be nice though...

skypia · Dec 10, 2016

Okay, it says Corsair VS650 so i think it's this one http://www.corsair.com/en-us/vs-seriestm-vs650-650-watt-power-supply.

For the GPU, which one is more preferable? (sorry noob here)

harrysmellington · Dec 10, 2016

skypia :

If that PSU is over 5 years old from when you started using it i would look at replacing it as it is not high quality, you should look for power supplies with ratings from silver to gold as these have higher quality parts most of the time.

As for the GPU any of the ones i have listed will improve your performance, if you tell me what you intend to play i can make a better suggestion but generally the 1080 is best followed by 1070 or RX480, then 1060 or RX470.

sizzling · Dec 10, 2016

Is this pc just for gaming? What do you want it to be better at doing?

skypia · Dec 10, 2016

sizzling :

Yup, this is just for gaming, mostly AAA titles.
The PSU is around 3 years old I think.
As for the GPU, I thought of getting one that is not too expensive, something around mid to high end, so GTX1070 might be a good choice for me.

atomicWAR · Dec 10, 2016

I would replace your PSU. With a tier 1 PSU I would replace it every 5 years, with a tier 4 like you have I wouldn't use it ten minutes in my system and surely not 3 years. The PSU is the heart of your system, it goes bad and fries, so does everything else.

skypia · Dec 10, 2016

atomicWAR :

Which PSU do you recommend?

atomicWAR · Dec 10, 2016

anything from tier 1 if you want to go 5yrs before replacing....tier 2 if you are willing to replace in 3 years. I would not go below tier 2.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

Personally I like seasonic for PSU but any of the ones listed in the above link in tier 1 or 2 are fine.

madmatt30 · Dec 10, 2016

Me ? I'd just drop a new GPU in there personally
Honestly don't see the need for anything else.
If you can find an i7 cheap then fair enough but they tend to have held their price incredibly well.

Vs 650 ?? Not the best PSU but with those components its never seen above 60% load innits 3 year lifespan.

atomicWAR · Dec 10, 2016

madmatt30 :

while i agree it hasn't seen heavy loads, it's still old enough and being such a low tier its not worth the risk of frying his new part. Regardless of how much load it has seen those capacitors wear with time, granted less load less wear...but 3 years on a tier 4? I would not do that and feel comfortable if it were my system.

skypia · Dec 10, 2016

madmatt30 :

Is there a need for better CPU actually?

atomicWAR · Dec 10, 2016

skypia :

not really. it's a decent CPU though more threads (an i7) would would help future proof it for gaming a bit longer but the one you have is sufficient for now.

madmatt30 · Dec 10, 2016

atomicWAR - I do see where you're coming from & yes if the budget is there I would personally upgrade it too , just saying its not an absolute necessity when the newer gpu's actually pull less power than that old 670.

Skypia - a need? No, not really , the 3470 is the equivalent of a skylake 6400, probably slightly stronger in heavily multi-threaded titles.
50-80fps generally on anything out there excluding games based on the arma engine.

At 1080p I would honestly top out at a 1060 6gb or RX 480 8gb if it were me.

The exceptions would be if I were going to upgrade to a 1440p screen ,if I were running a 4ghz+ Intel CPU & a 100htz+ screen or if I absolutely 100% planned to keep the GPU for 4-5 years.

As good as the 1070 is its overkill for your CPU at 1080p & is IMO not at a great pricepoint.
You'll be paying $200 over the price of a 1060 for performance that you won't actually see.

skypia · Dec 10, 2016

madmatt30 :

Ah, so pop in a GTX 1060 and new PSU for the best bang of my buck? How long would this be able to last me before my next upgrade approximately? I basically only play on 1080p.
Also, how much watt do i need for my rig?

madmatt30 · Dec 10, 2016

Probably ultra for the next 18 months to 2 years, high settings after that (this is going by how the 970 has aged which 2+ years ago was the same performance tier card)

I have no problem with people going top tier GPU if their circumstances & build dictates it as a good choice but when your running a 4 year old sandy/ivy setup & a 1080p screen its wasted money now.

The amount gpu's have progressed the last 2 gemerations is massive.
2 years down the line you'll probably have 1070 performance for the price the 1060 is now
For me it makes more sense to upgrade again when that happens.
A 1060 will hold a $140-150 second Hand pricetag 2 years down the line - financially you'll be far better off.

Upgrade PC or build a new one?

Commendable

Reputable

Glorious

Commendable

Reputable

Titan

Commendable

Glorious

Commendable

Glorious

Titan

Glorious

Commendable

Glorious

Titan

Commendable

Titan

Share this page